Buffalo Springfield "Live" and Sounding Great

http://rustfest.org/allonesong/BSB2010SAT/

Yesterday we reported on the Buffalo Springfield reunion at Neil Young's Bridge Benefit concert, but the clip was shaky and the sound was poor. Check out this link for great sound and the complete set -- no video but the band sounds great, especially Ritchie Furay on "Kind Woman" and Steven Stills on "For What It's Worth" and "Rock and Roll Woman." Note the inclusion of "Bluebird" with its extended Stills and Neil Young guitar interplay in the middle -- long considered a classic Springfield tune that was only available in a live version on a retrospective set. Don't wait to listen as this link probably won't be active for too long.

Buffalo Springfield Almost...Again

Well, it wasn't the Whiskey-A-Go-Go, where Buffalo Springfield holds legendary status (along with The Doors) and it wasn't the complete Buffalo Springfield. But it was as close as anyone's gotten to hearing this great band since 1967.

Last weekend at Neil Young's annual acoustic music Bridge School Benefit, where a couple dozen Big Name performers set aside their egos and rider demands for Cristal and caviar to play for free with no expenses paid, Young brought together the two other surviving members of what many say was "the greatest live band no one heard" and they resurrected the old days for a few minutes.

Young looked as dapper as he'll ever look in a great hat and fringed jacket that hearkened back to his Tiger Beat photo spreads, Steven Stills looked thinner and better than he has in years (and a little professorial too), and silver-haired Richie Furay looked like he was thrilled to be their with his old pals. Too bad all five original members weren't there, but bassist Bruce Palmer and drummer Dewey Martin have died and were replaced by members of the CSNY touring band.

The set list included Buffalo gems and classics: "On the Way Home (set opener, click above video), "Rock and Roll Woman," "Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It," "I Am a Child," "Kind Woman," "Child's Claim," "Burned," "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing," "Bluebird," and "Mr. Soul."

Any chance this sets the stage for a reunion tour?

Q101 Announces 2010 Twisted Lineup

In what has become an annual tradition in Chicago, Q101's Twisted is back. And back with a vengeance. The radio station announced its five night 2010 lineup on Monday morning. All shows will be at Chicago's House Of Blues and will feature five headlining acts: Alterbridge, Five Finger Death Punch, Chevelle, Cake, and My Chemical Romance. Other bands slated to play so far are, Sick Puppies, Bad City, Hellyeah, The Damned Things, Finger Eleven, Hail The Villain, Middle Class Rut, and Greek Fire. More bands are sure to be announced in the coming days.

The true shocker of the lineup is that of My Chemical Romance. The band is coming off an almost five year hiatus and has not even announced a full U.S tour as of yet. The band is releasing a new album in November and a live performance in Chicago is the perfect way to kick off their return.

Q101's Twisted is going to be held on December 11th thru December 15th. Tickets go on-sale to the general public on Friday October 29th at 10am. Stay tuned to Straight Lines for updated band information as it becomes available.

Video Of The Week: KOL Rock SNL

The Straight Lines video of the week this week is from Kings Of Leon. After a historic 2009 for the band, 2010 is looking to be even bigger. KOL just released their newest album, Come Around Sundown on October 19th and hit the Saturday Night Live stage this past weekend to show off some of the new tracks. They group played the album's first single, Radioactive, as well as a track off the record titled Pyro. Check out the performance of Radioactive below!

Rockin' the Vote: These 5 Should Make the Hall for 2011

Well, two of the voters in the recent Straight Lines Music Poll are going to be disappointed if our 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks are on the money: Bon Jovi got two votes from SLM readers...and we didn't even know his mom and wife were followers... Seriously, someone's got some 'splainin' to do....

Anyway, over the past couple of weeks Straight Lines Music has taken a look at each of the dozen 2011 nominees, sketching their background, citing their influence, listing their breakthroughs, and providing some sample cuts for you to hear.

But which 5 make get the Straight Lines vote? Well, ladies first:

Laura Nyro, who has been nominated before but has never garnered enough support, clearly belongs, and this year "competing" with these 11 she's going to make it. A songwriter of the highest caliber and a fine, though possibly less-accessible interpreter of her own music, Nyro was at the forefront of the singer/songwriter movement and a transitional women's artist from folk to pop and rock. Without Nyro Joni Mitchell struggles to find an audience -- and maybe a record deal. Without Nyro which white woman pens soulful folk/blues with a jazz or pop influence? Without Nyro how does the 5th Dimension or Blood, Sweat & Tears break through? Without her soul the music that was to follow would be a little thinner, a little less adventurous, a little less interesting. She earns her way in on her own merits and based on what others did with what she wrote.

Still sticking with the ladies... Alice Cooper gets the nod, too, and not necessarily for valuable contributions but for contributions nonetheless. The dangerous early incarnation of the band energized teenagers, damaged eardrums, and scared parents -- all the stuff great rock & roll is supposed to do. Add to that the heavy (for its time) metal sound that can be considered a precursor to Metallica and others, Alice Cooper ripped a hole in rock's niceties and forced its way into the Hall. Then add the great hits and it's almost a dare to keep them out. And, despite those who prefer straight-on music to onstage dramatics, Alice Cooper (the later version) pioneered stage shows that many bands and artists would eventually emulate (and improve on). So Alice Cooper gets in because they were a great metal band and one of the first, because they looked good in ripped lingerie and helped make androgyny acceptable, because they put on groundbreaking if crude stage shows, and because they know what it feels like to be 18. In fact, they get in for "I'm Eighteen" alone.

Now the guys.

Neil Diamond is a no-brainer if there ever was one. Frankly, he gets in for "Cherry, Cherry" alone, but try this: Get a bunch of people in your car, hit the road, and fiddle with the dial until a Neil Diamond song comes out of the speakers -- you won't have to wait long to find one -- and note what happens. Just as with The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, the Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revival and many other melodic impact artists, people will know the lyrics and will start singing along. And not just to "Sweet Caroline," either. Whether you consider his writing, his ties to Brill Building excellence, the pop hit after pop hit after pop hit, the length of his career, the devotion of his millions of fans, the dollars of record sales (supposedly not a factor in Hall voting), or the still sold-out concerts, Neil Diamond is the man -- and he would appreciate it if the Hall were to put it that way on his plaque. Just be wary when he strolls to the mic to accept as he has a greater flair for the drama than the dramatic.

Everyone needs a poet, so this year Tom Waits also makes the cut. His is a classic case of being loved by the critics (most of them and most of the time) and being loved by an almost cult following of fans. His very long career has careened from folk to blues to jazz to rock and back and then he mixed parts of all those together seemingly on a whim, generally to solid, engaging, challenging results. He's never been a Big Seller, though releases such as Swordfish Trombones have pushed their way up the chart. But Waits, in many ways like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Brian Wilson, walks his own streets in his own mind. His streets are darker, the wind is harder and colder, and most of the streetlights are broken -- but he finds his way.

Last but not least the Beastie Boys. Bands get in the Hall based on their entire output and impact (unless the Hall makes a specific designation of period) but the Boys (with one girl) get in starting with their output from 1984 when Rick Rubens began producing them for Def Jam and they became an impact rap band (from a less-impactful punk band). They hit the big time, bringing rap to the masses, and took another big step when Mix Master Mike joined up in 1998. But in addition to bringing rap to rock and showing it can work at a profitable and artistic level, the Beasties rock the vote by their groundbreaking successes with sampling -- a practice that has dominated rap and hip-hop ever since this band had huge success with Paul's Boutique. That, plus their willingness to fight and win a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement opened the door for hundreds and maybe thousands of bands to give new life to riffs and beats from hundreds of dead or no-longer-performing artists, introducing some of those folks (Hendrix etc) to a whole new generation of listeners.

So, that's the Straight Line on who's going to make it in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when ballots are counted. Let us know what you think...and don't wait until winners are announced!

FInally! Some Competition for Ticketmaster...Hopefully

We've all bitched about Ticketmaster's monopoly which results in ridiculous prices, service fees (for what service, by the way?), and a host of other charges that add easily 15% or more to a ticket price. And despite the efforts of a variety of bands (Pearl Jam gets the biggest kudos for the greatest effort) Ticketmaster has challenged all comers and won.

But maybe that will change.

Turns out former Ticketmaster CEO Fredric Rosen is going to become CEO of an Outbox Technology subsidiary that enables organizers of concerts and other events to sell tickets through their own websites. The subsidiary, Outbox Enterprises, provides ticket-processing technology to performers, events, and venues -- essentially cutting out the middleman.

In addition to hopefully providing a credible challenge to Ticketmaster, which could drive costs down, Outbox turns the entire ticket-selling system on its head. Where Ticketmaster has developed a centralized ticket processing operation the Outbox approach is to decentralize ticket sales, creating an almost grass roots approach to sales.

Of course just because there's competition doesn't mean the additional fees would suddenly vanish -- those are here to stay. But the Outbox approach does allow artists and venues to decide how much of a service fee to charge, and Outbox receives a percentage of that fee.

Sufjan Fever Hard To Catch

Stinks is probably a tad bit to harsh, but disappointing certainly fits when describing Sufjan Stevens at the Chicago Theatre this past Friday night. Maybe it was the fact that the hype and expectations were too high? I'm not sure really. What is for sure though was the feeling that I was missing something that everyone else saw. Sufjan fever? Apparently it is hard to catch.

The first taste of Sufjan Stevens that I had was with his album Illinoise. After hearing about it from various sources and people that I trust musically, it was a natural fit as something to check out. Again, I was a tad bit disappointed after the first listen. Not that it was bad or anything. I found myself enjoying many of the songs including Jacksonville, Chicago, and Casimir Pulaski Day. The album, as a whole, just did not deliver like I thought it would.

Friday night was the same. While the rest of the sold out crowd was bobbing their heads and singing, I was glancing around wondering if they had their Ipods on and were listening to something else. Virtually the entire set list revolved around Sufjan's new record "The Age Of Adz," which makes sense considering the album just came out October 12th. The fact that he played only his new stuff was not the problem. The problem was that nothing clicked. Sure, it was unique, quirky, and sounded nothing like anything being released these days, but it still was just boring. The songs weren't pleasant to listen to or thought provoking. If it wasn't for the artwork corresponding to the certain songs on the video screen, I undoubtedly would have fallen asleep. The crazy thing though? I would have been awakened by all the cheering from the audience once the song had concluded.

After a few days to digest the show and listen to some more Sufjan material, the only conclusion that I could make as to why I was so out of touch with the rest of the audience on Friday goes back to that element of unique. Obviously, people listen to music for different reasons; but it truly felt that the majority of the Sufjan audience was there to listen to his music strictly because it was different. Not necessarily because it is good. And to their credit it is different and it is very unique. But is it worth two hours of your time? Sure, if you're looking to take a nap.

All in all, I can't catch the Sufjan fever. I've tried the albums and I've tried him live and I just can't understand what the fuss is all about. To me, good music is good music. If it is played on an electric guitar with a traditional four piece band, great. If it is played on a piece of wood with a rubber band, even better. Good means good, not different or unique.

As for the Sufjan fever? Wake me up when they find a cure.

Video Of The Week: My Chemical Romance Returns

The Straight Lines video of the week this week is from My Chemical Romance. After a bit of a hiatus, the band is back with a new album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys. The album comes out on November 22nd, but the group has released a video for the first single Na Na Na. Check it out below and let us know what you think!

Arcade Fire Frontman To Lecture At Northwestern

Arcade Fire front-man, Will Butler, will be moving from the big stage to the classroom. Northbynorthwestern.com is reporting that Butler will give a lecture at Northwestern University in Chicago. Butler attended Northwestern and majored in poetry and creative writing.

The lecture he will be giving is slated to be about how he has influenced the world by combining his music career and love for social activism. It will take place during Civically Engaged Young Alumni Week on the Northwestern campus. Butler will speak on November 2nd at 7pm. For more information, click here.

Chicago Weekend Music Information 10/15-10/17

It has been a little while since we did this, but the weather is getting cooler and its time to get back at it! Here is your concert information for this weekend in Chicago.

Schubas
10/15 - King Sparrow, Pet Lions, This Is Versailles
10/16 - Nathan Xander & Witchhouse, The Kickback, The Migrant
10/17 - Pepper Rabbit, From A Fountain, Words And Numbers

Lincoln Hall
10/15 - DeVotchKa, Angus And Julia Stone
10/16 - DeVotchKa, Angus And Julia Stone

Bottom Lounge
10/15 - The Octopus Project, Starfucker
10/16 - 1349, Triptykon
10/17 - Eli "Paperboy" Reed

Cubby Bear
10/15 - Stellar Road, Lying Delilah, Backyard Cohort
10/16 - Peter Terry, Murley Shertz, Train Company

Elbo Room
10/15 - Finley Night, Even Bigger, The Nows
10/16 - Scott Wesley, Jeanne T. Arrigo, Al Day and Victor Saunders

Chic, Beastie Boys and LL Cool J Round Out R&R HOF Nominees

The final three nominees for the 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are Chic, Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J.

Chic

We'll start with Chic, a primarily disco band founded by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards that made its mark as producers as much as with "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsa, Yowsa, Yowsa)," "Le Freak," and "Everybody Dance," among other disco ditties. Originally a rock and R&B band, Rodgers and Edwards added Tony Thompson and Norma Jean Wright as a lead singer (eventually adding Luci Martin too). The renamed group hit the road as Chic as dance fever infected the country. While still releasing dance LPs as Chic the group also wrote and produced a host of other chart-topping records including Sister Sledge's We Are Family, Diana Ross' Diana, and Blondie's Debbie Harry's solo outing KooKoo. Chic has been nominated to the R&R Hall in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Rodgers and Chic still perform, though without original members Edwards and Thompson who died in 1996 and 2003 respectively.

Beastie Boys

Started in 1979 as a punk rock band, this New York City group took the name Beastie Boys in 1981 and quickly found itself supporting Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys and other punk bands at popular New York punk clubs such as CBGBs and Max's Kansas City. FOllowing siginng in 1984 to Def Jam with producer Rick Rubens, Beastie Boys went from punk to rap and became a trio, releasing the breakthrough Rock Hard EP in 1985 and License to Ill in 1986. The sample-heavy Paul's Boutique which eventually sold a million copies followed in 1988 with Check Your Head in 1992 on the band's own Grand Royal label (which featured former Beastie Kate Schellenbach's band Luscious Jackson as well as Julian Lennon, John's first kid). The Beasties returned to the top of the charts with Ill Communication in 1994, earned a headlining slot opposite The Smashing Pumpkins at Lollapalooza the same year, and in 1998 released Hello Nasty, which featured the addition of Mix Master Mike and catapulted them to #1 in the U.S. The Beastie Boys made another impact in the music industry when in 2003 a judge ruled in their favor in the case Newton vs. Diamond. The judge ruled that the Beastie's sampling of six seconds of James Newton's "Choir" in their song "Pass the Mic" did not violate copyright law -- a ruling that nudged open the door to sampling by other rap and hip-hot artists.

LL Cool J

From his earliest release, Radio, with hits "Rock the Bells" and I Can't Live Without My Radio," LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James) signaled that he was anything but a "typical" rapper. His romantic ballads, his use of standard song structures, and his almost pop-oriented approach made rap accessible to more than that music's core audience. Consider these numbers: Radio, 1.5 million in sale; Bigger and Deffer, 2.3 million; Walking with a Panther, 1.1; Mama Said Knock You Out, 2.7 million. And that's just his first four Def Jam releases. He went on to release another eight records, plus a greatest hits package, and almost all of them were driven by singles that burst onto the charts and stayed there: "I Need Love," "Goin Back to Cali," "I'm That Type of Guy," Jingling Baby," "Doin' It," and "Phenomenon" are just a few. Following his last release, Exit 13 in 2008, LL focused on the acting career he had dabbled in. He is now a regular on NCIS: Los Angeles.

NEXT WEEK: Straight Lines Picks Its 2011 R&R HOF Inductees! Make sure to check back!

New My Chemical Romance Hits The Web

My Chemical Romance is back with a brand new album on November 22nd. Before that though, the group was nice enough to release Na Na Na, the first single from the record and now have released a second single to further soothe fan excitement. The second single is called The Only Hope For Me Is You and is available right down below.

The new My Chem album is titled Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys and will be released on November 22nd. The group is offering a very special box set version of the album that includes a special EP and various other My Chemical Romance goodies. For more information on that click here.

More R&R HOF: Diamond and Rough

While he's become something of a punch line in the later stages of his career -- he's sometimes derided as the Jewish Frank Sinatra -- few U.S. pop singer/songwriters can stand alongside Neil Diamond. From his early days as a shining cog in New York's Brill Building songwriting machine to his mid-career heights of Beautiful Noise (and even select tracks from Jonathan Livingston Seagull) Diamond has been known as a songwriter and singer of melodic (most of his stuff), sometimes dramatic ("I Am...I Said,") and sometimes syrupy ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers" duet with Barbra Streisand) music. But his 1960s and 1970s output carried a real pop charge. His early Brill hits -- "I'm A Believer," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," "A Little Bit of Me, A Little Bit of You" -- helped put The Monkees on the musical map and generated industry interest not only in Diamond's writing but in his singing, at which he'd been unsuccessful to that point. He inked a contract with Bang Records in 1966 and the hits started to come. "Solitary Man" was his first success, soon to be followed by "Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman" (eventually covered by both Elvis Presley and Deep Purple), and "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime."



Following a switch to MCA Records in 1970 he dominated the charts with "Sweet Caroline," "Holly Holy," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Song Sung Blue," and "I Am...I Said." He simply was everywhere on the radio. Then in 1972 he performed at L.A.'s Greek Theater, recording the event for arguably one of the finest live recordings ever made, Hot August Night. Not only does the recording showcase every facet of Diamond's greatest songwriting in a live setting and with a full band, but it demonstrates his ability to connect, albeit a little dramatically, with a pop audience. His introduction to "I Am...I Said" is classic Diamond, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" is a close-to-perfect embodiment of the gospel-tinged musical era portrayed in the song, and "Cherry Cherry" rocks with Diamond doing a great job on rhythm guitar.

In 1976, on the verge of becoming musically irrelevent, he was invited (surprisingly) to perform at The Band's The Last Waltz concert, singing the overwrought "Dry Your Eyes" he'd penned with Robbie Robertson. (Robertson fought for the invite and defended it by saying Diamond represented the Brill Building era...true enough but his selection probably had more to do with the fact Roberston was currently producing Diamond's Beautiful Noise record.) After that Diamond's career, which had had its peaks, settled into a long creative valley, with the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s being relatively uninspired despite scoring some big middle-of-the-road hits such as "Love On the Rocks." His biggest impact lately has been when others recorded his songs (such as UB40's cover of "Red Red Wine" and Johnny Cash recording "Solitary Man"). But his own output has been, to put it mildly, dreck. "America" is representative, and though it gets oldsters tuning in the radio, buying the CDs, and on their feet (though not on their chairs) at his still sold-out concerts, he's written nothing in the last 25 years with the strength, polish or insight of his early work.



Where Neil Diamond is polished and slick straight-ahead pop, Tom Waits is rough, unfinished, and more than a little scary. He's the guy huddling in the alleyway, his hands stuffed in his torn pockets, pulling his jacket down so his neck gets cold...stay away! He's the guy in the knit cap who rides the L all night long...don't make eye contact! He's a raconteur for the dispossessed with a voice that almost makes Bob Dylan sound like Bing Crosby, singing and writing from the dark side of the soul. He blends rock, blues, and jazz in unexpected ways, and his lyrics about the forgotten and the feared and the afraid have generated critical raves, enormous respect from other artists who cover his songs with regularity -- and barely enough popular success to survive doing what he does.



Those who aren't fans might know him for the knockout "Jersey Girl," covered by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (check out this live version which starts after a meandering coffeehouse intro), and by "Downtown Train," a hit for none other than late-period Rod Stewart. And his reworking of the Australian anti-war "Waltzing Matilda" in his "Tom Traubert's Blues" is heart wrenching and masterful -- listen to this gorgeous cut from The Old Grey Whistle Stop. His music and lyrics are rarely upbeat, but given the undertone of life on the edge that permeates his writing that's no surprise. His melodies have a creeping impact on the listener -- often you can't pick them out right away because he growls them at you, but they sneak up on you by the end of the song. And Waits is an experimenter, his recordings and concert tours ranging from acoustic folk efforts to electric metal, jazz-infected rock, blues for the down and out, and just about everything in between. He's a melting pot of styles and sounds, making his vast catalog well worth dipping into.

Joe Tex, Chuck Willis and the R&R HOF

Despite having a million-selling single, "Hold What You've Got," which spent 11 weeks on Billboard's Top 100, and releasing 30 successful singles before 1965 on, Joe Tex will likely best be remembered as a songwriter who penned "Baby You're Right," which James Brown covered to great success in 1962.... that and a lifelong feud with Brown that culminated in Brown shooting at but not hitting Tex in a nightclub.

Tex's own singing spent quite a bit of time on the airwaves. Hits such as "A Woman Can Change a Man," "Skinny Legs and All," "Men Are Getting Scarce," and "The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)" were among the barrage of 45s he released in 1965 (7 releases), 1966 (6 releases), and 1967 (5 releases). His last big hit was 1972's "I Gotcha," which reached #2 on the charts and eventually earned him a gold record for 2 million in sales. He converted to Islam in 1966.



Harold "Chuck" Willis is known to many through his music -- but few fans know his name. Willis saw fame early in his career with "It's Too Late, She's Gone," which has been covered by Derek & the Dominoes, Jerry Garcia Band, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and more. In addition to that, his "C.C. Rider" was not only a hit for him but has been covered by Elvis Presley among others. He is known as "The King of Stroll" for his performance of that dance, which resulted from an easygoing sound that led to an easygoing dance step. Pretty nice impact for what was a very brief career. Willis died during surgery in 1958 at the age of 30.

The Women Nominees: Distinct Styles Define Love, Nyro, Summer

Grouping the three women 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees together almost does them a disservice because they represent such distinctly different styles and eras -- but we're going to do it anyway.



Where Laura Nyro and Donna Summer staked a claim to solo artistry with white soul and disco respectively, Darlene Love spent most of her career singing mainly in the background but always with distinctive voice. After being "discovered" by Phil Spector in an all-girl group The Blossoms in the early 1960s, Love (with or without The Blossoms) can be found singing behind Elvis Presley, Johnny Rivers, Shelly Fabares, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones, Sam Cooke, and Dionne Warwick. But her greatest recognition came from singing lead on the Phil Spector-produced girl group hits "He's a Rebel" and "He's Sure the Boy I Love," both released under the name The Crystals, and on "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry," where Love was credited as the solo artist. She is also known for "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" from 1963's A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.



Where Love made it by supporting and singing songs penned by others, Laura Nyro carved her own niche by writing songs for herself. Her unique blend of white, woman, soul, jazz and blues with a little gospel thrown in defined a territory that few have entered since. And while she achieved critical success early and throughout her career, her recordings never attracted the attention they deserved. What they did attract, though, was other artists. So despite an outstanding recording and intermittent performing career Nyro is best known as a songwriter others have covered. Her own recorded versions of her songs are not as accessible as the pop interpretations, but her versions are the ones that stand alone. Still, Fifth Dimension's covers of "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Stoned Soul Picnic," Three Dog Night's "Eli's Coming," Barbra Streisand's "Stoney End," and Blood, Sweat & Tears "And When I Die" showcase her songwriting talents and did introduce Nyro to a wider set -- even if they didn't go out and buy her records. Never a comfortable performer, Nyro shunned the spotlight and toured rarely. She died of ovarian cancer in 1997 at age 49.



Unlike Nyro and Love who succeeded in near obscurity, Donna Summer was the pride and focal point of a musical movement. Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer was the face of disco -- "The Queen of Disco" -- virtually from the start of her success with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte who helped craft some of disco's signature songs: "Love To Love Ya Baby" (eventually redone in a 17-minute version featuring Summer moaning over a middle instrumental), "Hot Stuff," and "Last Dance." Following a break with disco she recorded Bad Girls with its working girl slant and launched another hit with "She Works Hard for the Money." In later years Summer recorded more varied fare, even winning two Grammys for "Inspirational" recordings. In all she has been nominated for 12 Grammys and has won five.

Rock's Julia Roberts, The Night Tripper, Bar Blues at Its Finest, and the Hippiest of Folksingers

The initial criteria for Rock & Roll hall of Fame nomination is an artist is eligible 25 years after releasing his or her first record. From that standpoint Bon Jovi, J. Geils Band, Dr. John, and Donovan all qualify.

Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi has sold a ton of records, but there's just no "there" there. Sure, this hard rocking band with lead singer/songwriter Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist/songwriter Richie Sambora made its mark with "Living on a Prayer" and "It's My Life," but Bon Jovi is rock's Julia Roberts.

J. Geils Band

J. Geils Band is a great R&B band with a blues bloodline starting way back in the early 1960s when John Geils, Danny Klein, and Richard Salwitz (known as Magic Dick) performed as Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels. Additions including Peter Wolf led to a name change to J. Geils Blues Band, eventually dropping the "blues" characterization -- but dropping it in name only.

Since the late 1960s J. Geils Band was a hot group to see live, especially if you could see their patented brand of blues rock up close and personal, like in a bar. That's what they are, a pure bar band -- a great party band -- and that's not taking anything away from them. Put on anything from The Morning After, "Live" Full House, Bloodshot, Ladies Invited, or Nightmares...And Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle and you'll get this party started. For many early fans interest faded as the group "went commercial" with Love Stinks and Freeze Frame.

The J. Geils Band broke up in in the early 1980s, reuniting once in a while for various reasons. But Wolf still tours and records and he's worth the price of admission in the places he plays: Clubs, bars and smaller music theaters.



Dr. John

Also known as Mac Rebbenack, Dr. John started as a guitar player, switching to piano after almost losing one of his fingers to a gunshot while defending a bandmate. Probably accounts for his distinctive keyboard style. His biggest record, Gris-Gris, takes full advantage of his New Orlean's background and he played it to the hilt by developing a murky, funky voodoo persona he dubbed "The Night Tripper." It worked for years, got him a lot of attention, and made for some interesting live gigs, but he tired of it and when he released Dr. John's Gumbo in 1972 he shifted to New Orleans Mardi Gras music, hitting the charts with "Iko Iko" and "Such a Night," which The Band eventually asked him to perform with them on their Last Waltz concert event. An aficionado of just about every type of piano sound from jazz and blues to zydeco and boogie woogie, Dr. John has backed artists from Carly Simon and James Taylor to Rickie Lee Jones and Neil Diamond. He has become an Elder Statesman of New Orleans Music and often gets the call when artists need piano versatility or New Orleans authenticity on their records.



Donovan

You cannot get a more representitive folksinger of the peace-love hippie era than Donavan Leitch, who from the start went by just his first name. You want some hippy-dippy songs? Check out "Sunshine Superman," "Mellow Yellow," "Jennifer, Juniper," and the pseudo-psychodelic "The Hurdy Gurdy Man." It's enough to give you a bad trip. But while those are the songs that kept Donovan on the radio almost to the end of the 1960s, he crafted and sung some gorgeous ballads including "Colours" and "Catch the Wind," both covered by many, though few have managed to capture the longing and resignation of his Pye-label recording of "Catch the Wind." And "Atlantis," while never a hit with such a long utopian "hippie dream" intro, was a significant deep track and 45 B-side. It crops up every now and then on FM oldies playlists because it has such a catchy singalong chorus you just can't get out of your head. You were warned...Hail Atlantis!.

All the Young Boys Love Alice

Unless you want to count Little Richard (and a case can be made), Alice Cooper broke ground for for all androgenous rockers to come, from David Bowie to Marc Bolan, David Surkamp, and Michael Stipe. He wore dresses -- tight ones. He wore lingerie -- skimpy stuff. He wore makeup -- a lot of it and not always well done. But Alice (born Vincent Furnier) wasn't just another pretty face. In fact initially Alice Cooper was a band, suffering the same fate Pink Floyd laments in "Have a Cigar"... "By the way, which one's Pink?"

But with Furnier on lead vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead, Michael Bruce on rhythm, Dennis Dunnaway on bass, and Neil Smith on drums Alice Cooper the band could rattle balconies and damage eardrums with the best of heavy metal rockers. And despite Furnier's penchant for hitting the links with Hollywood stars, aging crooners and Republican politicos, in his and the band's time Alice Cooper was considered as "dangerous" as they come.

From the cover of the first LP, Pretties for You, which featured a strategically placed sticker on the cellophane wrapper, to the breakthrough and incendiary "I'm Eighteen" (the "Satisfaction" of the 1970s)from the classic metal Love It to Death, to 1971's reptilian Killer Alice Cooper the band gave voice and swagger to teenagers who locked themselves in their bedrooms and cranked tunes of declaration and depravity while parents in the living room were wondering what the hell was going on. Check out the above live demo of "I'm Eighteen" -- it smolders for almost a minute, making it longer than the edited-for-AM Radio version -- but if you've ever been 18 you get it -- and you like it.



Alice Cooper had what is arguably the Number One anti-school anthem, "School's Out!" in 1972 and hit their popular peak in 1973 with Billion Dollar Babies. It was only then that Furnier answered that he was Alice Cooper, and he began performing on his own with a backup band, touring and releasing solo records, the first of which, Welcome to My Nightmare, spawned a hit, "Only Women Bleed," along with "The Nightmare," now considered rock's first long-form video, and a concert film that was a commercial and critical flop but a constant at midnight showings.

It was at this point that Cooper introduced stage theatrics -- primarily horror theatrics including a guillotine, snakes, bloodied and decapitated babies -- to rock. Pink Floyd, U2, Neil Young, and every other artist that attempts more on stage than just playing the music owes Alice Cooper -- and there's at least one whole generation of men (and probably some women too) who can say the same.

But the question is: Which Alice Cooper is nominated? The band? The Man? Both? Does it matter?

Tomorrow: Bon Jovi... and more 2011 R&R HOF Nominees!

R&R Hall of Fame Nominees Announced...Who Really Belongs?

Last week the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its list of nominees for 2011 induction -- and head banging among fans, purists, and critics alike immediately ensued. At issue, among other things, is what constitutes "rock and roll" as artists such as Beastie Boys, Dr. John, Chic, Donna Summer, LL Cool J, Joe Tex, and Laura Nyro were included among this year's nominees. Did these folks really contribute to rock and roll? Some certainly contributed to rap, disco, folk, blues, white soul music -- but apparently many out there think each musical genre should have its own Hall.



Don't think so. Arguments of this type are ongoing -- there are many people who draw a firm distinction between "rock" and "rock and roll," saying that the only true rock and roll was recorded by Sam Phillips and Norman Petty. But the fact is that each of those types of music had a significant influence on the broader "rock" music so the justification for their names on the ballot seems clear. Now, whether they actually belong in the Hall -- well that's a question Straight Lines is going to tackle over the coming days. We'll take a brief look each nominee, offer some click-throughs to representative performances -- and let you know whether we think each artist should make the cut.



Then we'll take it a step further and predict which five artists will make it -- and who won't. So here's a list of this year's nominees. Check back every day to see who we think is deserving of membership in rock and roll's most exclusive club...and don't be shy about letting us know if we hit a sour note!

Alice Cooper
Bon Jovi
Beastie Boys
Chic
Neil Diamond
Donovan
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack)
J. Geils Band
LL Cool J
Darlene Love
Laura Nyro
Donna Summer
Joe Tex
Tom Waits
Chuck Willis