Another band that has been passed over time and time again is Kiss. Their influence on many modern bands in many genres is evident. Their sales figures dwarf many who have already been inducted. Despite the protests of fans year after year, Kiss seems destined never to enter the Hall.
Numerous other acts have been passed over that tower over many other nominees and inductees. Rush has a grand total of 24 gold and 14 platinum records and have sold 40 million units worldwide. Yet, the Hall has no time for them nor many others. The list is endless of acts that could and, depending on which fan you talk to, should have been inducted by now.
Maybe that’s the issue. After so many years of the public seeing a slew of deserving acts passed over for whatever Jann Wenner thinks is relevant at the moment or whatever may be stuck in his iPod, the public may simply no longer care about the Hall.
The inclusion of any given act is not measured by personal tastes, but by the accomplishments they have achieved during their careers. The Hall of Fame, however, seems to operate in reverse of those very criteria.
Because of that backwards thinking, it feels as though the least relevant aspect of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is, in fact, the Hall of Fame. With so many deserving acts passed over year after year, the public seems disinterested in the Hall of Fame in any way, shape, or form. All of those years of deciding for themselves who is relevant and who is not may have rendered the Hall itself impotent, as people have lost any feeling for who’s in the Hall anymore.
Article comments
1 - Tom Lane
Well, you are rehashing old ideas. There is a lot of chatter about this year's nominees. Use Google to look for it.
You also forgot to mention that Kiss were nominated in 2009. Maybe they didn't get many votes? Critics never much liked them, and fellow Hall of Fame artists (who get to vote) probably didn't vote for them either.
When writing an article like this, and saying that many relevant acts are passed over, it would be nice to say which ones (and think harder than Rush and Kiss, who are everyone's picks for passed over names).
Dig deeper.
2 - Tref
Amen! The Monkees made (and played on) some of the best music of the 1960s and their film, Head, continues to find a new audience with each new generation. Even a vote for music video and country/rock pioneer Nesmith, is overdue.
3 - Glen Boyd
Paul Revere And The Raiders.
4 - El Bicho
I'd put the Monkees in. They are a good representative of rock 'n' roll from the '60s.
5 - JettBlue
i liked reading your article....i think maybe people aren't contesting the nominees because this group is a really good group of nominees..I'm especially pleased to see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts being nominated...Joan Jett definately belongs in the Hall.
6 - zingzing
i like the monkees. i like eric b and rakim better. joan jett was my favorite when i was 3. the cure was my favorite when i was 12.
the rnr hof is kind of stupid. and jann wenner is a douche... and his idea of "integrity" is laughable. (although i do like some of the politics articles in rolling stone.)
the hall is also rather slanted towards america, which is understandable, but still not quite right. you'll see a lot of (still worthy, but) short-lived artists that got in there on the strength of a few singles and american popular sentiment.
and the place is obviously run by a bunch of old fogies.
7 - Doug Clifford
The Replacements, Kiss, Rush, The Smiths, it goes on and on. When Nirvana and Pearl Jam and their ilk go in they'll have to go back and put in all the bands that made that possible.
8 - El Bicho
"When Nirvana and Pearl Jam and their ilk go in they'll have to go back and put in all the bands that made that possible."
Considering Motorhead,Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden haven't been added since Metallica's induction, not sure what you base that statement on, Doug.
9 - zingzing
correct me if i'm wrong, el b, but aren't those all british bands? my theory is perfect.
10 - garjen
Here are the top 25 vote-getters (year 2011) on the "Deserving of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" list.
The 2012 nominees for the R&R HoF are (# indicates where they were on my list at the time of their nomination): Red Hot Chili Peppers (#19), Guns n' Roses (#25), Joan Jett (#60), The Beastie Boys (#168), Heart (#12), Freddie King (#181), Laura Nyro (#191), Rufus with Chaka Khan (#421), Donna Summer (#212), The Faces/Small Faces (#232), The Spinners (#82), Donovan (#30), The Cure (#43), Eric B. & Rakim (#949), War (#64)
1) Rush
2) Chicago
3) Yes
4) Deep Purple
5) Doobie Brothers
6) Moody Blues
7) Dire Straits
8) The Cars
9) Electric Light Orchestra
10) Jethro Tull
11) Pete Townshend (solo)
12) Heart
13) Journey
14) Steve Miller
15) Carole King
16) Styx
17) Kiss
18) Peter Gabriel (solo)
19) Red Hot Chili Peppers
20) Squeeze
21) Stevie Ray Vaughan
22) Jim Croce
23) The Guess Who
24) Foreigner
25) Guns N' Roses
11 - Mitch T,
Jan and Dean should have been in before Jan's death...The Hall of Fame is a Hall of Shame and a stupid joke now as too many of the more popular current acts are put in over acts that were more deserving but have faded (Isn't that what it was made for to keep those acts from being forgotten?)