One day…

One day we will attend the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony as it was a bar discussion about inductees (more so who wasn’t in) that was the genesis for Notinhalloffame.com in the first place.  But that day wasn’t yesterday and from multiple sources here is what we know transpired at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  

The show kicked off with Stevie Nicks performing “Stand Back”, which got the crowd on their feet only for their jaws to drop at that level when Don Henley came out on stage where the duo sang “Leather and Lace”.  One duet followed another as her inductor, Harry Styles joined her to take the late Tom Petty’s role in “Stop Dragging My Heart Around”.  Nicks closed off her set with, what else?  “Edge of Seventeen”.  After her set, Styles would then officially induct Nicks who is now officially the only female to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. 

While the electricity was in the air for the first inductee it was impossible for that emotion to carry over for the night’s second inductee, Radiohead.  David Byrne inducted them and only Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway were on hand to accept.  There was no performance by the two.

Next up were Simon LeBon and John Taylor of Duran Duran who were on hand to induct Roxy Music. Taylor extolled the coolness of Roxy Music and described them as a genre on to itself.  Bryan Ferry would do all the talking for the group as they accepted the induction.  They would then go into a six song set of “In Every Dream Home a Heartache”, “Out of the Blue”, “Love is the Drug”, “More Than This”, “Avalon” and “Editions of You”.

Stevie Van Zandt came out to honor this year’s Rock and Roll singles, which were chosen based on their influence on Rock and Roll.  This was created last year and it is just as confusing this year as seemingly nobody knew ahead of time what the songs would be nor was there anyone on hand who performed the songs to accept this honor.  

The songs were “Maybe” by The Chantels, “Tequila” by The Champs, “Money (That’s What I Want)” by Barrett Strong, “Twist & Shout” by the Isley Brothers, “Leader of the Pack” by the Shangri-Las and “Gloria” by Shadows of the Night”.

Maybe they will explain this in better detail next year.

Trent Reznor came up next to induct The Cure.  Only lead singer Robert Smith spoke on the band’s behalf.  They then went on to perform five songs, “Shake Dog Shake”, “A Forest”, “Lovesong”, “Just Like Heaven” and “Boys Don’t Cry”.  

Up next was Janelle Monae who inducted Janet Jackson.  Jackson’s speech focused on her family and referenced often her brothers who were inducted some time ago.  Janet did not perform and it was speculated that since HBO has the rights to show the ceremony later and the just aired “Leaving Neverland”, an expose on her brother Michael was the reason she did not sing.  

Susanna Hoffs then inducted The Zombies who played the exact four songs you expected (wanted) them to with “Time of the Season”, “This Will Be Our Year”, “Tell Her No” and “She’s Not There”.

Following an In Memoriam section, Brian May of Queen came out to induct the evening’s final inductee, Def Leppard.  Only Joe Elliott spoke during the acceptance speech.  They launched into their set of “Hysteria”, “Rock of Ages”, “Photograph” and they finished with the perfect rock and roll fun choice of “Pour Some Sugar On Me”.

The inductors and inductees finished the night on stage with a jam session punctuated by singing “All The Young Dudes”.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to again congratulate the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class!

Last year we speculated that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame did not induct Radiohead on their first year of eligibility due to the band stating that they would not attend due the ceremony (if chosen) due to having a prior commitment (a concert in South America).  The band had been quiet leading up to the announcement of the Class of 2019 in regards to whether they would attend if inducted this year, but we now know that at least one member will not be attending.

In an interview with Variety, Radiohead frontman said that he personally would not be at the ceremony due to a scheduling conflict:

“I know I can’t, because of these piano pieces that I’ve written”

 That may seem like a lame excuse but Yorke wrote a piano piece of Katia and Marielle Lebeque of the Paris Philharmonic.  The premier is the same day of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony.  Yorke continued on in regards to his opinion of the Rock and Roll Hall itself.

“We’ve always been very blasé about that stuff. We just think that we just don’t quite understand it. We’ve had it explained to us, so it’s cool.  But we don’t really understand it as English people. I think our problem is essentially that every awards ceremony in the U.K. stinks. We grew up with the Brits, which is like this sort of drunken car crash that you don’t want to get involved with. So, yeah, we don’t really know what to make of it.”

This does not mean that other members of Radiohead won’t be in attendance although previous comments from the band indicate that they likely won’t attend.

Notably, Yorke did say that he would attend the Oscars if nominated.  His song, “Suspirium” from the film “Suspiria” has been shortlisted for the Best Original Song category.

Ah, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame controversy…please never change!

A look back at this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Selections.

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.

The 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony might be missing its headliner.

Radiohead, the artist who we have named number one on our annual list of those to consider for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and who were also nominated for the Rock Hall on its first year of eligibility announced that should they be inducted they will not attend the ceremony.

This is not due to animosity towards the Hall as we have seen with other musicians in the past (The Sex Pistols for example) but more due to apathy. In previous interviews, members of the band have said that the potential accolade doesn’t mean much to them, though have done so in ways that do not diminish the institution itself.

Essentially, it just isn’t important to them.

Now, it isn’t like the band has no plans on April 14, the day of the induction ceremony as they recently announced a South American tour for the Spring and on the 14th they will be performing in Buenos Aires. A representative of the band confirmed with Pitchfork that they will not be attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Let the drama continue…

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.

Radiohead is now eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame though based on a recent interview with Rolling Stone Magazine they didn’t seem to care.

In a lengthy interview with the music publication, the band had the following reactions to the possibility of being inducted next year.

Phil Selway: "It's a bit like having the free bus pass in the UK when you reach a certain age. Blimey. Have we got to that point? God knows [if we'll go]. We'd have to sit down and talk about it, but it's probably not at the top of my list of things to do. But who knows? I don't know."

Jonny Greenwood: "I don't care. Maybe it's a cultural thing that I really don't understand. I mean, from the outside it looks like ... it's quite a self-regarding profession anyway. And anything that heightens that just makes me feel even more uncomfortable."

Ed O'Brien: "I don't want to be rude about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because for a lot of people it means something, but culturally I don't understand it. I think it might be a quintessential American thing. Brits are not very good at slapping ourselves on the back. It seems very show-biz and I'm not very show-biz. We haven't even been asked. I don't want to be rude. But if you ask me what I'd rather be doing that night, I'd rather be sitting at home in front of the fire or going to a gig. I realized years ago that I didn't like award ceremonies. You walk in there and you feel self-conscious. It's just really uncomfortable. Wherever there is media there seem to be a real level of bullshit. It just feels non-authentic to us."

Thom Yorke: "It wouldn't be the first place ... don't ask me things like that. I always put my foot in my mouth."

Colin Greenwood: "I'd be grateful if we got in. Look at the other people that have been inducted. I don't know if everyone else will go though. It might be me just doing bass versions of everything like, 'Come on, you know this one!' I'd have to play the bass part to 'Creep' five times."

Considering that Jann Wenner, the owner of Rolling Stone is the founder of the Rock Hall it had to be expected that this would be asked of Radiohead in an interview.  It is also expected that the critical darlings of music will get in on their first try.

For what it is worth, we have them ranked at #2 on our latest list of those to consider for the Rock and Roll Hall.

Radiohead’s lead singer, Thom Yorke once said that they “constantly absorbed music”, and the overall (and continuing) discography of the band reflects that statement.  This isn’t a band that copies, but has always evolved adopting a myriad of genres so well that Radiohead is almost a genre in itself.