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!

For all intents and purposes, this is our Christmas morning.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced their Class of 2019 and there was little surprise with who got chosen as Radiohead, Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson, Roxy Music, Def Leppard, The Cure and The Zombies were chosen.

Radiohead enters on their second year of eligibility. Nominated last year as well, we suspect that when they announced last year they could not attend the ceremony due to commitments on tour in South America that the committee decided to delay the inevitable by a year.

Def Leppard is no surprise as they easily won the fan vote keeping the streak alive as every fan vote winner has been ushered in.  This was their first nomination.

Stevie Nicks makes history as the first woman to be a double inductee.  She was previously inducted with Fleetwood Mac.  

Janet Jackson enters on her third nomination.  It has been speculated that without Les Moonves wielding his influence against her (over Nipplegate) that this should be her year.  It is, and she joins her brothers into the Rock Hall.

The selection of the Cure opens up a glut of future inductions for early 80’s Alternative bands such as New Order and Depeche Mode.

Roxy Music enters on our their first nomination, though they have been eligible for nearly twenty years.

The Zombies, who have been nominated before finally enter after being eligible for more than 25 years. 

The biggest surprise in terms of who did not get in has to be Todd Rundgren, but the fact that he was nominated bodes well for a future induction. Kraftwerk, MC5, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Devo, Rage Against the Machine, LL Cool J and John Prine.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the newest class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we will begin work on a new and revised list!

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!

Surprisingly, it is not uncommon for a musician to have their biggest hit after they passed away. We wonder if the Zombies could identify on some level, as they achieved their biggest success after they disbanded.