rock 'n' roll hall of fame - Attracttions vs. E Street band

Pretty self-explanatory
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zipthunk
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rock 'n' roll hall of fame - Attracttions vs. E Street band

Post by zipthunk »

I have a question that I just can't seem to get answered....
When Springsteen was inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame, there was a big hullabaloo about the fact that the E-Street Band were not inducted with him. The explanation was this: The artists is eligible from when his first album was released, and since the E-Street band did not make a formal "billing" appearance until the 2nd album, they were not technically eligible.
Not that I'm complaining about it...but why, then, were The Attractions inducted, as My Aim is True is only credited to Elvis? The name "Elvis Costello & The Attractions" do not come into play until This Years Model...
Although, now that I'm typing, I'm thinking...were both those albums released in the same year? 'Cus that would explain it...

And, while I'm on a roll....as the mighty Van Halen is up for induction next year...are both Dave (the rightful heir) and Sammy (the imposter, yet with the band longer) BOTH eligible?

Were there Weapons of Mass Destruction? Nonsense! THESE are the important questions!
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spooky girlfriend
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Post by spooky girlfriend »

I don't think I can begin to address all these questions, but I did find this. It's a combination of info from the elviscostello.com and R&R HOF websites.

The website for the R&R Hall of Fame says that inductees are eligible 25 years after the release of their first album and "criteria include the influence and significance of the artist’s contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll."

Elvis introduced MAIT in 1977, but it was recorded with members of the Clovers. However, he had formed the Attractions by June 1977 and issued TYM, recorded with the Attractions, on 3/17/78. They were inducted in 2003.

Bruce introduced his first album on 1/1/73. He released his second album in November 1973 with the E Street Band, but neither album charted until 1975. Bruce, without his band, was inducted in 1999.

After collecting this info, I'm still not sure about some of the answers. Perhaps the E Street Band could get inducted later?
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noiseradio
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Post by noiseradio »

The Attractions were inducted because This Year's Model was eligible as well as My Aim Is True. MAIT was 26 years old, and TYM was 25 years old (the minimum age requirement). Induction does not have to be based on your first eligible record. Elvis was eligible as both a solo artist (for MAIT) and with the Attractions (for TYM). The Hall of Fame committee (rightly, I think) recognized that the Attractions had a great deal to do with getting EC on that stage and chose to induct the band rather than the solo artist.

Incidentally, Elvis is still eligible to be inducted as a solo artist (though it won't happen), and Bruce & the E.Street Band are still eligible to be inducted as a band (though it won't happen).
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zipthunk
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Post by zipthunk »

thanks y'all

Noise, that's what I thought...but the months before EC was actually inducted, I kept reading all this stuff saying, 'this is the year that EC is first eliglible', all the while thinking, "shouldn't he have been eligible LAST year?"
Thanks for the insight!
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