R.E.M., Van Halen enter Hall of Fame
Induction ceremony will be held on March 12
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In their first year of eligibility, the alternative rock prototype R.E.M. and '80s hard rock progenitors Van Halen, have been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The two bands will be joined by the long overlooked Patti Smith, girl group the Ronettes and the first rap act in the hall, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Finalists who didn't make the cut included Chic, the Dave Clark Five and the Stooges.
R.E.M. was considered an easy first ballot inductee as the band ushered in the American indie rock scene in the 1980s, influenced multitudes of guitar-oriented bands and became a symbol of artistic independence even after signing with Warner Bros. Band -- Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and the retired Bill Berry -- scored critically and commercially over the course of two decades, beginning with "Radio Free Europe" and the album "Murmur."
Stipe, Buck and Mills are in London putting together a schedule for their next studio album, the follow-up to 2004's "Around the Sun." Band already has several demos recorded and plans for a release later this year.
"The thing about our records is that they become something that you didn't plan," Mills told Daily Variety, explaining it's still unclear what direction the next disc may go. "I don't want to create unfair expectations. There are various methods of recording, and the last time we really spread it out over time and from place to place. That can be energizing. The different set of influences a city can provide are all part of what's on the table right now."
Just as last year's class had its controversial inductee, Miles Davis, the pot will be stirred again as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five becomes the first rap act voted into the hall. Grandmaster Flash was the first to develop many DJ techniques; the Furious Five's influential MCs included Melle Mel and Cowboy. Group was the first to bring social commentary to rap and elevate the music beyond novelty with songs such as "The Message" and "White Lines."
Smith is considered the Godmother of Punk, a poet who made visceral and cerebral rock 'n' roll records and was among the leaders of the original wave of New York punk rockers.
"I'm particularly happy for Patti Smith," Mills said. "Sometimes a lack of record sales might lead people to underestimate her influence."
The Ronettes were the ultimate girl group between 1963 and 1966. Led by Ronnie Spector, trio was responsible for the prototypical hits "Be My Baby" and "Baby, I Love You."
Van Halen was the 1980s' biggest hard-rock success story. With a guitar hero in Eddie Van Halen and a cartoonish frontman in David Lee Roth, Van Halen played hard-edge rock and roll with a unique swagger.
Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar in the late 1980s and both will be inducted as members of the band along with Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony. Hagar told the Cleveland Plain Dealer last month that, should Van Halen be inducted, the ceremony "could be a real comedy, man. I don't think it's gonna be a real friendly, beautiful scene.
"You throw Dave in that mix, and I just don't see it working. Dave's gonna want it to be all about him. Ed's gonna want it to be all about him. And that's a tough one right there. I'll probably just be sitting over in the corner, cracking up."
The induction ceremony for the five artists will be held March 12 in New York. To be eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an act must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. This year's nominees had to release their first single no later than 1981.
