I love Cooperstown. Canton. Even the Songwriters Hall of Fame wherever that is. Why? Because they make for great arguments, and god knows I love to argue.

I am fascinated by who gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Let’s face it…membership, for many, is a subjective thing. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has, what I call, “slam dunks.” Can anyone argue that The
Beatles, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin or Bruce Springsteen should not be in? Of course not. But then you have those that are on the bubble – groups or people that are not so obvious. The arguments are more fun and interesting when you’re dealing with inductees who are not slam dunks.

What’s the criteria to get in? That’s a damn good question. Some might say it’s based on longevity and success. A band like The Rolling Stones has had great commercial success since the day they released their first record in 1963. They are the definition of longevity and success. Another criteria is the influence an artist has had on others. The Ramones never had great commercial success but they were at the forefront of defining punk rock music. Did Duane Eddy have a ton of hit records? If you go strictly by the numbers no, but artists like Springsteen, Fogerty and Mark Knopfler openly acknowledge his influence. On the other hand, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame loves to induct bands that they deem “cool,” “cutting edge,” all code words for “never sold a record.” Artists like these will be covered in a future post called “Worst Bands In The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”

And then there is politics. What’s a club without politics? The main criticism of the RRHOF is that the nomination process is controlled by a few individuals who are not even musicians, such as Rolling Stone Magazine publisher and RRHOF founder Jann Wenner, former foundation director Suzan Evans, and writer Dave Marsh, and that the inductees reflect their tastes rather than the views of the rock world as a whole.

All of this makes for a great debate, so without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some bands I think deserve to be in.

Heart

They weren’t the first chick band that rocked. That would probably be The Shangra-La’s. And they weren’t the first chick band that REALLY rocked. That would be The Runaways. But The Shangra La’s were a producer’s creation and nobody bought any Runaways records, so Heart is the first chick band that rocked that mattered.

Let’s start by saying that the RRHOF is woefully under represented by women who rock.
There’s Janis Joplin, The Pretenders, Blondie, Madonna…and that’s about it. The Shirelles, The Supremes, Aretha Franklin, The Ronettes. Great. All deserving. But not rockers. Maybe Tina Turner…at times.

I’ll even make the argument that Chrissie Hynde may have been influenced by Heart. I’m not saying Chrissie Hynde was influenced by their actual music but seeing two women fronting a hard rocking band must have made some sort of an impression

Look at some of Heart’s Greatest Hits: “Crazy On You,” “Barracuda,”(thank you Sarah Palin for bringing that one back),”Magic Man,” “Straight On,” “Even It Up” and even their remake of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”.

You could even make a case for them if you add in the second half of their career, which featured sappy ballads. (Look for this in my chapter called “Same Name/Different Band,) The latter songs didn’t rock out but still sold millions of records.

Some bands are not cool enough for the Hall. If the Pretenders are in, then Heart damn sure should be too.

Yes

If I asked you to name the definitive progressive rock band of all time, most of you would say Yes. (Sorry King Crimson fans). The list of musicians who were part of the band over the years is a literal Who’s Who of seventies progressive rock legends.

Anderson, Wakeman, Bruford, Howe, Squire, produced some of the trippiest music ever etched into vinyl and they didn’t seem to care how long their songs went. I remember reading a review of Elvis Costello’s album “Get Happy” which featured 20 songs. The last line of the review said, “Besides, think how many ‘Yes’ records you would have to buy to get 20 songs.” I think 10 or 11 might do it.

They also made some very radio friendly music, songs that are a staple of classic rock stations to this day. “Your Move/I’ve Seen All Good People,” “Roundabout,” “Long Distance Runaround.”

I’m personally not a fan of “Owner of A Lonely Heart” but it gave them another hit to add to the list. Add to this their influence on other bands and they deserve to be in.

Genesis

This is the quintessential example of “Same Name Different Band”(which I will write about in a future post). First, there was the Peter Gabriel driven incarnation that made many progressive rock records in the early to mid seventies. This is clearly viewed as the more important version of the band by many fans. I remember working in a record store and people would come in looking for records like “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” and “Selling England By the Pound.” They weren’t huge sellers but they sold steadily and I always viewed their fans as fiercely loyal.

Then came the Phil Collins as front man days, which many fans see as the watered down, commercial, sell out version. But they sold a shitload of records. In fact for a period of about five or six years, they ruled the charts, FM radio and MTV. And if that wasn’t enough, there were a few Phil Collins solo records between the Genesis records that were all over the radio and MTV as well. They were one of the biggest bands in that span of time.

They are one of the most successful rock acts of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and they have enjoyed a longevity not seen by many bands (including some already in the RRHOF).

They gave us Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins and Mike and the Mechanics….okay two out of three ain’t bad. They should be in.

The Moody Blues

I am not one of those insane Moody Blues Fans. I like them. I think they are a great band but they don’t rank in my Top 10. Neither do many of the bands in the Hall. I should also mention that this notion was first planted in my head by a woman who sent me a letter every three months for five years explaining why The Moody Blues should be in. Although the frequency of her notes made her a little suspect, I couldn’t disagree with her sentiment.

This is a band that was really good (“Nights In White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” “Question”) before they got really bad (“Your Wildest Dreams”)….sort of like Chicago.
They were pioneers of the “Progressive Rock” movement and racked up a pretty good amount of hits while being relevant and influential.

I say let ‘em in!

Chicago

Am I missing something here? When I read that Chicago was NOT in the RRHOF I thought I had bad information. But I looked it up and it’s true. Now I will grant you, the band they eventually became is a shadow of what they started out as,churning out some pretty sappy AM crap culminating in the pussy ballad “If You Leave Me Now”. But their first five or six albums fused rock and jazz in a way never heard before. I know Blood, Sweat & Tears did it before them but they just didn’t have staying power. Chicago’s early records were a staple of airplay in the late sixties and early seventies on free form FM radio. They eventually became a veritable hit machine. Billboard cites them as the second most successful American band after the Beach Boys.

I admit that their best music was at the beginning of their career and if you drew a chart of their rock quotient, it would probably be a straight line down.

Still they have longevity and success. I think they should be in.

The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers remind me of the band Chicago. They started out good, got great and then became something of a wimpy band. They essentially morphed into Michael McDonald’s back up band. Before songs like “Real Love” and “Here to Love You” they were more of a rock band. “Long Train Running,” “China Grove,” “Listen to the Music,” “Jesus is Just Alright.” These songs were part of the soundtrack of my childhood. More importantly, they still hold up. That’s the key for me.
I could still listen to these songs and be happy. They always looked so cool on their album covers, part hippies, part bikers. They looked like they threw a kick ass party. I agree that the Michael McDonald years are nothing compared to the early years although I do love “Taking It to the Streets.”

A nice run with a ton of songs I love. They are in for me.

Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt, and Carole King (as a performer)

What’s with the snub of the women? I admit that these women are on the loose end of the definition of rock but let’s be serious. I love James Taylor. How rocking is he?
And you’re telling me that Madonna is more of a rocker than any of these women?? I would say they all paved the way, on some level, for her.

Carly Simon is one of the great singer songwriters of her era. Her name should (and often is) mentioned with James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt for defining that 70s movement . If she only wrote “You’re So Vain,” I’d think about putting her in. Add “Anticipation,” “The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”….hell …even throw in “Nobody Does It
Better”….and I think she belongs.

Carole King is already in as half of one of the greatest writing teams of all time. King either wrote or co-wrote some of the all time classics. “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman,” “The Locomotion”(one of the only songs to hit the Top 10 by three different artists) and “Up On the Roof.” For that great songwriting she is in the Hall of Fame but as part of the team Goffin-King.

Carole King belongs in as a performer. Her first solo record “Tapestry” was one of the biggest sellers up to that point. Chock full of hits we still hear on the radio today (“I Feel the Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late” and the classic “You’ve Got a Friend”) it single handedly defined the female singer/songwriter of the day. She followed up with many other great songs like “Jazzman”and “Sweet Season.” Her career tapered off and she is more likely to be a fun night out for those 50something couples in the burbs, but for a period of time she was relevant so she belongs in.

Linda Ronstadt is a bit of a tougher sell because she didn’t write most of her stuff. Luckily she was smart enough to sing the songs of great writers like Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne and Karla Bonoff. Her choice of remakes was always spot on, from Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day” to The Stones “Tumbling Dice.” Her first Greatest Hits Collection has no fat. It’s all hits. The second one has a little filler but how many people can put together one and half CD’s of solid great hits. Through the better part of the seventies she was a hit machine.

Todd Rundgren

Now I’m going to make a baseball comparison here using Joe Torre. Joe was a very good baseball player but not a great player, certainly not a Hall of Famer.
But take his playing career and put it with his managerial career and he’s a shoe in.

Now let’s look at Todd Rundgren. He had a decent career as a writer and singer. He racked up a couple of hits, made some really good albums and he has a good following of fans….but not a Hall of Fame career.

Now let’s compare the Producer to the manager. He takes the team and guides them to success.

As a producer Todd Rundgren is responsible for making some of the all time great records.
He produced The Band’s “Stage Fright,” Badfinger’s album “Straight Up”, which yielded the hit song “Baby Blue,” “Wave” for Patti Smith, “Remote Control” for the Tubes as well as “We’re An American Band” for Grand Funk Railroad.
His pinnacle as a producer would have to be Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell” which has sold a mere 34 million albums and continues to sell 200,000 cd’s a year.

And let’s not forget that he produced all of his own records including those for Utopia as well. Despite the fact that he is responsible for “Bang On the Drum” I would still consider him.

On the Bubble:

Kiss

There are two bands that many people tell me should be in but I just can’t make a great argument. One of them is Kiss.
I’m sure people will look at my list and say it’s wimpy, filled with chicks and not very rocking. Listen, I love Led Zeppelin, The Stones, The Allman Brothers and Metallica, so I don’t feel my rock appreciation should be in question.

I like Kiss. Well, I’m amused by them. I appreciate that they’ve survived as long as they have on pretty much one gimmick. They have a couple of good songs but here is a litmus test I use. Go to your office and ask everybody, not just your friends, but everyone including the weird guy that no one talks to, how many songs they can name by KISS. After “I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night” and “Beth, , I bet you’ll get many blank stares. The only reason they know Gene Simmons is because he hasn’t turned down a reality show in 10 years. This one’s a no for me.

Rush

Another band that comes up often in this discussion is Rush. They have a fiercely loyal following and from what I am told, they are all amazing musicians. I know the songs “Tom Sawyer” and “Limelight” and I really like both of them. But that’s sort of where it ends for me. I need more and I just ain’t seeing it. Sorry Jon Hein, Richard Christy and Canada!

The Cars, Cheap Trick, Journey

All great bands who have tons of hits. They just make it to the line but not quite to the end for me. I think letting them in opens the argument even wider. If Journey is in, then why not Styx or Kansas? Why not Boston? See, once you induct a band, you have to think of all the bands that are similar and deserving. Although I would argue that a band like Kansas
shouldn’t even be mentioned in this conversation, letting any of the above bands in opens the door to that discussion and I’m not ready for a “Let Kansas in the RRHOF” movement.

Alice Cooper

That’s a tough one. If I were to make an argument for Alice, it would be for his influence. He brought theatrics to the Rock and Roll live show. His influence would show up later in bands like Kiss and Marilyn Manson. The music was pretty damn good too. Maybe not a long enough career. Close for me, but no.

Steve Miller

I was recently listening to Steve Miller’s Greatest Hits. Not the one called “1974-1978”. This one is called “Young Hearts: Complete Greatest Hits”. It has 20 songs on it and I swear to god that the first 14 songs are songs that you know. I mean stone cold hits like “Fly Like an Eagle,” The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Rock’n Me,” “Jet Airliner.” The guy was a constant on FM Radio during the 70’s & 80’s.
Shit … as I am sitting here typing this I’m not positive he shouldn’t be in.

Pat Benatar

I’m looking at Pat Benatar’s Greatest Hits and seeing the same thing. Twenty songs and the majority of them are bona fide hits. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Heartbreaker,” “Treat Me Right,” “Invincible,” “Love is a Battlefield.” Lots of hits.
Why not let her in? I can’t exactly say why. She didn’t write most of her songs, but she wrote some of them. I’ll have to get back to you on this one.

Hall & Oates

I put Hall & Oates on this list of consideration for two reasons (one of which is NOT that people think that John Oates and I were separated at birth.)
They are the #1 selling duo in the history of the Billboard charts. Daryl Hall went on the Howard Stern Show and said the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could go fuck themselves.
Now that’s Rock and Roll!

I’m sure there are many bands that people think should be in as well.
I’m also sure there are many arguments regarding my discussion.
That’s why I encourage your feedback.

Click below and tell me what you think.