There's no question that everyone – fans, critics, press, everyone – was surprised when the list of nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced. Of course, applause should deservedly go to such venerable names as Link Wray, Peter Gabriel (who was already inducted with Genesis in 2010, but now stands to receive induction for his solo work as well), Linda Ronstadt and The Zombies for their nominations, but the really exciting surprises lay a little further down the list. This year, The Replacements have been nominated which will make many, many fans stand up and cheer, but the hands-down biggest surprise came when Nirvana's name was included among the artists nominated for induction in 2014.
The reason Nirvana's nomination caused many to do a doubletake is because of how soon it seems for the honor to potentially befall the band. The rules for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction have always been simple: artists are only eligible for induction a quarter-century after their first release, and Bleach came out in 1989.Were that actually the band's first release, the math would be off – but the Hall of Fame is taking all of the band's releases into account; Nirvana's first single, Love Buzz, was released in 1988. That single meets the Hall's criteria for eligibility so, in addition to the honors they may share with the other artists who will be inducted to the Hall of Fame in the coming weeks, in their nomination, Nirvana joins a very, very small group of artists who have been nominated in their first year of eligibility.
According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's website, inductees will be announced in the coming weeks and there's no doubt that a lot of people will be watching very, very closely to see what develops.
Artist:
www.rockhall.com/
Further Reading:
Ground Control Magazine – Nirvana [Discography review part one]
Ground Control Magazine – Nirvana [Discography review part two]
