[Print] Should Def Leppard be inducted into the R&Roll HOF
Aug 26, 2014 5:54:30 GMT -8
kerrin likes this
Post by Shawn on Aug 26, 2014 5:54:30 GMT -8
Should Def Leppard be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? (poll)
"CLEVELAND, Ohio – KISS and Def Leppard's show at Blossom Music Center on Tuesday, Aug. 26, brings together two rock bands that have been at odds with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
VOTE
KISS' beef with the Rock Hall has been well documented. Even getting inducted this past April didn't do much to make Gene Simmons and company feel any better about the process.
Def Leppard is one of the greatest selling acts of of all-time and has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004. Yet, the 1980s arena rock act hasn't even come close to being inducted.
Def Leppard's fan base doesn't rival those of acts like KISS or Rush, who certainly benefited from the recently introduced fan vote system. However, the band behind such huge hits like "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" has the sales figures to warrant its appearance on several lists of Rock Hall snubs.
Frontman Joe Elliott weighed-in on the Rock Hall in March, just before KISS' induction, calling the process "rubbish." A closer look at Def Leppard's resume makes a case both for and against the band's chances at making it into Rock's hallowed ground.
For Induction:
Def Leppard has sold A LOT of records. The British rockers have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and on a list of just a few rock bands to have had two studio albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. The other bands – The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen – are all in the Rock Hall.
Def Leppard often gets tagged with the "glam metal" label, but the band had substance to its sound, which critics appreciated. Def Leppard's two best albums, "Pyromania" and "Hysteria," are both ranked on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Recent inductees like Guns N' Roses, Heart, Rush, Hall & Oates and Cat Stevens can't say the same.
Lastly, the Rock Hall has continued to emphasize the criteria of "influence and significance" to the development and advancement of rock music. Def Leppard isn't exactly The Beatles, but the band's arena rock sound, built on layers of heavy drums and sound effects, can be seen in today's musical acts, from Imagine Dragons to younger glam metal acts like Black Veil Brides.
Against Induction:
Influence may work more against Def Leppard than for it. When you look at the acts the band has influenced the most, acts like Bon Jovi and Poison come to mind. Neither of those bands has come close to getting into the Rock Hall. The same goes for bands similar to Def Leppard such as Journey, Boston, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon and Quiet Riot.
While Def Leppard has sold a ton of records, the band really has only two, maybe three songs ("Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Pour Some Sugar on Me") generally considered essential to rock music over the past 30-plus years. In that sense, the band's prime years can be condensed to a four-year (1983-1987), two-album period.
What hurts Def Leppard the most is the stigma of being considered a 1980s band. Motely Crue frontman Vince Neil said it best in a recent interview with Rolling Stone: "To lots of people, we're quote '1980s band.' Everybody wants to get rid of the 1980s. They want to go from the 1970s straight to the 1990s..."
Of those "1980s bands" that saw huge mainstream success during the decade, very few have entered the Rock Hall. Van Halen's first run of success predated 1980. Guns N' Roses dominance ran into the 1990s. Neil's "straight to the 1990s" line may be dead on, given Nirvana's induction in 2014 and Green Day's likely induction in 2015."
"CLEVELAND, Ohio – KISS and Def Leppard's show at Blossom Music Center on Tuesday, Aug. 26, brings together two rock bands that have been at odds with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
VOTE
KISS' beef with the Rock Hall has been well documented. Even getting inducted this past April didn't do much to make Gene Simmons and company feel any better about the process.
Def Leppard is one of the greatest selling acts of of all-time and has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004. Yet, the 1980s arena rock act hasn't even come close to being inducted.
Def Leppard's fan base doesn't rival those of acts like KISS or Rush, who certainly benefited from the recently introduced fan vote system. However, the band behind such huge hits like "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" has the sales figures to warrant its appearance on several lists of Rock Hall snubs.
Frontman Joe Elliott weighed-in on the Rock Hall in March, just before KISS' induction, calling the process "rubbish." A closer look at Def Leppard's resume makes a case both for and against the band's chances at making it into Rock's hallowed ground.
For Induction:
Def Leppard has sold A LOT of records. The British rockers have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and on a list of just a few rock bands to have had two studio albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. The other bands – The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen – are all in the Rock Hall.
Def Leppard often gets tagged with the "glam metal" label, but the band had substance to its sound, which critics appreciated. Def Leppard's two best albums, "Pyromania" and "Hysteria," are both ranked on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Recent inductees like Guns N' Roses, Heart, Rush, Hall & Oates and Cat Stevens can't say the same.
Lastly, the Rock Hall has continued to emphasize the criteria of "influence and significance" to the development and advancement of rock music. Def Leppard isn't exactly The Beatles, but the band's arena rock sound, built on layers of heavy drums and sound effects, can be seen in today's musical acts, from Imagine Dragons to younger glam metal acts like Black Veil Brides.
Against Induction:
Influence may work more against Def Leppard than for it. When you look at the acts the band has influenced the most, acts like Bon Jovi and Poison come to mind. Neither of those bands has come close to getting into the Rock Hall. The same goes for bands similar to Def Leppard such as Journey, Boston, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon and Quiet Riot.
While Def Leppard has sold a ton of records, the band really has only two, maybe three songs ("Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Pour Some Sugar on Me") generally considered essential to rock music over the past 30-plus years. In that sense, the band's prime years can be condensed to a four-year (1983-1987), two-album period.
What hurts Def Leppard the most is the stigma of being considered a 1980s band. Motely Crue frontman Vince Neil said it best in a recent interview with Rolling Stone: "To lots of people, we're quote '1980s band.' Everybody wants to get rid of the 1980s. They want to go from the 1970s straight to the 1990s..."
Of those "1980s bands" that saw huge mainstream success during the decade, very few have entered the Rock Hall. Van Halen's first run of success predated 1980. Guns N' Roses dominance ran into the 1990s. Neil's "straight to the 1990s" line may be dead on, given Nirvana's induction in 2014 and Green Day's likely induction in 2015."
