The Great Rock Hall Purge: Which Hall of Fame inductees don’t belong?

Kiss Play The Forum in London

The KISS Army isn't going to be happy with our purging of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. (Getty)Getty Images

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Everyone has a snubs list. Search long enough and you’ll find some fan somewhere lobbying for their favorite artist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In recent weeks, features have popped up advocating for everyone from Sinead O’Connor to Phish.

Yet, one could argue the appeal (and, perhaps, point) of a Hall of Fame is its exclusivity. Many consider the Baseball Hall of Fame to be the gold standard for such institutions, primarily because of just how hard it is to get in.

Former baseball players are voted into the Hall of Fame by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. But it isn’t as simple as who gets the most votes like the Rock Hall. At least 75 percent of those writers must agree on a baseball candidate. There’s also a 10-year eligibility limit for someone to get elected.

It’s quite an elaborate and transparent process with unbelievably high standards that make Rock Hall induction seem like a cakewalk. Consider the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is intent on inducting at least a half-dozen artists each year so it can put on a stellar ceremony, while the Baseball Hall of Fame has years where no one was elected.

Can you imagine? Well, we have...sort of.

Introducing the Great Rock Hall Purge. Rather than consider a seemingly endless list of “snubs,” we’re operating under the premise that too many artists were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the first place.

Thus, we went year by year, removing artists based on the same criteria we used to establish our Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Tiers. So, yes, there is a method to this madness.

Methodology

There is no exact science when it comes to determining musical excellence. But we tried our best using a point system focused on a mix of critical acclaim, proven influence and milestones.

For instance, we gave inductees 10 points for every album featured on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”

We assigned similar point values for lists such as the “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,” Acclaimed Music’s “All-Time Top 3,000″ albums and “All-Time Top 10,000″ songs, as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s own “500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.”

We also assigned hefty point totals for appearances on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” DigitalDreamDoor’s “100 Most Influential Rock ‘n’ Roll Artists” and All Music’s 100 most influential artists. Artists also earned bonus points for every 10 million albums sold during their career and every No. 1 single released.

To account for any gender bias, we added points for female-led acts featured on NPR’s “150 Greatest Albums Made by Women” and DigitalDreamDoor’s “100 Greatest Rock Songs by Women.”

The point totals established a cutoff point that eliminated any act that fell below the top-five tiers in our system. Every artist that’s been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has accomplished something extraordinary. But the Great Rock Hall Purge is focused on being as particular and elitist as possible. To give you a sense of how elitist, artists like Billy Joel and Green Day barely made the cut.

In total, we kicked 100 artists out of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. As you might anticipate, some of those names are going to upset a lot of fans. Let’s start at the beginning (with acts being purged in bold)...

1986

  • Chuck Berry
  • James Brown
  • Ray Charles
  • Sam Cooke
  • Fats Domino
  • The Everly Brothers
  • Buddy Holly
  • Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Elvis Presley
  • Little Richard

Who gets the boot?

No one. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that every artist from the Rock Hall’s first-class fared extremely well in our tier system. You’d have to be dysfunctional Hall of Fame to mess this up. You could argue a few legends are missing from the Rock Hall’s inaugural list. But all of the artists here are clear icons and no-brainers when it comes to their candidacy.

1987

  • The Coasters
  • Eddie Cochran
  • Bo Diddley
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Marvin Gaye
  • Bill Haley (& His Comets)
  • B.B. King
  • Clyde McPhatter
  • Ricky Nelson
  • Roy Orbison
  • Carl Perkins
  • Smokey Robinson
  • Big Joe Turner
  • Muddy Waters
  • Jackie Wilson

Who gets the boot?

And so it begins. The Rock Hall got carried away with just its second class, inducting 15 performers. Most of them were worthy. The Coasters were important in creating a bridge between R&B and rock and roll. However, much of that is owed to the group being a vehicle for the writing talents of Hall of Fame songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, which shows in a lack of essential songs and albums. Clyde McPhatter will earn his rightful induction with The Drifters later on. Just about all of McPhatter’s essential recordings were done with either The Drifters or Billy Ward and His Dominoes. There are also a few inductees here who may not be household names to younger generations. But the influence scores for artists like Bill Haley, Big Joe Turner, Ricky Nelson and Eddie Cochran put them over the top.

1988

  • The Beach Boys
  • The Beatles
  • The Drifters
  • Bob Dylan
  • The Supremes

Who gets the boot?

We wouldn’t dare. Hall of Fame classes always work better when they’re shorter. The Class of 1988 was flawless with five of the greatest music acts of all time. Consider The Drifters had the lowest score of this group, still coming in at 74th ahead of acts like Al Green, Eagles and Guns N’ Roses.

1989

  • Dion
  • Otis Redding
  • The Rolling Stones
  • The Temptations
  • Stevie Wonder

Who gets the boot?

Dion’s career was more than two songs. But those two songs -- “The Wanderer” and “Runaround Sue” -- are the only thing that produced any points for him in the way our tier system is constructed.

1990

  • Hank Ballard
  • Bobby Darin
  • The Four Seasons
  • The Four Tops
  • The Kinks
  • The Platters
  • Simon and Garfunkel
  • The Who

Who gets the boot?

Most of these so far were obvious choices. Bobby Darin was always a head-scratcher as an inductee. While a prominent figure in popular culture during the late 1950s and 1960s, his musical legacy hinges on a few not-so-spectacular hits like “Splish, Splash,” “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea.” Few acts were more successful in the pre-Beatles era than The Four Seasons but the group’s run slowed as rock and roll truly reached its artistic period, which probably hurt them on high-brow music lists by people who maybe weren’t as obsessed with “Jersey Boys.” Hank Ballard and The Midnighters (the group was inducted later on) narrowly avoided being purged, primarily thanks to scores for influence. Ballard wasn’t a hit-releasing machine (He did write “The Twist,” however), which is what kept The Platters from being cut. The group released 40 singles that charted on the Billboard Hot 100.

1991

  • LaVern Baker
  • The Byrds
  • John Lee Hooker
  • The Impressions
  • Wilson Pickett
  • Jimmy Reed
  • Ike and Tina Turner

Who gets the boot?

Now we’re going scorched Earth. The Byrds ranked extremely high in our tier system. Every other artist from the Class of 1991...not so much. John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed, though stellar artists, may have been the Rock Hall reaching too deep into the blues genre or, admittedly, our scoring system not finding a way to adequately measure the blues genre (more on that to come). The Impressions were R&B pioneers but also mostly celebrated for one song -- “People Get Ready” -- and launching the career of Curtis Mayfield. LaVern Baker’s elimination shows how our tier system may still have left the door open for gender bias. It’s hard to figure out why an artist like Big Joe Turner got in and an influential female vocalist like Baker didn’t. Undoubtedly, Ike & Tina Turner was the biggest surprise in 1991. But, as we’ll find out later, Tina Turner’s solo career is more highly regarded in contemporary circles, despite Ike’s role as a rock and roll pioneer.

1992

  • Bobby “Blue” Bland
  • Booker T. and the MG’s
  • Johnny Cash
  • The Isley Brothers
  • The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  • Sam and Dave
  • The Yardbirds

Who gets the boot?

Bobby “Blue” Bland is one of the great vocalists of his era, but perhaps another case of the Rock Hall going too deep into the blues. Booker T. and the MG’s and Sam and Dave are two artists that feel forgotten on a lot of the lists we used to create a point system, often boiled down to signature hits such as “Green Onions” and “Soul Man,” respectively. It was also difficult to measure Booker T. and the M.G.’s role as the house band for Stax Records.

1993

  • Ruth Brown
  • Cream
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • The Doors
  • Etta James
  • Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
  • Van Morrison
  • Sly and the Family Stone

Who gets the boot?

Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers ranked at the bottom of our point system and for good reason. The group is known for just one hit -- “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” -- which does not make for a legendary career. Both Etta James and Ruth Brown benefitted from us adding women-specific lists to the scoring criteria. Yet, while it was enough for James, Brown fell just short, lacking an essential album on par with James’ “At Last!”

1994

  • The Animals
  • The Band
  • Duane Eddy
  • Grateful Dead
  • Elton John
  • John Lennon
  • Bob Marley
  • Rod Stewart

Who gets the boot?

Duane Eddy is the case of an artist’s tremendous influence not translating to the kind of resume that produces enough essential recordings. That put him in the middle of the pack among great performers, but far below no-brainers. While The Animals’ versions of “House of the Rising Sun” and “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” ranked as significant recordings, founder Eric Burdon’s greater achievement was in forming War for some historians.

1995

  • The Allman Brothers Band
  • Al Green
  • Janis Joplin
  • Led Zeppelin
  • Martha and the Vandellas
  • Neil Young
  • Frank Zappa

Who gets the boot?

Martha and the Vandellas were always an act, from a historical standpoint, just a step below the top-level Motown groups like The Supremes, The Temptations and The Four Tops. The group released some of Motown’s signature tunes, but apparently not enough of them to avoid being purged.

1996

  • David Bowie
  • Jefferson Airplane
  • Little Willie John
  • Gladys Knight and the Pips
  • Pink Floyd
  • The Shirelles
  • The Velvet Underground

Who gets the boot?

It’s easy to see why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Early Influence category exists. It would benefit an artist like Little Willie John (who was surprisingly voted in as a performer). His influence on artists like James Brown and Stevie Wonder was tremendous. But he died at the age of 30, leaving John without the longevity that helped so many in our scoring system. Meanwhile, Gladys Knight was one of the great female voices of the 1970s. But the fact none of her albums with the Pips are featured on Acclaimed Music’s “All-Time Top 3,000″ list, shows most music “experts” may view the group as a singles act.

1997

  • Bee Gees
  • Buffalo Springfield
  • Crosby, Stills and Nash
  • The Jackson 5
  • Joni Mitchell
  • Parliament-Funkadelic
  • The (Young) Rascals

Who gets the boot?

Buffalo Springfield is understandable given its short-lived run. The Jackson 5 is a bit of a shock. The group had one of the best runs to start a career in music history. However, looking at our point system, much of the credit – right or wrong – went to Michael Jackson’s solo career, leaving The Jackson 5′s impact and influence undervalued. Elsewhere, The Rascals’ induction was a pet project of Steven Van Zandt despite the group being not much more than a few successful, yet forgettable singles.

1998

  • Eagles
  • Fleetwood Mac
  • The Mamas and the Papas
  • Lloyd Price
  • Santana
  • Gene Vincent

Who the boot?

In the context of this feature, Gine Vincent feels more like an Early Influence candidate or someone who should be honored for the one song -- “Be-Bop-a-Lula” -- that stands out for its importance. The Mamas and the Papas were an integral part of the 1960s counterculture. But, while “California Dreaming” is an all-time great song, the band didn’t pile up many other essential recordings. For what it’s worth, Santana would have suffered the same fate if not for Carlos Santana’s late-career success.

1999

  • Billy Joel
  • Curtis Mayfield
  • Paul McCartney
  • Del Shannon
  • Dusty Springfield
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • The Staple Singers

Who gets the boot?

Del Shannon is known for just one big hit in “Runaway,” which left him with one of the lowest point totals in our scoring system. The Staple Singers are probably getting undervalued on this list given the group’s run of excellent singles in the 1970s and Mavis Staples’ work as an activist. Yet, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who could name more than a couple of songs by the group.

2000

  • Eric Clapton
  • Earth, Wind and Fire
  • Lovin’ Spoonful
  • The Moonglows
  • Bonnie Raitt
  • James Taylor

Who gets the boot?

The Rock Hall Purge hit the Class of 2000 hard. The Moonglows were an obvious causality, considering the group had just one significant hit with “Sincerely.” Likewise, the Lovin’ Spoonful was a singles-driven act whose albums never fared well with critics. Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor both put up solid scores (In fact, they finished with identical totals). But they fell short when it came to counting iconic albums and songs. The same can be said for Earth, Wind and Fire. Though, the group’s totals may show the cultural bias (or poor judgment) of some of the lists we used. Consider Rolling Stone only including “That’s the Way of the World” -- the album and the title track -- on its all-time albums and songs lists (“September” finally made the cut in the magazine’s 2021 songs list).

2001

  • Aerosmith
  • Solomon Burke
  • The Flamingos
  • Michael Jackson
  • Queen
  • Paul Simon
  • Steely Dan
  • Ritchie Valens

Who the boot?

Ritchie Valens is a case of an artist dying too young. His influence on Chicano and Latin rock is immeasurable. But his career has come to be defined by “La Bamba.” Similarly, influence could only carry The Flamingos so far. The important vocal group peaked before the album era with only its single “I Only Have Eyes for You” making most “all-time” lists. Solomon Burke released a ton of albums and singles during his career, but few fared well on the mainstream charts. Many would agree, he is one of the greatest vocalists of all time. But even a song like “Cry to Me” gets short-changed historical circles.

2002

  • Isaac Hayes
  • Brenda Lee
  • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
  • Gene Pitney
  • Ramones
  • Talking Heads

Who gets the boot?

Looking at how things turned out, Gene Pitney and Isaac Hayes would be better served as Rock Hall Inductees for their songwriting. Pitney wrote his most memorable songs for other people, such as “Hello Mary Lou” for Ricky Nelson, “He’s a Rebel” for The Crystals and “Rubber Ball” for Bobby Vee. Hayes has landmark recordings. But he spent part of his career as the chief creative force behind Stax Records, something our system couldn’t measure. Brenda Lee is an interesting case, considering she’s accomplished the rare feat of being a member of Rock & Roll, Country Music and Rockabilly Halls of Fame. Lee was a massive star in the late 1950s and the first half of the 1960s. But these days, she’s mostly known for “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Lee was likely an appealing choice for voters who were alive during the 1950s and 1960s. But she isn’t represented well in contemporary analysis.

2003

  • AC/DC
  • The Clash
  • Elvis Costello and the Attractions
  • The Police
  • The Righteous Brothers

Who gets the boot?

The Righteous Brothers’ fate both is and isn’t surprising. The influential vocal duo released a few of the biggest hits in music history, still played and sung today. But that’s really where it ends. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” and “Unchained Melody” are mainstays on any all-time song list. But how many people can name another song by The Righteous Brothers?

2004

  • Jackson Browne
  • The Dells
  • George Harrison
  • Prince
  • Bob Seger
  • Traffic
  • ZZ Top

Who gets the boot?

If it weren’t for Prince, we’d have a clean sweep in 2004. Jackson Browne, ZZ Top, Traffic and Bob Seger were all relatively close to the threshold of getting in (Browne was one of the first five to miss the cut). None of them scored points for influence while falling just a few legendary albums and/or songs short. The Dells had amazing longevity, but not enough mainstream hits. George Harrison was a Beatle, which has been enough to earn induction to the Rock Hall (Heck, we even thought about giving him points for just being a Beatles). But examining Harrison’s solo career gives you one classic album, a landmark concert and less than a handful of significant singles.

2005

  • Buddy Guy
  • The O’Jays
  • The Pretenders
  • Percy Sledge
  • U2

Who gets the boot?

You’ll find Percy Sledge on most lists of questionable artists inducted into the Rock Hall. “When a Man Loves a Woman” certainly doesn’t tell the entire story of Sledge’s career (His powerful southern soul voice was a blueprint for many). But it is the only aspect of his resume lauded by modern critics. Meanwhile, you can probably count the number of guitarists more skilled than Buddy Guy on one hand. But, again, the Rock Hall has a habit of digging too deep into the blues, a genre that can struggle when using a point system such as ours that’s focused on landmark albums and songs. The O’Jays fall into a similar boat as Earth, Wind & Fire. The group, which defined Philadelphia soul, probably should have more albums and songs praised on all-time lists.

2006

  • Black Sabbath
  • Blondie
  • Miles Davis
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd
  • Sex Pistols

Who gets the boot?

Everyone is safe in one of the Rock Hall’s greatest classes. Sex Pistols’ high score might seem surprising considering the iconic punk act released just one album. But what Sex Pistols lacked in longevity, the group made up for in points for influence, which were through the roof.

2007

  • Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
  • R.E.M.
  • The Ronettes
  • Patti Smith
  • Van Halen

Who gets the boot?

This is the perfect time to address hip hop. We didn’t waste our time getting into the “What’s rock and roll?” debate. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a more influential hip-hop act than Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Still, mainstream music lists tend to focus solely on the group’s “The Message” when looking at its resume. Solid scores for influence weren’t enough to keep Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five from being purged.

2008

  • The Dave Clark Five
  • Leonard Cohen
  • Madonna
  • John Mellencamp
  • The Ventures

Who gets the boot?

For fans who were alive when The Dave Clark Five was at its peak, this must seem crazy. The band was often second only to the Beatles in popularity. If only history were as kind to DC5′s collection of hits and albums that, in retrospect, seem somewhat forgettable. The Ventures were a highly influential group in the niche genre of surf rock, which doesn’t lend itself too much praise in mainstream circles. John Mellencamp being purged is the bigger surprise. You could make the case Mellencamp has as many as three classic albums, but he just never fully caught on with some critics.

2009

  • Jeff Beck
  • Little Anthony and the Imperials
  • Metallica
  • Run-D.M.C.
  • Bobby Womack

Who gets the boot?

Jeff Beck is one of the greatest guitarists who ever lived. But his solo career lacks the essential albums and singles that scream Hall of Fame. Little Anthony and the Imperials have the misfortune of their best songs being better remembered as covers by more famous artists. Removing Bobby Womack from the Rock Hall isn’t going to earn us many points in his native Cleveland. But Womack’s high standing in the genre of R&B didn’t translate to as much acclaim in the more general spectrum of rock and roll.

2010

  • ABBA
  • Genesis
  • Jimmy Cliff
  • The Hollies
  • The Stooges

Who gets the boot?

Jimmy Cliff is yet another artist in a niche genre. He was one of the few early reggae artists to experience crossover success. But no artist from the genre, outside of Bob Marley, was going to score well in our system. The Hollies were far more successful in the UK during their career. So, it’s not surprising that the group’s albums and songs are absent from American-made, all-time song and album lists. On a side note, ABBA haters be damned. Despite being the butt of many jokes, the group managed to secure just enough points to avoid the purge.

2011

  • Alice Cooper
  • Neil Diamond
  • Dr. John
  • Darlene Love
  • Tom Waits

Who gets the boot?

Everyone, except critical darling Tom Waits. It was impossible to accurately measure Darlene Love’s work as a backing vocalist for much of her career (consider she wasn’t credited for singing lead on the Crystals’ “She’s a Rebel.” Dr. John is one of the great New Orleans musicians of all time. But his career didn’t produce enough timeless classics to accumulate enough points. Neil Diamond had the opposite problem. He has hit singles but lacked the critical acclaim to earn points for his albums and overall influence. Alice Cooper gets purged, but it was a close call. Had historians been a little kinder to the group’s albums and singles (outside of “School’s Out” and “I’m Eighteen”), the iconic shock rock act would have easily have made it.

2012

  • Beastie Boys
  • Donovan
  • Guns N’ Roses
  • Laura Nyro
  • Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • The Small Faces/Faces

Who gets the boot?

Despite having a couple of phenomenal albums to her credit, Laura Nyro’s resume as a performer doesn’t adequately showcase her impact. Artists like Barbra Streisand, Three Dog Night and the 5th Dimension, among others, had huge hits covering Nyro’s songs. Donovan’s status as the Scottish Bob Dylan was both a gift and a curse. To this day, he’s never earned a tremendous amount of praise in the U.S. outside of his hit singles “Sunshine Superman” and “Mellow Yellow.” Combining The Small Faces and Faces wasn’t enough to keep the hybrid act from being purged, carried mostly by Faces’ early 1970s mainstream success. On a side note, this is the year side groups, such as The Miracles, Famous Flames, The Midnighters were inducted after being excluded with their respective lead acts. We decided not to try and assess their Rock Hall viability separate from the artists they should have gone in with.

2013

  • Rush
  • Heart
  • Randy Newman
  • Public Enemy
  • Donna Summer
  • Albert King

Who gets the boot?

Albert King follows the pattern of legendary blues musicians not faring well in our point system. If you didn’t reach the status of a B.B. King or Muddy Waters, you simply didn’t make the cut. Artists like King and Buddy Guy would have been better served to earn induction in a side category a la Freddie King. Heart is a bit of a surprise. The group’s late-career turn to more pop-driven rock was a huge success but is virtually void of critical praise. The purging of Rush is going to upset the band’s hardcore fanbase. We admit it may be less about Rush’s resume and more about the unfair disrespect some have for progressive rock.

2014

  • Peter Gabriel
  • Daryl Hall and John Oates
  • KISS
  • Nirvana
  • Linda Ronstadt
  • Cat Stevens

Who gets the boot?

You could easily argue that one of the flaws with our system is you likely had to be a critical darling to avoid the purge. Right or wrong, Hall & Oates and KISS both fell victim to that. Cat Stevens’ peak run was condensed to three years. And while it featured commercial and critical success, it didn’t produce the kind of hit songs people still talk about today. Linda Ronstadt’s versatile career worked against her. Her solo run made for a solid score that just fell short. If there were a way to quantify her many noteworthy collaborations, she surely would have placed higher.

2015

  • Green Day
  • The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
  • Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
  • Lou Reed
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
  • Bill Withers

Who gets the boot?

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was important in helping bring blues to the suburbs in the 1960s. But it’s the respected group’s only claim to fame. Joan Jett has come to embody what it means to be a rock and roll woman. But she has just three essential songs, two of which were covers. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble fell victim to the same scenario that most blues acts on this list did. It also didn’t help that their success came much later, limiting scores for influence. Bill Withers’ legacy has grown in recent years. But even in R&B circles, you’d struggle to find much of work ranked in the top-tier.

2016

  • Cheap Trick
  • Chicago
  • Deep Purple
  • Steve Miller
  • N.W.A.

Who gets the boot?

2016 was a rough year. Bands like Steve Miller and Chicago experienced a ton of commercial success. But they’re not A-level classic rock acts, which left their albums and songs off many all-time lists. Cheap Trick has never been a critical darling. It didn’t help that the band’s influence is undervalued. Those against hip hop being inducted into the Rock Hall will be happy to see N.W.A. go. The rap group’s run was way too short to produce enough essential material. Influence could only carry the gangsta rap pioneers so far.

2017

  • Electric Light Orchestra
  • Joan Baez
  • Journey
  • Pearl Jam
  • Tupac Shakur
  • Yes

Who gets the boot?

The Rock Hall’s Nominating Committee had a stretch where it focused on what some might consider B-level (or even C-level) classic-rock acts. Electric Light Orchestra and Journey’s removal is proof of that. Fans will argue the band’s work is unrepresented on the kinds of lists we used to tally scores. They may be right, but neither came close to making it. Yes suffers the same fate as progressive rock brethren Rush, while Joan Baez’s importance as a folk icon and activist wasn’t enough to populate lists focused on the album era.

2018

  • Bon Jovi
  • The Moody Blues
  • The Cars
  • Dire Straits
  • Nina Simone

Who gets the boot?

The cases for Dire Straits, The Cars, The Moody Blues and Bon Jovi were quite similar. Each lacked one thing or another when it came to criteria centered on influence and impact. For what it’s worth, Dire Straits came closest, while The Moody Blues and Bon Jovi ranked towards the bottom in our scoring system.

2019

  • Def Leppard
  • Stevie Nicks
  • Janet Jackson
  • Radiohead
  • Roxy Music
  • The Cure
  • The Zombies

Who gets the boot?

Def Leppard had a tremendous run in the 1980s. Yet, save for a reference to the band’s album “Hysteria” and the song “Photograph,” much of its work is absent from historical lists not focused on hard rock. The Zombies, meanwhile, released just three albums and had only three hits. 2019 was the year Stevie Nicks became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock Hall twice. Still, her induction was a stretch given just one of her songs ranks in the top 2,000 on Acclaimed Music’s list of greatest songs, while “Bella Donna” is her only album included on Acclaimed’s list of 3,000 greatest albums of all-time.

2020

  • Depeche Mode
  • The Doobie Brothers
  • Whitney Houston
  • Nine Inch Nails
  • The Notorious B.I.G.
  • T. Rex

Who gets the boot?

The Notorious B.I.G.’s career was cut short due to his murder, leaving him to release just two albums during his lifetime. Both those albums were so critically acclaimed, they still gave him an impressive score. But it still wasn’t enough. The Doobie Brothers are beloved by fans but never earned praise from critics. Even the group’s “Minute by Minute” is often snubbed on all-time album lists. T. Rex earned most of its points from influence, but “Electric Warrior” was the only recording that earned consistent enough praise to give glam-rock pioneer points elsewhere.

2021

  • Foo Fighters
  • The Go-Go’s
  • Jay-Z
  • Carole King
  • Todd Rundgren
  • Tina Turner

Who gets the boot?

The most recent class of Rock Hall Inductees was a mess using our system. Foo Fighters have carried the torch for rock for the past 20 years. But the band might be the last post-grunge act standing. Much of its impact still lives in the shadow of Nirvana. Carole King and Todd Rundgren have solid solo careers. But much of the praise is centered on one iconic album for each. Both could make a better case in the Rock Hall’s non-performer categories, which earned King induction as a songwriter in 1990. The Go-Go’s are an interesting case. The band’s influence is undeniable. But how widespread that influence is may be debatable, at least in the context of our scoring system. Consider them purged.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.