25 artists that belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (but shamefully aren’t)
It's sometimes alarming to see which bands aren't yet in the Hall of Fame.
19. Joe Cocker (1994)
Soulful British rocker Joe Cocker’s career spanned five decades, from the early ’60s until his death from cancer in December 2014. The raspy-voiced singer, renowned for his jerky, contorted on-stage mannerisms, released over 20 albums and dozens of singles. He’s particularly known for his majestic transformation of the Beatles’ jaunty “With a Little Help From My Friends” into a blazing, gospel-flavored epic. Another notable career highlight is the emotional 1975 ballad “You Are So Beautiful.” Cocker finally reached #1 in America in 1982 with his knockout performance on “Up Where We Belong,” a duet with Jennifer Warnes. The ballad from An Officer and a Gentleman sold over two million copies and scored a Golden Globe, an Oscar and a Grammy. Cocker was active musically until 2013, when he wrapped up touring in support of his final album, Fire It Up. It’s only a matter of time until Cocker is inducted, but as with Donna Summer, inducted a year after her death, it would have been nice had he lived to relish the honor.
18. Nine Inch Nails (2015)
For the past 25 years, Cleveland, Ohio native Trent Reznor has been one of the most prominent figures in alternative rock. His eight studio albums released as Nine Inch Nails have sold millions of copies worldwide and have earned him a large, passionate fan base. Reznor’s sound is a dark, intense, often abrasive melding of industrial, electronica and rock elements. His finest hour is 1994’s The Downward Spiral, a dense and complex work of stunning emotional power. Two of his albums have reached #1 in the U.S. — 1999’s The Fragile, and 2005’s With Teeth. Reznor’s music has often been accompanied by evocative music videos rife with disturbing imagery. A few of Nine Inch Nails’ essential tracks are “Head Like a Hole,” “Wish,” “Closer,” “March of the Pigs,” “Hurt,” “The Hand That Feeds,” and “Came Back Haunted.” Recently, Reznor has been involved with scoring films, and in 2010 he and collaborator Atticus Ross won an Oscar for their work on The Social Network. Nine Inch Nails didn’t get the nod after being nominated this year, but it surely won’t be long until Reznor delivers a heavy dose of searing rock catharsis to the Hall of Fame.
17. Duran Duran (2006)
Duran Duran became superstars in the ’80s by combining influences like Roxy Music, Japan, Ultravox and David Bowie into an exciting, ultra-commercial brand of romantic pop. The band’s visual appeal, catchy hooks and elaborate videos made them a perfect fit for MTV. They were one of the network’s cornerstone artists during its ascent to cultural dominance and singles like “Rio,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Save a Prayer,” “Wild Boys” and “Union of the Snake” are part of the musical fabric of the ’80s. The band notched two #1 hits in the U.S. — “The Reflex” in 1984, and “A View to a Kill” a year later. They enjoyed a surge of success in the ’90s with “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone.” Some music critics thumb their noses at Duran Duran, dismissing the group as merely style over substance. That’s simply not the case. They’ve lasted over thirty years, with multiple lineup changes and stylistic shifts. Over the span of thirteen albums, Duran Duran has thrilled fans with a highly stylized, melodic brew. Hopefully the Hall of Fame Foundation one day sees them for the pop trailblazers they are
16. Journey (2000)
Arena-rockers Journey started out in San Francisco in 1973 as a Santana offshoot. Their first few albums were in the progressive rock realm, but they quickly shifted to a more mainstream direction with the addition of dynamic lead singer Steve Perry. Their breakthrough was 1978’s Infinity, which features the classic singles “Lights” and “Wheel in the Sky.” Two more hit albums, Evolution and Departure, followed, and the band’s popularity skyrocketed. Journey reached a commercial peak with 1981’s Escape and 1983’s Frontiers. Among their biggest hits are “Who’s Crying Now,” the ultimate power-ballad “Open Arms,” “Separate Ways,” “Faithfully,” and “Any Way You Want It.” That their 1981 anthem “Don’t Stop Believin’,” remains in the Top 10 for all-time most downloaded digital songs is testament to the band’s legacy — more than three decades after its release, it can get a room full of people singing every word at the top of their lungs. Those kinds of rock classics are few and far between. Journey has sold over 47 million albums in the U.S. alone, the twelfth highest total for a rock band. Notably, those eleven higher-selling acts are all enshrined in Cleveland.
15. Pixies (2013)
What the Pixies lacked in record sales, they made up for with their meteoric impact. Numerous artists, including Nirvana, have cited the Boston-based alt-rock titans as a key influence (Kurt Cobain once famously said that he was “basically trying to rip off The Pixies”). With a line-up of Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Loverling, The Pixies released their acclaimed debut EP Come On Pilgrim in 1987. It was just a taste. They amped up the glorious weirdness with back-to-back juggernauts: 1988’s Surfer Rosa and 1989’s Doolittle. The Pixies’ sound is challenging, eclectic and off-kilter alternative-rock that stretches the bounds of the imagination. Their potent sonic experimentation and enigmatic wordplay is sometimes completely unhinged, with Black Francis swerving from manic screams to snatches of beautiful melody. Deal often plays foil to Francis’ delirium with her lovely and understated vocal performances. The band broke up after 1991’s Trompe le Monde, but reunited in 2004 for a triumphant reunion tour. After Deal left in 2013, the band kept rolling along with the release of a new studio album, Indie Cindy, in 2014. The opportunity to see The Pixies remains, as they have tour dates planned for this year.
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