# Who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276 "2013-05-24T23:33:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/41 "2013-05-26T16:44:54Z")
The Cars. Appropriate Cracked article here: 5 people cheated out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. > **[5 People Cheated Out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame](https://www.cracked.com/blog/5-people-cheated-out-rock-roll-hall-fame)** > > There are many ways to make the Hall, but being an impeccable songwriter and/or releasing distinct concept albums, each employing its own sound and style, is not the best path. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/42 "2013-05-26T18:11:04Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Anyway, time to make fun of your opinion, Blank Slate. > > Here’s [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com) on the Pistols: > > [Sex Pistols Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More... | AllMusic](http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sex-pistols-mn0000418740) > > Going to the Related tab, which lists bands considered to be similar to, influential on, or influenced by the artist in question, I see there’s 115 followers. Well, that’s nice (The Beatles have 163) but how’s the quality? Let’s see, we’ve got Souxie and the Banshees, Gang of Four, Nirvana, The Pogues, X, Misfits, Hüsker Dü, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, The Cure, U2, and INXS, to only list acts that hopefully you’ve heard of. Not bad, for a piss stain. Yeah - you may not like the Sex Pistols, **Blank Slate** , but to say they weren’t massively influential and game-changing is just ignorance of history. Just Google a list of bands that formed after seeing the Pistols perform. ETA: Speaking of which, The Cure should be in, too. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/43 "2013-05-26T18:23:30Z")
Perhaps I am way off here, but I think **The Residents** certainly qualify to be inducted. They’ve been around since the early 70s, and have put out dozens of albums. Their early albums were groundbreaking, IMO. To say they’re “original” would be an understatement. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/44 "2013-05-26T23:36:10Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > I’m not sure what Duckster’s point was; the Pistols are still in the HOF, despite being together only two years. They declined to appear. I’m not even sure if it’s possible to decline to be inducted. If it is, they didn’t. > > Anyway, time to make fun of your opinion, Blank Slate. > > Here’s [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com) on the Pistols: > > [Sex Pistols Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More... | AllMusic](http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sex-pistols-mn0000418740) > > Going to the Related tab, which lists bands considered to be similar to, influential on, or influenced by the artist in question, I see there’s 115 followers. Well, that’s nice (The Beatles have 163) but how’s the quality? Let’s see, we’ve got Souxie and the Banshees, Gang of Four, Nirvana, The Pogues, X, Misfits, Hüsker Dü, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, The Cure, U2, and INXS, to only list acts that hopefully you’ve heard of. Not bad, for a piss stain. > > Yes, but how does that stack up against Hall and Oates, that Philly Soul duo with great tracks like _Maneater_? Surely they’ve had a huge impact on adult contemporary or some other groovy suburbanite genre, right? It’s not like catchy pop tunes are disposable. Plus, you think they should be in the HOF, so they must be pretty good. > > Huh, 15 followers. Well, the quality must be awesome. OK, we’ve got Rick Astley (who should really count double because people still occasionally listen to his music, albeit unwittingly), Wham!, Bruce Hornsby (the coolest person on the list thus far, and you can really hear the echoes of “Private Eyes” in his work with the Grateful Dead), and… Michael Bolton. Oh. Damn, that’s got to suck. Messrs Hall and Oates must live with that knowledge every day of their lives. I feel terribly for them. Nonsense. Punk already existed and would have spawned all of those bands with or without the Sex Pistols. It was a thriving scene before anyone ever heard of them. Their fame is solely the product of publicity stunts manufactured controversy. In comparison with contemporary punk bands, their music was weak and uninteresting. Of course that’s not the point really, as they were more circus act than rock band Sure they attained “fame” but their influence is completely overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/45 "2013-05-27T01:01:27Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Nonsense. Punk already existed and would have spawned all of those bands with or without the Sex Pistols. It was a thriving scene before anyone ever heard of them. Your position is impossible to prove and you have no evidence for your claims. On the other side of the argument, acts ranging from Oasis to Tupac Shakur have acknowledged the Pistols as an influence. Are they lying? > [@](#): > > Their fame is solely the product of publicity stunts manufactured controversy. In comparison with contemporary punk bands, their music was weak and uninteresting. Of course that’s not the point really, as they were more circus act than rock band And yet, this “weak and uninteresting” music apparently inspired nearly 8 times the followers as your nominee, per [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com). > [@](#): > > Sure they attained “fame” but their influence is completely overrated. Ngrams are fun. Here’s one [Google Ngram Viewer: Hall and Oates,Sex Pistols](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Hall+and+Oates%2CSex+Pistols&year_start=1950&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=) Interestingly, the Sex Pistols chart higher from 1986 to 2000 on the Google books Ngrams Viewer than The Rolling Stones. On the other hand, The Monkees chart higher than Hall and Oates. We must have different opinions on the definition of influential. Also “nonsense”, “uninteresting”, and probably “Tuesday”. > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Hall%2Band%2BOates%2CSex%2BPistols%2CThe%2BRolling%2BStones%2CThe%2BMonkees&year_start=1950&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=)** > > Google Ngrams: Hall and Oates, Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones, The Monkees, 1950-2000 ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/46 "2013-05-27T01:35:09Z")
I’ll add the Guess Who and the Pogues. A sample of Guess Who songs: “These Eyes” “Laughing” “Undun” “No Time” “American Woman” “No Sugar Tonight” “Hand Me Down World” “Share the Land” “Bus Rider” “Albert Flasher” “Broken” “Star Baby” “Clap for the Wolfman” In my book, the first and best great rock band out of Canada, with one of the all-time great voices in rock, Burton Cummings. Love that band. Recently saw Burton perform at the Keswick, a venue near Philly and it was an awesome show, one great song after another. I highly recommend you see Burton and not that fraud band touring as the Guess Who if given the choice. The Pogues output is not huge but it’s influential, and Shane MacGowan is (was) a genius. Saw them at the Electric Factory in Philly a few years ago. Shane was shit-faced, it was a tremendous show. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/47 "2013-05-27T01:56:43Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > The Pogues output is not huge but it’s influential, and Shane MacGowan is (was) a genius. Saw them at the Electric Factory in Philly a few years ago. Shane was shit-faced, it was a tremendous show. The Pogues should be inducted on the basis of their recording of the greatest Christmas song ever, “Fairytale of New York.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/48 "2013-05-27T06:23:30Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Your position is impossible to prove and you have no evidence for your claims. On the other side of the argument, acts ranging from Oasis to Tupac Shakur have acknowledged the Pistols as an influence. Are they lying? > > And yet, this “weak and uninteresting” music apparently inspired nearly 8 times the followers as your nominee, per [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com). > > Ngrams are fun. Here’s one [Google Ngram Viewer: Hall and Oates,Sex Pistols](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Hall+and+Oates%2CSex+Pistols&year_start=1950&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=) > > Interestingly, the Sex Pistols chart higher from 1986 to 2000 on the Google books Ngrams Viewer than The Rolling Stones. On the other hand, The Monkees chart higher than Hall and Oates. We must have different opinions on the definition of influential. Also “nonsense”, “uninteresting”, and probably “Tuesday”. > > [Google Ngram Viewer: Hall and Oates,Sex Pistols,The Rolling Stones,The Monkees](http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Hall+and+Oates%2CSex+Pistols%2CThe+Rolling+Stones%2CThe+Monkees&year_start=1950&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=) Yeah, it’s just my opinion. If Tupac Shakur actually claimed the Sex Pistols as an influence, he was on heavier drugs than I thought. Perhaps he was referring to heroin. Bands that aren’t punk always cite the Sex Pistols as an influence because it sounds cool, even though they probably just heard “God Save the Queen” one time, if that. My life is my cite. I lived in London in the mid to late 70’s. Music, punk especially, was pretty much all I cared about in those days. Everyone I knew considered the Sex Pistols to be a dumb joke. But I know that doesn’t prove anything. I’m not going to argue with your data because it’s correct. They have an undeniable niche in pop-culture. Then again, so does herpes. As for Hall and Oates, I don’t really care. I think _Live from Daryl’s House_ is more interesting than their career, but seeing as ABBA is the Hall, why not them? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/49 "2013-05-31T21:46:19Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Yeah, it’s just my opinion. If Tupac Shakur actually claimed the Sex Pistols as an influence, he was on heavier drugs than I thought. Perhaps he was referring to heroin. Tupac [cited Kate Bush as an influence as well.](http://youtu.be/cGlPgh3hBbU?t=1m7s) Most artists have _vastly_ wider tastes than their fans. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/50 "2013-05-31T21:50:23Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I’ll add the Guess Who and the Pogues. > > A sample of Guess Who songs: > > “These Eyes” > “Laughing” > “Undun” > “No Time” > “American Woman” > “No Sugar Tonight” > “Hand Me Down World” > “Share the Land” > “Bus Rider” > “Albert Flasher” > “Broken” > “Star Baby” > “Clap for the Wolfman” > > In my book, the first and best great rock band out of Canada, with one of the all-time great voices in rock, Burton Cummings. Love that band. Recently saw Burton perform at the Keswick, a venue near Philly and it was an awesome show, one great song after another. I highly recommend you see Burton and not that fraud band touring as the Guess Who if given the choice. > . I’m amazed that I forgot the Guess Who- definitely a Hall-worthy band. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/51 "2013-05-31T21:59:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Dick Dale > [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Stevie Ray Vaughn I’m very surprised these two aren’t already in there. That seems to happen to me every year since I don’t follow the rock hall all that closely. In 2012 I watched the induction ceremonies and saw they had a nice tribute to Freddie King. Then I thought “wait- it took them until 2012 to induct Freddie King?” Then this year they announced they were just getting around to Albert King! > [@Enginerd](#): > > Los Lobos > Taj Mahal Yes please. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/52 "2013-05-31T22:53:39Z")
Can’t believe I forgot: XTC. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/53 "2013-06-01T01:33:18Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Yes please. Agreed. 😛 Tho their cachet seems much less now that during their 70’s-it may be a combination of the Owner of a Lonely Heart effect and just how every single prog band from that era eventually sold out in one form or another (except for Crimson of course, who should go in before any of the others). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276/54 "2013-06-01T04:56:24Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > In 2012 I watched the induction ceremonies and saw they had a nice tribute to Freddie King. Then I thought “wait- it took them until 2012 to induct Freddie King?” Then this year they announced they were just getting around to Albert King! If they’re doing it by free association maybe Albert Collins will be next. eta: This reminded me of two other people who are due: Edgar and Johnny Winter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-should-be-in-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame/659276.md?page=2)