The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2012 over the weekend amid a slew of no shows and controversy, once again, over acts that have not been invited to join the Cleveland edifice.
Here are the 10 acts that should be the next to get in. The Hall only inducts five performers at a time so we know they aren”t all going in in 2013, but all are eligible. Some of them have been on the ballot before and been denied, others, like Kiss, like to shout it, shout it out loud, that they have been wronged over and over.
The acts are listed in alphabetical order, not by any ranking of preference.
Who should be in next in your opinion?
*Chic: They will always be debate on this one between the folks who just can”t get their head around that Chic was much more than a disco act. They melded all different types of music in innovative and creative ways. “Clams on the half shell and roller skates” for all.
*Hall & Oates: The most successful pop/rock duo of all time, whose songs have aged even better than Daryl and John. Well, except for “Man Eater.”
*Heart: If they had testicles, they would have been in the first year they were eligible. Having said that, Ann and Nancy Wilson have more balls than 99% of the rockers out there. Ann”s voice hasn”t diminished a bit–it can still peel the paint from the walls.
*Judas Priest: It seems impossible that they aren”t in yet. Like prog rock, heavy metal has also been slighted. Otherwise (and we know they”re all different shades of metal) Deep Purple and Iron Maiden would already be in as well.
*KISS: No one thinks they should be in as much as Gene Simmons, but there”s no denying when you look at their influence, contributions to rock, and longevity that KISS deserves to be in. No question.
*The Monkees: Scream all you want, they deserve it There are plenty of acts in the Rock Hall, including many of the acts produced by Phil Spector, who didn”t produce or write their own material but who were pivotal figures who deserve inclusion. The outpouring of grief over Davy Jones” death from “legitimate” music critics only proved the point.
*The Runaways: Joan Jett should be in period, whether it”s as a member of this seminal, pioneering female rock group or as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (as she was presented on the ballot this go round) or just as Joan Jett. Just get her in.
*Todd Rundgren: As true a rock innovator as anyone who has ever come along. If we can”t get him in as an artist, what about as a groundbreaking producer?
*Rush: This Canadian power trio is, to many fans, the Rock Hall”s most obscenely glaring omission, although the Hall has shown a shocking lack of respect for any act that even remotely borders on prog rock, so Geddy, Neil, and Alex certainly have company.
*Stevie Ray Vaughan: Have the voting members heard him play? Think of every word you would use to describe rock and roll and you”d use it to describe Vaughan”s fire, virtuosity and passion.
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