Artists who aren't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (but should be)

The pioneering German electronic group Kraftwerk's influence on popular music is incalculable. Pushing synth-pop out from the fringes and into the mainstream, it managed to score hits in the U.K. and has shown that even when pop songs are composed with synths and computers, the resulting rhythms can profoundly move us. The group was nominated for the Rock Hall for the 2013, 2015 and 2019 classes and is on the 2020 ballot as well. Perhaps this year Kraftwerk will finally get some computer love.

The first EP (self-titled, of course) for the post-hardcore kingpins came out in 1988 and opened with "Waiting Room." It is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest rock songs written. Guy Picciotto and Ian MacKaye have written generation-defining numbers that have found an audience despite defying the traditional record label system. To be fair, the group would probably scoff at Rock Hall recognition, but few others would argue its importance.

When Bob Marley was inducted into the Hall in 1994, he went in as a solo artist and not with his group, The Wailers. Many greats have emerged from that legendary reggae group, including Bunny Wailer and, of course, Peter Tosh. The Rolling Stones signed him to their vanity imprint label and helped put out several of his records in the late '70s and early '80s. The Rock Hall has recognized other reggae greats (Jimmy Cliff was inducted in 2010), but Tosh has been conspicuously absent. C'mon, Rock Hall!

Depeche Mode's contribution to popular music might seem simple, but it's still significant: The group brought electronic music to the rock-loving populace. It's a move we take for granted these days, but back then, seeing a group that specialized in electro-pop selling out stadiums and courting goth-rockers into its ranks absolutely cannot be understated. Rock Hall voters have taken notice, nominating the group for the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 ceremonies. Maybe the band just needs to reach out and touch faith.

Link Wray's first single was "Rumble," universally acknowledged as the first time a "power chord" had been played in a pop song context and thereby setting the entirety of rock 'n' roll in motion. His guitar tones? Legendary. His early singles and self-titled debut? Classics. His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction? Still non-existent. The 2018 ceremony debuted a new category for singles that helped shape rock music — Wray's "Rumble" was justifiably included, coupled with a nomination for Wray on the ballot that year. Still, some probably viewed the induction of "Rumble" as more important than Wray getting into the Hall on his own. It's frustrating for sure, and as for the rest of his body of work? His day has yet to come.

Of all of the artists on this list, Whitney Houston is most deserving of inclusion in the Hall. Eligible since 2010, Houston — arguably among the greatest vocalists in the history of contemporary pop music — hadn't even been on a ballot until now. Perhaps there's a bias against her because she rarely had a hand in writing her own songs. But Houston completely owned any track she touched; in the case of the Dolly Parton's number "I Will Always Love You," she turned it into a modern-day standard and one that will be associated with Whitney forever. She's overdue for Hall recognition. 

For many people, The B-52's are known as that party-pop group behind goofy singles such as "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack." But those who own their albums know the real truth: They were pioneering New Wave rockers who had a knack for kitsch but songwriting chops that were beyond their years. They wrote layered and intricate guitar parts to songs that were as weird as they were instantly memorable. Their 1979 self-titled debut is as close to flawless as you can get, but the Rock Hall has yet to recognize the group's greatness. Perhaps The B-52's are too goofy or too comedic to be taken seriously. Yet quirk-pop is still pop music, and The B-52's have influenced a generation of oddballs. 

The name of the institution is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but the genre that is "rock" is something of a misnomer. After all, rock as we know it was built on traditions of blues and folk, with some of our most legendary musicians having influences that trace to the blues and country records of old. Thus, the Rock Hall has been fine with including artists from the pop, rap and blues world. But jazz artists are a bit of an afterthought for voters. While Miles Davis was deservedly voted in during the 2006 ceremony, the great Coltrane, a post-bop pioneer who helped rewrite the rules as to what jazz was capable of — from "Giant Steps" to "A Love Supreme" to too many other legendary recordings to count — has been absent from voters' thoughts. The number of musicians who cite him as a direct influence should easily push him onto a ballot.

In the '90s, Billy Corgan and his bandmates could seemingly do no wrong, with "Siamese Dream" (1993) and double-disc "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" (1995). It made for that perfect cross-section between hard rock and art rock, giving permission slips to a generation of artists to be weird and opulent and indulgent. At the peak of his powers, Corgan could indulge better than anyone else. While the group's eligibility period has been recent (it could've made it in with the 2016 class), it has yet to be formally nominated. 

If there's any rap-metal group that deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as other hard rock greats, Rage Against the Machine is it. Although the group's reign lasted less than a decade, its influence and raw power could be felt across numerous groups and subgenres. The band proved that you don't have to compromise yourself to be successful, wrapping up profanities and pointed political rhetoric in not only some of the hardest-rocking songs of the '90s but also in mosh pits the world over. The group was on the ballot for 2018 and 2019 but has yet to make it in.

With Steely Dan, The Cars, Chicago, Journey and Cheap Trick occupying slots in the Rock Hall, surely there must be room for The Doobies. Whether you prefer the Tom Johnston-era classics or the "McDoobies" phase wherein Michael McDonald seized creative control of the band, there's no denying that among "Black Water," "What a Fool Believes," "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Takin' It to the Streets," the band has an insurmountable legacy of undeniable pop-rock classics. Maybe the members in charge of nominations haven't given the Doobies much thought, but then again, maybe they just need to listen to the music.

It's no exaggeration that in terms of rap MC's, there was the time before Rakim and the time after. Before Rakim, MC's commonly adopted the "my name is this and I'm here to say..." style of rhyme schemes because that was the template that people knew and that's what was selling. Rakim absolutely changed the game, premiering a flow and lyricism that defied previously known rap verse conventions. Eric B.'s creative use of sampling helped pave the way for innovative producers such as Prince Paul and The Dust Brothers, but from "Paid in Full" onward, the influence and power of this dynamic duo is unquestioned. Now that N.W.A. And Run-DMC are in the Rock Hall, it's about time Eric B. & Rakim got that love too.

When Metallica was nominated for the Rock Hall in 2009, no one questioned the band's chances. After all, no metal band has been as influential as Metallica. But one band's induction doesn't mean the Rock Hall can wipe its hands of thrash and be done with it. Let's be real: Slayer's "Reign in Blood" ranks right up there with Metallica's "Master of Puppets" as a record that defined the genre, and both came out in 1986. Slayer is owed a spot in the Rock Hall.

In 1991, when Ike & Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock Hall, the news release at the time said, "Ike and Tina Turner were such a presence onstage that even their own albums don't do them justice." In a similar vein, Tina Turner also deserves her own solo justice. The Beatles were inducted into the Rock Hall as a band and for their own solo careers. Tina deserves the same treatment, as her career post-Ike is still what she's best known for. "What's Love Got to Do with It", "Private Dancer," "We Don't Need Another Hero" — there are so many great Tina songs in the pop music spectrum, making her absolutely worthy of her solo induction. She is, after all, simply the best.

Think about this: The Moody Blues are in the Rock Hall, but King Crimson is not. If you want to talk about pioneers of prog and psychedelic rock, King Crimson is basically patient zero for a lot of artists (sorry, Moodys), with their 1969 debut "In the Court of the Crimson King" serving as the basis that so many prog rockers would base their entire careers off. From the Mellotron synth sounds to the ever-changing songscapes, King Crimson broke a lot of rules and reinvented rock into a new form. But it hasn't made it onto the ballot even once in the past 10 years. If Kanye is bold enough to sample the group on one of his magnum opuses, you'd think the Rock Hall would want in on some of that action too.

Underrated in its day, Big Star wrote the playbook on modern power-pop, with Alex Chilton and Chris Bell arguing over who could make the most perfect of rock numbers. The band's dynamic was incredible, resulting in 1972's "#1 Record," probably one of the finest pop albums made. More and more people cite Big Star as an influence, even as it got weirder as time went on and the lineups changed. Yet if we're being honest, you could induct Big Star on that first album alone. "The Ballad of El Goodo," "In the Streets," "Thirteen" and "September Gurls" are ringing thesis statements for Big Star finally getting recognition.

The noisy, chaotic and downright boundary-pushing Velvet Underground was rightfully inducted into the Rock Hall in 1996. With few exceptions, there are not many bands in the RRHOF that were as abrasive and boundary-breaking as Lou Reed and his gang of artful tinkerers. Sonic Youth, unquestionably, is heir to that throne, having so thrillingly captured what the "college rock" alternative scene was in the late '80s and early '90s. 1988's "Daydream Nation" remains the group's calling card, but between "Goo" and "Dirty" and even latter-day efforts such as "Rather Ripped," the band made the avant-garde sound damn near cool for a whole new generation of audiences.

The Rock Hall has gone out of its way to include jazz legends Miles Davis and reggae icons Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. There's a place in the Rock Hall for innovators such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, too. More than just the man behind "The Girl from Ipanema," Jobim brought bossa nova to the mainstream, collaborating with Frank Sinatra and Brazilian hero Elis Regina across expertly executed songs that mixed tropical flavors with jazz and pop stylings. Everyone from Sergio Mendes to Wayne Shorter are indebted to Jobim's breakthroughs. The Rock Hall includes jazz, reggae and hip-hop greats, so Jobim's inclusion should be a no-brainer.

Having emerged from the ashes of the dark post-punk outfit Joy Division, New Order became a lot of bands during its multi-decade run. It was at once synth-poppers, alt-rockers and dance kingpins, sometimes over the course of the same album. Peter Hook's bass work remains iconic and distinct in its own right, and by the time the 2001 album "Get Ready" came out, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie and The Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan contributed guest vocals, paying tribute to a band that affected them in profound ways. Sometimes the Rock Hall seems to be afraid of more synth-based artists, but after inducting The Cars in 2018 and Roxy Music in 2019, groups like New Order seem like they're next up to bat for the ballots.

Parsons was enormously influential in country and rock. A brilliant songwriter, he died in 1973, before his second album was released. His songs have been covered by a litany of rock artists, with the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Wilco and R.E.M. citing him as an undeniable inspiration. Parsons' influence on the rock scene has never been in doubt.

Warren Zevon was never a huge commercial force outside his signature hit, "Werewolves of London." But he had his tendrils deep in the industry, having worked and befriended everyone from The Everly Brothers to Jackson Browne to Stevie Nicks. Beloved by critics for his throwback A.M. pop style and remarkably subversive lyrics, Zevon was a quiet kingpin in his own right, forming a one-off band with R.E.M. called Hindu Love Gods, which found success with a cover of Prince's "Raspberry Beret." Everyone from Elvis Costello to John Hiatt viewed him as a contemporary, and it's about time the Rock Hall did the same.

This one hurts, almost to the point of being insulting. There have been many disco greats inducted into the Rock Hall, from The Bee Gees (in 1997) to Donna Summer (in 2013) — but no Chic, one of the premier disco outfits of the era. Rock Hall voters are certainly aware of Chic's power but have refused to recognize it. Since the 2007 ceremony alone, Chic has been on the ballot an astonishing nine times, most recently in 2017. Even Nile Rogers' work with Daft Punk in 2013 wasn't enough to push the band into the Hall. Sure, Rogers got a separate award in 2017 for "Musical Excellence," but that felt more like a consolation prize than a formal recognition of the band. Unfortunately, having not been on the ballot this last year, it seems their time for Rock Hall entry may have passed.

It's hard to think of a person among recent nominees who has wielded more individual influence than Eno. His solo albums in the '70s were pop-rock boundary-breakers — he basically invented ambient music as it is known in its contemporary form. He also has been one of the more progressive producers in rock, having helmed classic albums by the Talking Heads, Devo , U2, David Bowie and Coldplay. It's great that he's in the Rock Hall for his too-brief work with Roxy Music, but he absolutely deserves to be recognized for his own contributions.

Even if you don't know any of her songs or just know her for that swan-dress she wore to the Oscars, Björk remains one of the great pop-music innovators. In truth, Björk has innovated and downright predicted pop trends far in advance of them becoming mainstream, putting industrial rock into a pop context and making laptop pop a thing before it actually became a thing. She has numerous albums and singles that can be considered undeniable classics, and, if counting 1993's "Debut" as the true and proper start of her solo career despite a couple of releases prior, she's been eligible since the 2018 ceremony onward. As one of pop music's true innovators, she's absolutely owed her due.

Finally eligible for the 2019 induction onward, OutKast rewrote the rules of rap music. It pioneered the Southern brand of psychedelic rap music, bringing it fully into the mainstream. While Big Boi played the role of the wordsmith pimp and Andre 3000 was the interstellar poet, the dynamic between the two resulted in some of the most frenetic, exciting and genre-busting rap and pop music to exist. OutKast has long been hailed as one of the great rap duos, and now that they're eligible for the Hall, it'd be great to see that recognition writ large.

With Metallica and Nirvana finally taking their seats in the Rock Hall, it's been a wonderful thing to see the RRHOF expand the definition of what its inductees are capable of, as thrash and grunge are just subgenres that contribute to rock's rich tapestry of styles. As such, industrial rock deserves its own time in the shrine, and it's hard to think of any more deserving candidate than Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails. The Rock Hall is aware of Nine Inch Nails' standing in history — the band appeared on a ballot for consideration in the 2015 and 2016 class appears on it once again for 2020. It has yet to earn enough votes for inclusion. And to be honest? That really...hurts.

Todd Rundgren has done it all, from garage-fuzz of The Nazz to his innovative solo career to his prog-rock indulgences with his band Utopia to his work as a go-to producer. He frequently played every instrument on his solo albums just because he can. While his experiments don't always work, he's nonetheless dabbled in AM radio pop and hard rock in equal measure, crafting great songs such as "Hello It's Me" and goofy one-offs like "Bang the Drum All Day." On top of that, he's produced outstanding albums by Badfinger, Sparks, New York Dolls, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates and XTC. He was finally on the ballot for the 2019 class but didn't get enough votes to get in; however he is on the 2020 ballot for another shot. Let's hope that Todd and the Rock Hall can still be friends.

Dick Dale, the "King of the Surf Guitar," recently died at 81. In his later years, he still toured as a way to pay his medical bills. Dale had a huge influence in surf rock. He was fine if people just knew him for "Miserlou," his famed Tarantino-picked theme song for "Pulp Fiction." But a quick listen to everything from his raucous "Nitrus" to his wet-and-wild take of "Hava Nagila" proved that he was performer of unusual strength and ferocity. The Beach Boys are deservedly in the Hall, so let's make sure they aren't the only recognized ambassadors of surf rock.

Few bands have radically reinvented themselves the way Talk Talk did. Fronted by Mark Hollis, the group started out as '80s synth-pop titans, with "It's My Life" absolutely becoming a standard. Talk Talk's albums became progressively spacier, more ambient and jazzier. After listening to 1982 release "The Party's Over" and the sparse, ignored-at-the-time 1991 masterpiece "Laughing Stock," you'd think these were two different bands that lived on two different continents. "Laughing Stock," in particular, has grown in influence, with numerous musicians citing it as one of the most beautiful, inspirational pieces of music they've heard. Hollis died in 2019, so Talk Talk deserves its place in the Rock Hall now more than ever.