As one of the most successful Southern Rock bands, .38 Special’s brand of Southern Fried Pop was a successful recipe for success in the 80’s. Basically a cross between Lynyrd Syknyrd and Arena Rock, .38 Special’s playful hits found a wide variety of fans as they could appeal to Hard Rock, Country and Pop crowds. Their drawback was that they were not considered a “deep” enough band, and with Skynyrd and the Allmans already in, the debt to Southern Rock may be filled with bands that the Hall considers more textured.

If any band could have been classified as too Punk for Punk, it may have been the leaders of the Anarchist Punk Movement, Crass. This was a band that did not just sing about anarchy and change; they lived it. There was no topic they did not have an opinion on and they followed what they believed was Punk ideology to the letter. With such hardcore beliefs, Crass was never capable of reaching any level of the mainstream but there was no band on this list that would have rejected more than this band (and there are some on this list who certainly would have). The rejection letter they would send the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame upon any induction would make the Sex Pistols seem tame by comparison. Of course, the chances of Crass getting that invite are next to nonexistent anyway.

Perhaps way ahead of their time, Camper Van Beethoven was merging whatever styles they felt like and was one of the darlings of the underground scene of the 1980’s. The styles they merged ranged anywhere from various World Music influences, Punk, Ska, Folk and virtually anything else they wished to. The California band was absurdly creative and was a very fun band to watch. Had they been a little more serious lyrically it is possible that they may have been perceived less campy and their musicianship would have been featured more prominently, but without that irreverence it just wouldn’t have been the same band.

Although they were though of us primarily as a British New Wave band, ABC actually drew from a lot of American R&B to create their music. This sleek amalgamation was created some of the catchier Synth Pop of the era which also charted well. Many of the New Wave associated bands had a short shelf life, though ABC had a fairly decent run. They didn’t make it to the 90’s, but reflection of their era has generated new respect for them.