I know that this is old news (the announcement was made on Dec. 17), but I looked around and didn't find a thread on here discussing it, so I decided that it's better late than never. I respect the music opinions and views of everyone on this board, and I'd like to see what everybody thinks about the incoming class into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. So here goes:

First, we'll start off with a link to the induction annoucement here. Read through that if you would like, but I am going to tell you all of the ins and outs of each inductee right here.

Leonard Cohen
He started out as a poet, but that didn't work out and he eventually started to write songs. One of the first songs that he wrote, "Suzanne," became a hit for Judy Collins, and he got the attention of Columbia Records.

Cohen released his debut, "Songs of Leonard Cohen," but it was considered too dark and only ended up being a cult hit in the UK. Eventually, however, Cohen released more music in the US, and became one of the biggest songwriting names in the country and world.

Today, there are rumors that Cohen is planning his first tour since 1993. He received a Grammy nomination for his work on Herbie Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters" in 2007.

The Dave Clark Five
The DC Five were an English beat group in the 60s. For some reason, they have always tried to compare themselves to The Beatles. As a matter of fact, in an interview with Rolling Stone they said, "It would have been nice to have gotten in around the time the Beatles did, but it's wonderful now."

I can never compare the DC Five to The Beatles, nor should anyone else. The fact remains that they were the second group in the "British Invasion," and they were also second-best.

The debuted in 1964 with "Glad All Over You," which reached #6 on the charts. The group then had several more hits in the US from 1964-67, including "Bits and Pieces" (#4 May 1964), "Because (#3 Sept 1964), and "Over and Over" (#1 December 1965). They broke up in 1970.

Today, a long-out-of-print catalog of the band is set to be reissued.

Madonna
One of the rare few to pull off the feat of being inducted in her first year of eligibility (25 years after debut single), Madonna is still going strong, with another album due out this year.

Since her debut in 1982, Madonna has released many chart-topping albums and singles, and has sold more than 232 million albums worldwide and 150 million singles worldwide. The Guiness Book of World Records calls Madonna the "World's Most-successful Female Musician," based on facts that I don't care to repeat.

I have never been the biggest fan of Madonna's music, but I am one that is not afraid to recognize greatness, and one of my favorite things about her is that she keeps it fresh. She has reinvented herself more than any other artist, and that makes it extremely difficult to sum up her career. The last part of that last sentence is what defines greatness (to me, anyway).

John Mellencamp
Also known as John Cougar Mellencamp (what a cool name, no?), this American singer-songwriter's induction is 8 years overdue.

It took him 18 months to find someone receptive to his music and image, but he finally did in MainMan Management (famous for signing David Bowie). His first album, "Chestnut Street Incident," was released under the stage name John Cougar, a move that Mellencamp claims was done without his approval. The album failed miserably (12,000 sold), but remains a hot collector's item to this day.

JCM recorded one more album under MainMan, but was dropped from MCA Records before the album was released (MainMan actualld released the album in 1982 after the popularity of JCM started).

Mellencamp then moved to London under the urging of Billy Gaff (famous for working with Rod Stewart), and recorded "A Biography." The album wasn't realeased in the US, but JCM had a #1 in Australia with "I Need a Lover."

Mellencamp then released his official debut in the US, entitled "John Cougar," which eventually made it to #28 on the charts.

Mellencamp changed his stage name to John Cougar Mellencamp in 1983, coinciding with his release of "Uh Huh." The album produced 3 singles, two of which made the top ten.

JCM's most successful album, "Scarecrow," was released in 1985, and is now considered a classic American rock album.

He changed his stage name to his given name of John Mellencamp in 1991, and has had continued success since then. The Cougar on his induction (Rolling Stone): "I don't really need verification, but this certainly does that. After 33 years, it's nice."

The Ventures
This band's claim the fame was recording the theme song to the "Hawaii Five-O" TV show, but they contributed to and defined the sound of the surf rock genre. They are not, however, strictly surf rock.

The band formed in 1958, and they have been touring togther with the original members since. On their induction: "It's a long time coming," says co-founder Don Wilson. "For years it's bothered me that we haven't gotten in. I hate the word 'posthumously.' "

*Some information was taken from wikipedia.org and from "Rolling Stone" magazine.

Any thoughts?

-- Edited by David McKinney at 22:57, 2008-01-12