Recently, the Hall of Fame announced their 2015 inductees. As usual, many people were upset about those who were snubbed, as some of classic rock’s oldest and most respectable bands were once again passed up. Lou Reed, Green Day and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band are all excellent candidates, without a doubt, but there are plenty of others who belong in their ranks as well. I recently came across an article that shares some of the worthy acts who remain out of the hall.
1. The Cars: When they first came out of Boston in 1978, a lot of music fans didn’t know what to think of it, as they defied being fit into any single genre. People debated whether or not they were rock, new wave or something in-between. With their tight hooks and catchy synths, they were able to combine the best parts of art-punk and pop songwriting with hits such as “Shake It Up”, “Drive” and “You Might Think”.
2. Deep Purple: When it comes to classic guitar riffs, go no further than Deep Purple’s classic “Smoke on the Water”. Over the course of their career, they’ve gone through countless lineup changes, including members that have been part of other classic rock bands that have actually made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
3. Def Leppard: Def Leppard started out as just another British rock band, but after their 1983 “Pyromania” album came out, their fame skyrocketed (and rightfully so). Four years later, they released “Hysteria”, jam-packed with seven hit singles that only cemented the band’s fame. By the end of the 1980s, they were one of the biggest rock groups in the world.
4. Judas Priest: One of the biggest bands in metal, Judas Priest has been making music for longer than many people have been alive. When they came out of Birmingham, England in the mid 1970s in leather-studded clothing and face-melting guitar riffs, they were pioneering a new type of music. Just a few years later, metal bands from around the world were aping their sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tdu4uKSZ3M
5. Yes: While some music snobs like to rag on prog-rock due to its self-serious nature and rambling songs, Yes found a way to make the genre appeal to mainstream audiences in a way that none others have through pop melodies and relative restraint. Over the course of their career, however, they’ve only had one No. 1 hit, 1983’s “Owner of a Lonely Heart”.