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You Don't Need the Silver Bullet When You Got the Ballot

Last month, Sivacracy offered its readers the opportunity to vote out the unworthy from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and also a chance to theoretically vote in those you believe have been unjustly passed over.

So far, we’ve got a two-way tie for worst, with several bands/singers in striking distance. New inductees are up for grabs, with no consensus at all building for any omitted artists (hear that, Parrotheads?). We’ve got a 21-way tie for first (and last), so even the most disorganized, limited fan club could really sway the results at this point.

We haven’t exactly received the random global sampling I’d hoped for; 76 percent of the responses are from people I know personally. So to inspire those tiebreaking ballots, here are some of the more notable comments so far, including one providing equal time for Captain Jack after I dissed him in the headline on the original notice:

I'd have to get rid of Percy Sledge -- a glorified one-hit wonder whose one hit I have never been a big fan of (apparently, love means letting someone walk all over you).

Why have the powers that be not seen fit to honor the Sir Douglas Quintet? Maybe I'm just being a homer, but how many genres of music did these guys master and/or help create? Straight ahead rock and roll? Check. R&B? Check. Tejano? Check. Cajun? Check. Country? Check. Polka? Check. Psychedelic rock? Check.

I know that these days Rick James is seen by many as the zany "Superfreak" guy and a hilarious Dave Chappelle punchline, but the man was an extremely gifted performer, songwriter, and producer and one of the true pioneers of funk music. Where is the love?

The #1 reason I don’t give a crap about the R’n’R Hall of Fame until this band is inducted: Jethro Tull !!!!

In: REO Speedwagon (because of that astronomy professor who was in it)

Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream have both been noted as heavy influences by many performers. Tangerine Dream, however does not qualify as rock. So I hope Kraftwerk eventually ends up in the Hall of Fame for their string of oft-sampled, innovative albums, their development of techniques, and for their primordial influence on many artists.

I still don’t quite grasp the contribution of Blondie. Yes, they were in the CBGB’s early crowd. But did they influence the course of rock? Really, the opposite is true: they were followers. They were part of the early punk crowd, but hopped on the disco bandwagon as disco emerged. So, they go into the followers category, not the originators category. They are notable, also, for lamely testing the waters of rap and calypso – strangely enough, yielding two of their greatest hits. So maybe they get cred for attempting punk, disco, rap, and calypso. Ultimately, I think One Way or Another and Call Me define their unique sound. But I don’t see the notable contribution beyond these songs being pleasing hits to hear occasionally on the radio. Hangin on the Telephone is used in some current TV commercial. That’s not enough.

I think Billy Joel deserves entry simply for livin the rock-n-roll lifestyle: marry a hot model, wreck a few cars while drunk, etc.

These comments are not necessarily endorsed by the Sivacracy team, which, incidentally, still needs to turn in ballots as well.

Check the list here, and send your responses to sivacracy@yahoo.com. According to the Hall’s rules, anyone who released an album during or before 1981 is eligible. Next month, we’ll do worst Oscar winners.

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