Glenn Tipton, guitarist for Judas Priest, told MTV that if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ever inducted them, they would be proud to accept the award:

Though they still come out with fresh experiments like [their new concept album, Nostradamus], Priest have been banging their heads for more than three decades. But the veterans have never been considered for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, despite being eligible since 1999. Tipton said it's an honor the band would welcome but one he doesn't expect anytime soon.

"We'd absolutely be honored by it, but we have no control over that," he said. "Besides, we haven't been noticed for 30 years. Maybe they'll notice us now that we've crossed that 30-year mark."

Maybe in researching the new album, Tipton discovered the writings where Nostradamus predicted that Judas Priest would be inducted in 2009. Given the current constitution of the Nominating Committee, it will probably take a lot longer than that before 70's and 80's metal get recognized by the Hall of Fame.

Phil Gallo, over at Variety, discusses whether or not Chicago and the Doobie Brothers should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He argues that Chicago deserves it, but the Doobies don't (but he never really states why not).

His case for Chicago:

Chicago... were revolutionaries. "CTA," "Chicago," "III," "V," "VI" and "XI" pushed the limits on conceptual boundaries and displayed superb musicianship. And they had hits, which has somehow been labeled as a sin over time.

I have been appalled by the acts that have made it in ahead of them. It shows the bias of the hall's voters - they are either too old to have the wistful childhood memories of the early '70s or too young to fully appreciate how distinctive they were in the pop landscape at the time. Chicago made a difference back then.

Both Chicago and the Doobies are fan favorites, but each have been eligible for over 10 years without a single nomination, so they have to be considered long shots for future induction until the Rock Hall reconsiders the 70's.

Idolator came up with a list of 70's snubs:

ABBA Bachman-Turner Overdrive Boston Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band Cars Deep Purple Devo Neil Diamond Doobie Brothers Electric Light Orchestra Emerson, Lake & Palmer Foreigner Peter Gabriel Genesis Guess Who Hall & Oates Hawkwind Heart

Jethro Tull KC & The Sunshine Band King Crimson Kiss Moody Blues Procol Harum Randy Newman Todd Rundgren Roxy Music Rush Styx Supertramp Richard & Linda Thompson Three Dog Night Loudon Wainwright III Yes

Fred Schneider of the B-52's recently spoke out about his band's musical credentials and why he believes they deserve a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"We've done tours with the Pretenders, the Go-Go's, Tom Tom Club, Blondie," Schneider says, rattling off several of B-52's' musical era contemporaries.

"Each time, each band had a new album out, so it was groups from the past with new records," he says. "It wasn't like an oldies tour. Well, except for us."

What most of those groups also have is a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (The Go-Go's the one exception, with the Tom Tom Club in through the back door as members of Talking Heads.)

The B-52's were eligible for the hall in 2004 – 25 years after their debut album appeared – but have so far been ignored by the nominating committee, possibly because their songs were always frothy, fun party music.

"We created our own genre," Schneider notes, which should count for something in Hall of Fame consideration. "We should have been in four years ago. The most recent years, (the acts) who got in are sort of our peers.

"But what can you do? Hopefully I'll be in there (some day) so my mother can have this plaque or something on the mantle.

Actually, the Nominating Committee has not completely ignored the B-52's, but they still haven't made it to the final ballot.

Future Rock Hall projects that the B-52's have a 44% chance for induction.

Neil Diamond has been in the news lately, with the release of his new Rick Rubin-produced album and his cameo on American Idol. So it's not surprising that a reporter asked him about his absence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The star is disappointed he is continually turned down by the panel - even though he thinks he has made a very significant contribution to the industry.

He says, "It makes me wonder. I've paid my dues, I think, and I think I've done good work. I'd like to be in there with my peers.

"Maybe you just have to keep doing it and I'll get in there some day."

Diamond has been eligible since 1988, and at some point over the past 20 years, the Rock Hall Nominating Committee has seriously discussed his credentials, but he has never appeared on final ballot.

The vast majority of Future Rock Hall voters (87%) are confident that Neil Diamond will one day be inducted.

Thanks, David & Tom

Boston Herald music writer Jed Gottlieb wants to take a broom to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to clean out the "pretenders." Here's his new criteria:

1. You have to rock. If Janis Joplin, Bon Scott or Joe Strummer wouldn’t have toasted your tunes with a pint, you’re out.

2. You have to blow minds. The Beatles and Hendrix switched the world from black and white to color. Well, you gotta do that. Or at least come close.

3. You have to have done at least one thing that categorically qualifies as rock ’n’ roll: lighting your guitar on fire, getting busy with your 14-year-old cousin or writing a letter to the Hall of Fame calling it a, um, urine stain after being inducted (as the Sex Pistols did) all qualify.

Gottlieb wants no part of Madonna, Leonard Cohen, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Eagles, The Bee Gees, Miles Davis, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, or John Mellencamp. In their place he wants to honor many of the popular snubbed artists: Beastie Boys, Lou Reed, The Cars, The Stooges, KISS, and The Cure. Check out the full column here.

Hidden Track also comes up with a list of 10 bands they want to see inducted: Tom Waits, The Cure, Genesis, Rush, Willie Nelson, The Stooges, KISS, Metallica, Sonic Youth, and Alice Cooper. Videos, career highlights and ten more names at Glide Magazine.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee could do a lot worse than start with the names from these two lists when they're putting the ballot together for 2009.

Yes founder and singer Jon Anderson speaks out on his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snub:

Have to ask you this: How do you feel about not being recognized by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I'm am so annoyed! So [angry]! You can quote me on that. [Dramatic pause.] No, I don't care. [Laughs.] When it happens, it will happen. It never bothered me until 10 years ago. The manager who was managing Yes said 'I'm going to put you in the Hall of Fame next year' and we said 'cool.' And then it didn't happen. We said, 'What happened?' He said, 'They don't want you.' It went on for five, six years, with him making this pitch. ... When it happens it will happen.

Although they have never been nominated for induction, the Nominating Committee has seriously considered them. In any case, Future Rock Hall currently gives them a 41% chance at eventual induction.

Alice Cooper was on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on Monday, and the subject of Cooper's exclusion from the Rock Hall came up:

Craig: Hey, I wanted to ask you something. This is something that came to my attention today. And I am furious, furious about this. Wait until you hear about this, you're going to lose your minds with rage. You're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Alice: No.

[audience gasps]

Craig: Ah! I can't believe that! They've got Madonna in there! They've got that Alf the alien puppet in there! I can't believe that. Did you piss someone off?

Alice: I must have stepped on someone's glasses or something. No honestly, I don't know how they work it. It's not a popularity contest.

Craig: Clearly!

Alice: It's who they decide that's going to be in the Hall of Fame. The longer I stay out the better the story gets. Because apparently I did something really bad to somebody. I can't imagine what.

Craig: What you mean is you can't remember what.

Alice: I've been a model citizen in rock and roll. I think the best thing in the world would be to get kicked out of the Hall of Fame.

Craig: What are they going to kick you out for, "You were using drugs when you were making that music!" "Yeah, yes I was."

Alice: I'll tell them,"I haven't had a drink in 25 years. You're outta here!"

Craig: Yeah, that would be it. You weren't using drugs. You claimed you were using drugs, but you weren't. "Get out."

Alice: Everyone thinks it's a popularity contest, and you can call in and vote. You can't. You get nominated and then you get either in or you're out. I'm sort of the Pete Rose of rock and roll right now. And I didn't even bet on my band.

A full 95% of Future Rock Hall voters believe Cooper should get in. The Nominating Committee has certainly discussed Cooper in the past, but he has never made the final ballot.

Alice Cooper's quip that he's the "Pete Rose of rock and roll" doesn't seem quite right since he's not being kept out of the Hall of Fame because of a scandal. Who is a better baseball player comparison? Andre Dawson? Jim Rice? Bert Blyleven?

The 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced today, but incredibly Metallica was not among them. Heading one of the strongest first year eligibility classes in recent years, Metallica were the one band widely believed to be a lock for induction. In fact, Future Rock Hall rates Metallica with the highest induction chances of any eligible artist.

Metallica were thought to have been Rock Hall favorites, having had the honor of inducting Black Sabbath (and performing for them) in 2006.

There are plenty of Hall of Fame artists who were not inducted in their first year of eligibility, such as AC/DC, Queen, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, and many more. There is little doubt that Metallica will be inducted into the Rock Hall at some point in the near future, it just won't be in 2008.

Genesis have been kicking around in various groupings for 40 years, and have been eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993. Although they have never been listed on the ballot, they have been seriously discussed by the Nominating Committee.

Genesis is in the midst of a reunion tour and bassist Mike Rutherford was recently asked about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and their exclusion from it.

You're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What are your thoughts on the British progressive rock bands being overlooked?

It seems the thought-base [of the Hall] is that it's geared toward more guitar-oriented bands. I'm not going to lose sleep over it, but I think it's odd. It would be nice to be in there, but it's not something I'm going to worry about.

Do you hear the music of Genesis reflected in current bands?

I know bands like Coldplay ... Chris Martin said he enjoyed our stuff. I think in the last few years what's quite nice is that English bands have reappeared a bit. Snow Patrol, Coldplay, bands who create moods and atmospheres again. For a long time in America, these bands couldn't get in the top 30. Now, these atmospheric bands are coming back in America, I think. It's a sound that America doesn't really do, does it?

Over the last 14 years, the Rock Hall Nominating Committee seems to have made its decision that Genesis isn't worthy of induction. That's not to say that can't change as the Committee members turn over, but at this point it would be a long shot.

Thanks, David.

Every year after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees are announced, fans are left wondering, "But what about [my favorite group]? Were they even considered?" Well, now you can find out.

In 2004, the Rock Hall leaked a list of all of the previously nominated artists, as well as a list of artists who have been discussed at the Nominating Committee meetings over the past 18 years or so, but have never made the ballot. It's a rare and fascinating look into the musical tastes of the Nominating Committee members:

So, since there is such intrigue on who almost made the final ballot--and there have been some well publicized run-offs, here are the runners-up:
Alice Cooper
Average White Band
Jeff Beck (solo artist--a Hall of Famer with The Yardbirds)
The Big Bopper
Blues Project
The Paul Butterfield Band
Canned Heat
Captain Beefheart
Chicago
Jimmy Cliff
Joe Cocker
The Commodores
Ry Cooder
Country Joe & the Fish
The Crystals
Dick Dale
Dave Clark Five
Deep Purple
Neil Diamond
Dr. John
Dr. Hook
Doobie Brothers
ELO
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
E Street Band
The Five Satins
Flying Burrito Bros.
Peter Gabriel
Gap Band
Genesis
Buddy Guy
Slim Harpo
The Harptones
Herman's Hermits
The Hollies
Hit Tuna
The J. Geils Band
Wanda Jackson
Tommy James and the Shondells
Jethro Tull
Albert King
Kiss
The Last Poets
Little Anthony and the Imperials
Marshall Tucker Band
Steve Miller Band
Moody Blues
Randy Newman
Laura Nyro
Junior Parker
Esther Phillips
Poco
The Ronettes
Roxy Music
Todd Rundgren
Mitch Ryder
Boz Scaggs
Neil Sedaka
Huey Smith & the Clowns
Sonny & Cher
Spencer Davis Group
Donna Summer
T. Rex
Rufus Thomas
Three Dog Night
The Turtles
Van Halen
The Ventures
Tom Waits
Junior Walker
War
Billy Ward & His Dominoes
Junior Wells
Johnny Winter
Barry White
and Yes.

The only artists out of that group that have since been nominated are Van Halen, the Ronettes, the Dave Clark Five, Buddy Guy and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Everyone else is still waiting to get on the ballot.

Take a look here for a list of artists who are eligible.

Thanks, David.

In response to the report that Jann Wenner has blackballed the Monkees from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bill O'Reilly has decided to take up the cause of trying to get them inducted.

Money quote:

I wasn't a big Monkees fan, because, um, I don't know why I wasn't, but I tell you now, I like the records better now that I'm an old guy. You're on the oldies stations all the time. And you know what, Mr. Jones, you guys deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... and I'm gonna try to make it happen for ya.

Now there's a ringing endorsement.

Morrissey will reportedly boycott the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony if the Smiths get enshrined because of his long running feud with former bandmate Mike Joyce.

The indie legends are reported to be among the groups set for induction into the music pantheon next year in New York City.

However, the band's iconic former singer has apparently already ruled out attending the ceremony because of an ongoing rivalry with drummer Mike Joyce.

The Smiths were embroiled in an acrimonious lawsuit over royalties in 1996, and Morrissey has always spoken bitterly about his former bandmate.

"Morrissey has never forgiven Joyce and if organizers think he's going to bury the hatchet by joining him to accept this award, they've got another thing coming. The only way he could be persuaded to turn up would be if Joyce decides not to attend," a source explained.

There are a couple of problems with this article. First, the Smiths aren't even eligible to be nominated until next year, which means the earliest they could be inducted is 2009. Second, it's highly unlikely they are "among the groups set for induction" because the Nominating Committee doesn't get together until the end of the summer to begin discussing the nominations. But when the Smiths do become eligible, they will certainly be on the shortlist for induction.

Thanks, David & Tom

The Monkees have been knocking on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's door since 1991, but no one has answered the door yet. Peter Tork thinks he knows why:

Peter Tork... says the Monkees merit consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but one man opposes their induction.

"The only person ... holding a grudge is Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone," says the former Monkee. The magazine editor "has never written a gracious word. He personally has the veto power to keep us out."

Wenner - who didn't reply to an interview request - allegedly denounces Tork, Dolenz, Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith for not playing their own instruments on the band's first albums.

In this "American Idol" era, when acts are "manufactured" like toasters, fewer critics crucify the Monkees for being a TV show that spawned a band. So have they faced an unfair standard? Were they, in fact, a "real" group?

"I've not heard the slightest murmur about the Monkees being fake," Tork, 65, says from his Connecticut home. "Everybody's forgotten it, except Wenner. He's been vicious."

One Rolling Stone reporter, Tork says, wrote a glowing story crystallizing their merits. But before publication, Tork adds, "The writer said, 'Jann took my article, gutted it and rewrote it to [bury] you.'"

Wenner is often accused of using his clout to keep out a particular band, but it seems unlikely he's the only obstacle in their way to being inducted.

Thanks, David.

Chris Rock was a guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien last week, and after a commercial break, the talk turned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[The Max Weinberg 7 plays returning from commercial break.]

Chris Rock: You know Max... Max got the funk tonight! Are you in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Max?

Max Weinberg: No, no.

Conan O'Brien: What are you talking about? What do you mean, the E-Street Band is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Max Weinberg: No, actually. No. No, I looked last night. No.

Conan: You check every night?

Max: Yes, yes I do.

Conan: You go online every night to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dot com?

Chris: What happened, you bet on baseball?

Max: [looks puzzled] Yeah!

Conan: You should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and I'm going to see to it that you are!

Max: Okay, thank you Conan! I love you! [applause]

Chris: We gotta do somethin about that, man.

Conan: Why would you applaud that? I have no power.

Chris: Isn't Tone Loc in?

Conan: Tone Loc is in, yeah...

Chris: [to Max] And you're not in? That's horrible, man.

Conan: Funky Cold Medina is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Chris: Young MC is in there.

Conan: Oh yeah.

Chris: Color Me Badd, they in there! You really must have pissed somebody off!

Max: Yes, yes.

Conan: We're going to find out more about this. We're going to find out what you did.

Max Weinberg, Conan's band leader and drummer of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, is correct about his exclusion from the Rock Hall. Surprisingly, the E Street Band wasn't included when Bruce was inducted back in 1999.

So, Conan, it's your move. If you need help getting Max into the Hall of Fame, just let us know.

People are beginning to notice the gaping hole in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

At one time in the '70s and early '80s, instrumentally adroit bands such as Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and The Moody Blues ruled radio-land, with others -- King Crimson, Rush, Jethro Tull, The Electric Light Orchestra -- dabbling in similar approaches but with their own unique stylings.

For good or bad, the genre has spawned dozens of stepchildren, from Styx to Supertramp, from the Alan Parsons Project to Kate Bush, from Dream Theater to Porcupine Tree. But just try to find a prog-rock band among the 153 inductees thus far.

Let me save you time, because there's only one: Pink Floyd...

When I called the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland the other day, curatorial director Howard Kramer declined comment on the situation, noting all inductions are handled by the Hall of Fame Foundation.

But he conceded the fan contingent backing "prog-rock probably is the most vocal" in e-mailing and campaigning for the genre, which certainly has been represented in museum exhibits if not the Hall of Fame itself.

USA Today, in their feature story about the Rock Hall, highlights the arguments for many of the famously snubbed artists, such as Rush, Kiss and Alice Cooper. In most cases, it's the fans who are the ones who feel snubbed, not the artists themselves:

Singer/guitarist James Young of Styx, a progressive rock band eligible since 1997, is accustomed to musical ostracism.

"Like any sort of competition for awards, it's decided by human beings who have bias," he says, noting that Styx has been copiously rewarded in record and ticket sales. "I celebrate the people who went to the trouble to form the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Without it, I'm not sure a lot of black artists would have been recognized."

Besides, he hasn't given up. "How long did it take for Martin Scorsese to win an Oscar?" he says.

In a recent interview, Andy Partridge, lead singer of the band XTC, responded to a question about his band's exclusion from the Rock Hall.

AVC: The A.V. Club recently did a feature weighing the possibility of various bands making the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. We said XTC wouldn't make it. Do you think it will?

AP: I hope not! Hard Rock Café sent a letter asking if they could have one of my guitars. I just said, "Fuck off! Of course not, I bought that, you go buy one." No, we won't make the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. You know why? Because it's down to sales figures, ultimately, and we never sold that many records, because we were too off-the-wall for most people. A lot of people really don't like what we do. I don't think it's anything unusual. I think it's kind of interesting pop music. It's guitar, bass, and drums. It's really pretty damn straight stuff. But for some reason, people think I'm expecting them to eat barbed-wire salad with fetus in it.

Partiridge dismisses his chances too quickly. As allmusic.com says, "XTC's music stands as some of the best and most influential pop of their era." It may take ten years, but XTC may be one of the bands that will get recognized for their musical legacy.

Last year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination class did not include a single artist who first became eligible in 2005 (by first releasing a record in 1980). Wasn't there someone in last year's class that at least deserved a nomination?

The artists from this year who still have the best chances for future induction are The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, and New Order. All worthy bands, who laid the groundwork for countless artists, but not necessarily the type of platinum-selling artists who are slam-dunks for the Hall (like R.E.M. next year).

The rest of the snubbed class from 1980 can be found here. Who's your favorite from that year? Let us know in the comments.

Update: It appears the class of '81 hasn't been snubbed. It's the class of 1980 that failed to have a representative in last year's nominees. The 2007 Induction Ceremony actually honors the artists who were inducted in 2006. (thanks, Ben)