Another year goes by and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame leaves the awesome Canadian power trio “Rush” off the list of inductees.
Ridiculous! And… WOW! … the insult grows as I peruse who they picked:
Besides ABBA, the Rock Hall’s internationally flavored Class of 2010 includes the proto-punk Stooges from Ann Arbor, Mich., Jamaican reggae star Jimmy Cliff and a pair of British exports, the pop-rocking Hollies and prog-rocking Genesis.
I agree with the Hollies, because they were early and important. But the others… are you kidding me? Genesis before Rush? The Stooges before Rush? Abba, a group that had a few hits in the 70’s, before Rush?
Let’s look at sales:
Over the course of their career, Rush has come to release 24 gold records and 14 platinum records (3 of which have gone multiplatinum),[87] placing them within the top 4 for the most consecutive gold albums by a rock band.[88] Rush ranks 78th in U.S. album sales according to the RIAA with sales of 25 million units.[88] Total worldwide sales approximate 40 million units.
Abba – I enjoyed their music. And I even visited one of their members houses when I was in Sweden once. I don’t dispute them eventually getting in, but not ahead of Rush.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Even someone who doesn’t like Rush (gasp!) thinks this is totally bogus.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Did you really put ‘awesome’ and ‘Canadian’ together in the same sentence? I’m more surprised about that than Rush being left out of the Hall of Fame, which I happen to agree with
December 15th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
NewRob, are you saying you agree that they should be in the HoF, or that they should not?
December 15th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I knew I would catch grief over awesome Canadians… but doggone it, somethings just are true!
December 15th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
At this point it would be more of an insult to be included than left out- madonna, ABBA, dusty Springfield etc ad nauseum
December 18th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
I definitely think they should be left out of the HoF. Maybe it’s a generational gap problem or I am just biased towards good music, but I can’t see Rush included with the likes of Metallica or AC/DC. Same goes for Madonna and ABBA though. That’s a pretty sad list of inductees this year, in my opinion.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:35 am
I am a Rush fan and I no longer want to see them in the Hall. I don’t need a bunch of nameless wonders to validate how I feel about this band’s music nor to substantiate the body of work Rush has produced. Anyone who has ever broken the speed limit listening to Red Barchetta knows how grerat they are.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:39 am
I hear you Brand13… we can take our ball and play elsewhere.
February 16th, 2010 at 10:08 am
@ Newrob, Rush have won every award that can be given except the RRHOF. They are a direct link to HOFer’s Metallica. They wouldn’t be there without the influence of Rush. Don’t believe it? Ask them. They should be inducted just on influence alone.
Biased against good music? What do you consider good? Apparently, it isn’t music with complex rhythms, great storytelling, political injustices, and social awareness. Hop on the Passage To Bankok and you’ll see what I’m trying to convey. It’s a travesty against every every artist that they aren’t there.
February 21st, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Well said, Skindog.
(Now that’s not a phrase I expected to write down today.)