http://www.pjstar.com/stories/072105/CUE_B719HOB1.005.shtml Falling on Def ears The British band enjoys has sold scores of records and will draw thousands for its Peoria show, but can these longhairs rock loud enough to get in music's hall of fame? Thursday, July 21, 2005 BY SCOTT HILYARD OF THE JOURNAL STAR Def Leppard released its first record, "On Through The Night," in 1980. That fact alone makes the band eligible for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And the group's more than 34 million albums sold in United States has to capture the attention of Rock Hall voters. But does the band's body of work make Def Leppard Rock Hall worthy? "I don't see the artistry," Jim Fusilli, author and rock critic for the Wall Street Journal, and a former Rock Hall voter, wrote in an e-mail interview. "And as a critic, I don't care how many albums they've sold - people buy albums for many reasons and some of them have nothing to do with the music. I wouldn't have voted for them." It's an interesting quandary - artistic merit battling it out with commercial success for rock 'n' roll immortality. If enough people are buying the records to place the artists on the top-seller list then they must have appealed to lots of people. And, besides, who ever gave a hoot what a rock critic thought? Raise the Bic lighter now. Still, Def Leppard, which plays the Peoria Civic Center's Carver Arena alongside Tesla on Wednesday, is one of many enormously successful bands who may find themselves on the short end of the Rock Hall stick. The group ranks No. 45 on the list of all-time domestic album sales, and virtually every pure rock act with more sales that is age-eligible is already in the Rock Hall of Fame. The exceptions are Journey, Chicago and Foreigner, three other groups that also struggled to achieve critical acclaim while simultaneously selling barge-loads of records. And there are many acts that have sold far fewer records that are in: Queen, The Doors and ZZ Top among them. That fact has prompted some fan groups of commercially viable artists like Peter Frampton, Rush and KISS - none of whom have been inducted - to lobby for their favorite performers to get into the Rock Hall. Each year a nominating committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation (a different entity than the museum in Cleveland) comes up with a list of artists who are eligible by age and deemed worthy of consideration. Ballots are then sent to an international voting body of about 700 rock experts, according to a statement released by the Foundation's publicist in a brief response to a long list of e-mail questions. "At present we do not have board members available to do interviews, and generally don't until we announce the next year's inductees, which is usually around November," wrote Elizabeth Freund, the foundation's director of media. "Criteria considered (for induction) includes the influence and significance of the artist's contribution to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll." Fusilli said he stopped participating in the voting because he was confused by the process. "I couldn't quite understand if I was supposed acknowledge artistic merit or commercial success, if a nominee hadn't achieved both," he said. "A voter can slice the pie as thin as he wants in order to justify voting for an act. You can justify a vote for Rush because Geddy Lee is an inventive bass player, for example. Or Van Halen because of Eddie Van Halen's guitar playing. But I couldn't get around the idea that a band's overall artistry was supposed to count for something, so I would never segregate members." Fans go Def Which brings us back to Def Leppard. The group's followers are hardcore and many, but outside the fan base there would appear to be little support for induction into the Rock Hall. By contrast, one doesn't need to be a fan of the music of the Rolling Stones - there are people who despise the band - to recognize its place in rock history. Tom Phelps of Mapleton was barely a teenager when he attended Def Leppard's 1983 concert at the Peoria Civic Center. It was his first show ever, and Def Leppard's first in Peoria. "All's I can remember was that it was loud. I mean, I was just about to start seventh grade, so this was one of the coolest things in my life," he said, adding that he believes the band should be inducted into the Rock Hall. Mark Cranford is a rock fan but favors the classic rock of Bob Seger, Grand Funk Railroad, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival and J. Geils. "My vote would be a negative," he said. "Perhaps I tend to favor more of the '60s and '70s genre much more due to the fact that is my time frame, but I just think that there are many, many more deserving groups that should get the vote over those head-bangers." Sharon Kleppe, 18, of Peoria doesn't fit the Def Leppard fan demographic, made up primarily of the pushing-40 folks who ran through their teens when Def Lep was rocking the charts. "The reason I believe Def Leppard should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is because I have been a fan of theirs for nearly all the 18 years of my life," she said. "My sister is 16 years older than I am, and before I could walk, she had me rocking out to Def Leppard. I had all of their cassette tapes and a VHS tape of all their music videos. I've been a lifelong fan." Critics weigh in Stone (just Stone, please), the afternoon disc jockey at rock station WWCT-FM Rock 96.5, has a more balanced opinion of the British band, known for its blend of heavy metal guitar and soaring harmonies and a set of rock credentials that includes a guitarist who died from a drug overdose and a drummer who lost an arm in a car crash. "Def Lep in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I don't know," he said. "Obviously with record sales like they've had and their ability to continue to sell so many concert tickets they deserve to be considered. "Although I don't personally own any Def Leppard albums, it's hard to deny a spot in the hall to a band that can rock that hard through so much tragedy. You could say Def Leppard would give their left arm to be in the Rock Hall of Fame. Literally." Fusilli doesn't see it, but who knows? Lots of others might and Def Leppard might one day be summoned to the stage in Cleveland for an induction performance at the Rock Hall. "Artistry trumps commercial success if you're talking about art, and I try to find the artistry in the music I write about and admire," he said. "It never matters to me if a band sold 100 million albums or 100. For my writing on rock, I have a set of criteria I use when I consider a work I may write about, and I used the same criteria when I was voting for the Rock Hall of Fame." Def Leppard wouldn't get his vote. © 2005 PEORIA JOURNAL STAR, INC.