Donovan, the Small Faces and War fly the freak flag high as nominees for the 2012 class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Other sonically adventurous nominees include Beastie Boys and the Cure.
Rounding out the list (in order of PsySight’s preference): Freddie King, Laura Nyro, Heart, Guns ‘N Roses, the Spinners, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donna Summers, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Eric B. & Rakim.
Inductees will be announced “in the coming weeks,” the Rock Hall says.
Donovan, a nominee last year, was among the first recording artists to chart with psychedelic songs. He also was among the first long-haired British pop stars busted for drugs. The artist was closely associated with the hippie movement and flower pop.
Donovan’s psychedelic singles include “Sunshine Superman,” “Mellow Yellow,” “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and “Barabajagal (Love Is Hot).” The album “Sunshine Superman” was among the first rock works to feature the sitar. Donovan also flirted with jazz and Indian music, making for a heady musical brew.
The Small Faces/The Faces were two scrappy English bands, really. They first scored with the heavily flanged psychedelic single “Itchycoo Park,” a global smash in 1967 despite a BBC ban for its druggie lyrics.
A year later came the classic LP “Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake,” an early concept album. Side 2 was devoted to an odd psychedelic fairy tale. Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane did the band’s heavy lifting until Marriott quit to form Humble Pie.
Then came the Faces, with three original members joined by up-and-coming vocalist Rod Stewart and guitarist Ron Wood. The Faces’ sound shifted to inebriated good-time rock ‘n’ roll. This line-up enjoyed a short but brilliant career, cut short by Stewart’s solo success.
War (picured, top of page) still continues to pound out the Latino-influenced funk these days, but in the beginning they had solid psychedelic credentials. English shouter Eric Burdon of the Animals formed the group in L.A., following up on his psychedelic explorations (such as “Sky Pilot”) with the remainders of his original band. The Animals entered the Rock Hall in 1994.
War and Burdon made two albums, the first brilliant and the second spotty. The Burdon/War legacy is best represented by “Spill the Wine,” a smash single that describes a psychedelic dream. (The song is fated for a prime spot on this site’s roundup of Top Psychedelic Songs.) War continued its hitmaking ways despite Burdon’s departure (in the middle of a tour).
Nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1986.
Want to cast a (just for grins) vote? Pick five Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.
Here is the complete list of nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012:
Beastie Boys
The Cure
Donovan
Eric B. & Rakim
Guns ‘N Roses
Heart
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Freddie King
Laura Nyro
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rufus with Chaka Khan
The Small Faces/The Faces
The Spinners
Donna Summer
War