[QUOTE=NYTimes]
Pearl Jam, **Journey **and **Tupac Shakur **will join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2017, along with Joan Baez, **Electric Light Orchestra **and Yes.
[/QUOTE]
ETA: bolding the names.
At this point, I just receive the information. If I try to think about it I tie myself up on knots. Interesting to see Yes finally get in.
Now that Yes, Rush, and Deep Purple are all in, which 70’s prog band should we complain about being snubbed?
So, The Archies have been unjustly snubbed yet again?
Emerson, Lake & Palmer and King Crimson.
Well, the grand daddies of the movement still aren’t in: The Moody Blues, Procol Harum and King Crimson.
Procol Harum? Maybe.
King Crimson? Love them, but don’t know if RRHOF is appropriate.
Moody Blues? Hell, yes! Not only did they put out an initial string of superior albums, but they managed to take a nap and then come back in the 80s for another go-round at the charts. And they basically used exactly the same band members the whole time (if we overlook Pinder…and I give him a pass because he was so damn good the first time).
Joan Baez, Tupac, Electric Light Orchestra and Yes definitely deserve it though I don’t really like Baez, Tupac or Yes. E.L.O. brings back some pleasant childhood memories and I like em.
Pearl Jam I am sorta meh on. Bad Brains, Chic, The Cars, Janet Jackson, MC5 and a bunch of others ought to have gotten in first.
But this is the Rock and Roll Hall of fame which means that if Jann Wenner doesn’t like you, you don’t get in. So this ‘honor’ is more like Wenners personal playlist.
Slee
Can anyone in the world defend Journey being inducted? At a certain point you are really diluting the meaning of the thing.
No…I got nothing.
Another year when Todd Rundgren isn’t even nominated.
You can argue whether he was influential enough as a performer, but he damn well should be in as a producer.
Bat Out of Hell sold more than 30 million copies, and Todd not only produced it, paid for the recording out of pocket, played guitar, did most of the vocals - he (if Meat Loaf’s autobiography is to be believed) arranged all the instruments based on Jim Steinman *humming *what he wanted the song to be like because he can’t write music!
Here’s a video with Jim talking about Todd recording the “motorcycle guitar” for the title track in one take.
Well, that *sure *doesn’t explain Yes getting in.
It seems like that particular roadblock may have lessened somewhat in the past couple of years, as bands like Rush, Yes, and ELO made it in.
No. I’m in shock. Geoff Downes is enjoying it via Twitter, however:
https://twitter.com/asiageoff?lang=en
On artistic merit, no. But they did sell a lot of records. I wonder who the biggest seller not already in the HOF is? My guess is that it would depend on your definition of “rock and roll”.
I have to admit, when I think rock&roll, Joan Baez rarely comes to mind. I imagine she’s done a few up-tempo songs, but I think of her mostly as a folk artist. If they go electric, that counts as rock&roll?
Here’s Wikipedia’s list of best-selling music artists. The highest ranking eligible artist who’s unquestionably rock & roll appears to be Bon Jovi.
Rhianna is #6 on the list. Not eligible until 2030, and you may be thinking “Sheeya, right!” but if Madonna can make it in…
There’s also Eminem (eligible in 2024, he’ll be inducted on the first ballot), Phil Collins (already inducted with Genesis) and Garth Brooks, who will probably never be inducted since the RRHoF seems to shun country rock completely.
If someone like Judas Priest can rock out to one of your songs, I’d say you’re in. 
Similarly, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston are all among the leaders in all-time sales, are all eligible (though Carey only recently became eligible), but I’d be surprised if any of them ever make it in.
There’s definitely a pattern of “female pop diva” in there.
It was diluted a long time ago, but I still can’t see justification for Journey in there. Or Bon Jovi, even though they sold a crap-ton of records.
Joan Baez is not rock and roll, no matter how you want to stretch the definition.
I think you could argue that Yes was instrumental in the prog rock genre, so they might deserve it. But it’s hard to not see the Moody Blues there, who were arguably more innovative, diverse in style and influential. Pearl Jam and Tupac? I could argue either way. ELO? I’d say yes, they deserve it, but I’m not emphatic about it.
Now that Rush got in, I’m thinking the Monkees might be the one act I think has been overlooked most egregiously. And, no, I’m not kidding. I suppose you could argue who in The Monkees should get the award. In addition to Mickey, Davy, Mike and Peter, it should include Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, at the least, and probably Don Kirschner, too.
Pat Boone, maybe? He was the second biggest music star of the Fifties.
Let’s not forget his heavy metal album.
Or maybe we should.