Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction odds
Late last week, the list of nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018 were announced, with a list of 19 potential inductees. The top five vote getters will be revealed this December and the ceremony will take place April 14, 2018
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The 2018 nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1992, and two of the possible inductees, Rage Against the Machine and Radiohead, have been nominated in their first year eligible.
Nominees are on the ballot for the first time includes Dire Straits, Nina Simone, Kate Bush, Judas Priest, The Moody Blues, Eurythmics and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Six artists nominated last year reappear this year.
Ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 800 artists, historians and members of the music industry with factors such as an artist’s musical influence on their peers, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation and superiority in style and technique taken into consideration.
The Roll Hall will again offer fans the opportunity to officially participate in the induction selection process. Now through 11:59 p.m. Dec.5, fans can visit rockhall.com to cast votes for who they believe to be most deserving of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Here are the Rock Music Menu odds on who will get into the hallowed Rock Hall this year and why:
BON JOVI: 10 TO 1
Bon Jovi is this year’s Journey, who was inducted with much hoopla last year when frontman Steve Perry joined them onstage for the ceremony. The missing piece for Bon Jovi, of course, is guitarist Richie Sambora, who hasn’t played with the New Jersey rockers since a bitter falling out in 2013. He’s already gone on record saying he’d be up to rejoin his old friends for a jam if they get it, so we’ll see.
KATE BUSH: 25 TO 1
There’s no denying the influence of England’s Kate Bush; every female singer songwriter on either side of the pond who made it big in the last quarter century was likely influenced by her in some way. Will that transfer over to votes by the often out of touch nominating committee? Hold your bets on this one.
THE CARS: 50 TO 1
The Cars’ second year nominated and third since being eligible since 2003, and there’s no reason to think they are going to make it in this time around. Keep the gas tank filled though fellas, there’s bound to be another nod coming down the road.
DEPECHE MODE: 10 TO 1
UK synthpop/new wave forerunners Depeche Mode had their first nomination come out of nowhere last year, which looked to be timing well with a new studio album, their first in four years, coming out the same time as the ceremony. That didn’t happen obviously, but the fact that they’re up so soon means there’s gotta be a push to get them in.
DIRE STRAITS: 60 TO 1
Other than a brief spate of critically acclaimed albums in the mid-80s and bizarre popularity on MTV for a minute at the same time, the generic rock of Dire Straits has no place in the Hall, let alone in the first year they get nominated. How that ever happened is a mystery.
EURYTHMICS: 20 TO 1
Like Dire Straits, Eurythmics was a product of the MTV generation in the 80s and then went through a sharp decline in popularity before breaking up. The reason their odds are so much better is a testament to the individual careers of Annie Lennox as a performer and Dave Stewart as a producer. Now, one can argue those things don’t matter in this case, but with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, you have to factor in these things.
J. GEILS BAND: 30 TO 1
Eligible since 1995 and nominated five times since, including last year, J. Geils Band has become a wildcard, with their odds having gotten much better each time around.
JUDAS PRIEST: 25 TO1
Following the 2006 induction of Black Sabbath, there is no other band more deserving of getting into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for influencing heavy metal than Judas Priest, with Motörhead a distant second. That said, unless last year’s surprise where Deep Purple got the nod is indicative of a sharp turnaround in thought processes going forward, the mighty Priest is going to have to wait a few more years.
LL COOL J: 5 TO 1
Nominated four times since 2010, this is likely the year Mr. Smith gets in. First of all, there are no other hip-hop acts nominated and, since 2012, the genre has been pretty steadily represented to the point where it would be weird if they didn’t keep it up. The main reason though is next to Run-DMC, there wasn’t a more enduring artist to come out of the 80s when it comes to hip-hop and rap.
MC5: 10 TO 1
Will the third time — and second nomination in a row — be the charm for these influential Detroit rockers? MC5 would give the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame some much needed credibility. It would also get on the nerves of a lot of hipsters.
THE MOODY BLUES: 100 NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN TO 1
Here’s a band which came out of leftfield that few thought would ever get inducted let alone nominated. Eligible since 1989 and best known for hits like “Question” and “Tuesday Afternoon,” The Moody Blues have been ignored for the most part by critics despite having a devoted fanbase. They literally have zero chance of getting in this — or any time — around. Then again, they did pen the hit “Isn’t Life Strange.”
RADIOHEAD: 2 TO 1
At the complete opposite end of the spectrum where The Moody Blues reside lies Radiohead. Darlings of both critics and pretentious music geeks everywhere since their second album, 1997’s ‘OK Computer,’ there’s zero chance they don’t get in on their first time up and eligible.