Skinny ties required for rock hall's next class
By Elysa Gardner


Next year will mark the second wave of New Wave inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. British acts Elvis Costello and The Attractions, The Clash and The Police, all of them first-time nominees, will join last year's American post-punk initiates The Ramones and Talking Heads at the Hall's 18th annual induction ceremony.

Aussie hard-rock heroes AC/DC and '60s blue-eyed soul duo the Righteous Brothers round out next year's list of honored artists, who all became eligible 25 years after the release of their first recording.

Nominees who didn't make the rock-centric final cut include three major '70s groups: disco outfit Chic, Swedish pop quartet ABBA and seminal Southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd. Also passed over: the Sex Pistols, the Patti Smith Group, The MC5, The Dells, Steve Winwood and Kraftwerk. Even Black Sabbath missed out, despite frontman Ozzy Osbourne's current cachet.

The induction ceremony will take place March 10 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. An edited version will air on VH1, also in March.

Black Sabbath denied??? Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!

well maybe next year. plus, the police over sabbath, poleezze

Actually, the Attractions didn't join up with Costello until his second album, 1978's "This Year's Model". But what the heck am I quibbling about? EC and the Clash are two of my favs, so this is good news. But they really shouldn't pass up ABBA or Sabbath.

As long as KISS and Black Sabbath are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it will be referred to (by me) as the Rock and Roll Hall of Sham.

It's a joke that two of the most successful and influential bands of all time are not in. Hell, KISS wasn't even nominated. AC/DC gets in and KISS can't get nominated? Come on.... AC/DC is a GREAT band, but if they're in KISS and Sabbath have GOT to get in, or else the Hall is a TOTAL joke.

It is kind of interesting who was left out on the list, but at least the voting wasn't only according to sales. Voting in the Clash/Costello over Sabbath and Kiss is funny to me (in a very very good way). Would like to see Kraftwerk get in for sure. I'm sure those acts listed that didn't make it eventually will.

Best inductee lineup ever. I'll definitely be catching this one on VH1.

Now THIS is funny.

It's a shame that Abba was denied in favor of the Police (blandest band ever?), but the Rock Hall has little to do with talent and more to do with Jann Wenner's and Ahment Erghun's personal faves (I mean, I absolutely love MC5, but there's no way they deserve to be in there. Them getting nominated was a bit ridiculous, to say the least).

I doubt Kraftwerk will make it. Many industry folks still consider them a joke, which is a joke in itself.

I also agree that ABBA was shafted. Hopefully they will make it in next year.

OK, NOT in the hall

Black Sabbath, KISS, Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy (if the Ramones are in , Thin Lizzy should be in), etc, etc, etc...

Now that's a joke - a bad one...

Sabbath and Skynyrd belong, sure. Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy are borderline and I doubt will end up making it.

Kiss will never make it. Never. The only way Kiss was unique was their ability to bilk their fans out of every cent they could, and this is not something that should be rewarded. Alice Cooper had some great singles, but his career was much too limited to warrant such an "honor," in my mind.

think Van Halen will be inducted next year when they become eligible?

I don't think so.

I think they deserve to, but I don't think it'll happen.

to AC/DC...this should have happened a while ago.

What makes a band eligible? Is it something about the length of time after their first release?

25 years

I've been a huge fan of makeup era Kiss since I was a kid, but I agree they should not make it. When the reunion tour was launched in 96 they were getting alot of respect and mention as one of the primary influences of many young bands. I felt at the time they could make a case for it. I've changed my opinion now that since that time we have seen endless shilling by Gene for the almighty dollar (Kiss caskets anyone?)

Thin Lizzy will never make it nor should they.

I'm not the biggest Skynyrd fan but I feel they will eventually be voted in within the next couple of years.

It may not have had anything to do with it but I feel that Sabbath was bypassed (again) this year due to Ozzy's mainstream popularity. Had they been voted in, many would have claimed it was just to have Ozzy on the show...brought to you by VH-1

Can't wait to see the Clash and Police perform one more time!

As for Van Halen, they will eventually get in but I really don't know if they will get in on the first try. That will be interesting when they are inducted. Think Gary Cherone will have anything to say?

Van Halen goes in on first year eligible, there is no doubt in my mind about that.

If Kiss does get in, it can't be for anything post 1979. What a joke of a "band". I just saw Bjorn Again last weekend and it was a blast. It would be fun to see Abba perform if they ever made it in.

Where's the obligatory ancient doo-wop group nobody remembers?

And where's Rush?

AC/DC

I doubt it, they want us to remember them as they were in the 70's. I think it would be great just to see them do one performance though.

I know I'm getting old when the music I've grown up with is entering the hall instead of "oldies" before my time... to this year's lineup though, for my tastes the best lineup yet. Will have to catch the special and obligatory jam on the tube.

Look, love or hate them, KISS deserves to be in.

How many bands have been more successful and influential? Just a handful - and they're all in the Hall already.

YOU may not like their music, but obviously a lot of people do. And you can't just say that their post 70's career sucked, because it didn't. They put out some GREAT albums after the 70's (Creatures Of The Night, Lick It Up, Asylum, Revenge, Carnival Of Souls) and they had 10 Gold and at least 5 Platinum (million selling) albums since the 70's. Once you add the fact that their 1996 "Reunion" tour was the #1 tour of that year, you have to put them in.

What qualifies a band? Success? Impact on the music industry? KISS is one of the elite in those categories - like it or not. Quality of music? That's subjective, and hard to quantify. For KISS fans they certainly more than qualify in that category.

And is the Rock and Roll Hall of SHAM interested ONLY in success in America, or does worldwide success count? If it does, then Thin Lizzy HAS to go in, since they were one of the U.K.'s most successful bands from 1976 to the end of their career in 1984. They had a string of hit albums in the U.K. - and they were one of the most influential bands of their era worldwide.

Deep Purple is a no-brainer, HUGE band in their day, and one of the best Rock and Roll bands ever - and they are still around, and STILL putting out great albums and doing GREAT live shows.

Alice Cooper - again, impact - success and influence. And a strong comeback in the late 80's should show that he wasn't just a flash in the pan.

Skynyrd? Come on, no brainer. GOTTA be in or the Hall's a joke (ok, more of a joke).

Sabbath? Just as influential as KISS, maybe moreso. They may not have kept the success level up as much as KISS did throughout their career, but Sabbath has a good number of Gold and Platinum albums. The Hall became a joke when these guys first didn't get in.

The guys voting on who goes in or not seem to be a pretty pretentious bunch. Working class bands like these deserve to get in.

I guess David Lee Roth was right when it comes to critics.

So, B5Erik, how good a band is is subjective unless you are the one declaring it? And how was KISS influential. In what way? Define influence to me.

Kiss isn't pretentious? Here's one definition of that word: "Making or marked by an extravagant outward show." B5Erik, I personally think your argument drops WAAAY down when you start talking about that 80's/90's-era KISS stuff. I feel very strange defending that band, but what they did in the 70's was light years better and different. Or was I just 13-years-old then and didn't know any better? I do know this, when I was in college and I heard the bands that influenced KISS (New York Dolls, glam rock, etc.) it didn't take me long to realize that KISS would NOT have gone anywhere without the makeup schtick. I actually enjoy their first album and "Destroyer", but only in a nostalgiac sense. KISS is NOT an elite band.

Working class bands? The Clash is more working-class than KISS. I think even AC/DC is more working-class. All those "pretentious" punk bands that got in in the last few years were more working-class as well... the Ramones for sure.

I am not really into awards or memorials. Maybe one day if I'm in Cleveland I'll check out the hall of fame. I'm thankful that the people in charge are picking some incredibly great bands recently to join.