I didn't know those things about Leon but have always been aware of his vast session work. Quite a few years ago Glen Campbell was on Later With Bob Costas and mentioned working with Leon on commercial jingles back in the 60s, one of which was for Pepsodent. Another cool bit of Leon trivia is that he is the one that coined the term "Swampers" for the musicians at Muscle Shoals which made it's way into Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd. To tie that even further in with Skynyrd, the late Leon Wilkeson's full name was Leon Russell Wilkeson. Funny enough, Leon's real name is Russell Bridges. He's coming to the area soon and I'd like to see him. He played here a few years ago and while he was good, it seemed he was kind of just going through the motions. I understand he's even better now so I'd like to give him another chance. The only other time I've seen him was back in the 80s when he was touring in support of his Solid State album. I do wish I had seen him during his heyday back in the 70s. Leon Live is definitely one of my favorite live albums ever.

If Journey's ever inducted they should just go ahead and close the doors. The only thing worse than them being inducted is that Madonna's already in.

Yeah, I'm sure a chain restaurant is going to do a much better job than the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. No matter who's in charge of recognizing some of the most influential artists of all time no one is ever going to please every fan out there. I'm a huge Replacements fan and their influence is undeniable but do you think they will ever be inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame? It's not bloody likely. Same for Leon Russell. He was huge during the 70s and was definitely influential on nearly every keyboard/piano player that followed but the likelihood of him ever being inducted is next to none. The same for Johnny Winter and the list goes on... In regards to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum itself, I visited there a few years ago and enjoyed it. I wasn't sure what to expect but considering what they're up against, I thought they did a very good job. While I was there The Experience Music Project out of Seattle was presenting a Bob Dylan exhibit that I thought was very well done. There was also a record convention going on as well as a Roy Orbison exhibit but I didn't have a chance to see it all. Yes, it was pricey but if you're able to spend a good 6 or more hours there it's well worth it. I do recommend eating elsewhere if you can though as the food was absolutely atrocious and severely overpriced. As for the Hall itself, I enjoyed my experience there. Lots of Beatles, Grateful Dead and many other artifacts to ponder that I would have never had a chance to see anywhere else.

Some of the reviews I've read of Snakes & Arrows say it was shot from a "musicians" standpoint so you can actually see what they're playing and how they're playing it. To do this the filmmakers evidently employed some rather unconventional camera angles which makes it a unique viewing experience even if you aren't a musician. I saw it on sale over the holidays for something like $12.99 which is a real steal.

Having seen "The Dead" on their last tour I wouldn't get my hopes up too much. Even though they had Branford Marsalis sitting in, it was mainly lackluster at best. Out of all the post Jerry lineups the first incarnation of The Others Ones was the one I enjoyed the most. Still, none of them will ever even come close to holding a candle to the Grateful Dead. Jerry simply left far too large of a void to fill for that. I've found their true legacy to be songs passed around the campfire at MerleFest. After all, they started as a folky jugband before the whole "jam" thing started so it's only natural that Jerry would find his songs enjoyed best while sitting around a campfire. That's the true nature of "folk" music to me and that was the Grateful Dead's real forte, at least to my way of thinking.

While you say you may not be "against" Patti Smith as a person or artist one would certainly get that impression from reading your severely misinformed posts about her. If you wanted to base inductions on sales alone then no telling who would be be eligible for induction. That's why I feel influence on other artists is a much more important criteria. Sales don't mean shit. As for who gets in first, it's not some sort of competition and in the grand scheme of things it's really not all that important though I'm sure those that have been inducted appreciate the honor. I know the inductions of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Sabbath and Gene Pitney (who was nominated a total of 9 times before being inducted) were particularly hard won. I appreciate the history lesson on Journey but I'm well aware of their place in rock n' roll, having grown up hearing their music back in the 70s and 80s. I agree the early years are their best but unfortunately most folks identify them with the Steve Perry era. They are a fucking joke these days, out there touring with soundalike singers. The latest of which Schon found on YouTube and who apparently doesn't even enjoy touring. I don't think they qualify for induction unless you think they should be in for spawning a thousand bands that sound just like them and made "power ballads" popular. Thanks, but no thanks.

Blame that on Classic Rock radio programmers. One of the wisest investments I've made in recent years was a subscription to satellite radio. Unfortunately since XM and Sirius merged I've found that Sirius definitely has inferior programming. Still, it beats the shit out of Classic Rock radio. That's not to say there's no good radio stations left out there because there are, they're just few and far between. Most every town has a Classic Rock radio station and every damn one of them sounds identical to the other. Thank you very much, Clear Channel. They have so many records and DVDs at this point it's hard to make a recommendation but I would say Different Stages for a broad look at their work over the years (particularly the bonus disc taken from the Farewell to Kings tour). Same for the R30 DVD. I could also name several studio records but like the best bands out there, Rush is best heard and experienced live.

There was a study done within the last year or so that determined those that download the most music (both legally and illegally) also purchase the most music. Those are your true, diehard music fans. It's also been shown that in order to reach a larger audience, video games are often the way to go whether it be through Guitar Hero or an XBox game. That's why you also see so many artists allowing their songs to be used in television commercials. It's also the reason behind everyone from Springsteen to G n' R going with Walmart and Best Buy to promote their records through "exclusives". As everyone here is well aware the music industry just isn't what it used to be so that's why we're seeing artists use any means necessary to get their music heard. I agree that CDs are fairly reasonably priced but on the other hand they're the one medium that hasn't come down in price very significantly since their introduction. When CDs first came out the list price was somewhere around $17.98 which it still is today. That's not to say you won't ever find CDs on sale or older titles for less but the list price is still the same. Meanwhile we've seen DVDs go down as low as $5 for titles that are only a year or two old. I love vinyl too and kept buying it until it was no longer available back in the 80s. In my lifetime I've seen formats go from vinyl and reel-to-reel to 8-tracks to cassettes to DAT, compact discs, minidiscs, etc. to digital downloads. In some (if not all) cases, I feel these changes were forced on us by the industry. The same thing is happening now with MP3s but only because consumers that don't know any better are driving the market. The more they are educated about the inferior sound quality of compressed formats like MP3 the better off we'll all be but unfortunately it's hard to get them to listen. Everyone from T-Bone Burnett to Lou Reed and Neil Young have tried addressing the industry at large about the dangers MP3s pose to those of us that know the difference but consumers don't seem to be listening. Back to vinyl for just a sec, it's funny how it is now more expensive than CDs. A new, high quality vinyl record can cost as much as 30 bucks. Thankfully there's enough interest in that format for record companies to still manufacture them. I agree, they should have never stopping making vinyl records to start with but sadly, we, the music fans, aren't the ones calling the shots.

I still haven't picked up their last couple of records since they regrouped following the hiatus but I've heard nothing but good things about the Snakes and Arrows DVD so that's definitely on my "must have" list. I'm also interested in buying some of Neil's books, Roadshow looks particularly intriguing.

Do you recall if that was on Headline News or CNN itself? Just curious as I would like to see it if possible. Hopefully it's viewable online.

I've noticed that. To me, it makes them (the media) look like a bunch of fucking idiots who haven't even bothered to do their legwork on the subject.

I think the most I've paid is $90 (including service charges) to see The Police on their reunion tour last year. I'm glad I got to see them since I never got to see them back in the day but I'm not so sure I'd do it again, especially considering our seats were in the nosebleed section which reduced everyone on stage to a mere dot. By contrast I paid over $80 a ticket to see R.E.M. on their most recent tour but those were front row seats through their fanclub. Those tickets were worth every fucking penny.

Me either but I absolutely abhor how the press has reported this as a "Grateful Dead" tour when it's actually "the Dead". It's also fucked up how they've referred to it as a "reunion" when "the Dead" has actually toured before. What it comes down to is a way for them to garner headlines but it comes across as the media not actually doing their research on the subject. That's how it strikes me anyhow.

I honestly don't hear anything "unique" in Sheryl Crow's voice, to my ears everything she's done is the very definition of generic. While I'm a big fan of Lucinda's I can't say she's earned the "legendary" mantle either but Car Wheels On A Gravel Road definitely puts her in that territory.

No problem. Out of respect for Jerry I hope they never feel compelled to perform under the name "the Grateful Dead". That just wouldn't be right.

I remember some folks balking at the $65 ticket price when Plant and Krauss played Raleigh this past summer. That's a fucking bargain considering what some acts out there are charging these days.

I'm actually a huge Buffett fan and have never thought Margaritaville was all that bad. In fact, I know of some friends that do a rearranged version of it that slows down the music and puts all of the emphasis on the words. In that context it's a totally different way of enjoying the song. Either way, someone's jukebox selection (whatever it may be) definitely isn't worth taking someone's life over. That's just fucking stupid.

Just to clarify, there is no band presently touring under the name "the Grateful Dead". The surviving members of the Grateful Dead along with Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers Band/Gov't Mule) and Jeff Chimenti (Ratdog) are touring as "The Dead".

I don't want to just argue, I'm basing my comments on the criteria actually used by the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame to induct artists. Sales are only an indicator of popularity, not influence.

From WRAL.com STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLO. — A Fort Bragg soldier was killed after a bar fight triggered by an argument over a Jimmy Buffet song playing on a jukebox. Steamboat Springs police said Richard Lopez, 37, and two of his friends played the song at the Tap House bar and two other people started arguing with them over it. Lopez's family told The Denver Post the song was "Margaritaville." The Steamboat Pilot and Today reported that one of the bar's co-owners said the groups were kicked out and that no punches were thrown inside the bar at about 12:15 a.m. Friday. But police said Lopez was unconscious when they arrived. He was airlifted to Denver Health Medical Center and was pronounced dead Monday morning. Capt. Joel Rae said police have interviewed two people involved in the fight but no one has been arrested. "This is a very sad and serious case," he said. Rae said the suspects in the case have fled the area and hired attorneys. Lopez was stationed with the Army at Fort Bragg. Rae said that one of Lopez's friends was also in the Army, while the other was in the Navy. Police said they were also injured in the fight. All three were on military leave, Rae said.

I don't think sales should figure into an artists' induction at all, I think they have it exactly right by basing part of the criteria for induction on the influence they had on other artists. As for "actual talent, vocal ability, writing ability, performance, what the band/artist did/continue to do for Rock N Roll/history, etc..." being part of the criteria, the latter part of what you listed is part of the criteria. As for the rest of what you listed, who exactly is going to judge that? Some people think Dylan's singing voice is shit so they don't think he's worthy of all the praise he's received over the years while others believe he's one of the best (if not the best) songwriters ever. In regards to Patti Smith you seem to have a very limited and narrow minded (not to even mention totally misinformed) view of her and how and why she was inducted. I'm not even a big fan of her myself but her influence is undeniable. Deborah Harry was no doubt influential but more from a New Wave perspective than a Punk one even though Blondie did play more than their fair share of nights at CBGB's. Just because you may find her more palatable to your ears and eyes doesn't mean she's even more deserving of the mantle than Patti Smith. I believe they both belong in there. As for Journey getting in, exactly who did they influence aside from a million other soundalike bands to record more pussy ass power ballads that would clog the airwaves for generations to come?

I thought the point of the thread was to list albums you shouldn't enjoy but you do. How on earth Dylan, Emmylou, Elvis Costello, R.E.M., Marley, the Cocteau Twins, Counting Crows and some of the others listed fit that description is anyone's guess.

Truth be told I'm not a huge fan of drums solos (or drum circles) myself but I do like some of what the Grateful Dead did with that. Plus, you never knew what song might emerge from Drums/Space (one of my favorites is Fire On the Mountain from Dead Set). Although the Grateful Dead did their fair share of covers I can't say I've ever thought of them as a "cover" band. That said, it sent chills down my spine when they broke into Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds at their Dean Dome show in Chapel Hill in '93. When I saw "The Dead" on their Wave That Flag tour a few years ago they did quite a few covers but very few of them connected with me. They just seemed largely uninspired. One of the few redeeming factors of the show I saw was that Branford Marsalis sat in with them but even that grew tiresome after a while as even he is no replacement for Jerry. I still really, really enjoyed his playing on Eyes of the World though. As for artists not known for doing many (if any) originals, folks like Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash had a real gift for making other people's songs their own, I feel the same way about the Grateful Dead. Some people like to knock artists for not writing their own material. In some cases I feel it's justfiied, like when the artist in question has a stable of songwriters geared toward penning "hit" songs for them but not when it's someone like Cash who had a true knack for reinterpreting material in such a manner that he made it his own.

There was more than one? To the best of my knowledge "Drums/Space" only took up one part of their concerts and was a huge part of what the Grateful Dead did. They may not have always done it but it did become a big part of their shows over the years.

I'm amazed at the music people feel they should be ashamed to like as Zeppelin fans like Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris for instance. What is the shame in liking any of those artists?