Rock and Roll's so-called "Hall of Fame" allows Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt and Cat Stevens stroll up its bright red carpet this week. We'd like to offer our congratulations to all the inductees — but we're a little concerned that they're ignoring people they really shouldn't be ignoring.
So here’s ten artists who aren’t in the Hall of Fame but should be, selected using exactly the same procedure as the real thing — by sticking pins in our well-thumbed copy of the Ladybird Encyclopdia of Rock.
**Procol Harum **
Granted, most of the population can’t name a second song by Procol Harum, but the first? It’s the most played track in the entire history of radio, ever. If that can’t get you in, what hope do the rest have?
**Iron Maiden **
Britain’s most successful export since the Mini Cooper, Maiden straddle the globe like a giant metal colussus, rocking the free world from Buenos Airies to Böblingen, yet the Hall of Fame remains behind the Iron curtain.
Thin Lizzy
Fact: without Thin Lizzy there would be no Metallica, yet Metallica made it in 2009. Something’s seriously amiss.
Ted Nugent
Surely, in an organisation as conservative as the Hall of Fame, there’s room for the red, white and blue crossbow-totin’ wildman?
**Journey **
Big-haired jazz-fusionists turned smooth AOR legends, Journey’s journey has been the ultimate American dream. Just ask Philippino lead singer Arnel Pineda.
**Motörhead **
Because we’d like to see the band perform at the induction ceremony, Marshalls ramped up to 12 as that lighting rig swoops in to strafe the quaking, canape-guzzling audience.
Deep Purple
Is it because they’d have to talk to each other?
Status Quo
We suspect the Quo’s absence from the invite list is probably due to their relative lack of Stateside popularity. But if the internet has taught us anything (apart from that monkeys can ride pigs) it’s that rock music is a truly global affair. See also: Slade, Roxy Music, Kate Bush, Cliff Richard.
Rush
They’re massive, but no-one ever gives them the credit they deserve. Yet they’ve sold 40 million albums and were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame a full twenty years ago. Will no-one ever listen? Hold on… what do you mean they were admitted last year? Really? Oh.
**Cradle of Filth **
Because it would be funny.
So that’s our top ten. If you’ve got better suggestions, please leave a comment below.
