The Super Bowl is over. God has spoken. Pitchers and catchers don’t report for another week. To help ward off the February Blahs, Townsman Al has suggested we initiate Rock Town Hall’s very own Awards Season: Once and For All February.
To avoid the folly of trying to stay hip and current, the same folly that awarded Dances With Wolves and Christopher Cross, for instance, top honors mainly because they were new and voters didn’t have the necessary perspective to understand how quickly these works would wilt in the test of time, we will target only categories and entrants that are worthy of such a definitive honor. Once and For All February is an effort to get the year off to a regret-free start: settling age-old debates and giving credit where credit is due. As the year progresses, there may still arise a need to take a collective stand—once and for all—on a key issue in rock, but Once and For All February will put a number of debates that threaten to tear the fabric of the Hall behind us early in the new year, allowing 10 months of smooth-sailing consensus to come.
The first order of business includes identifying our categories and nominees. Targeting more than 10 topics to rule on—once and for all—in such a concentrated time, would be more than even our community could bite off. In the next 2 days, let’s determine 10 topics and 5 nominees worthy of settling—once and for all—the most heated, knowledgeable barroom debates. Once the topics and nominees have been settled we will discuss, debate, and vote on the winners. By month’s end we will know—once and for all—who’s who and what’s what.
Following are 6 suggested topics. Please suggest your own topic in need of a definitive, once and for all answer, and please suggest possible nominees for any or all of these categories. Through the month we will roll out individual threads dedicated to each of the categories.
- Saddest Story in Rock ‘n Roll
- Best Rock ‘n Roll Anthem
- Best Band Under Another Name
- Best Rock Instrumental of the ‘60s
- Worst Album Naming Pattern
- Coolest Beatles Look
Once and For All February will culminate in identifying—once and for all—Rock’s Most Recognizable Single Opening Note or Chord.
Al has spoken.
