Rock Hall Class of 2024 Roundtable: Biggest Snubs and Surprises

The

Rock
and
Roll
Hall
of
Fame
has
announced

its
2024
induction
class,
which
means
rock
fans
all
over
the
world
are
spending
the
day
debating
the
most
surprising
inclusions
and
omissions.

This
year’s
class
of
performing
artist
inductees
includes

Ozzy
Osbourne,

Foreigner,

Peter
Frampton,

Cher,
the
Dave
Matthews
Band,
Mary
J.
Blige,
A
Tribe
Called
Quest
and
Kool
&
the
Gang.
Alexis
Korner,
John
Mayall
and
Big
Mama
Thorton
were
chosen
as
recipients
of
the
Musical
Influence
Award,
while

Jimmy
Buffett,

MC5,
Dionne
Warwick
and
Norman
Whitfield
were
selected
for
the
Musical
Excellence
Award.

We
asked
five
of
our
writers
to
praise
and
critique
this
year’s
Rock
and
Roll
Hall
of
Fame
class,
and
here’s
what
they
said:

1)
Who
is
the
most
surprising
inductee?


Michael
Gallucci: Mary
J.
Blige has
made
some
good
records
over
the
years,
but
she’s
also
made
some
forgettable
ones.
And
she’s
always
been
more
of
an
artist
who
draws
from
her
influences
rather
than
an
influence
on
others. More
than
any
of
the
other
artists
this
year,
she’s
the
one
whose
credentials
are
the
thinnest.

Corey
Irwin:
MC5.
Don’t
get
me
wrong,
I’m
happy
they
got
in
–
I
just
believed
it
was
never
going
to
happen.
Six
previous
nominations
got
them
nowhere.
And
while
there
was
a
small,
vocal
contingent
still
arguing
in
the
band’s
favor,
it
felt
like
the
Hall
had
basically
moved
on
from
MC5.
Now,
out
of
nowhere,
they’re
in
(albeit,
via
the
“musical
excellence”
award).
Happy
for
them,
but
I’m
definitely
surprised.

Matt
Wardlaw:
Honestly,
I’m
not
surprised
by
any
of
it.
You’ve
got
a
number
of
bands
and
artists
on
this
list
(MC5,
Big
Mama
Thornton,
John
Mayall)
that
have
had
advocates
working
on
their
behalf
for
years.
For
the
rest
of
the
inductees,
you
can
kind
of
connect
the
dots
for
each
one
as
to
why
they’re
being
inducted.
There’s
a
certain
template
to
the
whole
induction
process
and
you
see
that
on
display
with
this
year’s
class.

Allison
Rapp:
This
might
sound
weird,
but
for
me
it’s
Cher.
Don’t
get
me
wrong,
I
think
she
deserves
the
place
in
the
Hall,
but
not
only
was
it
her
first
time
being
on
the
ballot,
she
also
has
very
strongly
denounced
her
nomination
in
public.
That’s
not
to
say
that
the
Rock
Hall
was
invalid
in
including
her
—
plenty
of
artists
have
criticized
the
Hall
and
gotten
in
anyway
–
but
I
did
think
they
might
pump
the
brakes
on
that
one
for
another
year
or
two.

Bryan
Rolli:
I didn’t
expect
Dave
Matthews
Band
to
make
the
cut
this
year,
especially
ahead
of
critical
darlings
like
Jane’s
Addiction
and
Sinead
O’Connor.
I’m
not
saying
they
lack
Rock
Hall
bonafides,
but
I
had
hoped
for
at
least
one
more
year
to
prepare
myself
emotionally
and
spiritually
for
their
induction.

2)
Who
is
the
most
surprising
exclusion?


Gallucci:
Eric
B.
&
Rakim
are
hip-hop
pioneers
whose
influence
is
still
being
heard
today. But
seeing
how
the
Rock
&
Roll
Hall
of
Fame indicts
just
one
rap
artist
each
year,
it
was
between
them
and
A
Tribe
Called
Quest,
and
Tribe
are
the
more
deserving
artists.
Still,
if
the
Rock
Hall
can
make
room
for
more
than
one artist
in
other
genres,
there’s
no
reason
to
limit
that
number
to
hip-hop.

Irwin: I’m
genuinely
shocked
that
Mariah
Carey
didn’t
get
the
call.
I’m
not
personally
a
fan,
but
her
commercial
success
and
continued
popularity
are
hard
to
ignore.
She’s
scored
more
Grammy
nominations
than
Whitney
Houston
or
Madonna,
and
her
career
album
sales
are
right
in
line
with
those
two
as
well.
Whitney
and
Madonna
both
got
into
the
Hall
easily,
so
I
was
surprised
Mariah
wasn’t
given
similar
treatment.

Wardlaw:
I
hoped
that
Oasis
would
be
on
the
final
list.
Even
if
they
don’t
care,
they’re
a
band
that
continue
to
innovate,
both
collectively
with
their
catalog
of
work
—
and
individually
as
Noel
and
Liam
Gallagher
add
chapters
to
their
own
solo
work.
Similarly,
I’d
hoped
that
Jane’s
Addiction
would
get
in.
I
see
a
lot
of
parallels
with
both
bands
in
terms
of
what
they
contributed
to
the
musical
landscape.

Rapp:
I
honestly
thought
Sinead
O’Connor
had
a
really
good
shot
this
year
of
making
it
in.
Given
her
unexpected
passing
last
summer,
I
had
thought
that
the
conversations
surrounding
her
importance
around
that
time
might
help
propel
her
into
the
Rock
Hall
this
year,
but
maybe
next
time.

Rolli: Oasis.
With
their
debut
album
turning
30
this
year,
they
epitomize
the
“new
school”
of
classic
rock.
They’ve
got
a
treasure
trove
of
hits,
sold
millions
of
albums
and
have
been
gone
long
enough
that
even
casual
observers
look
back
at
the
Gallagher
brothers’
notoriously
contentious
relationship
with
fondness
and
amusement.
Also,
Sinead
O’Connor
—
a
fierce
anti-establishmentarian
whose
body
of
work
has
only
grown
in
estimation
over
the
years, she
seemed
like
a
shoo-in,
especially
following
her

death
last
July.

3)
Who
are
you
most
glad
to
see
get
in?


Gallucci: It’s
about
time
MC5
got
in,
even
if
it
is through
the
back
door
via
the
Musical
Excellence
Award.
They’ve
been
eligible
forever
and
have
been
nominated
and
overlooked
many
times.
It appears
the
Rock
&
Rock
Hall
of
Fame
will
use
the
Music
Excellence
Award
for
artists
who
should
be
in
but
have
somehow
fallen
through
the
cracks
over
the
years.
I’m
all
for
that.

Irwin: Peter
Frampton.
I’m
a
fan
of
his
music,
but
I’m
an
even
bigger
fan
of
the
man.
He’s
just
so
damn
likable.
Friendly,
good
to
his
fans,
humble,
appreciative
of
his
success
–
the
list
of
his
positive
qualities
is
almost
as
long
as
his
discography.
He’s
even
managed
to
stay
cheery
while
dealing
with
a
serious
inflammatory
muscular
disease.
It’s
impossible
not
to
root
for
the
guy.

Wardlaw:
Peter
Frampton.
Though
his
time
in
the
spotlight
was
relatively
short
following
Frampton
Comes
Alive,
he’s
never
stopped
making
albums
and
playing
concerts
that
will
leave
your
jaw
on
the
floor.
The
world
got
to
see
a
bit
of
that
at
last
year’s
Rock
Hall
inductions
when
he
performed
with
Sheryl
Crow
and
Stevie
Nicks.
The
love
and
enthusiasm
that
Peter
still
has
for
his
craft
is
infectious.
Peter’s
induction
nod
is
long
overdue
and
well-deserved.

Rapp:
Peter
Frampton!
His
inclusion
is
long
overdue.
For
one
thing,
you
simply
can’t
tell
the
story
of
rock
’n’
roll
as
a
live
art
form
without
talking
about
Frampton.
But
also,
he’s
been
the
picture
of
resilience
the
last
several
years,
battling
a
disease
that’s
required
him
to
rethink
his
guitar
playing
and
connect
with
his
audience
in
new
ways
—
now
that’s
rock
’n’
roll.

Rolli: Ozzy
Osbourne.
He’s
the
godfather
of
heavy
metal,
and
his
first
two
solo
albums
helped
shape
the
sound
of
‘80s
rock
nearly
as
much
as
Black
Sabbath
influenced
the
previous
decade.
Better
late
than
never
—
at
least
the
Rock
Hall did
right
by
the
Prince
of
Darkness
before
he
reached
his
20th
year
of
solo
eligibility.

4)
Four
of
the
eight
“performer”
inductees
(Foreigner,
Cher,
Kool
&
the
Gang
and
Peter
Frampton)
got
elected
in
their
first
year
on
the
ballot.
This
isn’t
new.
Last
year,
four
of
seven
inductees
were
first-timers,
the
year
before
it
was
five
of
seven.
What
does
this
overall
trend
mean
for
the
Hall?

Gallucci:
They’re
running
out
of
artists to
induct,
so
they’re
calling
up lesser
artists
who
have
been
ignored
for
so
many
years
and
probably
wouldn’t
have
been
considered
if
the
competition
was
tougher.
We’re
probably
going
to
see
more
of
this
as
the
playing
field
narrows.

Irwin: This
trend
seems
to
prove
that
an
act’s
best
shot
at
induction
comes
their
first
year
on
the
ballot.
After
that,
support
generally
wanes,
rather
than
increases.
This
is
bad
news
for
longtime
holdouts
who
have
previously
been
nominated
multiple
times
(I’m
looking
at
you,
New
York
Dolls,
Soundgarden,
Chic,
etc).
Newbies
have
the
momentum
while
returning
names
get
greeted
with
“Oh,
you
again?”

Wardlaw:
I
think
maybe
part
of
it
has
to
do
with
how
long
some
of
these
artists
have
been
waiting
for
consideration.
The
momentum
seems
to
build
in
the
background
each
year
that
they’re
not
on
the
ballot
—
and
makes
it
an
easy
win
if
and
when
they
finally
do
make
it
onto
the
list.

Rapp:
I
mean,
I
suppose
this
is
a
good
thing
overall.
If
nothing
else
it
bodes
well
for
overlooked
artists,
but
I’m
not
sure
it
matters
much
beyond
that.

Rolli: I
think
it’s
twofold.
On
one
hand,
the
Rock
Hall
could
be
scavenging
for
second-
and
third-tier
artists
now
that
it’s
inducted
so
many
titans. But
there’s
nothing
second-class
about
the
first-time
nominees
who
got
inducted
this
year.
I
think
it’s
equally
likely
that
the
Rock
Hall
is
revisiting
its
list
of
snubbed
artists
and
making
some
long-overdue
corrections.
Maybe
Jann
Wenner’s

unceremonious
ouster
from
the
Rock
Hall
board
of
directors
last
year
has
something
to
do
with
it? Lou
Gramm
would surely

say
so.

5)
What
are
your
overall
thoughts
on
the
2024
class?


Gallucci:
The
Rock
&
Roll
Hall
of
Fame
needs
to
limit
the
number
of
inductions
each
year
to
no
more
than
five
artists. When
they
almost
double
that
number
(and
they’ve
more
than
doubled
it
if
you
consider
the
Musical
Influence
and
Excellence
award
winners), the
result
is
an overwhelming
set
of
mostly
underwhelming
artists.

Irwin: Solid
but
unspectacular.
I’m
very
happy
for
Frampton,
Foreigner
and
Ozzy.
It’s
fun
to
see
Kool
&
the
Gang
there
as
well,
and
I
can
already
envision
some
appropriately
funky
collaborations
during
their
performance.
A
Tribe
Called
Quest
is
cool,
but
Mary
J.
Blige,
Cher
and
Dave
Matthews
Band
don’t
really
move
the
needle
for
me.
I
would
have
loved
to
see
Jane’s
Addiction
get
in,
but
apparently
that’s
asking
too
much.

Wardlaw:
Even
with
the
omissions,
it’s
a
great
list,
I
think.
Fingers
crossed
that
Cher
will
show
up.
It’s
also
nice
to
see
Jimmy
Buffett
included
here
and
it
will
be
interesting
to
see
how
they
honor
his
legacy
—
and
who
will
be
on
the
stage
to
play
his
music.
On
the
surface,
it
feels
like
a
very
mainstream
list,
but
there’s
a
lot
of
“deeper
cuts”
in
the
Musical
Influence
and
Musical
Excellence
categories
that
will
make
for
a
fun
night.
But
let’s
be
honest,
it’s
going
to
be
a
long
night
with
all
of
these
names,
isn’t
it?

Rapp:
I’m
pretty
pleased!
Admittedly,
I
was
holding
out
some
hope
for
Oasis,
but
something
tells
me
they’ll
get
another
chance
in
the
near
future.
But
overall
I’m
glad
to
see
people
like
Frampton,
Dionne
Warwick
and
MC5
earn
the
recognition
they
deserve.

Rolli: Despite
a
few
misgivings,
I
think
the
Hall
did
a
good
job
with
a
fairly
uninspiring
group
of
nominees.
While
I’m
all
for
a
more
genre-agnostic
Rock
Hall,
I
still
think
genuine,
platinum-selling
classic
rock stars
deserve
priority,
so
I’m
thrilled
to
see
Osbourne,
Frampton
and
Foreigner
all
make
it
in
this
year.
They’re
all
getting
up
there
in
age,
and
they’ve
been
plagued
by
various
health
issues
over
the
past
several
years,
so
it
stood
to
reason
that
the
Hall
would
throw
at
least
one
of
them
a
bone.
That
all
three
got
inducted
this
year
suggests
that
maybe
the
Rock
Hall
board
members
and
voters
are
finally
ditching
old
prejudices
and
coming
to
their
senses.
Dare
I
hold
out
hope
for
Iron
Maiden’s
induction
next
year?