Springsteen, U2, Queen, Joel, McCartney, Taylor Featured On “Rock Hall of Fame” Live Box Set

Since its formation on April 20, 1983, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted a slate of accomplished musicians into its ranks on a yearly basis, causing excitement, consternation and everything in between.  Though the worthiness of nominees and inductees is hotly debated with each “class” and a number of distinguished artists continue to be ignored year after year, one thing can be agreed upon: a lot of great music has been played for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  It continues to host performances at its Cleveland home, which opened its doors in 1995.  Each year, inducted musicians take the stage in Cleveland and at a New York induction ceremony, often with old colleagues or young musicians whom they have influenced.  Hence, Eddie Vedder joined the remaining Doors for “Break On Through,” Bruce Springsteen teamed with Mick Jagger on “Satisfaction,” Dhani Harrison accompanied two Wilburys, Steve Winwood and Prince for his late father George’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and the Allman Brothers partnered with Sheryl Crow for “Midnight Rider.”

In past years, only one major album came from The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s vast archives, a 1996 release collecting performances from the 1995 concert that inaugurated the actual museum.  In 2009 and 2010, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame teamed with Time-Life for a series of DVDs (available as a box set and individually) bringing together highlights from those often-controversial induction ceremonies, as well as CD and DVD releases of 2010’s 25^th Anniversary concerts, held at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The Time-Life association will continue this fall with the release of Best of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum Live, a 3-disc box set bringing many of these blazing performances to CD for the very first time.  Longtime Hall supporter Bruce Springsteen appears no fewer than six times on the box, joined by performers like Chuck Berry, Wilson Pickett, Mick Jagger and U2.  It’s a guitar-lover’s dream when a team of axemen including Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood, Joe Perry, Flea and Metallica take on “The Train Kept A-Rollin’,” and when Cream reunites on “Sunshine of Your Love” for the first time in over two decades.  Other highlights include James Taylor’s solo performance of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” the Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over” as interpreted by the supergroup of Billy Joel, Joan Jett, John Fogerty and John Mellencamp, and Green Day paying homage to the Ramones with “Blitzkrieg Bop.”  The Righteous Brothers and The Ronettes celebrate the heyday of Philles Records, and the definitive line-up of rock legends also includes Paul McCartney (“Let It Be”) and The Who (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”).

Hit the jump for more, including the full track listing!

Rock Hall: Fame or Shame?

From now until Monday, The Second Disc will be bringing out some features and opinions on Monday’s upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions. Let’s start with a column that ultimately addresses what a mixed blessing the Hall can be.

Few music-oriented entities draw so much criticism and debate as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In its 25-year history, it has inducted 165 artists into its ranks (with another five to be inducted on Monday), spurring decades-long debates about which of them were truly worthy, what constituted the nature of rock music and so on. But if some reports to be believed, the Rock Hall could continue to lose the dwindling credibility it grasps onto and turn into a legacy edition of the Grammys.

Roger Friedman, famed gossip columnist for The Hollywood Reporter, filed a story in January speculating that in 2011, the eligibility gap will be lowered from 25 years (as in, artists are up for nomination 25 years after their first release) to 20.

It’s easy to dump on Friedman’s credibility; in 2009, he was fired from FOX News for posting a review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine based on the infamously leaked workprint of the movie, in which he touched on how easy it was to find the film online. But he’s also a gadfly who seems to have good sources within the Rock Hall. In 2007 he filed a report stating that The Dave Clark Five was actually voted as the fifth nominee but then-newly designated Rock Hall chairman/Rolling Stone founder/publisher Jann Wenner decided to induct Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five (allegedly the sixth-highest vote-getter) instead. (A spokesperson denied vote fixing to the Cleveland Plain Dealer and The DC5 were inducted the next year.)

Whatever the veracity his claims may be, one may look at this potential decision with derision. Friedman’s report says the committee is sweating the shallow pool of brand-new inductees for 2011 – apparently Sting is the only definitive choice – and would change the rules to get artists like Guns N’ Roses, Green Day, Nirvana or Public Enemy into the ranks.

There are two problems with this line of thinking. One is obvious, the other less so.