CLEVELAND, Ohio – With the annual announcement of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Induction Class comes a lot of hostility. Even if you agree Whitney Houston, The Doobie Brothers, The Notorious B.I.G., Depeche Mode, T. Rex and Nine Inch Nails are worthy honorees, they’re not enough to make everyone happy.
[Read: Every Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee ranked]
Dave Matthews Band fans were far from satisfied. Fans of Kraftwerk were left confused again. Pat Benatar supporters are still in shock.
More fan bases are going to be left out of the celebration than included. It comes when trying to decide which limited few will enter rock and roll’s hallowed ground.
Thus, we decided to dedicate this to the fan bases that have been making the biggest noise. Why not their favorites? Well, maybe there’s hope.
Classic Rock Enthusiast
Todd Rundgren earned his second straight nomination for the Rock Hall this year but couldn't get in.
Rage level: 😡😡
Why they should be angry: Should they? We get it. Still no love for Boston, Bad Company, Todd Rundgren, The Guess Who, Blue Oyster Cult, Three Dog Night, Foreigner and a host of others.
Why there’s hope: The past several induction classes have been littered with those kinds of hitmaking rock acts that, while not all groundbreaking, have loyal fan bases. It’s probably just a matter of time for someone like Rundgren, while all it could take just one nomination for Bad Company, Boston or Foreigner to get in.
The Motown Lover
Mary Wells was nominated for the Rock Hall in 1986 and 1987, but hasn't been on the ballot since.Getty Images
Rage level: 😡😡
Why they should be angry: It’s been a little while since deserving acts like the Marvelettes and Mary Wells were nominated. And what about Junior Walker & The All Stars or Diana Ross as a solo act?
Why there’s hope: There are a ton of Motown artists in the Rock Hall already. And despite what you may think of it, the Rock Hall’s “Singles” category should honor more artists from the historic label moving forward.
EDM/Rave Culture
Kraftwerk remains among the biggest Rock Hall snubs.Getty Images
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: For the love of God, can voters please put Kraftwerk in?
Why there’s hope: Depeche Mode got in this year. So, there’s potential for future inductees like New Order and Daft Punk moving forward. There’s also been talk of Kraftwerk being inducted in the “Early Influence” category.
Fans of the deceased
Despite being one of the premier singers of his generation, Joe Cocker has never been nominated for the Rock Hall.Getty Images
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: Dead artists get inducted into the Rock Hall all the time. But are they the right ones? For every Biggie and Whitney, we’re left wondering how long Joe Cocker, Gram Parsons and Dick Dale have to wait.
Why there’s hope: There’s always hope for legendary acts, whether dead or alive. But that doesn’t make their induction, especially when they passed away in recent years, any less bittersweet.
Grunge fans
Chris Cornell of Soundgarden.
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: Flannel wearing Gen Xers remember vividly the days when grunge took over the music world. Nirvana and Pearl Jam are in the Rock Hall. But Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and Mudhoney have just one nomination between them.
Why there’s hope: Soundgarden’s nomination and performance in the annual Fan Vote suggests their time will come soon. Alice In Chains would be up next.
Progressive Rock Enthusiasts
British folk group Jethro Tull, led by flautist, guitarist, singer and songwriter Ian Anderson.Getty Images
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: The Nominating Committee hasn’t been as kind to progressive rock as it should be. It took forever for Rush to get in. And while Yes, Genesis and The Moody Blues were all inducted, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Jethro Tull, Kansas and others don’t seem close.
Why there’s hope: Is there? Logic suggests King Crimson or Jethro Tull would be next. But neither of those bands have been mentioned much by Nom Com members.
1990s (and 2000s) rockers
Dave Matthews Band won the Fan Vote but failed to earn induction into the Rock Hall.
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: Let’s see…Dave Matthews Band became the first artist to win the Fan Vote and not get inducted. And where are nominations for Smashing Pumpkins, Oasis, Beck, Weezer and Blur?
Why there’s hope: To be fair, the Nominating Committee has been fairly consistent including bands that gained popularity during the 1990s. It’s the voters fault Rage Against the Machine and Soundgarden didn’t get in. Foo Fighters will likely be nominated next year, while Rage and Soundgarden should resurface on the ballot soon.
Hip-Hop Heads
LL Cool J - hip-hop's most nominated.
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: There’s no denying The Notorious B.I.G. and 2pac were worthy inductees. But their inclusion came at the expense of LL Cool J. Not to mention De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Daddy Kane and Salt-N-Pepa have yet to earn nominations.
Why there’s hope: LL Cool J will probably continue to be the placeholder nominee in an off year, when a newly eligible hip-hop artists isn’t an obvious choice. But that might not happen again for a while with acts like Jay-Z, Eminem, Missy Elliott and Lauryn Hill coming up.
Indie Rock Lover
Morrissey at Radio City Music Hall in New York in 2012.NYT
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: Just one true indie rock artist (depending on how you define the genre) has ever been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That’s The Smiths, and voters have yet to put them in. Meanwhile, Pixies, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., Sleater-Kinney, Wilco and others have sat on the outside looking in.
Why there’s hope: The Smiths seem to be the act that could break down the door. It’s just a matter of if the Nominating Committee has given up on them or not, or if Morrissey keeps running his mouth.
Metalheads
Motorhead earned its first Rock Hall nomination this year.Joel Ryan/Invision/AP
Rage level: 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Why they should be angry: The Nominating Committee put two of the five most important heavy metal bands on the ballot this year in Judas Priest and Motorhead. Neither of them got in. The only two pure metal bands to ever earn induction are just Black Sabbath and Metallica.
Why there’s hope: After dragging its feet for years (and years), the Nom Com has finally embraced metal. So, expect the names Judas Priest and Motorhead, along with Slayer and Iron Maiden on the ballot in the years to come.
Women
Fans were shocked that Pat Benatar wasn't part of the Rock Hall's Class of 2020.Getty Images
Rage level: 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Why they should be angry: Much has been written about the Rock Hall’s women problem. A total of three women were on this year’s ballot. Yet, it appeared like two of them would get in. Fans were shocked to see Pat Benatar left out of the Class of 2020. Yes, early rock and roll was male dominated. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Connie Francis, Carole King, Loretta Lynn, Karen Carpenter, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, The Runaways, Bjork, Kate Bush, Lucinda Williams, Eurythmics, Cyndi Lauper, Mariah Carey and PJ Harvey all have arguments for induction. Yet, just two of those aforementioned acts (Eurythmics and Bush) have been nominated. Two!
Why there’s hope: The Rock Hall knows it has a problem, simply because so many people have told them so. Expect Benatar’s snub to be corrected next year, while Whitney Houston’s induction may have opened doors for several others.