Days after the passing of Eddie Money, the Rock and Roll world has lost another of its brethren as Rik Ocasek has passed away at the age of 75.  He was found dead in his New York City apartment.  No cause of death has been announced.

Ocasek and his long-time friend and musical collaborator, Ben Orr, would found The Cars in 1976 and along with Greg Hawkes, Elliot Easton and Dave Robinson had a band that was about to mesh musical styles.  Combining pop, synth and album rock, their eponymous release generated hits like “Just What I Needed”, “My Best Friends Girl” and “Good Times Roll”.  They would put out four more albums (Candy-O, Panorama, Shake It Up and Heartbeat City over the next six years and they hit the charts with songs such as “Let’s Go”, “Touch and Go”, “Shake It Up”, “Since Your Gone”, “Drive”, “You Might Think” and “Hello Again”.  They were part of the early years of MTV and they had a sound that could be played on various radio formats.

While all of this success was transpiring, Ocasek was also establishing himself as a successful producer.  He worked with Suicide, Romeo Void, and Bad Brains. He would later work with No Doubt, Guided by Voices, Bad Religion, Weezer and Nada Surf just to name a few.

Following the disbanding of the Cars in 1988, Ocasek would have a solo career and would continue as a producer. He would reunite with the group in 2011 and join them on tour.

In 2018, The Cars were inducted into 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 Rik Ocasek at this time.

While we know that Christmas Morning is a couple of weeks away, it is our December 25 at Notinhalloffame.com.

This morning the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the new inductees for the Class of 2018.

Let’s get right the new inductee shall we?

Bon Jovi. Every year since the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame instituted the Fan Vote, the winner was selected. This year was no exception. Eligible since 2008, the New Jersey rockers got in on their second nomination and can still sell out arenas today. They have sold 120 million albums worldwide.

Inducted Members: David Bryan, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Alec John Such & Tico Torres.

The Cars. Classic Rock. New Wave. Pop. The Cars checked all of those categories and arguably is the safest choice of the lot. The band has been eligible since 2003 and received their first nomination two years ago and was also nominated last year.

Inducted Members: Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, David Robinson, Ric Ocasek & Benjamin Orr.

Dire Straits. Eligible since 2003, Dire Straits was a straight up rock band that stood out in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. This was their only nomination.

Inducted Members: Alan Clark, Guy Fletcher, John Illsley, David Knophler, Mark Knophler, Pick Withers.

The Moody Blues: How long have fans been waiting for this one? The British group has been eligible since 1989, yet had to wait nearly 30 years for their first nomination. They only needed one, and they are finally in.

Inducted Members: Graeme Edge, Justin Haywars, John Lodge, Mike Pinder & Ray Thomas.

Nina Simone: The High Priestess of Soul has also never been nominated until now, but like Dire Straits and The Moody Blues, that was all that was required.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe:: As we expected, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was chosen but slotted in as an Early Influence Selection, which males you wonder why she was nominated at all considering the Hall could have just inducted her without nominating her in this fashion. Regardless, the musical legacy of Tharpe is certainly Rock and Roll Hall of Fame worthy.

Based on the nominees this was about as safe as they could be, and we can imagine that many rock traditionalists are very happy with this class.

Radiohead, who were eligible for the first time this year did not get in, and notably they said earlier that they would not be attending (should they have gotten in) as they already booked a concert in Buenos Aires that date. One has to wonder if that played a factor in the group not being selected.

Also passed over this year were Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, The J. Geils Band, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, Link Wray, LL Cool J, MC5, The Meters, Rage Against the Machine, Rufus with Chaka Khan & The Zombies.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio.

We will begin work in the new year on the revised list for the 2018 vote. Look for that in late January.

We love days like this.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced today with some serious shockers, so let’s get right to it!

The 19 nominees are:

Bon Jovi: Bon Jovi is nominated for the second time and poses a serious threat to advance all the way this yesr. Don’t be surprised if they win the fan vote.

The Cars: This is the third nominee in a row for the group.

Depeche Mode. Nominated for the second year in a row, should they get in they would be the first 80’s alternative band to get inducted.

Dire Straits. This is the first nomination for Dire Straits and they should get a lot of support on the fan vote.

The Eurythmics. Another first time nominee, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart churned out some of the most enduring songs in the 80’s.

The J. Geils Band. This is the fifth nomination for the band and the first following the death of J. Geils.

Judas Priest. This is the first time they have been nominated, and they are the Heavy Metal nominee this year. This bodes well for other forgotten metal acts.

Kate Bush. A nice surprise here, as this first time nominee was very large on the British scene.

Link Wray. The inventor of the power chord receives his second nomination. His first was in 2014.

LL Cool J. LL Cool J is nominated for the fourth time and are the hip hop nominee for this year.

MC5. MC5 secures their third nomination ever, and their second in a row.

The Meters. The fourth nomination for the Meters, who saw their first in 1997.

The Moody Blues. This might generate the biggest sigh of relief from their fanbase. They have been eligible since 1989 and has a significant online presence pushing for this induction.

Nina Simone. Another nice surprise here. This is the first nomination for Nina Simone since being eligible in 1983.

Radiohead: In their first year of eligibility, Radiohead is no surprise showing up as a nominee. There is little reason to think that they won’t get in immediately.

Rage Against the Machine: RATM is a first ballot inductee too, though it might be a little surprising that other first ballot eligible acts, Wu-Tang Clan and Beck were not chosen.

Rufus featuring Chaka Khan. Chaka Khan was nominated as a solo last year and frankly there is a better chance for her nominated with her original group.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Huh? While she was a gospel star in the 30’s and 40’s and influential in the American Rock and Roll canon, this seems like an Early Influence inductee and is very out of place here.

The Zombies. This will be the third crack for the Zombies.

Hmmmmm.

While there will be many happy to see the Moody Blues and Judas Priest finally get a chance there will be (as there always is) upset fans over the fact that their favorite act were not chosen as a nominee. This is certainly a diverse group and frankly we need some time to digest this.

We know all of you have some opinions and we would love to hear it.

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?

For the fourth year in a row, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will be predicting whom the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be naming as Finalists for the next class.

This year, I am joined again by our own DDT and Spheniscus and we will see which one of us can correctly predict the Finalists of the most debated Hall of Fame worldwide. 

At 2:00 AM Eastern the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their Class of 2016 Nominees and it features some new possibilities, old returnees and a few headscratchers.

Let’s take a look at this group in order of their rank on Norinhalloffame.com.

Deep Purple: (#1)The British rockers have been nominated twice before, though their first nomination came seventeen years after being declared eligible.  They have been number one on our list for the past two years and have never been out of the top four since our website began.

The Smiths: (#5) This is their second straight nomination.  The group has always been ranked in our top ten.

N.W.A.: (#11) This is their fourth consecutive nomination and coming off of their successful biopic, this could be their year.

Chicago: (#12) Surprisingly, this is the first nomination for Chicago who have waited over twenty years for this.  Seriously, how could this one wait so long just to get to this stage?

Yes: (#16) The progressive rock band gets a second shot at the Hall and clearly they have landed on Cleveland’s radar.

The Steve Miller Band (#21) This also marks the first time that the Steve Miller Band has been nominated and like Chicago it took over twenty years to get here.  Chances are that all of you reading this had a cd of their greatest hits.

Nine Inch Nails (#33) This is Trent Reznor’s second nomination and the man who will likely (maybe this year) become the lone Industrial representative of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Janet Jackson: (#34) This is the first nomination for Janet Jackson and we know our friends at the #Inductjanet campaign will be thrilled!  This is a strong female contender for an institution that claims to support gender equity.

The Cars: (#36) Steadily climbing our chart since its inception, this marks the first nomination for the Ric Ocasek led Pop/New Wave group.

Cheap Trick: (#44) This is another first time nominee as the Chicago based power-pop rock group has been increasing in legacy in recent years. 

The Spinners (#54) The Spinners are nominated for a third time and considering that the band they inspired (Hall & Oates) got in, perhaps this year the Spinners will add another Philly Soul representative to the Hall.

Chic: (#100) This is the eleventh (that is not a misprint) nomination for the R&B/Disco outfit from the 70’s and this is getting a little sad.  Why not just induct Nile Rodgers through the same back door that they used to crowbar Ringo Starr in last year?

Chaka Khan (#131) Huh?  With all due respect to Chaka Khan, we are far more interested in seeing her inducted with Rufus, which is actually what the ranking reflects.  This is Chaka Khan’s first nomination.

Los Lobos (#135) I hope to God that those of you reading this only think that this group was known for covering La Bamba!  This is also there first nomination.

The J.B.’s (Unranked) Another strange nomination considering that the Rock Hall not long ago inducted multiple backing bands, including that of James Brown’s first band, The Famous Flames.  This was the band that supported Brown from the 70’s to the 90’s.

We know we are going to hear a lot about this one and expect that there will be a lot of people upset that their favourite musician(s) were not chosen. And while there is certainly a lot to criticize it is nice to see so many first time nominees. 

Now it’s your turn.

Do you agree with these choices?  Let us know here at Notinhalloffame.com!

In our countdown we discuss many artists that have crossover appeal. With The Cars, we wonder if it is possible to fit into so many genres that you almost forget what genre they originally came from.