The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is to music what:
a) Keystone Light is to beer.
b) Chef Boyardee
is to fine cuisine.
c) Bernie Madoff is to business ethics
d) all of the above
So, Yes has been snubbed once again by the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame. Most aficionados of
progressive music could care less about the institution. However, being inducted would have been a
career boost for tYes and a possible catalyst for the return of Jon Anderson.
Yes’ exclusion from the Hall of Fame, however, makes
a mockery of the supposedly objective criteria the judges utilize before
casting their votes. Presumably,
longevity, sales, instrumental, excellence, musical merit, and influence are
supposed to count. Yes has been around
as viable touring and recording group for forty-six years. They’ve had numerous Billboard hits such as: Roundabout, All Good People/Your Move,
Wondrous Stories, The Rhythm of Love, and a #1 hit with Owner of a Lonely Heart. The album Close
to the Edge is routinely described as a musical masterpiece and the pinnacle
achievement of the progressive rock movement.
Yes’s roster of musicians – most notably Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Bill
Bruford, and Chris Squire – have rightly drawn acclaim as among the finest rock
musicians of our time. Finally, can
anyone seriously argue that Yes hasn’t had a significant influence on a
generation of musicians and musical artists?
Centuries from now, I doubt many people will be
listening much to the “music” of inductees like Kiss or the pleasant but bland
pop churned out by Hall & Oates. Close to the Edge, The Gates of Delirium,
Awaken, and Tales from Topographic
Oceans, on the other hand, are musical works that seems both ahead of their
time and timeless. That’s just the kind
of thing that the judges at the Rock and Roll of Fame just don’t seem to
get. But that’s not surprising. After all, mediocrity never recognizes anything
higher than itself.
