The final inductee from the 2017 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is Yes, a band for which I have a total blindspot.
The only Yes song I know — or at least the only one I can actively identify as a Yes song — is ‘Owner of Lonely Heart,’ from the band’s top-selling album, 1983’s 90125. That album, I learned today, was the band’s first after they broke up and reformed with a new lineup. It also marked a change in sound toward pop and away from progressive rock.
‘Thank You Girl’ was released as the B-side to The Beatles’ ‘From Me To You’ in the United Kingdom and ‘Do You Want To Know a Secret’ in the United States. Originally intended as a single but later relegated to also-ran status, it’s a great example of the band’s earliest pop phase.
I’m always amazed that within four years of lightweight fare like this, the band had released Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, three albums that changed the face of popular music forever.
‘Shout’ is the opening track of Tears for Fears’ 1985 album Songs From the Big Chair, the New Wave band’s most successful release.
In addition to this track, which hit #1 in the United States, the album featured ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ (another #1 hit) and ‘Head Over Heels,’ which peaked at #3 in the U.S. Interestingly, none of these songs reached the top spot in the band’s native England.
Tupac Shakur recorded for just five years, but the influence and popularity he demonstrated in that short time was enough to make him a first ballot inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Tupac is one of seven rap acts in the Rock Hall, and the best-selling artist of them all. Next year, Eminem and Jay-Z will be eligible for inclusion, and I’ll be surprised if they don’t make it in on their first shot, given their massive sales and influence.
Pearl Jam is the first of two 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees who made it during their first year of eligibility.
Regardless of your opinion of grunge — I’m generally not a fan — it’s hard to argue with Pearl Jam making it into the Hall on the first ballot. They are pioneers in one of the last major movements in rock-n-roll history. Along with Nirvana (first ballot inductees in 2014), they defined the grunge era for a whole generation of bands.
Meet Me In Montauk 