5 bands that belong in Rock's Hall of Fame

Kiss, Genesis, Duran Duran, Rush and Neil Diamond. What do they all have in common? They're music visionaries AND they're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Examiner.com's Mike Raymond has named those acts as his "why the hell are they not in the hall" list. They'd all get my vote too, if the hall bothered to ask. Truth be told, I don't think I'd take the time to set foot in the Cleveland-based museum until they figured out how to justify how Madonna gets in before any of those five bands listed above.

Meanwhile, Raymond's readers had their own suggestions for must-inductions to the hall: Roxy Music, Depeche Mode, New Order, The Zombies, Kraftwerk and more.

You can find the full list of hall inductees here. What other '80s bands are missing? (Keep in mind, to be nominated, 25 years must have passed since a band's first recording.)

[AP photo]

Comments

[Richard Toth]

Without a doubt Jethroe Tull, Chicago, Neil Diamond, Moody Blues and Zombies

[Dominic]

The Cars
The Cars
The Cars

I mean, Blondie, Van Halen and the Police are in...why not The Cars?

[General Boy]

chinese computer rock-n-roll!

D-E-V-O

[My 2 cents]

The Fixx....

[Mary]

How come so few female artists? Heart, Carol King, Linda Rondstadt are just a few to come to mind.

[chris]

SLAAAAAAAYER!!!!

[el d]

how about .38 special and Eddie Money or Triumph

[Neil]

I pretty much agree with everyone, the only band I would add would be Midnight Oil. A very underrated band as far as I am concerned. Is INXS in the rock and roll hall of fame? Add them to the list if they are not.

[TimfromIndiana]

I would like to see Sammy Hagar in on his own AND with Montrose. Also agree Rush has to be in as well as Cheap Trick, Styx, Heart & REO Speedwagon. I suggest either removal or an * with information added next to Phil Spector.

[Dr. Dim]

Well, late again to the dance though I am, here's my two cents...

Pete Townshend - If only for the near perfect 'Empty Glass' alone, Townshend should be in as a solo act.

XTC - Probably the greatest band that almost no one (in America) ever heard of or, at least, know enough about.

[Bob]

Deep Purple, King Crimson, Cheap Trick, Todd Rundgren.

[Derek]

The Smiths
Echo and the Bunnymen
The Cars
Joy Division

[j]

Alice Cooper???

[Marino]

All these bands are good candidates, but for me there is one huge omission.

Band's resume includes 70 million albums sold worldwide. Two albums that sold more than 10 million a piece. Off the top of my head, anywhere from 12-20 top 40 singles, including 6 from one album.

Def Leppard.

[don in tulsa]

groups that meet all of the hall's criteria:

rush
kiss
journey
genesis
judas priest
iron maiden
and more

no fringe/influential groups need to get in until those above do, no matter how much i like them. by the way, whatever happened to the devo podcast?

[Mr. Paul]

C'mon, five #1 albums... in a row.

CHICAGO!

[KissFreakShandi]

I agree that all 5 of the bands listed deserve to be in the RORHOF. Especially my two favorites, Kiss & Duran Duran.

Vegasgirlfriend, I agree with you about The Damned as well. They are another one of my favorite bands. ^_^

[Spears]

I'm not sure you can decline it per se, but you can just not show up for the induction ceremony, like the Sex Pistols did.

And seriously, if the Pistols are in there, Devo has to be there too.

[Wayne]

DEVO! The Spud Boys definitely deserve a place, although they'd probably decline it.

[Spears]

Yeah, count ELO as a must-add to the Hall as well.

If you want to have some real fun, start talking about '80s bands that should NEVER make it into the hall.

[80sfan]

The hall of fame will never have any credit with me until Heart is inducted.

[hicago]

Chicago belongs on that list.

[The Man Known Only as.......Rowan]

I totally agree with you CHAD regarding Sammy. I'll Aways be a total Dave fan. Sammy's okay and Gary Cherone despite being on just one album was not that bad. Last nite when I wrote my original post it was the whiskey talking louder me.

[DerekT]

Sammy is in with Van Halen, in fact he was one of the only ones to actually show for the induction along with Michael Anthony. If Metallica's new bass player can be put in, then shouldn't Gary Cherone who sang for one of Van Halen's album? The answer is no of course, Gary was the perfect singer for Extreme, however his voice didn't fit in with Van Halen at all so he needs to wait for Extreme to get in. I do not know why the new bass player got in, but then again I only now have a passing interest with the hall and do not know who makes the rules.

[el d]

I know they weren't from the 80's but how about Electric Light Orchestra

[CHAD]

i disagree rowan, brian johnson got in with ac/dc, so why wouldn't sammy get in with van halen. van halen were very popular with sammy at the helm. sure the music changed somewhat, but that's because eddie felt free to write what he wanted with no limitations. i like the dave era as well, but when i listen to van halen it's usually one of sam's cd's i grab.

[Spears]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I'll probably never get over Madonna making it in there before so many other deserving bands.

I asked Ross Valory of Journey on his take on the Hall, and he basically agreed that it's the Rolling Stone factor. And RS hated Journey back in the '80s. Recently though, they're showing some love toward the band, and even Ross said he thinks they'll get in sooner than later.

[The Man Known Only as.......Rowan]

The Van Halen that needs to be in there is NOT the one Sammy Hagar! No Van Hagar!! It's gotta be with David Lee Roth! There is no Van Halen without Diamond Dave.
Is Simple Minds in there? If not, there's another one to add.

[DerekT]

Chad, you do know that Bon Jovi will most likely get in next year, which is why I didn't mention them. I guess I did my math wrong with Tesla, thier first album came out around 87 so thanks for the correction on the math. Sammy Hager is in, kinda, with Van Halen so at least he has that. I might go see Foreigner in July, 4 days before Tesla!!!!!
I dislike the politics in the Hall, and since Rolling Stone had a recent article on Rush, perhaps they are softening up on them at least.

[Vegasgirlfriend]

Definitely Roxy and Joy Division, I would love to see The Damned get in, and how about some love for The Most Underrated Singer/Songwriter of All Time, Harry Nilsson.

Back to the 80s, three words: Pet Shop Boys.

[Jermo]

Joy Division
Echo & The Bunneymen
The Smiths

[CHAD]

i think derek said most of the bands that i feel should be in the hall. the only bands i think i would add, is the monkees, bon jovi, sammy hagar or montrose, and foreigner. although i agree with derek's suggestion about telsa, they aren't eligable till 2011. i forgot to mention cheap trick. it is a crime that they aren't in the hall either. i don't get it, they were darlings of rolling stone back when they first came out. their first three records are reguarded as classic and essential records. someone else who hasn't been mentioned is bryan adams. i know he's dead to steve, but his output in the 80's and beyond is amazing.

[Mark in East Texas]

The Rock Hall is run by Rolling Stone magazine. So check your past issues - if a group didn't get any run in RS in the '80s, they will never be selected.

[Frank Anderson]

If Genesis goes in, Yes should as well (and vice-versa). If the Hall of Fame is going to give prog rock a nod (and they should), Genesis and Yes should both get it.

Good call on Heart. I could see them getting in. In fact, I'm a bit surprised they aren't in already, given the general dearth of female inductees.

Hall and Oates? The most successful duo in rock history probably deserves a spot (though I'm still not sure what "most successful" means, exactly -- highest number of Billboard-charting hits? Highest sales?). Devo? I'd love to see that, but with only two classic albums and minimal chart success...I dunno. Of course, they do induct the occasional high-influence, low-sales bands, so there's some hope.

Skatalites? That would be so cool.

The Smiths would be a lock if the Hall of Fame were in the UK. I'd be floored if they ever got in.

Remember, there are reasons why Moe Tucker referred to it as the "Hall of Lame" when the Velvets were inducted...but it's still better than the Grammys!

[Kevy Metal]

Madonna is in the Hall before these other great acts because she is a promotion machine. The key element to her success has been promoting herself. I think we can all agree it's not because she's a great singer or has produced exceptionaly great music.

[DerekT]

I just looked over the list, Hall and Oates are not in the Hall? There are so many deserving bands who have been snubbed it is a crime. Also I want to mention Motley Crue. They did have a big influence in the 80's too.

[Douglas Arthur]

Brad,

Thanks! I totally agree! And glad I'm not the only one to bring up Devo!

I love Roxy, but not sure I'd ever put them in the hall, though given some of the enshrinees, you have to put 'em in.

The other obvious omission to me is King Crimson. They singlehandedly launched a genre and the reinvented themselves in the 80's and again in the 90's. Technically they are still together, though haven't released anything new since 2003's Power To Believe.

[DerekT]

Journey/Steve Perry for thier great work and for introducing video screens into the concert halls.
REO for the power ballad which helped several band from country and heavy metal to cross over to the main stream.
Styx, Def Leppard, and for the non-performer catagory Robert John "Mutt" Lange for his work with so many bands in the 80's, from ACDC to Heart to Def Leppard to Foreigner and don't forget the Cars.
The Hall needs to get thier heads out of their butts and change the way bands are admitted. And is Hall and Oates in the Hall or not?
There are a few of my favorite bands I would love to see get in the hall, but I can not make a decent argument for how they changed Rock Music with the exception of Tesla. Tesla did show that an unplugged album could sell and thus started the unplugged craze of the 90's. Without the success of the 5 Man Accustic Jam and the cover of Signs, I doubt if unplugged would have even got off the ground.
I would also love Queensrÿche to get in, but besides Operation Mindcrime and Empire, I don't know if I could make a good enough argument for thier induction. However a good argument does not seem to be a requirement anymore so what the hell, let them in too. They deserve it just as much as Madonna does.

[olde40oz]

gotta have H & O in there. If Bob Marley is in, then so should the Skatalites.

[Swordy in Australia]

What about class acts like:
Chicago/Pete Cetera?
The Doobie Brothers? (even though they split for most of the 80's).
I mean Hall & Oates isnt even in there anywhere. And I know Im an Aussie, but INXS?

Hello, anybody there?

Who made this list, some deaf dum and blind dude on crack?

[olde40oz]

What about the Bad Brains and Yes?

[Rebecca]

They were an acquired taste for me, but I'd give The Smiths a nod. They have just hit the 25-year mark--debut album released February 1984.

[Miguel]

Joy Division and Roxy Music for sure.

Are you sure Duran Duran are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? I thought they were.

[Brad]

1. Devo
2. Devo
3. Devo
4. Devo
5. Devo

[Spears]

Don't forget Heart.

Also, I'd just make Joy Division/New Order a combo entry.

[Bassnote]

I would love to see Iggy & The Stooges, The Replacements, Peter Gabriel, Yes, Styx and many others in the hall. The five that were named on this blog post also deserve to be in there. Can they revoke Madonna's membership?

[Blaine]

Never liked Kiss, but love Genesis, Rush, and DD, so no arguement here with Raymond or his readers. I would add Journey to the list, though.

The thing is so political, who knows if any of these great acts will ever get in? Not that it really matters to us fans; I, for one, care much more about whether they still tour and/or do new albums.

[Frank Anderson]

Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk. For Pete's sake -- look at the influence they had on synth pop, hip hop, techno...just massive.

It's also appalling that Roxy isn't in. There are a few very influential American underground/hardcore bands that should be in, too -- Black Flag and the Minutemen would be my first picks, but you could make strong cases for several others (X, Replacements, Husker Du...).

I'd go with Joy Division before New Order, but that's just me. You could make a case for either/both. I'd also support Duran Duran, but I can just imagine the howls of the purists.