gold star for USAHOF

2022 Rock Eligibles

If you were in to slickly produced Pop, there was few better than Australia’s Savage Garden. Although they only had two albums, they sold well and churned out hits internationally. Pop in its purest form has entered the Hall (ABBA), but the body of work pales in comparison to the Swedish stars. Basically, we can’t see this happening.
Although they sounded more like a Retro Novelty band than a Modern Rock outfit, Smash Mouth was able to secure several hits in the late 90’s. We do however question any band’s Hall of Fame chances when the lead singer appears in the Surreal Life. That is not something a Hall of Famer should (or would) do.
One of the best bands to ever come out of Wales, Stereophonics captured the U.K. market with their straight ahead attack of Rock and Roll. They have (and as of this writing continue to have) a long list of hit albums and singles but again, this is the case of another band of the United kingdom that failed to become a commercially viable entity in the…
Initially a contemporary Christian Rock band, Switchfoot transitioned into a very solid Rock band with a lot of mainstream appeal. As they hit it bigger a few years after the Grunge/Alternative boom was over, the band did not face the backlash that other bands with a similar sound faced only a half-decade before did, and with other Christian Rock bands who had successfully crossed over before,…
Virtually impossible to categorize, The Avalanches were a virtual smorgasbord of Electronic based music out of an unlikely place (Australia). Although they had one very critically respected album, they did not do much else and one acclaimed (yet relatively unpurchased) album does not a Hall of Fame career make.
You would initially think that the Crystal Method were British as they had a very similar sound to the Big Beat Rock styled Electronica that was popular in the U.K. in the late 90’s, but this was an American born outfit from Las Vegas. As such, they could very well be one of the most successful American groups of that genre for that time period, but…
Considered a very influential band in terms of the Emo scene, The Get Up Kids have been cited as a vital cog to that genre’s progression in the late 90’s. Although that perception is relatively accurate, the bands they helped to inspire far surpassed them in terms of record sales and should any of those floppy haired acts get in, it will likely be one of…
A very poppish Post-Grunge band that may have leaned more towards Adult Contemporary than Adult Alternative, Third Eye Blind, had a very successful debut album, but like so many has watched every effort since then decline in record sales and critical respect. There is only so far you can go for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame consideration with this as your resume.
Realistically, not a threat as a performer, Timbaland is making a solid stake for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Producer or a Songwriter. The list of hits that he has been a part of seems to be endless, and is continuing to grow. Again, the odds of us ranking him as a performer seems remote, but she would ever do a non-performer…
One of the more beautiful sounding of the BritPop acts (and we mean this in the nicest way), Scotland’s Travis had a bona fide ten year run of decent hits in the U.K. As successful as they were however, Travis never had a major smash and had to be content with always being on the fringe of superstardom, which was still a decent place to be,…
Massively successful as an actor, it is forgotten sometimes that Will Smith had a fruitful career as a solo artist. His music was a little more serious than with the D.J. Jazzy Jeff and more R&B oriented, but still essentially Pop in orientation. Smith’s music may have been fun, but there is only so far in a Hall of Fame that can go.
He may not be the best known Fugee, but Wyclef Jean may be the most talented one. Upon the breakup of the Fugees, Jean was able to show the breadth of his musical skills which made him one of the most diverse Hip Hop artists of his time. That did not necessarily make him one of the most successful, for as though he remained in the…