The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

[Fido]

Maná being nominated are the biggest surprise for me

[Brian]

I agree with what pauldrach, ManPerson, and Fido said.

The best thing about the ballot is Outkast finally making it, though I'm glad to see the return of Mariah, JD/NO, and White Stripes. Overall, it's not as strong a ballot as last year's. If I could vote with this ballot, I would probably vote for Soundgarden, and I don't think that I would have with any previous ballot that they were on. Fourteen nominees seems stingy considering that everyone is allowed to vote for seven, and there are many more deserving artists than the lesser names on this ballot. So considering the strength of the ballot, it would be a huge failure by the electorate if they don't induct Outkast and Mariah.

Right now, I'd say the 7 most worthy artists on the ballot are the 5 that I've mentioned, plus Oasis and Chubby Checker.

[Elton-Cetera]

THE 2025 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

WHEN VOTING FOR SENIORITY

Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Bad Company
Joy Division/New Order
Manà
Billy Idol
Cyndi Lauper

WHEN VOTING FOR MOST RECENT ACTS

The White Stripes
Outkast
Oasis
Mariah Carey
The Black Crowes
Soundgarden
Phish

WHEN VOTING ROCKIST

Bad Company
Billy Idol
Phish
Soundgarden
The Black Crowes
Oasis
The White Stripes

WHEN VOTING FOR BANDS ONLY

Bad Company
Joy Division/New Order
Manà
Phish
Soundgarden
The Black Crowes
Oasis

WHEN VOTING FOR SOLO ARTISTS AND DUOS ONLY

Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Billy Idol
Cyndi Lauper
Mariah Carey
Outkast
The White Stripes

WHEN VOTING FOR WOMEN AND MINORITIES ONLY

Chubby Checker
Joy Division/New Order
Cyndi Lauper
Mariah Carey
Soundgarden
Outkast
The White Stripes

WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR TICKET SALES AND TELEVISION RATINGS

Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Manà
Cyndi Lauper
Mariah Carey
Outkast
The White Stripes

BEST CASE SCENARIO FOR TICKET SALES AND TELEVISION RATINGS (MY BALLOT)

Chubby Checker
Joe Cocker
Bad Company
Joy Division/New Order
Billy Idol
Cyndi Lauper
Soundgarden

[Brian]

One other thing that I'll note that's good about the ballot is that every artist on the ballot is a rock artist. I'm going to take a stab at ranking the artists by worthiness for induction:

1. Outkast
2. Mariah Carey
3. Joy Division/New Order
4. The White Stripes
5. Oasis
6. Chubby Checker
7. Soundgarden
8. Cyndi Lauper
9. Joe Cocker
10. Mana
11. Bad Company
12. Billy Idol
13. Phish
14. The Black Crowes

[Ryan]

If I had a ballot I'd vote for:

Cyndi Lauper
Mariah Carey
Joy Division/New Order
Outkast
Phish
Soundgarden
The White Stripes

[Zach]

Mana getting a nomination before the more celebrated and revered "Rock en Español" act Soda Stereo is icky to me. Plus, I just can't stand their vocalist.

My picks:

Soundgarden
Joy Division / New Order
OutKast
Mariah Carey
Chubby Checker
Oasis
Bad Company (Paul Rodgers should be in with SOMEbody)

[Ryan]

Mana getting a nomination before the more celebrated and revered "Rock en Español" act Soda Stereo is icky to me. Plus, I just can't stand their vocalist.

If it's any consolation, I've heard a lot of Latin American music fans and writers complain about Mana getting the nod before Soda Stereo too.

I am mostly unfamiliar with Mana's work, but I watched the documentary series Break It All on Netflix that is about the history of rock music in Latin America. Soda Stereo, Charly Garcia, Cafe Tacvba, Aterciopelados, and Los Prisioneros are among the artists that get a lot of screen time, but Mana is only in show briefly. In their segment, the other musicians talk about them very begrudgingly. It seems to me that they are viewed like Bon Jovi or Coldplay - massively popular, but not particularly cool.

[ManPerson]

My ranking would be
1. Mariah Carey
2. OutKast
3. Joy Division/New Order
4. Oasis
5. The White Stripes
6. Soundgarden
7. Cyndi Lauper
8. Chubby Checker
9. Joe Cocker
10. Mana
11. Bad Company
12. Billy Idol
13. Black Crowes
14. Phish

[Zach]

Mana getting a nomination before the more celebrated and revered "Rock en Español" act Soda Stereo is icky to me. Plus, I just can't stand their vocalist.

If it's any consolation, I've heard a lot of Latin American music fans and writers complain about Mana getting the nod before Soda Stereo too.

I am mostly unfamiliar with Mana's work, but I watched the documentary series Break It All on Netflix that is about the history of rock music in Latin America. Soda Stereo, Charly Garcia, Cafe Tacvba, Aterciopelados, and Los Prisioneros are among the artists that get a lot of screen time, but Mana is only in show briefly. In their segment, the other musicians talk about them very begrudgingly. It seems to me that they are viewed like Bon Jovi or Coldplay - massively popular, but not particularly cool.

That's pretty much it. Mana are a very unhip, sell-out type of band. Sold a ton, but beyond helping to expand Latino rock's audience, have little in terms of innovation or direct influence on subsequent generations. Their vocalist has a very distinct strained-sounding tone, which I find very grating. My wife laughs when she says they were her first concert.

A couple of the other names you mentioned (Charly Garcia, Cafe Tacvba) I'd honestly put in the Hall before Mana.

[Tim]

For what it's worth, Manà is ranked all the way down at #24 on DDD's Latin Rock list (which may be slanted towards acclaim rather than popularity).

[Brian]

Maybe this is one instance when the Musical Excellence category would actually be useful. I understand the wish to recognize Paul Rodgers, but Bad Company's catalog looks to me like it falls a little short, and that of Free even more so. So maybe the thing to do is to recognize Rodgers for Musical Excellence. I do think there's a good chance Bad Company will be inducted though.

An indicator of how this ballot doesn't look as strong to me as past ballots is that I figure The White Stripes as the #4 artist on this ballot, while on the other ballot they appeared, they could possibly have been as low as #8, with Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest, Joy Division/New Order, The Spinners, Iron Maiden, George Michael, and Kate Bush all arguably more worthy, though I'd probably give the Stripes a slight edge over Bush.

One might ask why I would put the Stripes ahead of Oasis. Oasis does beat the Stripes in popularity, but I think the Stripes deeper catalog is enough to make up for that. If one were to list the 6 greatest albums by either the Stripes or Oasis, I figure 2 would be by Oasis, and 4 would be by the Stripes. I don't think either has much influence, as both have something of a throwback sound, and most of the major Britpop artists had already released a record before Oasis released their first one. Ideally, both artists will be inducted this year.

[Elton-Cetera]

Chubby Checker’s nomination is a good sign. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not finished with nominating 50s-60s acts in the main performers category. One per year I guess. Jan & Dean, and the Monkees, should be next. Chubby Checker has tons of support. He will get inducted this year. No special category! The fact that Chubby Checker is doing better than The Black Crowes, Outkast, Mariah Carey, Oasis, The White Stripes, Joy Division/New Order, and Mana, on the fan poll, says a lot!!

[Ryan]

I'm putting together a write up about all the nominees for the website I'm part of, and here's a draft of the section I wrote about Phish. I think they have an interesting argument for induction, and not just because I am a fan.

This is a bit scattered and it's not everything I want to write, but it's the start of the section.

Phish are an interesting band to talk about from a Rock Hall perspective because so many of the regular qualifiers don't really apply to them. They have no hit singles, no albums that are certified higher than platinum, and their name means nothing outside of the US. And yet, they can headline and sell out Madison Square Garden every New Year's Eve, their festivals in the 90s directly inspired the likes of Bonnaroo and other modern music festivals, if you follow music news they show up a couple times a year, they are one of the consistently highest grossing concert acts in the US. They have a lot of influence on later bands - from obvious descendants like Jack Johnson and OAR to less obvious cases like Vampire Weekend and Eric Church, and there's a whole ecosystem of bands on the jam band circuit who are indebted to Phish. They are one of the biggest cult bands in history, and they had one of the first fandoms that grew and cultivated online in the mid 1990s.

If one bands gets in through their strength as a live band first and foremost - even the Dead have classic songs that get played on the radio - it's Phish.

That being said, I have no idea how well they'd do on the actual ballot. They have some support in the industry - Carlos Santana was an early booster of their music - but they might be a band whose name is well known but their actual music is not to a lot of voters.

[Elton-Cetera]

Dave Matthews Band won the fan poll the first time they were nominated, but were not inducted. Same thing will most likely happen to Phish.

[Elton-Cetera]

Matt Cameron is the only person who could get a second induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this year. Matt Cameron was inducted in 2017 as a member of Pearl Jam. This year he is nominated as a member of Soundgarden. If inducted, it would mean he waited 8 years between his first and second induction. Curtis Mayfield is the only other person to wait 8 years between his first and second inductions.

So, Foreigner was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024, which made me think King Crimson would get nominated for 2025 because Ian McDonald was a member of both, Foreigner and King Crimson. Instead, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominated another band with a connection to King Crimson, which is Bad Company. Boz Burrell was a member of both, King Crimson and Bad Company. This leads me to believe King Crimson will finally be nominated and inducted in 2026. Three members of King Crimson will have already been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Bill Bruford in 2017 (Yes), Ian McDonald in 2024 (Foreigner), and Boz Burrell in 2025 (Bad Company). Only Bill Bruford is still alive and able to vote for himself. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has interviewed Bill Bruford twice already in the past 8 years, but still no nomination for King Crimson.


Foreigner

01. Mick Jones (1976-2024; lead guitar; Spooky Tooth)
02. Lou Gramm (1976-2004; lead vocals)
03. Ed Gagliardi (1976-1979; bass guitar)
04. Al Greenwood (1976-1981; keyboards, synthesizers)
05. Ian McDonald (1976-1981; guitar, saxophone; King Crimson)
06. Dennis Elliott (1976-1991; drums, percussion)
07. Rick Wills (1979-1993; bass guitar)

Bad Company

01. Paul Rodgers (1973-2019: vocals, guitar, piano; Free)
02. Simon Kirke (1973-2019: vocals, drums; Free)
03. Mick Ralphs (1973-2016: vocals, guitar; Mott the Hoople)
04. Boz Burrell (1973-1999: vocals, bass guitar; King Crimson)

King Crimson

01. Robert Fripp (1968-Present: guitar, keyboards)
02. Greg Lake (1968-1970: vocals, bass; Emerson, Lake and Palmer, The Gods, Asia)
03. Ian McDonald (1968-1969: woodwinds, keyboards, guitar; Foreigner)
04. Michael Giles (1968-1969: vocals, drums)
05. Peter Sinfield (1968-1972: lyrics, keyboards, synthesizers)
06. Gordon Haskell (1970-1971: vocals, bass; Les Fleur de Lys)
07. Mel Collins (1970-1972: saxophone, flute, keyboards)
08. Andy McCulloch (1970-1971: drums)
09. Boz Burrell (1971-1972: vocals, bass; Bad Company)
10. Ian Wallace (1971-1972: drums)
11. John Wetton (1972-1974: vocals, bass; Family, Roxy Music, Asia)
12. David Cross (1972-1974: violin, viola, keyboards)
13. Bill Bruford (1972-1998: drums; Yes)
14. Jaime Muir (1972-1973: percussion)
15. Adrian Belew (1981-2009: vocals, guitar)
16. Tony Levin (1981-Present: bass, keyboards)
17. Trey Gunn (1994-2003: guitar)
18. Pat Mastelotto (1994-Present: drums; Mr. Mister)

[Elton-Cetera]

If the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can put Phish, Soundgarden, The Black Crowes, and Oasis all together on the same ballot, they sure as hell can do the same thing with Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and Blood, Sweat & Tears.