Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2002, Part Three - The Inductees

Six artists were inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2002, and while that's enough to take care of my ASAP candidates, it only allows the top non-ASAP candidate to sneak in this year while the rest will have to wait for future years, when it will get much more difficult due to the Hall's recent unofficial policy change of only allowing five new artists every year.


The following "Class Of 2002" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - The Heartbreakers are quite possibly the greatest American rock n roll band and by far the most consistent band in all of rock history. There has never been a bad Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album and each one contains a set of brilliant songs with great lyrics, brilliant guitarwork and the ability to hop from one genre to another while rarely even coming up with a bad song let alone several.

The Ramones - The Ramones didn't invent punk. Punk has it's roots in Detroit in the late 60's and could even be traced far enough back to the Mod movement of the early 60's, particularly The Who. That being said, no band was more important in the consolidation of punk from a series of ideas into a genre in and of itself than The Ramones. The British punk bands were inspired by The Ramones and the New York scene would have never made it without them. The Ramones had the simplest sound imaginable: lean, straight forward and short. Most of their songs sounded exactly alike and they rarely topped three minutes. Despite all that they remain the coolest and purest of all rock bands.

The Talking Heads - 1977 was also a great year for alternative rock as The Talking Heads brought art rock to the mainstream, briding the gap between the underground scene and classic rock in a way that no band since the Velvet Underground had. Their music was weird and yet still radio-friendly, unique and representing a high level of quality thanks to the leadership of the genius David Byrne.

The Sex Pistols - Inspired by the success of the Ramones, The Sex Pistols were put together and instantly became the British voice of punk rebellion, clawing at the eyes of the UK establishment and spitting in the face of the music industry while still managing to create music that was brilliant and well put together.

John Mellencamp - 1977 also saw the debut of one of the great singer-songwriters of the 70's, John Mellencamp. John's gone by many commercially inspired names, but when his record label started taking him seriously they settled on his actual name. Mellencamp is forever stuck in the shadow of Bruce Springsteen, but since he was the best of the "imitators", it was hardly a bad place to be, as it allowed him to create a long string of great albums that continues to this day.

The Jam - The Jam are something of a forgotten New Wave band since Classic Rock radio chooses to ignore them, but they were among the most important and best bands of the late 70's, cranking out great song after great song before breaking up a few decades later.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2002, Part Two

The following "Class of 2002" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Amy Grant
Cameo
Levon Helm
Ram Jam
Teddy Pendergrass
The Boomtown Rats
The Mekons
The Soft Boys
Throbbing Gristle


The following "Class Of 2002" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

.38 Special
Chic
Eddie Money
Foreigner
Suicide
Wire


The following "Class Of 2002" artists are worthy of induction and will likely make it in the near future, but didn't quite make the cut this time around (*="ASAP" inductee status):

Blondie
Cheap Trick
George Thorogood
Motörhead
Peter Gabriel
Richard Hell and the Voidoids
The Buzzcocks
The Dead Boys
XTC

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2002, Part One

Unlike the past few years, 1977 was an absolutely great year for rock n roll, possibly even the best ever, as the punk scenes in New York and England revitalized popular music and gave it the temporary shock to the system that it needed to recover from years of AOR and coke-fueled decadence.


The following artists from the "Class of 2002" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

The Ramones
The Talking Heads
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Blondie
The Sex Pistols
John Mellencamp


The following artists from the "Class of 2002" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Andy Gibb
Eddie Grant
Karla Bonoff
Quiet Riot
The Village People

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2001, Part Three - The Inductees

Eight artists were inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001. Since only four artists form this class were inducted into my Hall in their first try, four previously nominated acts make my Hall this year.


The following "Class Of 2001" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

AC/DC - One of the greatest metal acts in rock history, AC/DC locked down the blues rock sound and combined it with elements of metal and even hip hop (Back In Black) to create a boozy and brilliant sound that has carried them through 30 years at the top.

Heart - Heart was sort of a female version of Led Zeppelin. Their guitar work and vocal performances were outstanding throughout their career and yet they still aren't in the actual Hall of Fame. Considering some of the artists who did make the list, this is quite baffling.

Patti Smith - One of the true queens of the punk / new wave scene, Patti Smith channeled the spirit and style of Janis Joplin and turned it into a revolutionary mix of rock n roll and poetry to create one of the most excitingly unstable styles in all of rock n roll.

The Damned - An early entry from the '77 punk scene (along with Patti), The Damned were one of the first great punk bands and a true innovator in the field.


The following artists has been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2001:


Steppenwolf - One of the last great bands of the 1960's to make my Hall Of Fame, Steppenwolf is best known for their iconic hit "Born To Be Wild" and the all-time classic "Magic Carpet Ride".

Ted Nugent - The wild man of rock n roll, Uncle Ted Nugent was never regarded as a particularly artistic performer, but in the heyday of the stadium rocker, the Nuge was among the best with crazy great guitar-driven songs like "Cat Scratch Fever", "Stranglehold" and "Motor City Madhouse".

Yes - One of the great prog-rock bands of the 70's, Yes is mysteriously not in the actual Hall Of Fame, despite making a huge impact on the classic rock era during the 70's and early 80's.

Bad Company - Bad Company wasn't a particularly iconic band, but for a meat and potatoes classic rock outfit, there weren't many bands of their era that were better with straight forward blues influenced rock.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2001, Part Two

The following "Class of 2001" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Air Supply
Alabama
Bootsy Collins
Bunny Wailer
Cabaret Voltaire
Charlie Feathers
Kenny Loggins
Max Webster
Peter Tosh
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Triumph


The following "Class Of 2001" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Boston
Graham Parker
Luther Vandross
Nick Lowe
Sammy Hagar
The Modern Lovers
The Runaways


The following "Class Of 2001" artists are worthy of induction and will likely make it in the near future, but didn't quite make the cut this time around (*="ASAP" inductee status):

NONE

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2001, Part One

1976 wasn't a great year for rock n roll. Only two artists that debuted that year are in the actual Hall Of Fame, though eight were inducted in 2001.

The following artists from the "Class of 2001" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

AC/DC
Patti Smith


The following artists from the "Class of 2001" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

NONE

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2000, Part Three - The Inductees

Six artists were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000 and since none of them came from the "Class Of 2000", the year was a clean-up year of past oversights. My Hall is no different, with only one first time inductee making it in along with five previous nominees.


The following "Class Of 2000" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

Television - One of the most artistic and challenging bands of the New York '77 scene, Television don't have any hit songs and the average rock fan has never heard of them, but they were one of the first great bands of the alternative rock scene and among the most influential bands of the early days of punk.


The following artists has been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2000:

Joe Cocker - The gravel-voiced classic rock singer who managed to improve on a couple Beatles songs and a classic from Traffic, Joe Cocker is among the most popular singers of his generation and one of the greatest singers to come out of the 1960's.

Judas Priest - One of the first truly great metal bands of the late 70's and early 80's golden age of metal. The band has a legendary track record and even managed to put a few metal songs onto the classic rock playlist, an honor that not even Motorhead could achieve.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Another great classic rock band from the 70's makes the Hall this year. BTO is hardly the most artistic band of their era, but they put forward a workman-like effort on album after album and had just enough wit to their songwriting to put them over the top.

The New York Dolls - One of the first great bands in the proto-punk movement, The New York Dolls were rough and undisciplined, wild and incomprehensible at times. In short, they were brilliant and exactly what rock n roll needed as they started to venture into the prog and corporate rock wildernesses.

Supertramp - And no sooner trashed than inducted, Supertramp was both corporate rock and prog rock at times, but their lyrics were among the best of the late 70's and they were one of the few artistic bands to make a splash during the disco era.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2000, Part Two

The following "Class of 2000" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Billy Ocean
Blackfoot
Eddie Rabbitt
Little River Band
Outlaws
Peabo Bryson
Rainbow
Split Enz
The Trammps
The Tubes


The following "Class Of 2000" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Journey
Natalie Cole
The Alan Parsons Project


The following "Class Of 2000" artists are worthy of induction and will likely make it in the near future, but didn't quite make the cut this time around (*="ASAP" inductee status):

Ted Nugent
The Dictators

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2000, Part One

1975 was perhaps the worst year for new rock bands of all-time. There is not one single artist that debuted in 1975 in the actual Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame and unless Uncle Ted gets some love, this is likely to remain the case. Only one artist from the "Class Of 2000" makes my Hall in their first year of eligibility and it wasn't as an ASAP inductee.


The following artists from the "Class of 2000" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

NONE


The following artists from the "Class of 2000" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Alex Chilton
Angel
Captain & Tennille
Crystal Gayle
Grace Jones
Juice Newton
Mannheim Steamroller
Michael Bolton
Sister Sledge
The Dynamic Superiors
Trooper

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1999, Part Three - The Inductees

Seven artists were inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1999. The big three from the "Class of 1999" are all first ballot inductees with four previously nominated artists getting in this time around.


The following "Class Of 1999" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

Aerosmith - The most promising new rock band to come around since Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith tore up rock radio in the mid-70's with their brash blues rock featuring the strained and desperate vocals of lead singer Steven Tyler. An American version of the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith's boozy sound fell apart due to drug abuse in the late 70's. They got back together in the mid-80's and it's pretty much been downhill from there. They never quite lived up to their early promise but they still remain one of the great American rock bands of all-time.

Queen - Campy though the band may be, there's no denying the creative genius behind one of the biggest and weirdest bands of the 1970's. Led by singer Freddie Mercury, Queen released a string of hits that has rarely been matched, bouncing from one musical genre to another during a brief but potent run on the top.

Lynyrd Skynyrd - One of the best Southern Rock bands of all-time, Lynyrd Skynyrd had a series of successful albums highlighted by all-time classics like "Free Bird" and "Sweet Home Alabama". The band is still together to this day, but they haven't been the same since several of their founding members were killed in a plane crash.


The following artists has been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 1999:

The Doobie Brothers - One of the most consistent bands of the classic rock era, The Doobie Brothers cranked out hit after hit during the 1970's with their smooth and unoffensive rock n roll.

Jackson Browne - A brilliant singer-songwriter who crafted some of the biggest hits of the 60's and 70's, Browne struck out on a solo career in the early 1970's and achieved a great deal of success while creating some of the best songs of the singer-songwriter branch of classic rock, a branch that is generally quite intolerable.

War - War was one of the funkiest bands of the classic rock era. They're best known for "Low Rider", but they also have one of the most impressive track records as a rock fusion band this side of Santana.

The Mamas And The Papas - They've waited a long time to get into my Hall, but the Mamas and the Papas, one of the most popular bands of the 60's, finally get their due in 1999. The Mamas were one of the biggest bands from the early days of rock n roll and they're best known for their all-time classic "California Dreamin'".

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1999, Part Two

The following "Class of 1999" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Brian Eno
Donna Summer
Gloria Gaynor
Ian Dury and the Blockheads
John Hiatt
KC & the Sunshine Band
Robert Palmer
Rufus & Chaka Khan
The Gap Band
The Residents


The following "Class Of 1999" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Kansas
KISS
The Commodores


The following "Class Of 1999" artists are worthy of induction and will likely make it in the near future, but didn't quite make the cut this time around (*="ASAP" inductee status):

Bad Company
Judas Priest

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1999, Part One

A trio of classic rock juggernauts highlights the "Class of 1999", one of the last truly stacked classes of the classic rock era.


The following artists from the "Class of 1999" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

Aerosmith
Queen
Lynyrd Skynyrd


The following artists from the "Class of 1999" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Chris Rea
Jefferson Starship
Petra
Phoebe Snow

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1998, Part Three - The Inductees

Six artists were inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame in 1998 and six artists from the "Class Of 98" made it into my Hall in their first year of eligibility.


The following "Class Of 1998" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:


Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band - One of the greatest artists to debut during the 1970's, Bruce Springsteen and his band (who were snubbed by the RNR HOF) have more than lived up to the title of "the next Dylan" cranking out one great album after another over the last 35 years.

The Eagles - The band that perfected the country rock genre and rode it to one of the most successful careers in rock history. The band remains popular to this day and remains one of the great bands of classic rock.

Rush - Arguably the best artist not in the actual Hall Of Fame (and unlike The Stooges or Kiss, there's no known explanation for their exclusion), Rush's brainy prog rock has never been critically beloved, but they have an enormous fan base and an outstanding track record, cranking out great songs for over thirty years.

Tom Waits - Another RNR HOF snub victim, Tom Waits is one of the greatest songwriters of the rock n roll era, writing brilliant songs that have frequently been covered by more popular artists but never achieving great commercial success due mainly to his gravelly voice.

Michael Jackson - After enjoying high levels of success in his family band, The Jackson Five, Michael struck out on his own and became one of the most successful pop stars of all-time. His "Thriller" album switches place with co-inductee The Eagles' "Greatest Hits Vol. 1" album as the best-selling album in American history. He also enjoyed a long string of hits and a long run at the top before his creepy demeanor destroyed his credibility as an artist.

Steely Dan - One of the more soulful classic rock bands of the mid-70's, Steely Dan enjoyed a long run near the top of the pop and rock charts with their R&B-influenced rock. Although they were among the best songwriters of their era, their success was a foreshadowing of artists who would take their style too far and ruin rock for years before punk saved it.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1998, Part Two

The following "Class of 1998" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

ABBA
Ashford and Simpson
Clannad
Lindsey Buckingham
Mike Oldfield
Rick Derringer
Robin Trower
Stealer's Wheel
The Average White Band
The Pointer Sisters
Tom Cochrane


The following "Class Of 1998" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Barry White
Bryan Ferry
John Fogerty
The Marshall Tucker Band


The following "Class Of 1998" artists are worthy of induction and will likely make it in the near future, but didn't quite make the cut this time around (*="ASAP" inductee status):

The Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Jackson Browne
The New York Dolls

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 1998, Part One

1973 was a much better year for rock n roll than 1972 was, as it featured the debut of some of the most important bands of the era.


The following artists from the "Class of 1998" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

The Eagles
Michael Jackson
Steely Dan
Jackson Browne
Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band


The following artists from the "Class of 1998" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Area
Augustus Pablo
Barry Manilow
Dan Penn
Doug Sahm
Gary Glitter
Montrose
Suzi Quatro