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Sabbath, Sex Pistols on Rock's Rolls
11/28/2005 6:39 PM, E! Online
Josh Grossberg
After repeatedly being dissed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
Ozzy Osbourne famously demanded that Black Sabbath be removed from
consideration for the "totally irrelevant" institution.
Good
thing no one was paying attention. The seminal metal mavens, on their
seventh ballot, finally got the nod Monday and will be one of five acts
saying "Hello, Cleveland!" in 2006.
Joining Sabbath in the
Class of 2006 are the Sex Pistols, Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd and jazz
great Miles Davis.
They will be feted at the Rock Hall's
21st annual induction ceremony that will be held, per tradition, at New
York's famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Mar. 13.
Osbourne and
his "War Pigs" comrades--Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward--formed
in 1969 and first appeared on the ballot in 1997 (artists become
eligible after at least 25 years have passed since their first album was
released). But their repeated rejections became a running joke as voters
opted for the tamer likes of Billy Joel, Percy Sledge, Bob Seger and the
Righteous Brothers over the bat-chomping, Satan-touting Sabbath.
That led an embittered Osbourne to cry uncle in 1999. "Just
take our name off the list. Save the ink," he groused to the cadre of
artists, producers, journalists and historians who vote. "Forget about
us."
Osbourne had no immediate comment Monday on the turn of
events. But based on influence alone, his band deserved enshrinement,
having inspired generations of head bangers, including Metallica and
Megadeth. Sabbath successfully reunited in 2000 for its first tour in
over 20 years.
Putting Sabbath and the Sex Pistols (another
long passed over band) on the stage together should make for a
rollicking evening.
Though they lasted only two years, the
British rabble-rousers recorded the indelible punk anthems "Anarchy in
the U.K." and "God Save the Queen" on their lone album, Never Mind
the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, and set the standard for
self-destructive rock 'n' roll behavior thanks to frontman Johnny Rotten
and the late Sid Vicious. Other band members included Paul Cook, Steve
Jones and Glen Matlock.
Injecting some pop into the
proceedings will be Blondie. Led by Debbie Harry, the new wave rockers
topped the charts in the late '70s and early '80s with such hits as
"Heart of Glass," "One Way or Another," "Call Me" and "The Hardest Part"
and were one of the first acts to combine rock with rap, roots, salsa,
funk, disco and reggae. Aside from Harry, the members to be enshrined
include Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Nigel Harrison, Frank Infante, Chris
Stein and Gary Valentine.
The induction will likely take a
poignant turn when Lynyrd Skynyrd takes the stage. The Dixie rockers
lost several members of their original lineup, including principal
singer-songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, in a 1977 plane crash. But their
hits--"Freebird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps"--remain
staples of classic rock and inspired everyone from ZZ Top to Bo Bice. In
addition to Van Zant, Skynyrd's roster over the years included Bob
Burns, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Ed King, Billy Powell, Artimus Pyle,
Gary Rossington and Leon Wilkeson.
Easily the most curious
selection on the ballot is Davis. The jazz icon, who died in 1991, was
recognized for his profound influence on rock music, including
hard-charging horn work on A Tribute to Jack Johnson and the
psychedelic experimentation on Bitch's Brew, both released in
1970. Davis' six-decade career pushed the boundaries of jazz and fused
soul, funk, hip-hop and rock.
Receiving the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award in the
Non-Performer category will be Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. They
cofounded A&M Records in Los Angeles in 1962 and built up a roster of
artists that included the Police, Joe Jackson, the Neville Brothers, the
Flying Burrito Brothers, Captain Beefheart and John Hiatt.
The Sideman category will be announced at a later date.
Those not making the cut this year include A&M alum Cat Stevens (now
known as Yusuf Islam), Chic, the Dave Clark Five, the J. Geils Band,
John Mellencamp, the Patti Smith Group, the Paul Butterfield Band, the
Sir Douglas Quintet and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, which
would have been the first rap act inducted.
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