As much as we openly criticize the lack of transparency of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the day that announce their newest members is like Christmas morning to us.  We openly said that this year’s list of nominees is one of the best in the last twenty years, and it was poised to be a great class no matter who was selected.

Having said that, it is a large class, with six performers, three early influences, three Musical Excellence inductees and one Ahmet Excellent Award recipient.  

While we appreciate the wide breadth of inductees, the crowbarring of certain inductees is obvious.

The six members inducted through the traditional method were:

Carole King:  King is already in as a writer (with Gerry Goffin), but her singing career is worthy in its own right.  This was her second nomination, with her first coming all the way back in 1989.

Foo Fighters:  Dave Grohl is now a two-time inductee (with Nirvana), and in both cases, entered on the first year of eligibility.  

The Go-Gos:  The all-girl band finally were nominated this year, and they enter on their first try.

Jay-Z:  One half of the biggest power couples in music, enters on his first year of eligibility.   Jay-Z is one of the most successful artists regardless of genre, and his expansion into other fields is a blueprint for other musicians to follow.

Tina Turner:  Turner was already in with her ex-husband, Ike, but Her ascension in the 80’s as rock’s top solo female act while in her 40s, bordered on miraculous.  She also won the Fan Vote.

Todd Rundgren:  Rundgren is a rare dual-threat, as he is equally lauded as a producer as he is as performer.  Had he not gotten in, we thought that he might receive the Musical Excellence Award, but as we will see later, they went a different route.

The Early Influence Award Inductees are:

Kraftewerk:  The German synth pioneers had been nominated six times before, but not this year.  This is long overdue.

Charley Patton:  Patton was the father of the Delta Blues, and is the definition of “Early Influence”.

Gil Scott-Heron:  The master of the spoken word, and forefather of rap enters in a politically charged year.  We love this induction.  Scott-Heron had never been nominated.

The Musical Excellence Award Inductees are:

LL Cool J:  The hip hop star was nominated for the fifth time this year, but the inevitable comparison to Jay-Z did him no favors on this ballot.  Clearly, the Hall wanted him in, but this is a strange way to do it.

Billy Preston:  Preston is a great choice as his combined solo and sideman work.  We suspect he has been a name tossed around for years.

Randy Rhoads:  Rhoads was a legendary axeman who was huge in the development of Heavy Metal.

The Ahmet Ertegun Award winner is:

Clarence Avant: Known as the “Black Godfather” managed and produced many African-American artists, and would later form his own record label and radio stations.

Those not chosen:

Chaka Khan:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame committee really wants the Chicago diva in, as she has been nominated both as a solo, and with Rufus multiple times.  We can guarantee, they will nominate her again next year.

Devo:  This was Devo’s second nomination, but until Kraftwerk gets in, it might be a tough road for induction.

Dionne Warwick:  With all due respect, Warwick has the least rock credibility, but she has the most hits.  

Fela Kuti:  The nomination of Kuti was a surprise to many, but the pioneering African is arguably the most influential nominee if we look at music globally.

Iron Maiden:  Heavy Metal remains underrepresented in Cleveland, and had the British legends got the nod, they were unlikely to attend anyway.

Kate Bush:  Bush was a darling of the alternative crowd in the 80s, and her catalogue is unique, but with so many other strong women on the ballot, “running up that hill” proved too hard for her.  This was her second nomination.

Mary J. Blige:  Blige was a bit of a surprise as a nominee, but once you get nominated, you are entrenched on their radar…unless you are Mary Wells.

New York Dolls:  The Dolls were a huge part of proto-punk and were wildly influential.  This was their first nomination since 2001.

Rage Against the Machine:  RATM was the 90s alternative selection this year, and in this politically charged year, this was arguably their best shot of the three times they have been nominated.  They will likely be nominated again next year.

With this announcement, we will begin work on revising our Notinhalloffame.com list of those to consider for the Rock Hall.  Look for that next month.

We would like to congratulate the newest members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of the most important pioneers of music has passed away from cancer in Florian Schneider, the co-founder of the German group, Kraftwerk. He was 73 Years old.

Schneider co-founded Kraftwerk with Ralf Hutter in 1970, and he stayed with the group until 2008.  The German quartet are credited with pushing the boundaries of electronic music, which set sonic blueprints for many genres that followed.  

When people heard Kraftwerk for the first time in the 1970s, it was unlike anything they had hear before.  The music was cold and robotic, but it pulled you in a trance-like state. Countless musicians cite Kraftwerk as an influence, and with the exception of James Brown, their music is the most sampled of all-time.

Kraftwerk has been nominated multiple times for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they are currently #1 on our latest Notinhalloffame.com list of those to consider for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the friends, fans and family of Florian Schneider.

Now, let’s all take a trip down the Autobahn one more time.

Approximately a few weeks ago, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced their Class of 2020.  As always, this requires us to make revisions on our core Notinhalloffame.com Rock List of those worthy of consideration for the hallowed halls of Cleveland, Ohio.  

 

This means three things:

 

The first is that we removed those who were chosen (The Notorious B.I.G. #6, T. Rex #14, Depeche Mode #18, The Doobie Brothers #25, Nine Inch Nails #26 & Whitney Houston #271).  

 

The second is that we added the acts who are now Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the 2021 ceremony.

 

The third is that we looked at your votes and comments to assist on ranking modification.

 

Got all that?

 

Let’s move on!

 

You may have noticed that we have been expanding our core lists.  This is no different for our Rock list, as the eventual goal is to have 1,000 ranked.  We will get there, but in the meantime, we have an uneven number, but give us a year! Maybe two?

The entire Notinhalloffame.com Rock list is here, but below are the changes in our top ten:

Kraftwerk hangs on to the number one spot.  To date, they have been nominated six times, including the last two years.  They will likely get another kick at the can in 2021.

The highest debut comes high with Jay-Z at #2.  The New York City based rapper should be a lock for induction, and he brings sure-fire star power to a 2021 ceremony.

Foo Fighters make their first appearance at #3.  Like Jay-Z, it is expected that they will go “one and in”, and Dave Grohl will become a two-time inductee.

With the two new high-profile entries, there is a drop in the rankings for some of our other previous top tens.  

Oasis drops from #2 to #4.  Oasis is in their second year of eligibility, and they were not nominated last year.  Regardless, of when (or if) they get in, you know there will be drama should any Gallagher appear.  

Jethro Tull went from #3 to #5.  The Progressive Rock band have been eligible for Cleveland since 1993, but have never received a nomination.

Also losing two spots were The Smiths, who went from #4 to 6.  They have been eligible since 2008 and were nominated in both 2015 and 2016.  The induction of Depeche Mode should help The Smiths and other 80s Alternative Bands.

MC5 goes down to #7 from #5.  The proto-punk band has been eligible since 1991, and has been nominated five times including the last four years. 

Sliding from #7 to number #8 is Gram Parsons.  Eligible since 1992, Parsons was nominated three times, but the last one was in 2005.

At #9 is Judas Priest, who were nominated twice, including last year.  They hold the same spot as last year.

Rounding out the top ten is Willie Nelson, who fell from #8.  He has also never been nominated. 

Jay-Z and Foo Fighters are not the only new entries.  

Sleater-Kinney debuts with a very strong rank of #47.  They are the third and final new entry in our top 100.  The Chemical Brothers make their first appearance with #121.  The top 250 also has debuts with Modest Mouse at #155 and Rammstien at #233.

The other new entries are Neutral Milk Hotel at #255, Garbage at #266, Natalie Merchant at #277, Super Furry Animals at #372, Jewel at #521 and Air at #529

You know what we want you to do!

Cast your votes and voice your opinions, as we use them for future rankings.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support.

You may have noticed a change on Notinhalloffame.com.

It is a subtle one but a necessary one as we needed to change our logo on Notinhalloffame.com due to the induction of Janet Jackson.  As most of you are aware our logo consists of a film strip showcasing images of people that we have deemed worthy of Hall of Fame consideration.  Jackson just got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which has necessitated a change in her position.  We have elected to go with the German band, Kraftwerk for that spot.

Since we began our website seven years ago, Kraftwerk have been in our top four and they have been overall nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame five times.  

In the past, we have had Alice Cooper, Kiss and Rush in our logo.  Randy “Macho Man” Savage was also on our logo at one time representing the WWE portion.

Hopefully we will be making more revisions to our logo in the future.

We have a major update on Notinhalloffame.com as our annual list of those to consider for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The first thing we did was remove the artists who were chosen for the Hall in the latest class. That group consisted of Radiohead (#1), Roxy Music (#5), The Cure (#11), Janet Jackson (#18), Def Leppard (#41), The Zombies (#85) and Stevie Nicks (#122).

The second thing we did is input the new artists who are eligible.  As they were already listed on our site on the Future Rock and Roll Hall of Fame eligible section, we took your existing votes and comments into consideration.

That segues perfectly into the third thing that we did, which was to look at the votes and comments that you made on the existing entrants on the list.  This matters to us and we adjusted accordingly.

As such, we are proud to present our new Top 10:

For the fourth time Kraftwerk returns to the #1 spot.  They have been nominated five times including last year.  They were ranked #2 last year and have never been lower than #3 since we started this website.

Oasis makes their debut at #2 making them the highest new artist on our list.  The British group are certainly Hall of Fame worthy however it is unlikely that the Gallagher brothers will show up should they be chosen.

Jethro Tull returns at #3.  To date, they have yet to be nominated for the Rock Hall despite being eligible since 1993.

The Smiths also hold steady at their same position at #4.  The Smiths have been nominated in 2015 and 2016 and have been eligible since 2008.

MC5 moved up one spot from #6 to #5.  The proto-punk group have been eligible since 1991 and have been nominated four times and the last three years.

The highest hip-hop act is now the Notorious B.I.G. who debuts at #6.  Like Oasis, there is an excellent chance that he could enter on his first year of eligibility.

Gram Parsons hold his position at #7.  Parsons has been eligible since 1992 and he has been nominated three times the last occurring in 2005.

Willie Nelson also remains with the same rank at #8.  Nelson has been eligible since 1986 and has never been nominated.

Judas Priest climbed one rung from #10 to #9.  The Heavy Metal outfit from the United Kingdom have been eligible since 1999 and were nominated once in 2018.

New Order swapped spots with Judas Priest and dropped to #10.  They have been eligible since 2006 and have never been nominated.

Weezer debuts at a high profile spot at #40 and Korn also joins them in the Top 50 with a debut at #49.  The Top 100 showcases Outkast at #59, Daft Punk at #71 and Marilyn Manson at #79.

The other new entries are Elliott Smith (#127), Jeff Buckley (#157), Nas (#174), Portishead (#215), The Fugees (#245), Usher (#293), Godspeed! You Black Emperor (#355). Aaliyah (#361), At the Drive-In (#375), Cake (#403), Supergrass (#413), Bush (#425), Ben Harper (#443), Tricky (#506) and Brandy (#534).

The entire list can be found here.

At present we are ranking 588 acts.  Longtime visitors know that when we began this a decade ago we only ranked 100 acts, grew it to 250 and eventually 500.  We have a long term goal of reaching 1,000 hence why when there are new entries we did not remove any to keep at an even 500.

For those wondering about our other list revisions we will have the Baseball and Football ones done shortly.

As always we thank you for your support and we encourage you to cast your votes and offer your opinions!

We look forward to this day every year at Notinhalloffame.com. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their Finalists for the Class of 2019 and annually it brings about the biggest debates in the short history of Halls of Fame.

Hell, it was those debates that caused us to create this website in the first place!

Here are the nominees:

Def Leppard: This is the first time that the British pop-metal band has been nominated after being eligible since 2004. They are ranked #41 on our list.

Devo: Often perceived as a one-hit wonder (for Whip It), this was a very influential act that was far more than just a New Wave Band. This is their first nomination and they have are ranked #84 on our list.

Janet Jackson: This is Janet’s third nomination and first since 2017. She is ranked #18 on our list.

John Prine: While Prine is a decent candidate, this has to be considered the biggest “oh, really?” reaction of this year’s Finalists. He is ranked #314 on our list.

Kraftewerk: Arguably in terms of influence, there is no artist(s) that deserve induction more than Kraftwerk. This is their fifth nomination and they are ranked #2 on our list.

LL Cool J: This is the lone Hip Hop nominee and for LL Cool J, it is the fifth nomination. He is ranked #88 on our list.

MC5: In terms of Proto-Punk or even Punk in general, this would have to be the nomination. They are ranked #6 on our list.

Radiohead: Radiohead were nominated last year on their first year of eligibility and they are up again this year. They are ranked #1 on our list.

Rage Against the Machine: RATM is back for the second nomination and they are ranked #47 on our list.

Roxy Music: This is the first nomination for Roxy Music who have been eligible since 1997 and also for Brian Eno, who also has a solo career worth celebrating. They are ranked #5 on our list.

Stevie Nicks: Already inducted as a member of Fleetwood Mac, this is the first solo nomination for Nicks. She is ranked #122 on our list.

The Cure: The Cure were nominated before in 2012 and are essentially this year’s 80’s Alternative nominee. They are ranked #11 on our list.

Todd Rundgren: This is the first nomination for Rundgren who has been eligible since. Rundgren brings a resume that is propelled by his producing credits and he is ranked #13 on our list.

Rufus and Chaka Khan: This is the fourth nomination for Chaka Khan (in some capacity as she was initially nominated as a solo) and fourth in a row. They are ranked #170 on our list.

The Zombies: The Zombies return to the ballot for the fourth time and their third year in a row. They are ranked #85 on our list.

While this was a longtime coming for Roxy Music, Todd Rundgren and Def Leppard, we expect that there will be a lot of people upset at Devo’s nomination and the usual backlash of a Hip Hop nominee.

Notably there are no Progressive Rock candidates and no first year eligible nominees.

So, did they get it right in terms of nominations?

Let us know and let’s see who will get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019!

The first content that we ever put up on Notinhalloffame.com was our original Rock and Roll list ranking those who were not yet in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but were worthy of consideration. It ranked 100 acts, and as we continued on we extended it to 500. Our eventual intent is to get to 1,000 and at present we now have 567 ranked.

The selection of The Moody Blues, The Cars, Nina Simone, Bon Jovi and Dire Straits to the Hall means that they are removed and newly eligible acts now populate our list. Rankings of existing musicians have been altered based on your comments and votes.

The new top 25 features:

Radiohead takes over the top spot after being ranked #2. They were nominated last year in their first year of eligibility and it was widely speculated that they would get in but it should be only a matter of time.

Kraftwerk returns to the number two rank after being #1 last year. The influential band has been nominated four times (2003, 2013, 2015 & 2017) and was our original number one selection when we put out our first list in 2010.

Jethro Tull holds firm at #3. To the surprise of many, the British Progressive Rock band has never been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite being eligible for twenty-five years.

The Smiths also held their spot at #4. This is the third year that they have been ranked this high and they were nominated in 2015 and 2016.

Roxy Music is ranked #5 for the second year in a row. They have been eligible for the Hall since 1997.

MC5 is ranked #6 for the third straight year. They have been nominated the last two years.

Gram Parsons moves up one spot to #7, which is his highest ranking to date. He was nominated three times in 2002. 2004 & 2005.

Willie Nelson drops down to #8. Nelson has never been nominated.

New Order returns to the top 10 moving from up from #11. They also have never been nominated and have been ranked as high as #5.

Judas Priest makes their first appearance in our top ten taking the #10 position after being ranked #13. The heavy metal pioneers also earned their first nomination last year after being eligible since 1999.

The Cure moves up to #11 from #14, which is their highest rank to date. They were nominated in 2012.

John Coltrane remains at #12. He has never been nominated.

Todd Rundgren continues to climb our rank, moving from #15 to #13. He has moved up every year since our list’s inception and he has also never been nominated although has been eligible since 1995.

Iron Maiden climbs to #14 after being #17. They have also never been nominated and this to date their highest rank.

Dick Dale moved up one spot to #15. The “King of the Surf Guitar” has never been nominated.

T.Rex rises two spots to #16, their highest rank to date. They have also never been nominated.

Pixies also went up two spots to #17. Never nominated, they have been eligible for the Hall since 2012.

Janet Jackson also increased her rank and is now at the #18 hole. Jackson was nominated in both 2016 & 2017.

Joy Division reached the top 20 for the first time reaching #19. Like New Order, they have never been nominated.

King Crimson returns to the top 20. They were ranked #23 last year and they have never been nominated.

Wu-Tang Clan plummeted from #10 to #21. They have only been eligible for two years.

Depeche Mode continued to rise and are now #22. They have been nominated for the last two years.

Big Star dropped to #23. This is their lowest ranking to date and they have yet to be nominated.

Link Wray moved up three to #24, his first time in our Top 25. The guitar legend was nominated last year and also in 2014.

Beck closes the Top 25. He was ranked at that last year.

As you see, no new act made our revised Top 25. That doesn’t mean that there are not new entries as we have 19 debuts to our Notinhalloffame.com list.

They are:

Bjork at #56.

Dave Matthews Band at #81.

Blink-182 at #90.

Rancid at #100.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at #128.

Snoop Dogg at #178.

The Roots at #235.

Built to Spill at #249.

Shania Twain at #255.

Sheryl Crow at #304.

Counting Crows at #309.

Toni Braxton at #320.

Everclear at #381.

AFI at #387.

Collective Soul at #400.

Aimee Mann at #420.

Frank Black at #454.

Elastica at #484.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your votes and comments and encourage you to offer more as this does alter future rankings.

Look for our revised Notinhalloffame.com Baseball list in the upcoming weeks.

For the past four years, I have solicited the opinions of two of our regular contributors to assist in predicting just who the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will nominate. This year, we have three completely different takes on this, and I think this might be our most interesting forecast yet.

         The Committee Chairman’s Rock Hall Predictions

This is going to be harder for one basic reason. I can’t predict that the Rock Hall will nominate Chic anymore. Nominated eleven times and failing to get in each time, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did exactly what I suggested by inducting Nile Rodgers via the Award of Musical Excellence, which essentially means Chic, who are not inducted will never be nominated again.

Wait, am I crowing about the fact that my thought patterns mimic that of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Committee?   I need another beer.

Since the Committee nominated 19 acts last year, I will do the same and based on what I have seen so far by doing watching this hall for years, there always seems to be certain “candidates”.

1. The Debut and Finale Candidate: Radiohead

I always felt that Hall of Fames have one thing in common whereby it means so much more when you are chosen on your first year of eligibility. It isn’t just a stamp of approval, but a certificate that you are the elite of what you do and a legend of what you do. Maybe I am waxing poetic because I am watching football as I am typing this, but for the most part isn’t that the case?

This year that goes to Radiohead, who could probably get a four and a half star rating on an album of just Thom Yorke’s belches, though I wager the pathos in those bodily functions would be as spectacular as Teri Hatcher’s boobs allegedly were when Jerry failed to see them. Lame reference aside (and there will be a lot more of those to come) this is a Hall of Fame run by critics and this is one of the most acclaimed bands in the last thirty years, and deservedly so. Not only do they get nominated this year they are going in.  

2. The Returning Candidate that could care less about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Kraftwerk

Most of Kraftwerk’s fans don’t think about the Rock and Roll Hall and I doubt that Ralf Huttler or Florian Schneider has lost a minute’s sleep thinking about it. I can’t say the same about myself.

Ok, no I don’t lay in bed worrying about their exclusion, but I have always questioned when the only certified qualification is “influence” how one of the most influential groups period is not yet in. The Germans have been nominated before, including three nominations in the last five years, but every time it happens, their fans don’t talk about it, the media doesn’t profile them and the band itself never discusses it. Still, tis is a band that deserves another nomination, and I predict that they will get another kick at the proverbial can.

I might just be the only one who will notice…

3. The “How did it take so long for this band to finally be nominated” Candidate: Roxy Music

Last year, this slot to Journey, and the year before it was Chicago and not that long ago it was Rush. I thought about the Moody Blues or Jethro Tull for this spot but while I know the critics haven’t always been kind to the latter two band, they have been toward Roxy Music, which is also a great way to induct Bryan Ferry and Brian Eno, who are certainly Cleveland worthy.

Seriously, how has this one not happened already? Isn’t this the type of group they are supposed to love?

4. The Anti-Establishment, but in terms of acclaimed music they are establishment Candidate: MC5

I really thought last year was the year for MC5. Nominated for the first since 2003, MC5 rivaled the Stooges (who took a long time themselves to get in) as the most important proto-punk outfit and their influence is all over the punk and metal scenes that followed. If the committee holds to last year and nominates 19 instead of their traditional 15 than MC5 should be able to fill one of those spots.

5. The Hip Hop Candidate: Wu-Tang Clan

I could have easily pegged them as the Debut and Finale candidate as I think they have an excellent chance of going in this year. This is as close to a hip hop all-star team as it gets and RZA’s foray into movie scores shows off a nice compliment to what many see as a one-dimensional style. It seems that every year they nominate the strongest rap candidate and this year it is the Wu-Tang Clan, who by the way if they get in makes them the first Asian American act to enter the Hall of Fame.

It’s true. The Asians drafted them in the Racial Draft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQtiKaoNUrc

That has to help right?

6. The 80’s Alternative Candidate: New Order/Joy Division

Every year it seems like an 80’s alt band gets nominated and fails to gain entry. It happened with the Cure. It happened with The Smiths. It happened last year with Depeche Mode. How about this year it is New Order/Joy Division?

Those of you who have been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have likely seen the small exhibit that is dedicated to New Order/Joy Division and with a previous entry of the Faces/Small Faces it shows that the Hall has no issue with a hybrid entry if they see it warranted…and in this case it is.

Neither New Order nor Joy Division has been nominated before perhaps this is the year they get the At Bat.

7. The Grunge Candidate: Sonic Youth

I know, I know.

Sonic Youth isn’t really a grunge band but they are occasionally lumped in there as the Grunge explosion garnered them more attention via musical osmosis and it is not a stretch to envision a double bill in the early 90’s with Sonic Youth and Nirvana is it?

I don’t think so either.

Frankly I think this spot should go to Soundgarden but the Rock Hall isn’t the type to let sentiment get in the way and induct the band the year of Chris Cornell’s death. Smashing Pumpkins could also slide in here, but Billy Corgan is not exactly the most loved individual in the musical world. I could see the committee making him wait.

If Sonic Youth does sneak through a nomination however I wouldn’t bet on them getting inducted. Not this year anyway.

8. The Strong Female Candidate: Janet Jackson

 

When she was finally nominated two years ago I figured she would get in.

She didn’t.

When she was nominated last year, I thought she would get in…until I saw that Joan Baez was also nominated and I knew that was going to be the direction they would go.

This year I will predict that Janet will get nominated again, and hopefully “third time’s the charm” as I always get a kick of having to change our logo; Janet is currently in there in a Mount Rushmore of snubs along side Don Cherry, Barry Bonds and Demolition.

Without going into detail about why Janet (or Miss Janet, if you’re nasty should be nominated and inducted) I will direct you to an interview I conducted Mike Litherland who is spearheading the Induct Janet Jackson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame campaign. For anyone looking to induct their favorite act take notes as to how Mike does this. Class act all the way!

9. The “Other” Strong Female Candidate and/or the Double Inductee Candidate: Tina Turner

I thought about putting Annie Lennox (The Eurythmics) here or going really left field and suggesting Kate Bush, but the Acid Queen just fits so well here.

She does have the solo work and not just the 80’s comeback. Her covers in the 70’s of rock staples in my mind shows why she can make a claim for the best female rock voice of all time. Already in (and should be) with Ike Turner, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame committee does like to put people in twice, and by nominating her they prove that are about gender equity, something that the institution claims (though doesn’t do a great job of in reality) to do.

10. The Indy Darling Candidate: Pixies

Last year I thought this spot would go to Husker Du, but it went to Jane’s Addiction and in a previous year it was The Replacements. Since neither got in I see a repeat of what is transpiring in the 80’s alternative category, so how about the Pixies getting their shot this year?

It makes sense. The rock writers love them and it doesn’t hurt that an induction for the Pixies puts in Kim Deal and yes I am again playing the gender card. Hey sooner or later the Rock Hall will truly back up that claim of “women in rock” right?

…or not.

11. The Hard Candidate: Nine Inch Nails

When I say the “Hard” candidate I am referring to music with a harder edge, be it heavy metal, which will forever be underrepresented in the Hall, or dare we say Industrial, its bastard child.

Trent Reznor, who far all intents and purposes is Nine Inch Nails was nominated in their first two years of eligibility but were absent last year. Still, is it just me, or does it seem like even though Nine Inch Nails has been eligible for four years that it feels too soon? Perhaps it is just me failing to deal with my advancing age.

I need another beer.

12. The Deserving Mainstream Candidate: Bon Jovi

I am actually stunned they aren’t in already. While Bon Jovi hasn’t exactly been everyone’s cup of tea, this is a band that sold a lot of albums over a twenty year period, still can sell out an arena and doesn’t upset the rock and roll apple cart if they are inducted. It is a vote for Hair Metal, Pop Metal, Hard Rock, Soft Rock, Ballads, Country Rock, blah blah blah.

It is about a safe a choice as there is and they have only been nominated once. I am going to guess they are going to get another nomination and thus they will be “halfway there”.

I know that you all sang in your head “Whoaaaah, Living on a Prayer.”

13. The Progressive Rock Candidate: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Earlier I said that Heavy Metal is one of the most neglected genres in Cleveland. Progressive Rock isn’t far behind.

The induction of Yes last year certainly took away some of that but Jethro Tull remains as do the Moody Blues and King Crimson, but like I said it is certainly getting better and I think they will continue to look in this direction, so I am begrudgingly giving my prediction to ELP.

For the record, I was never a fan (which I guess you could already tell) of these three. While I respect their musical skills for my taste they were far too bloated and were the embodiment of what punk music rebelled against, but I digress, this is what I am predicting, not what I am wanting.

14. The Classic Rock Candidate: Bad Company

On the times I am feeling in a Classic Rock vibe and put on a mix on ITunes I inherently isolate in my head those who are not in the Hall yet. One that really stands out to me is Bad Company, and based on the votes that we get here on Notinhalloffame.com many people think so too as they have one of the highest vote tallies of “Put Them in” than most.

This isn’t why I am thinking they might get a shot, just a feeling that they are at least due to be worthy of a discussion…or is that just part of my Rock and Roll Fantasy?

15. The Motown Candidate: Mary Wells

Mary Wells was nominated twice…in 1986 and in 1987. Yep, 30 years since she has been nominated.

I think every time we do this, I pick Wells mostly because I don’t understand her omission. This was the first great star of Motown and she predates all of the other label’s acts who are inducted. How has this woman become so forgotten so quickly and reduced to one hit “My Guy”, despite the fact she charted 22 other times? This slot could go to the Marvelettes (and probably will) but like I have in other years I find myself hopeful yet again.

16. The Soul Candidate: The Commodores

Was this prediction easy?

..like Sunday Morning?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Actually this wasn’t that easy as I constantly flip-flopped between the Commodores and the Spinners for this spot and as much as I think this should go to the Spinners instead, I feel a strong sense of Lionel Richie nostalgia sweeping the nation and the overall body of work is so much more than the just “Easy” and “Three Times A Lady”. It comprises the best of the “Quiet Storm”, Funk, Pop and R&B. They deserve a look don’t they?

17. The “Ethnic” Candidate: War

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has its share of Caucasians and African-Americans, but it doesn’t have much else. War was that perfect fusion of White, Black and Hispanic that fused multiple styles of music effortlessly. It was an American band at a time when they didn’t sound like an American band, if you get my meaning. Besides in this politically charged racially divided climate, this is exactly the band you want to have in your Hall…and sadly, yes this matters.

18. The 1960’s Candidate: Paul Revere & The Raiders

Frankly I am not sure that there are really that many more 60’s acts that have that much of a case, but there are a few. Recently we have seen the Zombies and Procul Harum get nominated, but neither was able to advance. How about a band that was not groundbreaking but a lot of fun?

I know that flies in the face of the “influence” criteria but I think we have seen that this institution doesn’t exactly follow their own rules.

19. The Wild Card Candidate: Lenny Kravitz

Last year this was the slot that Bad Brains held, an intriguing candidate that helped put the Washington D.C. music scene on the map. It took a lot of people by surprise but the more you though about it, the more you thought…why not?

Lenny Kravitz and Bad Brains are not similar, but with Kravitz you have someone who was never amongst the top ten in notoriety or sales but has a decent and diverse body of work and doesn’t exactly have other musicians that you can see a similar parallel too. It is a wild card choice but it is also safe at the same time.

By the way, here we are thirty years later and my mind is still blown that Helen Willis was his mom. Does that mean that George Jefferson called him a zebra growing up?

I have to stop watching 70’s sitcoms.

But I need to keep drinking beer.

DDT'S 2018 ROCK HALL PREDICTIONS

 

As we all wait with bated breath for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to announce its 2018 nominees sometime before the end of the year, I study the goat entrails, the tea leaves, the crystal ball to try to glean insight into how the Nominating Committee might structure the ballot it will send to the Rock Hall's voting members.

And I find that I do not care any longer.

Make no mistake: I have not lost a whit of the passion I have for music, nor have I lost the desire to see the legacy preserved for those musical artists I may consider to be significant in the development and history of Western popular music made since the mid-1950s. Indeed, as a student of history, I find it fascinating to see which musical artists have—WARNING! GROANING CLICHÉ AHEAD!—"withstood the test of time."

The problem is this: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not equipped to evaluate or curate this legacy. Leaving aside serious questions about how the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation currently operates its self-styled interpretation of rock music history, the fact is that not only is this an endeavor that the Rock Hall is ill-equipped to handle, it is an endeavor that any foundation would be greatly challenged to manage.

Over the years, I have expended gallons of virtual ink discussing the Rock Hall, evaluating each year's ballot, trying to guess (as we are doing here) who would get on the ballot in the first place, auditing the artists already inducted into the Rock Hall, offering inflated, pretentious assessments of specific artists and whether they were "worthy" of the Hall. I realize now that it was all a mug's game. A crock.

Earlier this year, I posted an article on this site entitled "What's Wrong with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?" Criticizing the Rock Hall is a popular pastime, and there are indeed many valid criticisms including an age bias, a gender bias, and a lack of transparency among them. Addressing these problems would help to make the Rock Hall stronger, but these are ultimately Band-Aid fixes.

In my writing about the Rock Hall over the years, I have come to realize that three fundamental issues render the current Rock Hall model unable to evaluate legacy:

1. There is no standard definition of rock and roll.
2. There are no objective evaluation criteria that can be applied universally to candidates.
3. Because the music evolves and expands continually, the Rock Hall grows ever-inclusive and ever-expansive.

Couple that to the biases, prejudices, and limitations that not only does the average listener have, but so do the body of voters whose ballots decide which artists are inducted into the Rock Hall along with the Nominating Committee that assembles that ballot. We all have likes and dislikes (biases), preconceptions (prejudices), and gaps in our knowledge and awareness (limitations). And given the enormous growth of popular music in the last six decades, it is nigh-impossible to fully grasp it all.

Add to that the passion listeners bring both to the music and to the artists who make that music. Music is an intensely intimate and emotional experience that makes a deep and lasting impression. It becomes part of our identity, and if anyone disses one of our favorite bands, it becomes a personal affront: They are not just insulting my favorite band—they are insulting me.

This becomes manifest in the opinions we express about the Rock Hall and the artists who have, or have not, been inducted. How often have you heard or read comments like these:

"Until the Rock Hall inducts [INSERT ARTIST NAME HERE], it has no credibility."

"It's a travesty that the Hall inducted [INSERT ARTIST NAME YOU DON'T LIKE HERE] but has snubbed [INSERT ARTIST NAME YOU DO LIKE HERE]."

"When it inducted [INSERT ARTIST NAME YOU DON'T LIKE HERE] it went from a Hall of Fame to a Hall of Shame."

"Until it inducts [INSERT ARTIST NAME YOU DO LIKE HERE], it will be a Hall of Lame, not a Hall of Fame."

"[ARTIST A] may be worthy, but [ARTIST B] deserves to be in first."

And so on. Comments like these are based on emotionalism and reflect our biases, prejudices, and limitations. But, quite frankly, that is hardly surprising—with no standard definition of what rock is, no standard criteria to evaluate artists making music that is evolving and expanding continually, and the near-impossibility to fully grasp all that evolution and expansion, it is understandable to fall back on a personal and emotional reaction.

I am having an emotional reaction right now. As much as I appreciate that the Committee Chairman asked me to contribute to this annual exercise, an exercise that I've tried to have fun with in previous years, I now find that this exercise is pointless.

Certainly participants have made shrewd guesses about which artists the Rock Hall Nominating Committee will select for the ballot, and I've stumbled onto a couple of those myself, but to what end? We are merely guessing which deck chairs will slide off next into the Atlantic as the Titanic continues to sink.

In its present state, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will continue to have the Nominating Committee assemble a ballot comprising an arbitrary array of artists across certain periods, styles, and genres. It will then ship that ballot off to a body of voters that is defined by its biases, prejudices, and limitations. (Any resemblance to an American electorate participating in a recent general election is purely intentional.) In turn, this body will cast its votes in a non-transparent process to yield the latest scattershot class of inductees. Finally, the results are guaranteed to be greeted by derision by not only the fans ("It's a travesty that the Hall hasn't inducted . . . ") but, to borrow recent examples Steve Miller and Gene Simmons, by the very artists who have been chosen for induction.

You call this fun?

As rock writer Courtney E. Smith has noted, like it or not, the Rock Hall has begun to define a canon of Western popular music made since the mid-1950s, and as a social and cultural reflection of Western society this is a significant undertaking. It is a fundamentally flawed undertaking for the reasons I've outlined above, but I have also suggested a number of ways to at least mitigate the flaws.

The most comprehensive of these is to think big. Really big. Starting with the name of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the very term "Rock and Roll" is outmoded, a 1950s marketing label that has long been stretched past the breaking point to encompass forms, styles, and genres of Western popular music that were scarcely conceivable when Elvis Presley first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show but whose seeds were cast by that appearance.

Apropos of that, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, both in concept and in structure, needs to think big. To accommodate the enormous growth of the music in the last six decades, growth that continues to mushroom, I have suggested a model similar to the Smithsonian Institution.

The Smithsonian comprises 19 separate museums and galleries, each focused on one aspect of American history or culture. Similarly, a Smithsonian-styled Rock Hall would have separate Halls of Fame for musical forms that have developed their own extensive roots and branches—heavy metal, hip-hop, electronica, and so on—yet they would all be subsumed under an overarching institution binding them under the common denominator of popular music. (At least Western popular music—if we were to acknowledge non-Western popular music, we would be looking at a United Nations model!)

So, what the hell has this got to do with who is going to be on the 2018 Rock Hall ballot? Or am I just plugging my article? It may be yes to the latter, but it has everything to do with the former because I no longer see the value of trying to be clever by guessing which artists the Nominating Committee are going to put on the ballot. The Committee's is a haphazard, arbitrary process of historical backfilling and contemporary promotion that then gets thrown over the wall to voters, many of whom are previous Rock Hall inductees who vote their biases, prejudices, and limitations, and then we fans bitch about who got snubbed this year. ("It's a travesty that the Hall hasn't inducted . . . ")

Again, where is the fun in that? Maybe it used to be fun, but it's not anymore.

And because there are no objective evaluation criteria that can be universally applied to nominees, determining whether a nominee is worthy of the Hall is a judgment call and thus is subject to our—wait for it—biases, prejudices, and limitations.

At this point, I cannot determine who might be a valid Rock Hall induction beyond a subjective judgment call, and I will not try to guess which artists will appear on the 2018 ballot because I think it is a mug's game. What I offer below is a list of artists who have yet to be inducted, with many of those yet to be nominated, who I think at least deserve a chance to appear on a ballot for the voters' consideration.

This is not a complete list of all those eligible, so I have already indicated my biases, prejudices, and limitations, and I am not including artists newly eligible for the Class of 2018. Yet even this partial list indicates just how enormous an undertaking the task of evaluating legacy has become. And it doesn't get any smaller with each successive year. Quite the opposite.

I have evaluated several of these artists in past ballot assessments, and for some of those I have surely noted that I would not have voted for them. I may still feel that way now. Or not. But because the Rock Hall has grown so expansive and so inclusive, and will continue to do so, the concept of a "Hall of Famer" has become, if not meaningless, then surely denatured, particularly when contrasted to Hall of Famers in other endeavors such as the Big Four sports Halls of Fame. There are too many of them, with more coming every year. Now it's simply triage—how many can we get in during each annual shot?

Rock on, dudes and dudettes.

Selected Artists Eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Artist	Years Eligible	Times Nominated
Eligible for More Than 30 Years
Link Wray	34	1
Cliff Richard and the Shadows	32	0
The Marvelettes	31	2
The Spinners	31	2
Mary Wells	31	3
Eligible for More Than 25 Years
Dick Dale	30	0
Toots and the Maytals	30	0
The Moody Blues	28	0
Phil Ochs	28	0
The Guess Who	27	0
Captain Beefheart	26	0
Tommy James and the Shondells	26	0
Love	26	0
MC5	26	2
The Monkees	26	0
Eligible for More Than 20 Years
Country Joe and the Fish	25	0
Fairport Convention	25	0
Harry Nilsson	25	0
Gram Parsons	25	3
Procol Harum	25	1
Blood, Sweat, and Tears	24	0
Jethro Tull	24	0
Steppenwolf	24	1
T. Rex	24	0
The Carpenters	23	0
The Chi-Lites	23	0
Joe Cocker	23	0
James Gang	23	0
King Crimson	23	0
The Meters/The Neville Brothers (Two different but related bands; I see this one as a Funkadelic/Parliament or Small Faces/Faces situation.)	23/14	3/0
Mott the Hoople	23	0
Three Dog Night	23	0
Warren Zevon	23	0
Jimmy Buffett	22	0
Emerson, Lake and Palmer	22	0
Kraftwerk	22	4
Todd Rundgren	22	0
Tangerine Dream	22	0
The Doobie Brothers	21	0
LaBelle	21	0
Little Feat	21	0
John Prine	21	0
Sparks	21	0
Thin Lizzy	21	0
War	21	3
Eligible for More Than 15 Years
Big Star	20	0
Blue Öyster Cult	20	0
Roxy Music	20	0
Scorpions	20	0
Richard Thompson	20	0
Average White Band	19	0
Bachman-Turner Overdrive	19	0
New York Dolls	19	1
Bad Company	18	0
Brian Eno	18	0
Judas Priest	18	0
Ted Nugent	17	0
Television	17	0
Boston	16	0
Nick Lowe	16	0
Graham Parker	16	0
The Runaways	16	0
Eligible for More Than 10 Years
Björk	15	0
The Buzzcocks	15	0
Chic	15	11
Devo	15	0
The Jam	15	0
Motörhead	15	0
Suicide	15	0
XTC	15	0
Black Flag	14	0
Kate Bush	14	0
The Cars	14	2
The Cure	14	1
Dire Straits	14	0
Gang of Four	14	0
Joy Division/New Order (Two different but related bands; I see this one as a Funkadelic/Parliament or Small Faces/Faces situation.)	14/11	0/0
Chaka Khan	14	2
Los Lobos	14	1
Midnight Oil	14	0
The Misfits	14	0
Squeeze	14	0
Toto	14	0
Whitesnake	14	0
Bryan Adams	13	0
The B–52's	13	0
Pat Benatar	13	0
Dead Kennedys	13	0
Def Leppard	13	0
Iron Maiden	13	0
Simple Minds	13	0
The Specials	13	0
Sugarhill Gang	13	0
The Go-Go's	12	0
INXS	12	0
Huey Lewis and the News	12	0
The Minutemen	12	0
Ozzy Osbourne	12	0
UB40	12	0
Bad Religion	11	0
Phil Collins	11	0
Depeche Mode	11	1
Duran Duran	11	0
Eurythmics	11	0
Hüsker Dü	11	0
Billy Idol	11	0
Ministry	11	0
Mötley Crüe	11	0
The Replacements	11	1
Lionel Richie	11	0
Eligible for More Than 5 Years
Bad Brains	10	1
Big Black	10	0
Culture Club	10	0
Steve Earle	10	0
Don Henley	10	0
The Fixx	10	0
Ice-T	10	0
Janet Jackson	10	2
Men at Work	10	0
Shonen Knife	10	0
Sonic Youth	10	0
Violent Femmes	10	0
Anthrax	9	0
Bon Jovi	9	1
Cyndi Lauper	9	0
Pantera	9	0
Pulp	9	0
Queensrÿche	9	0
Ratt	9	0
Slayer	9	0
The Smiths	9	2
Nick Cave	8	0
Whitney Houston	8	0
The Jesus and Mary Chain	8	0
LL Cool J	8	3
Pet Shop Boys	8	0
The Pogues	8	0
Sade	8	0
Spinal Tap	8	0
Camper Van Beethoven	7	0
Dinosaur Jr.	7	0
Faith No More	7	0
Fishbone	7	0
Chris Isaak	7	0
Megadeth	7	0
Sepultura	7	0
Stone Roses	7	0
Suzanne Vega	7	0
Babyface	6	0
Kool Moe Dee	6	0
Lyle Lovett	6	0
Salt N Pepa	6	0
Soundgarden	6	0
They Might Be Giants	6	0
Yo La Tengo	6	0
Eligible for More Than 1 Year
Boogie Down Productions	5	0
Terence Trent D'Arby	5	0
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince	5	0
EPMD	5	0
Jane's Addiction	5	0
George Michael	5	0
Sinead O'Connor	5	0
Pixies	5	0
The Sugarcubes	5	0
De La Soul	4	0
Digital Underground	4	0
Melissa Etheridge	4	0
Fugazi	4	0
Living Colour	4	0
L7	4	0
Massive Attack	4	0
Morrissey	4	0
The Offspring	4	0
Phish	4	0
Soul II Soul	4	0
Babes in Toyland	3	0
Nenah Cherry	3	0
Dream Theater	3	0
Gang Starr	3	0
Manic Street Preachers	3	0
Sarah McLachlan	3	0
Nine Inch Nails	3	2
The Orb	3	0
Pavement	3	0
Queen Latifah	3	0
Alice in Chains	2	0
Blur	2	0
Mariah Carey	2	0
En Vogue	2	0
Hole	2	0
Ice Cube	2	0
Moby	2	0
Orbital	2	0
Primus	2	0
Smashing Pumpkins	2	0
A Tribe Called Quest	2	0

Spheniscus’s Rock Hall Predictions

The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame nominations are upon us. So what does that mean? That means that music fans who have trouble accepting that rap is in the Rock Hall are going to have their heads explode. Tomorrow’s nominations for the love generation are essentially going to be like Oprah handing free stuff out on her show. You get the vapors and you get the vapors, everybody gets the vapors!

Last year we had Tupac get in on the first ballot. This year we should have another and the possibility of several other rap and R&B acts getting precious spots on this “Rock” ballot. At the same time, you will notice that the Hall has done a much better job putting some overlooked bands in over the past few years (including Yes, ELO, Journey, and the I can’t believe they finally remembered to nominate her Joan Baez), those elections are often met with “Why now?” Or “About time, the Rock Hall is a joke!” Or “Why not (insert personal pet project here)”. Ultimately the Hall can’t win. But they are trying. I really think they are at this point.

So while my nominees would be Beck, Cher, Diana Ross, Dire Straits, Dr. Dre, Gil Scott-Heron, Herbie Hancock, Janet Jackson, Judas Priest, New Order, Patti LaBelle, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Sonic Youth, The Spinners, Tina Turner, Warren Zevon, and Wu Tang Clan … this is who I expect to get through the process this year…

FIRST TIME ELIGIBLES



Five of the last six years we have had at least one first time eligible make the Rock Hall. Last year both Pearl Jam and Tupac Shakur made the cut for nomination and got themselves elected to the Hall. As I have said in my series, this year is the best year of first time eligibles in a very long time and I feel as many as twelve of these artists will eventually get into the Hall. So how many do I expect to see on the ballot this first time? Five, yes you read that right, five.

1. RADIOHEAD

I am pretty much copying this from the Pearl Jam section last year, but this is the Ivory Soap pick of the year. While you can’t go 100% on any Radiohead is as close as you are going to get to automatic.

Odds of Nomination: 99.44% (Same as the purity of Ivory Soap, at least according to their marketing department)

Odds of Induction if Nominated: Same

2. DR. DRE

Nowadays everybody wants talk about rap in the Hall like they got something to say, but no matter what gibberish comes when they move their lips, there is no way the Rock Hall forgets about Dre. Yes, I realize that was an Eminem line, but it is true. He is the rap act most likely to get nominated. And when he does, he will get in.

Odds of Nomination: 95%

Odds of Induction if Nominated: Ivory Soap

3. BECK


The third major name on this ballot, Beck takes the singer-songwriter slot on this year’s ballot even if he is the biggest slacker in the history of the singer-songwriter category. That said he is also one of the most decorated ones. He has five Grammys and has released 12 albums. He is essentially rock royalty and is the exact type of star that Jan Wenner looks for. He will be nominated as well.

Odds of Nomination: 93%

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 90% (if only because they might now want three first time electees, which hasn’t happened in a very long time)

4. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE


These guys were on my list last year when they may or may not have been eligible. There is no question that they are fully eligible this year. Rage formed in ’91 and released a demo tape, but they didn’t have their eponymous first album released until 1992. So this year it is.

Why am I so sure they are getting a nomination? This is a Nominating Committee with Tom Morello on it. The same Tom Morello who was a founding member of and played lead guitar for Rage Against the Machine. And while last year it appears that he used his influence to get Jane’s Addiction on the ballot, it is hard to imagine a scenario in which Rage isn’t at least thrown a nomination.

That doesn’t mean they will be elected. There are many other hard rock bands out there that are probably more deserving, something Morello himself would probably admit. That said, I expect to see them on the ballot.

Odds of Nomination: 70%

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 25%. Three is stretching it for first timers. But four? Yikes.

5. WU TANG CLAN

The fifth first time nominee (and I haven’t included Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, TLC, Stone Temple Pilots, Annie Lennox, Tool, and Common, who I all think may be Hall of Famers at some point), this one is the shakiest and really is only here because after last year’s 19 nominees I have included more than my normal 15 on this list.

Does that mean that they don’t deserve to be first time nominees? Certainly not. These guys are rap royalty and complete and utter legends. Their only problem is that Dre is eligible the same year they are. And two first time rap nominees, particularly making them the fifth band makes their chances far less than they otherwise would be.

That said, if they do make the ballot, their chances are about the same of getting in because they are just that damn good. I don’t think it will be this year, but with only BLACKstreet as a rap candidate next year, this will be a two ballot stay for the Clan.

Odds of Nomination: 30%

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 25%. Three is stretching it for first timers. But four? Yikes.

RETURNING FROM LAST YEAR

Now that the committee has given up on ever getting Chic elected (which is why they put Nile Rodgers in specially last year), it opens things up for some other bands that have hit the ballot over the past few years.

6. JANET JACKSON

How did she not get in last year? Or the year before that? The Rock Hall does a terrible job electing women. And they finally remembered that Joan Baez existed last year and she got the spot. But the year before there were no women elected and that was when her only competition was Chaka Khan. After waiting for eight years for her first nomination, she should a lock to get in.

And even though there are several other first ballot women who should be considered, there aren’t any who are likely to be nominated. So unless they decide to go grab Connie Francis or Patti LaBelle or remember that both Tina Turner and Diana Ross had solo careers, Janet should be the best woman on the ballot. She should be in this year.

Don’t screw this up voters!

Odds of Nomination: 85%

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 50%. This should be higher than it is. But I’m presuming they will find another female artist somewhere and only one of them will be getting in.

7. JANE’S ADDICTION

Despite Rage Against the Machine being on my ballot already, I don’t think that Tom Morello is going to nominate his own band. And his nomination last year was Jane’s Addiction, so it stands to reason that he will put them forward again.

Odds of Nomination: 80%

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 60%. Their competition is Morello’s own band, if Morello wants his nominee in before his band all he has to do is say so and they will be in.

8. KRAFTWERK

For the past few years, Yes and Kraftwerk have been alternating on the ballot. I thought that Yes would be the only one on the ballot last year. So they switched it up and decided to go with both. Which of course, meant that Yes somehow got elected. The system rarely makes sense.

Kraftwerk is arguably the best band out there not to be in yet. They invented a type of music that is popular the world over. Not a subcategory, an actual huge category off of which tons of other subcategories have sprung off of. Without Kraftwerk there is no electronica, no techno, no trance. If those musical genres matter, then Kraftwerk needs to be in the Hall. Until then, there is a huge gap that only they can fill.

Odds of Nomination: 50%. I mean now that Yes is gone, the committee could decide not to nominate them again, but I doubt it.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: I’ll say 25%. As important as they are to the development of modern popular music, they are reclusive and rarely heard on their airwaves any more. The electors need to be educated in order for them to be elected.

9. THE CARS

I know I am biased being from Boston originally (now living in Chicago), but two nominations for the kings of catchy 80s pop seems to indicate to me that they will be returning again this year.

This year, the number of quality first time candidates will limit their competition. Like Deep Purple, they are one of those bands that once nominated, will be nominated again and again until they do get in. Without direct peers on this ballot (well, my ballot anyway), their chances appear to be pretty good that they will get to “Drive” right down I 90 to Cleveland this year.

Odds of Nomination: 45% Anything can happen, but now that the NomCom has found them, they are more likely than not to be back this year.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 40% Only because this is going to be a tough group.

10. DEPECHE MODE

I put The Smiths in this space last year and I was pleasantly surprised that it went to Depeche Mode instead. There are four bands for this spot. Depeche Mode (nominated for the first time last year), New Order (never nominated), The Cure (nominated once in 2012), and The Smiths (nominated in 2015 and 2016). All four of these bands are worthy of consideration and the existence of each on the outside looking in limits the others’ chances. I honestly think that New Order has the best chance of the four with the voters, but Depeche Mode is a good second choice.

They need to eliminate this logjam. Let’s just hope that a second nomination for Depeche Mode will get it done.

Odds of Nomination: 26% They will pick one of those four bands, since they were the choice the last year, they get a slightly better than 1 in 4 shot.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 15%. Should be better, but it hasn’t been good for any of these groups.

11. THE ZOMBIES

One of the best stories in Rock history as the band broke up back in England as their music first started becoming popular in the U.S. An enterprising manager took advantage of the fact no one knew who they were and was no internet. So he created two fake Zombies bands, one in Michigan and one in Texas, and had them touring simultaneously at one point. The best part of this whole story is that The Zombies found out and went on to produce more music and that the fake Texas Zombies? They are already in the Rock Hall. They became ZZ Top.

Now should that story have any real bearing on their election? No. But it is awesome. And since the Committee loves the British Invasion, the Zombies are likely to make another appearance as their nominee. The real ones. I think.

Odds of Nomination: 15% There will be a British Invasion band, but the Zombies have had multiple chances at this point. So they may end up going with someone else. Maybe Herman’s Hermits?

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 10%. Tough group and a genre that has already been well covered at this point.

RETURNING FROM PREVIOUS BALLOTS

This is tough, there are lots of candidates, particularly with the expanded list from last year. Ultimately only two bands made the cut.

12. NINE INCH NAILS

Trent Reznor is one of the most important people in the development of music over the past 30 years. There is almost no way NIN does not continually get nominated until they (he) gets in. It is a bit amazing that they (he) were not nominated last year, particularly with the expanded list. But I feel that was just an oversight.

Odds of Nomination: 75% This will be the third out of four. If they don’t get in this year, they’ll be back next year.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 60%. It is a little strange it has taken him to a third nomination to get in at this point.

13. BON JOVI

Journey, Chicago, Stevie Ray Vaughan, KISS, and Rush. What do these five bands have in common? They all won the online fan poll and got elected after many years of being largely (or entirely ignored). Of these five only KISS had been previously nominated. The argument with Bon Jovi not getting in is that they are one of those bands that has songs that people like to belt out in bars.

Well, now Journey is in. And as much as I love Journey, Bon Jovi is the better and more talented band. So although they have been nominated once before, back in 2011, it now seems like their time.

Odds of Nomination: 33% There will be a bar band nominated, I just don’t know that it will be this one. Def Leppard is still out there. So’s Motley Crue. And Duran Duran. Hell, even Phish, even though they aren’t a bar band they have a huge and vocal following. So 33% is about the best I can do.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 100%. If they get the nomination they will win the online vote and whoever has won the online vote has been elected.

FIRST TIME LONG TIME

There are so many great bands and solo artists that need a shot. The Moody Blues, Dire Straits, Paul Anka, New Order, Journey, Diana Ross, Iron Maiden, Bad Company, Willie Nelson, The Grass Roots, Pantera, The Doobie Brothers, Kool & the Gang, Motley Crue, The Go-Gos, Tina Turner, Cher, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Joan Baez… and about 100 others. This time, I think only four get through.

14. JUDAS PRIEST

Alice Cooper, KISS, Deep Purple… finally the Rock Hall is getting the Hard Rock/Metal backlog cleared out. That seems to leave a space for a new Hard Rock group to get in. Of course last year the nominating committee decided that candidate was … Steppenwolf? I guess? Not this year. As much as I love Iron Maiden, it kinda has to be the Priest at this point, doesn’t it? Dark Lord knows they deserve it.

Odds of Nomination: 20% It will be one out of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Pantera, or well, Steppenwolf (or someone else who shouldn’t be filling the spot). The spot is there, it just depends on which band has an advocate in that room.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 55% I would have said the same thing about Deep Purple when they first got in. Although it took 3 nominations to get them in. Once Judas Priest is before the voters they should be in pretty quickly.

15. CHER

They changed the committee a few years ago to make it younger and less incestuous. Incredibly, one of the things that seems to have changed is that they are remembering some of the forgotten female artists. Linda Rondstadt, Chaka Khan, and Joan Baez have all had their shots for the first time in the past three years with both Rondstadt and Baez getting elected on their first shots.

So the question is, now that Baez is in, who is the next one up? There are a multitude of choices that would be quality. Patti LaBelle, Carly Simon, Diana Ross, Carole King, Tina Turner, Pat Benatar. But Cher seems to be the single biggest oversight remaining. She isn’t in on her own and she isn’t in with Sonny. But she definitely should.

Odds of Nomination: 20% Lots of women to choose from, I just think she has a better chance than most.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 40% Stacked group. Janet Jackson already on the ballot and likely getting in. Rarely do two women get in the same year. And if it is just her and Janet, there is a legitimate shot that Cher would get the nod.

16. THE GRASS ROOTS

This last spot is my wild card and I was unsure where to go with it. Looking at things, there are a ton of bands out there that have not gotten love and should have. And few bands from the 60s or really any other time have had as many hits and not gotten a nomination as the Grass Roots. Other bands like the Moody Blues or America or Boston also got consideration, but I thought I’d dig a little deeper here.

Odds of Nomination: 4%. This could have been any one of 25 bands, which is 4%.

Odds of Induction if Nominated: 20%. They were amazing, but it has been a long time. One nomination might not be enough.




 

This is kind of our Christmas morning.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their 2017 Class, and let’s get right to it.

Pearl Jam, enters on their first year of eligibility and did this surprise anyone at all?  When you think of what the RRHOF is looking for in an inductee they met every criteria and the discussion to enter the Cleveland probably didn’t even exist.  They didn’t have to debate it all.

Tupac also joins as a first ballot inductee.  No word yet as to whether his hologram will be making an appearance at the ceremony, but like Pearl Jam this was largely expected.

Journey, who won the fan vote, also got in on their first nomination, though they have been long eligible.  This is the fourth year in a row where the winner of the fan vote gained entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Progressive Rock finally saw Yes get in after twenty plus years of eligibility.  Arguably, this was of the biggest bands of their genre who had yet to get in.

The Electric Light Orchestra will also be inducted.  Jeff Lynne has long been one of the most respected musicians in the industry and for what it is worth, now all of the Wilburys are Hall of Famers.

The surprise inductee was Joan Baez, who also got in on her first nomination, albeit after thirty-four years of eligibility.  Baez was a folk icon, and she is the lone female to enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

Perhaps the biggest relief (in our eyes) is that Chic’s Nile Rodgers will be entering the Hall as the recipient of the Award for Musical Excellence.  Chic had been nominated annually without getting in, and this is likely going to put an end to that debacle. 

Those not selected were Depeche Mode, Janet Jackson, Bad Brains, Jane’s Addiction, The Cars, Chic, The J. Geils Band, Kraftwerk, MC5, Steppenwolf, The Zombies, Joe Tex and Chaka Khan.

We will have a deeper look at this later in the week and we will also begin work on reworking our Notinhalloffame.com Rock and Roll list in late January.

It’s that time again!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled their 2019 Nominees, which has been bumped up to 19 from the traditional 15 that they usually put forth.

As per years previous, we see some familiar nominations, some new faces and a very diverse group of musicians.

The nominees are as follows:

Pearl Jam:  Ranked #1 on Notinhalloffame.com.   No shock here, as everyone projected that this very influential band would be nominated on their first year of eligibility.  This might be as close to a lock as it gets in terms of induction.

Kraftwerk:  Ranked #2 on Notinhalloffame.com.  The Germans are back with their fourth nomination.  While this is a band not well known to the casual music fan, they have all heard them sampled in one form or another. 

MC5:  Ranked #6 on Notinhalloffame.com.  Kick Out the Jams!   The proto-punk rock band is back on the ballot after a long absence.  This is their second nomination after twenty-six years of eligibility.

Yes:  Ranked #13 on Notinhalloffame.com.  They are on the ballot for the third time and are the sentimental favorites for many Progressive Rock fans.  They should have been inducted years ago.

Tupac Shakur:  Ranked #15 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This year’s hip hop nominee became a first year nominee.  Expect this to be a first year induction.  Now will he accept the honor in hologram form?

Janet Jackson:  Ranked #22 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is her second straight nomination, and she is without question the strongest female candidate of the lot.  This should be her year and thus necessitate a logo change from us!

Depeche Mode:  Ranked #26 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is a big month for them.  They have a new album coming out and they have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the first time.  They have been Hall of Fame eligible for eleven years.

The Cars:  Ranked #33 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is their second nomination in a row.

Journey:  Ranked #56 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is their first nomination after seventeen years of eligibility.  The Arena Rock band still has a huge following and also has a large online campaign to get them in.

Jane’s Addiction:  Ranked #60 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is their first nomination after being eligible for five years.  The connection to early 90’s alternative and Lollapooza makes them a strong candidate.

Steppenwolf:  Ranked #69 on Notinhalloffame.com.  The band who coined the term heavy metal is nominated for the first time in twenty-four years.

The Electric Light Orchestra:  Ranked #80 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is the first nomination for Jeff Lynne and his band and could make him the final “Wilbury” to be enshrined.

The Zombies:  Ranked #88 on Notinhalloffame.com.  The Zombies return to the ballot for their second time and have been RRHOF eligible for twenty-eight years.

Chic:  Ranked #110 on Notinhalloffame.com.  Here we go again.  Fifteen Years of eligibility, eleven years nominated.  Next year it will be sixteen and twelve

Joe Tex:  Ranked #112 on Notinhalloffame.com.  This is the 5th nomination for Joe Tex and first since 2011. 

Chaka Khan:  Ranked #130 on Notinhalloffame.com.  She was nominated last year, though we would have liked to see her nominated with Rufus.

Joan Baez:  Ranked #178 on Notinhalloffame.com.  Is this the biggest surprise of the lot?  Could be.  The folk singer secured her first nomination after being eligible for thirty-two years.

Bad Brains:  Ranked #248 on Notinhalloffame.com.   A shocker, but in a good way.  This is a very influential group from Washington D.C. though we don’t expect them to pull another surprise out of their hat and get enshrined this year.  This is their first nomination after ten years of eligibility.



Did they get it right? 

For us, the biggest surprise is that Nine Inch Nails were not nominated after being put forth on the ballot the last two years, but overall we like this group.

What are your thoughts?

Now both the Baseball and Football Hall of Fame ceremonies are on the horizon, but it was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the controversy that come with it that began this site in the first place. 

In the past, along with regular contributors, Sphensiscus and DDT, we have done projections as to who we thought would be the nominees for the Hall, but at the suggestion of Spheniscus, we put together a dream ballot of the fifteen acts, we want to see nominated and why.