If the Rock Hall is going to keep inducting classic rock and oldies acts anyway (which I think they will), they might as well nominate as many as possible over the next few years and just move on from that era entirely before the decade is over.
Why not nominate Boston, Styx, and The Monkees all at once? Put all three on the same ballot, and I could easily see the older voters voting for all three. Just induct the remaining realistic classic rock and oldies picks ASAP, get it over with, and stop worrying about that era once and for all. It's time to move on.
I could also see someone like Melissa Etheridge returning, since she's probably Sheryl Crow's #1 priority. Other committee members might also be willing to vote for Melissa just to get her on the ballot, figuring she's not competitive enough to take an induction spot away from their own pet projects. Or maybe we get The Black Crowes back for a third straight year. You have Lenny Kravitz filling that retro-rock, industry-connections slot, and I don't disagree.
New Edition, I'm not so sure. They might pick up some votes from critics (mostly white hipsters) with fewer R&B acts on the ballot, but I feel like most Black voters have already voted for them. Whether that's enough to get them over the line for a borderline induction, I don't know, especially since most guitar-rock voters probably wouldn't even consider voting for New Edition.
As for The Smiths, I think it really comes down to whether the hipsters on the committee who supported Joy Division/New Order can tolerate Morrissey enough to nominate them. I feel like committee members either don't know or care much about The Smiths (think someone like Danyel Smith or Jimmy Jam), or they think the band is incredibly important. Probably not much middle ground.
I don't know whether Joy Division/New Order had broad support in the room or just barely made the ballot. But I can definitely see some hipster-type members refusing to vote for The Smiths simply because they can't stand Morrissey. So even if 70–80% of the hipster crowd votes yes, that might not be enough. I'm sure The Smiths will come up in the meeting, but they could still miss the ballot because of... Morrissey.
The B-52's seem like a safer bet. I wouldn't rule out Pixies either, especially now that Joy Division/New Order are in. If the Rock Hall doesn't want to deal with Morrissey, they could just move on to the next big alternative-rock pick: Pixies.
I also think there's a chance they'll save Beyoncé as the lone huge headliner next year and hold Coldplay back to headline the 2028 induction class.
And what about Alicia Keys? She strikes me as another industry darling who's bound to show up on the ballot sooner or later. I could definitely see her getting nominated before TLC even gets a shot.
Lionel Richie – Weak (He should've been inducted alongside the Commodores. His solo career was nowhere near the level of the arena rock megastars.)
Dolly Parton – 50/50 (An icon, but again, not rock 'n' roll.)
Carly Simon – Weak/WTF (Seriously? Kansas, Ted Nugent, and Meat Loaf had far more successful careers than she did. She got in because of her industry connections.)
Eurythmics – Weak (A three-hit wonder.)
Pat Benatar – Weak (Nowhere near the top tier of arena rock megastars. At least 10–20 arena rock acts deserve induction more than she does.)
Duran Duran – Good
Eminem – WTF (greatest rapper ever but still not rock and roll)
Phil Collins – Good
Billy Idol – Weak/ok
Iron Maiden – Weak (Zero rock hits, huge audience though)
Oasis – WTF
Joy Division/New Order – WTF
Sade – WTF
Wu-Tang Clan – WTF
Luther Vandross – WTF
2025:
Bad Company – Weak/ok
Joe Cocker – Weak/WTF (J Geils Band clear better)
Soundgarden – WTF/Weak
The White Stripes – WTF (A one-hit wonder. Jack White is a terrible guitarist and singer, and one of the most overrated musicians ever.)
Cyndi Lauper – Weak
OutKast – WTF
Chubby Checker – WTF
2024:
Foreigner – Good
Peter Frampton – Weak (How did he get inducted ahead of so many arena rock legends? His hits aren't nearly deserving enough. Europe's "The Final Countdown" has outlasted anything Frampton ever did. Sure, he had that massive live album, but WTF? Can't deny its success, though.)
Ozzy Osbourne – OK
A Tribe Called Quest – WTF
Cher – OK
Kool & The Gang – OK
Mary J. Blige – WTF
DMB – Weak/OK (They're arguably the single best pick from '90s rock, which just shows how weak rock became in that decade. Alternative rock was mostly for amateurs who couldn't even play guitar. The industry pushed it for commercial success while undermining real rock n roll, seemingly out of envy for the genuine talent of classic rock musicians.)
2023:
Willie Nelson – 50/50 (He's an icon, but not a rock 'n' roll musician.)
Kate Bush – WTF (Basically got inducted because of one song.)
Sheryl Crow – Weak (Again, one of the few acts who actually plays real rock 'n' roll, but still nowhere near the legends of the previous two decades.)
The Spinners – Weak (Maybe they have a case, but the 30+ arena rock acts I listed earlier deserve induction far more than they do.)
RATM – WTF/Weak (They got inducted this quickly because Tom Morello sits on the committee. It's all about connections and politics!)
Missy Elliott – WTF
George Michael – Weak/ok (Not rock and roll, but at least he was massively popular.)
oscar wrote: