There are so many things to be said about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Should it really exist? How is this band in and not that one? What qualifies one as a “Rock And Roll” artist? I could go on about it all for hours really, but I won’t (unless you want to meet for a few beers of course). I will only discuss this three-disc set released by Time Life Entertainment commemorating 25 years of the establishment with a “Best of” of the inductions and performances from the yearly induction ceremonies.
Over the three DVDs, Time Life puts together a collection of induction speeches, acceptance speeches, and some of the performances. You generally get a part of the speech followed by one song by the artist, occasionally two (if Time Life feels they are worthy of two). Of course there is only so much content that can fit on three discs. If you want more you can buy a nine disc version (seriously), and even then you won’t get it all. There are also some bonus features included which consists of some full length induction speeches and additional documentary footage.
As a music fan, there is plenty to enjoy on here. Sure you won’t love every band, but these are the best of the best! There are excellent performances by the Stones, Cream, and Santana. Then you get these hall of fame jam bands arrangements of all these greats playing the Beatles, Hendrix, and The Who together. And believe it or not, some of the speeches are even better than some of the performances. It’s great that you get to see past and future hall of famers that are fans like the rest of us. They are sometimes nervous, vulnerable, and enamored around their idols just like you and me.
Those parts of the footage are excellent, but my gripe is what is missing from these three discs. I understand that there is only so much that you can fit into this set, but if one of the arguments of the Hall has been its diversity, then why not use it? Sure you get a lot of what you expect with plenty of the Beatles and Stones as well as the first Cream appearance in 25 years, but there is a lot missing. Only here does the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum stick to the Rock N’ Roll by neglecting Motown, Punk, and Hip-Hop. And instead of putting multiple performances by the same artists, how about you spread the wealth and at least show some performances or inductions of artists like Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Madonna, etc.?
In the end, as a music fan, you won’t be too unhappy with what is in the set, though I’m sure you will question why some things are included over others. It’s really all about the lack of artists that have been inducted that don’t appear here. Still, just like every other Hall of Fame, these discs provide you with the opportunity to complain and argue about them for hours on end, and ultimately, isn’t that what we all really what we enjoy most about them?
Kevin Kozel-MuzikReviews.com Staff
November 19, 2009
