At some point in time the Rock and Roll Hall Fame might induct Bob Geldof for his charitable work with Live Aid (and rightfully so we think), but the question of whether Geldof is worthy musically is very much in doubt. His musical high water mark was the artistically brilliant band, the Boomtown Rats which was amongst the most cerebral of the New Wave bands. The Rats were a good band, though likely not on the radar long enough for an induction, but it is conceivable that the Hall may honor Bob Geldof (and the Boomtown Rats by proxy) just to have the Irish philanthropist in.

As one of the main groups in the Neo-Progressive genre that started in the early 80’s, Marillion is unarguably it’s most enduring. Still active today, Marillion has continued their “progression” treating each album as a reaction to their last. As enduring as their fans are, and as successful as they were in England one question concerning the Hall seems obvious to us: if Progressive Rock artists can’t get in what chance does a Neo-Progressive band have?

Critics in England may have loved the Sophisti-Pop sound of Prefab Sprout and with their cerebral songwriting there was lot of positive elements to write about. They did sell some albums and had some hits (not in the U.S. though) but they never caught on to the masses who found them a little inaccessible. Those however who did try to understand them are usually glad they did.

With his release of Tubular Bells, the haunting theme from the Exorcist, Mike Oldfield had a surprise number one hit in England on his hands. Oldfield had indirectly ushered in the New Age genre and as such became known as one of the most respected musicians in England. He never reached that level of success but by pushing the Electronic platform he does meet the influence category that the Hall claims to look for.