Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2008, Part Three - The Inductees

Four different genres that were popular in the early 80's are represented with inductees this year, covering a vast range of musical styles.


The following "Class Of 2008" artists were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

Metallica - The greatest metal band of their generation, Metallica made the genre what it is today and set the bar impossibly high. So high, in fact that no other metal band has been able to get over it since.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - The greatest blues man of the last 40 years, Stevie Ray Vaughan combined great riffs with a unique voice and outstanding lyrics to create a credible blues sound with widespread mainstream appeal.

The Smiths - One of the finest New Wave bands of all-time, The Smiths are probably guilty of creating the emo genre that haunts humanity to this day, but they more than make up for that crime with their acid wit and fantastic hooks.

Social Distortion - Social D is sort of a radio-friendly version of Bad Religion with a much bigger following. They were probably the first band to enjoy success in the cowboy punk sub-genre with their country-flavored music. They're best known for their intense cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire".


The following artists have been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2008:

New Order - New Order emerged from the ashes of Joy Division after Ian Curtis' suicide and became one of the biggest acts of the 80's. They switched from the gloomy music of the previous band to the more up-tempo dance rock that made them immediate superstars, though they never really crossed over to pop radio success.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2008, Part Two

The following "Class of 2008" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Anthrax
Corey Hart
Corrosion of Conformity
D.R.I.
Europe
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Howard Jones
John Cafferty
Johnny Gill
Jules Shear
k.d. lang
Katrina and the Waves
Naked Raygun
New Edition
NOFX
Paul Rodgers
Ratt
Skinny Puppy
Steinski
Surface
The Art of Noise
The Escape Club
The Golden Palominos
The Style Council
Wendy O. Williams
Zebra


The following "Class Of 2008" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Billy Bragg
Bon Jovi
Butthole Surfers
Cyndi Lauper
Dead Milkmen
Dio
James
Queensrÿche
Suicidal Tendencies
The Hooters


The following "Class Of 2008" 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):

Madonna
Pantera
Pulp
Slayer

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2008, Part One

1983 was a great year for alternative rock and had a few of the best artists in the history of blues rock and metal as well.

The following artists from the "Class of 2008" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

Madonna
Metallica


The following artists from the "Class of 2008" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

NONE

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2007, Part Three - The Inductees

Another year in the early 80's, another great year for alternative rock, which was still in it's infancy at the time and 1982 was the year it got it's first superstar, R.E.M. and one of it's best, Sonic Youth.

The following "Class Of 2007" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

R.E.M. - The reigning indie rock kings of the 80's essentially kick-started the college rock scene that would develop more fully into alternative rock and indie rock with their brilliant independently-produced albums before bringing alternative to the mainstream in the late 80's and early 90's, kicking the door open for the grunge revolution to come.

Sonic Youth - Although not as popular as R.E.M., Sonic Youth was as important to the alt rock scene and as influential to the future greats of the genre. One of the truly great bands of the 1980's.

The Violent Femmes - Another sensational college rock band from the early 80's, The Violent Femmes never enjoyed mainstream success, but they did put together a long string of great indie rock songs, the greatest of which was "Blister In The Sun", which has been featured prominently in popular culture in recent years.

The Beastie Boys - The first and some would say only respectable white rappers in the history of rock n roll, The Beastie Boys combined rap with hard rock on their breakthrough album "License To Ill" and then made great strides in advancing rap as an art form through their revolutionary use of samples in the work from the early 90's.


The following artists have been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2007:

Depeche Mode - One of the great New Wave bands of the 80's, Depeche Mode is one of the most popular and acclaimed bands of the last quarter-century and they have a long string of hits to prove it.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2007, Part Two

The following "Class of 2007" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Adrian Belew
Asia
Big Black
Big Country
Cocteau Twins
Culture Club
Donald Fagen
Everything But the Girl
Gene Loves Jezebel
George Clinton
Glenn Frey
Great White
Ice-T
Jeffrey Osbourne
Jennifer Holliday
Jimmy Page
John Waite
King Sunny Adé
Lee Aaron
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul
Marillion
Marshall Crenshaw
Mercyful Fate
Michael McDonald
Nena
Paul Young
Rain Parade
Scandal
Shonen Knife
SSD
Swans
Talk Talk
The Chameleons
The Lords of the New Church
The Waterboys
Whodini
Yaz (Yazoo)


The following "Class Of 2007" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Berlin
Men at Work
Robert Plant
Steve Earle
The Dream Syndicate
The Fixx


The following "Class Of 2007" 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):

Janet Jackson
Sting
Don Henley
10,000 Maniacs
Bad Brains

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2007, Part One

1982 hasn't been a great year for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame so far, but there are a few promising candidates for the future.

The following artists from the "Class of 2007" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

R.E.M.


The following artists from the "Class of 2007" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Bobby McFerrin
Dokken
Falco
Kajagoogoo
Kenny G
Manowar
Night Ranger
Prefab Sprout
W.A.S.P.
Wham!

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2006, Part Three - The Inductees

The "Class Of 2006" features many great alt rock bands that will make my Hall Of Fame at some point, but only two artists earned first ballot induction, opening the doors for three artists who had previously been snubbed.


The following "Class Of 2006" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

The Replacements - One of the great college rock sensations of the 80's, The Replacements are probably the best band that you've never heard of and the inspiration of countless alt-country bands that have followed in their booze-drenched footsteps.

Husker Du - Another great Minneapolis band (The Replacements) earns their spot in my Hall Of Fame this year as Husker Du rides a long track record of unpopular but brilliant music into a first ballot induction.


The following artists have been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2006:

Motorhead - The founding fathers of the speed metal movement, Lemmy and the rest of Motorhead usually cruise by on their reputation (their repetitive song structures make them the Ramones of heavy metal), but they set new marks for speed and cool and easily deserve their belated induction into my Hall. Hopefully someday the judges in the actual Hall will sack up and put them and other overlooked metal artists into their Hall... and kick James Taylor the fuck out.

X - An overlooked but outstanding punk / new wave band with a lot of great songs and an out of this world great style and sound that lives on to this day.

Blondie - A pop punk / new wave band that got their start in the punk petri dish of New York in 1977, Blondie achieved the highest level of pop success of all the bands with their crossover disco and pop songs in the early 80's. While they certainly weren't the best band from the '77 scene, their music is breezy and fun without sacrificing the lyrical wit and attitude that they picked up at CBGB's way back when.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2006, Part Two

The following "Class of 2006" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

54-40
Aztec Camera
Bananarama
Bow Wow Wow
Daniel Johnston
Divinyls
James Ingram
Laura Branigan
Lita Ford
Loudness
Peter Cetera
Quarterflash
Soft Cell
The Bangles
Thompson Twins
Tom Tom Club


The following "Class Of 2006" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

A Flock of Seagulls
ABC
Lionel Richie
Mötley Crüe
Stevie Nicks
Stray Cats
The The
Thomas Dolby


The following "Class Of 2006" 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 Religion
Billy Idol
David Byrne
Depeche Mode
Duran Duran
Eurythmics
Meat Puppets
Ministry
Minor Threat
Mission of Burma
New Order
Phil Collins
Robyn Hitchcock
Tears for Fears

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2006, Part One

1981 hasn't been a productive year for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, though it certainly should be as the "Class Of 2006" features many of the 80's best alternative rock bands, including Depeche Mode, The Replacements, Husker Du, Bad Religion, Duran Duran, Tears For Fears and New Order, none of which have been inducted into the actual Hall, which is a crying shame.


The following artists from the "Class of 2006" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

NONE


The following artists from the "Class of 2006" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Hanoi Rocks
Kix
Sheena Easton
Wang Chung

New Inductees Into My Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame

March 2009:

The Screaming Trees
Siouxsie And The Banshees
Aimee Mann
Billy Joel
Run DMC


April 2009:

The Smiths
And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
Eminem
311
Steppenwolf


May 2009:

Muse
The Jesus And Mary Chain
The Shins
Sparta
Kid Rock

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2005, Part Three - The Inductees

Only five artists were inducted in 2005, but since the classes are getting weaker and weaker it means that there are a few spots available this year for previously overlooked artists.

The following "Class Of 2005" were inducted in their first year of eligibility:

U2 - Widely regarded as one of the biggest rock bands in the world, U2 got their start as a New Wave / Punk band in the late 70's. They laid low for a few albums before releasing The Joshua Tree, the album that launched them into the stratosphere. They've been mostly consistent over the last two decades, cranking out one great album after another with the exception of some blips during the 90's.

The Pretenders - One of the best and most influential New Wave bands, The Pretenders haven't released very many albums but what they have released have been spectacular, launching the band to a level so high that they've even made the actual Hall Of Fame.

Ozzy Osborne - After he was kicked out of Black Sabbath, the future looked pretty bleak for Ozzy and most insiders said he was done for. Little did they know that it was Black Sabbath that would pretty much disappear during the 80's while Ozzy became the biggest star in heavy metal with a string of hits that started with "Crazy Train" and continues to this day.


The following artists has been inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2005:

XTC - They were never a particularly popular band, but XTC was one of the best New Wave bands and certainly one of the most creative bands of their era.

Iron Maiden - Not quite the best metal band of all-time, but Iron Maiden was definitely one of the top contenders. They don't get much radio play, but their track record is undeniable.

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2005, Part Two

The following "Class of 2005" artists are worthy of consideration, but are unlikely to make it in any time soon:

Angry Samoans
Dead or Alive
Donnie Iris
Modern English
Oingo Boingo
Orange Juice
Robert Cray
Roky Erickson
The Blasters
The Circle Jerks
The Durutti Column
The Go-Betweens
The Romantics
The Smithereens
Treacherous Three
Wall of Voodoo
Willie Nile


The following "Class Of 2005" artists are worthy of induction, but may have to wait awhile for their turn:

Afrika Bambaataa
Billy Squier
Christopher Cross
English Beat
Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five
Huey Lewis and The News
Julian Cope And The Teardrop Explodes
Kurtis Blow
Minutemen
The Go-Go's
The Sisters of Mercy
UB40


The following "Class Of 2005" 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):

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
INXS

Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame "As It Should Be" - 2005, Part One

Rock N Roll slowed down significantly in the 1980's. Only three artists that debuted in 1980 are in the Hall Of Fame, but two of them are among rock's best.


The following artists from the "Class of 2005" have been inducted into the actual RNR Hall Of Fame:

The Pretenders
U2
Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five


The following artists from the "Class of 2005" have been removed from consideration from my hall:

Loverboy
Men Without Hats