Okay, that was a reach.Granted, at the time the aforementioned song was considered a little pompous and unintentional cheesy compared to their Hard Rock efforts, but the fact remained that Styx had delivered radio staples for ten years previous.Originally, an artsy Progressive Rock band, Styx broke away from that mold with the addition of Tommy Shaw and delivered many significant Hard Rock tunes and power ballads.Styx does have a series of hits that keeps them in the public consciousness, but considering they either often labeled a Progressive Rock or Arena Rock band (both of which appear to be looked down upon by the voting committee) will likely keep them out of Cleveland.
Comments
RIAA did not create the "Multi-Plati num" or "Triple Platinum" categories until 1984, and then labels such as A&M, Styx's label, submitted their artists' most popular albums for retrospectiv e certificatio n. And although three of those Styx albums are triple, Cornerstone is not, despite what A&M might claim.
Because RIAA did not begin to recognize plateaus greater than one million units sold ("Platinum") until 1984, it is impossible to determine which artist is actually "the first band to release four consecutive Triple-Plati num albums" without investigatio n. Bands such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, or Led Zeppelin would be more likely to have accomplished this. Styx might have been the first to apply for the status--but, as noted, they still didn't make it, according to RIAA.
But even if this were the case, so what? All it signifies is that the band moved a lot of units and P.T. Barnum's dictum about the birth rate of suckers is true. Commercial success can be a factor in evaluating legacy, but it is not the only one, or even the primary one. The Rock Hall states: "Besides demonstratin g unquestionab le musical excellence and talent, inductees will have had a significant impact on the development, evolution and preservation of rock & roll." Nothing there about needing huge sales.
RSS feed for comments to this post