I’m not much of a gamer. I played a lot of video games when I was in junior high, back when the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64 were the height of technological advancement. But I missed the window when games got really good.
A few years ago, though, my family bought a PlayStation 4 and the Star Wars Battlefront game and I sat slack-jawed at how complex and cinematic these things can get.
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.
