Originally a Glam Rock band, it was not until Japan embraced Synth Pop that they really hit their stride. Combining exotic influences with an Electronic sound, Japan was making some interesting music that was defining the New Romantic genre. Synth Pop hasn’t seen an inductee yet and the odds of the perceived pretentious Japan likely won’t be the gate crasher for the genre.

The Philly Soul sound which has been ignored by the Hall thus far could find an entrant in the Delfonics whose smooth Soul was among the sleekest of the era. With a sensual tone that still had innocence around it, the Delfonics have been sampled regularly and as such have stayed a little bit more in the public consciousness than some of the other Philly Soul acts. They probably won’t be the second Philly Soul entry into the Hall, though it would not be a crime if they were.

Picking up where KISS left off (which depending on your point of view is either good or bad) Twisted Sister had a pair of the most iconic videos of the early MTV age and with a eccentric blend of 70’s Glam and 80’s Hard Rock they seemed poise to have a long run. It didn’t happen, but with a huge album and an image that is still known today Twisted Sister may have (though for a brief time) captured the rebelliousness of youth better than anyone else did….or at least figured out to commercialize it.

A band that helped usher in the Industrial sound to music, Cabaret Voltaire was a very intriguing act. Rather than stay and pursue the soon to explode Industrial sound, Cabaret Voltaire ventured into other forms of electronic experimentation that ranged from Electro Funk to House. Cabaret Voltaire watched as other artists crashed through the doors that they creaked open, and despite a long lasting career have remained very much under the radar.