The winners of 2007’s Rock Hall of Fame induction officially aren’t going to be announced until January 8. But on a local note, this year’s ballot includes artists that have a Michigan connection with Patti Smith and Iggy Pop and the Stooges making the list. Iggy and bandmates orginally hail from Ann Arbor and although Smith made her name in New York, she has since lived the past several decades in St. Clair Shores.

Hall of Fame rules require that nominees are eligible after 25 years since the release of the first record. This year’s list has nine nominees of which five artists will be selected.

Along with Smith and the Stooges, the other candidates are R.E. M., Van Halen, the Ronettes, Chic, Grandmaster Flash, Joe Tex and the Dave Clark Five.

Although solid arguments could be made for each of the artists, I would save Chic, Joe Tex, Dave Clark and Van Halen for another year since the other five have made a deeper mark in rock history.

All other viewpoints are welcome.

James Brown, dubbed the “Godfather of Soul” and sometimes referred to as the “hardest working man in show business” died Christmas day at the age of 73 of congestive heart failure brought on by the result of pneumonia.

Brown was truly an innovator being credited with creating the “funk” sound in the 60s. His hits included “I Got You (I Feel Good),” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “Hot Pants.” In 1963, his high-energy album, “Live at the Apollo” earned a No. 2 spot on the charts at catapaulted him into the national spotlight. His influence in the music scene ran deep with artists as diverse as Mick Jagger to Prince citing him as an influence.

Brown was scheduled to perform New Year’s Eve at B.B. King’s nightclub in New York. He was larger than life and will truly be missed.

Phil Collins, frontman for the british pop band Genesis will no longer have to worry about being a “lonely man on the corner” any longer. Since announcing their first tour in over 15 years, tickets for the reunited band have literally been selling out within minutes across Europe. No official word about a North American tour has been announced yet, but it can be safely assumed that based on the strength of ticket sales in the EU that plans for a tour of the states and Canada can’t be far behind.

Genesis, consisting of principal band members Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks dominated MTV and classic rock radio during the 80s, but finally gave up the ghost in 90s after their power pop sound was being crowded out by the new indie and dance music scene.

During the height of their popularity one could scarcely turn on the TV or radio without hearing Phil Collins distinct voice warbling against the background of a drum machine. The high-profile Collins also managed to maintain a successful parallel solo career simultaneously while fronting Genesis and appeared regularly as a guest on numerous albums by other artists. Since their break up there has been little output from any of them. Collins did manage to crank out a solo album of love songs in 2002 that was largely ignored and prior to that composed a highly successful film score for Disney’s Tarzan which has gone onto become a broadway musical, while Banks and Rutherford were involved in much smaller musical projects in Britain.

There was much discussion and speculation during the past year that the “70s” version of Genesis with original vocalist Peter Gabriel and guitar virtuoso, Steve Hackett would reform for a world tour, but Gabriel has been resistant to suggestions of rejoining his former bandmates primarily because he has worked so hard at developing a solo career and identity since leaving in 1975. Recently he has considered the proposition, but only if the timing was right. Since Gabriel had already made plans in 2007 for another WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) festival, that ruled out any reunion plans for the forseeable year. 

If you’ve only ever heard the 80s version of Genesis, you would be surprised at how different and theatrical they were back in the day. Bowie and Floyd were known for their stage shows, but personally I don’t think either of them could hold a candle to Genesis when Gabriel and Hackett were in tow. Not only was the classical rock sound dramatically different from the simplified tunes by Collins, but Gabriel’s elaborate costumes and storytelling were something akin to Lewis Carroll on an acid trip. You would have to see it to believe it. Song titles like “The Return of the Giant Hogweed” and “Dancing with a Moonlit Knight” are slight indicators of how creative and theatrical these guys could get. Amazingly enough, Collins was in the band but planted firmly behind the drum kit and doing backup vocals. Unfortunately, the band never got international recognition until Gabriel and Hackett were long gone and the music became more mainstream.

If the planets align correctly, perhaps 2008 will be the year that the British musicians find themselves on the same stage performing again.

On the Web: www.genesis-music.com

Everyone loves lists (or so they say). TIME magazine has decided to pick the All-TIME 100 Albums for no particular reason other than to give music junkies something to annoy their coworkers about. The list is broken down by decade which makes it easier to keep things in perspective.

It starts off in the 50s where there are few choices other than Sinatra and Little Richard. It then picks up steam with the usual suspects in the 60s; Beatles, Dylan, Beach Boys, Stones and Hendrix. But to the TIME writer’s credit they make it more interesting by including Johnny Cash, Velvet Underground, John Coltrane and Miles Davis. It’s slightly incongruous that Elvis doesn’t show up up until 2000 represented by his collection of 30 #1 Hits.

For the most part many of their choices are obvious, but (and here’s where I take the bait) there are a few suprising omissions. Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” is nowhere to be found. This album was on the Billboard charts for something like 27 years. So what if you think ”Brain Damage” is overblown and pretentious, any rock album that makes the Guinnesss book of World Records deserves to be included in a Top 100 roster. Besides the sound of cash registers keeping time on “Money” is classic. On any given weekend, “Moon” is playing the midnight slot at a planetarium somewhere in the world.

Also why they couldn’t manage to squeeze in Jim Morrison and The Doors anywhere on the list is beyond me. And if I were making my own top 100 list, I would be sure to include the Byrd’s “Sweetheart of the Rodeo,” which is the precursor to anything that hints at country rock. Take that “Hotel California.”

Anyway, check it out to see if your favorite albums made the cut. Do you think TIME missed a beat, by overlooking a major musical milestone? Feel free to post your thoughts here.

On the Web: All-TIME 100 Albums

Annie Leibovitz was the chief photographer at Rolling Stone from 1970 to 1983. Her portraits of musicians have become legendary. She was concert photographer for the The Rolling Stones on their 1975 tour and took the famous cover photo of a nude John Lennon hugging a clothed Yoko Ono hours before his death. If you’ve spent any time reading music publications during the last 30 years, you’ve seen her work.

Currently the Detroit Institute of Arts is hosting and exhibit entitled “American Music” which features 70 portraits of classic images and recent work relating to the roots of the American music scene. Some of the portraits include Johnny Cash and June Carter, Pete Seeger, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Bruce Springsteen, and Dolly Parton. A portion of the exhibit focuses on Detroit’s musical contribution with photos of Aretha Franklin, John Lee Hooker, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, The White Stripes, and Eminem. Patrons of Monroe County’s Annual Black History Month Blues Concerts might recognize the faces of Hubert Sumlin and Pinetop Perkins who are also featured in this show.

The exhibit runs until January 7 and admission is $10 (which includes the regular cost of admission to the museum).

On the Web: www.dia.org

“I’m just getting closer to the sound in my head. Every record is an experiment. It’s like going back to the classroom. When you come out the other end you figure out the things you’ll do different next time.”

Beck, on the songwriting process for his latest release, “The Information.”

A rare acetate test-pressing of the “Velvet Underground & Nico” has surfaced and is for sale on E-Bay. What makes the story even more amazing is that the owner, Warren Hill only paid 75 cents for it at a New York City sidewalk sale. The bidding ends today and so far it’s attracted over $150,000 in offers.

The acetate is an early version of the ground-breaking 1966 recording and contains different versions of “I’m Waiting for the Man,” Venus in Furs” and “Heroin.” The original master tapes have long-since been lost making the acetate all the more valuable. Original producer Norman Dolph certified the recording as the real deal. At the time, The Velvet Underground was drawing attention as the house band for Andy Warhol’s happenings at his Factory studio in NYC.