It was pure dumb luck, I had just finished something at work and opened the SDMB automatically.
Only because Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash didn’t make the cut. I was traveling last week and didn’t have time to properly discuss the impact Run DMC had on rock, and on white awareness, if not acceptance, of genres other than traditional rock. It’s a travesty they are left out.
And even still, I don’t see this as a particularly weak field. We can have endless debates about if ABBA is rock, but they are plenty rock enough for me. If you’re big enough to inspire musicals and multiple movies, you should be in.
I’m voting for Genesis mostly because I think Peter Gabriel is a god. Genesis in his era was bizarre, innovative, and influential. The Phil Collins era was great music that doesn’t rise to HoF level, but they deserve to be in for their early stuff.
The Stooges gets my third vote as pioneers in punk and leading into alt-rock. Nirvana and grunge would be different if the Stooges hadn’t started it all.
I’d really like to vote for Jimmy Cliff too. He absolutely deserves to be in.