NOW LOOK WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT LEONARD COHEN'S ROCK HALL INDUCTION:Only cult figure Leonard Cohen has questionable achievements to warrant strong consideration.
The most unusual rock "star" of all-time, a published poet and author before beginning his musical career in his mid-30's, his style was widely praised, but not altogether widely popular. Nevertheless he was the bridge between the folk movement of the 60's and the acoustic-based singer-songwriter 70's style. Cohen is a left-field candidate who'll get support from some circles but who's achievements are far too limited to be deserving over so many artists who've yet to get in. The nomination itself should really be the limit of his recognition from the Hall.
Qualifications: 2 - Mostly Insignificant
THIS IS WHAT AN OTHER WRITER FOR DDD HAD TO SAY:Hundreds of candidates still waiting for a look from the Hall have legitimate reasons to be angry at the selection of Cohen, who now becomes by far the least qualified Main Performer to be inducted in the Hall's 23 years of existence. It's not that Cohen was a bad artist by any means, he was actually very unique, bringing a poet's background to the music and in the process added greatly to rock 'n' roll's eclecticism, but his tangible achievements, upon which induction for all artists should always be based, are severely lacking. He had no commercial success whatsoever, never scoring a Top 50 album or any Top 100 singles in America, and those are reasonable accomplishments to expect in order to be housed with the immortals. Failing that, a large amount of direct influence would help to offset his lack of popularity, but while Cohen is often referred to as influential in spirit the fact remains that there are no mainstream acts in the four decades since his arrival who have copied his blueprint close enough to warrant Cohen receiving ample credit here either. Being appreciated by a small hardcore group of fans and lauded by predominantly literary minded critics is nice but it does not equate to the type of objective criteria-based achievements that a Hall Of Fame must require of its inductees to be taken seriously. Cohen's election over the four nominated artists this year who failed to get in despite far superior credentials is a sad testimony to the state of affairs with the voting body who apparently ignore tangible accomplishments in favor of personal taste and their own murky perception of what exactly constitutes historical impact. Cohen is certainly worth being remembered in the annals of rock, but not worthy of being inducted as a Hall Of Fame artist based on his rather negligible career achievements.
The Digital Dream DoorLeonard Cohen, in particular, has been talked about as an obvious inductee since 1992. His debut album, Songs Of Leonard Cohen, was released in 1967. It's nice to see the Rock Hall catch up on a few overdue artists.
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I really like the part about Leonard Cohen being "the bridge" between the folk movement of the 60's and the acoustic-based singer-songwriter 70's style.
That's like saying the history of Rock and Roll songwriters can be divided into the before and the after Leonard Cohen.
