The Bobcat Nation

(CNN) -- The nominations for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 have been released, and it's an interesting list.

First time nominees Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Eric B. & Rakim, the Cure, and Heart will go up against returning nominees the Beastie Boys, Donovan and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The nominees are:

Beastie Boys
The Cure
Donovan
Eric B. & Rakim
Guns 'N Roses
Heart
Joan Jett and The Blackhearts
Freddie King
Laura Nyro
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rufus with Chaka Khan
The Small Faces/The Faces
The Spinners
Donna Summer
War

"The 2012 Nominees embody the broad scope of what 'rock and roll' means," said Joel Peresman, President and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.

According to the press release, 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." That means the 2012 nominees must have released their first recording no later than 1986. (Sorry, Justin Bieber, check back in 2034.)

Ballots will be sent out to over 500 voters, who will choose the artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Winners will be announced on April 14, 2012, at the 27th Annual Induction Ceremony, held in Cleveland, Ohio.

Visit rockhall.com for more details, and information about tickets for the ceremony.

Thoughts on the nominees?


Beastie Boys - one of my all time favorites. But they're hip-hop, not rock and roll so.....nope.

The Cure - I'm not sure how they made the list, but sometimes the best criteria for a HOF candidate is "ya know it when ya see it." No

Donovan - Yes

Eric B. & Rakim - S.hit rap, no idea why they were nominated. 0% chance.

Guns 'N Roses - if they had stayed together and cranked out 10-12 more records that were at least a tenth as good as Appetite, then probably yes. But, they didn't. No

Heart - borderline, but I think their 80's resurgence gives them enough resume to get in. Yes.

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - No.

Freddie King - Since rock and roll has it's roots in blues, I think it's consistent to include great blues artists whose influence help to create and shape the genre. Yes.

Laura Nyro - I consider myself somewhat knowledgable about music, and I had to google her. No.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - I think so. Tons of hits, consistency of output over an extended period of time, cultural iconic status, still getting it done over 20 years later. Yes.

Rufus with Chaka Khan - Bwahahahaha. No.

The Small Faces/The Faces - Another hard one to judge. I think so, from an influence perspective. Yes.

The Spinners - Again, kinda hard to gauge, but they did have quite a few #1's. A little out of my wheelhouse, but yes.

Donna Summer - LOL

War - Yes

Beastie Boys - No. Like 02 said, not rock n roll

The Cure - I really like the cure and they've put out a lot of pretty damn good music. Yes

Donovan - He had his influence throughout his career. Yes

Eric B. & Rakim - NO

Guns 'N Roses - Maybe someday, but not now. No

Heart - Yes. Badass chick band that rocked awesome music at volume 11. They deserve to be in the HOF

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts - NO

Freddie King - Had some good hits. Yes

Laura Nyro - WTF?

Red Hot Chili Peppers - These guys have been their own sound since the 80's. Hell Yes

Rufus with Chaka Khan - Are you kidding me? No

The Small Faces/The Faces - No. Not a Rod Stewart fan

The Spinners - Yes

Donna Summer - Disco isn't rock. No

War - Yes

Can't really disagree with you - its pretty arbitrary in most cases except for the most obvious (Zep, Stones, Chuck Berry, Aerosmith, etc). But I have always been of the opinion that HOF's should be exclusive, not inclusive. And if measuring up to the aforementioned legends is the criterion, then really no one on most nominee lists should get in. It's kind of an exercise in futility, but decent fodder for discussion.

Eric B. & Rakim? GTFO

BTW, did you know Rush isn't in the HOF? I'm not particularly a fan, but if rappers are getting nominated then Rush should have their own wing in the HOF by comparison.

How is KISS not in the hall yet.

News from 1 year from now:

"To commemorate their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Red Hot Chili Peppers announced they will write yet another song about California."

Now that I've started checking it out a little, it turns out Stevie Ray Vaughn isn't in either.





Burn it to the ground.

SACCAT wrote:How is KISS not in the hall yet.

THANK YOU! Donna frickin Summer is nominated, but KISS can't get in... its silly. Even Van Halen was dissed until a few years ago but finally inducted. But by the time they got in, they didn't give a crap anymore, and neither of the van halen bros even showed up to play the induction gig.

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You'd be surprised who is not in the Rock n Roll HOF:

Cheap Trick
Def Lepperd
Journey
KISS
Rush
ELO
Ted Nugent
Styx
Foreigner
Doobie Brothers
Dire Straits
George Thorogood

Old Skool Cat wrote:You'd be surprised who is not in the Rock n Roll HOF:

Cheap Trick
Def Lepperd
Journey
KISS
Rush
ELO
Ted Nugent
Styx
Foreigner
Doobie Brothers
Dire Straits
George Thorogood

First off, KISS sucks. Just my opinion.
Those bolded NEED to be in. Foreigner? Amazing band. Even though I think Journey is overrated because of one song and that's the only one most people know, they still need to be in.

Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

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91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

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I bet you $5 that if you ask anyone to name 5 songs other than Don't Stop Believin' from Journey, most couldn't do it.
Also, Foreigner > Journey.
Foreigner Greatest Hits: (That's a murderer's row of hits.)
1. Feels Like the First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Headknocker
5. Hot Blooded Listen
6. Double Vision
7. Blue Morning, Blue Day
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Head Games
10. Women
11. Girl on the Moon
12. Urgent
13. Waiting for a Girl Like You
14. Juke Box Hero
15. I Want to Know What Love Is
16. That Was Yesterday
17. Heart Turns to Stone
18. I Don't Want to Live Without You
19. Say You Will
20. Soul Doctor

91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

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Wheel In The Sky is my favorite by Journey

ImagineSanta wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

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I bet you $5 that if you ask anyone to name 5 songs other than Don't Stop Believin' from Journey, most couldn't do it.
Also, Foreigner > Journey.
Foreigner Greatest Hits: (That's a murderer's row of hits.)
1. Feels Like the First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Headknocker
5. Hot Blooded Listen
6. Double Vision
7. Blue Morning, Blue Day
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Head Games
10. Women
11. Girl on the Moon
12. Urgent
13. Waiting for a Girl Like You
14. Juke Box Hero
15. I Want to Know What Love Is
16. That Was Yesterday
17. Heart Turns to Stone
18. I Don't Want to Live Without You
19. Say You Will
20. Soul Doctor

That's an impressive list, for sure. Tho I've never heard of 11 or 17-20.

As musicians, Journey is above Foreignor. Lou Gramm is a great singer with serious pipes, but Steve Perry is in the conversation of Greatest singers of all time - Lou's not usually in that conversation.

Mick Jones is a solid guitarist and great songwriter, but he's never in the conversation of Greatest guitarists. Neil Schon is considered one of the best ever by most guitarists.

I can't even tell you who the drummer, bass player, or other people in Foreigner are, off the top of my head. But I know Journey is Jon Caine, Ross Valory , and Steve Smith originally. All stellar players.

But like I said, both bands are great and deserve to be in.

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91catAlum wrote:

ImagineSanta wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

Sent from my DROID PRO using Tapatalk

I bet you $5 that if you ask anyone to name 5 songs other than Don't Stop Believin' from Journey, most couldn't do it.
Also, Foreigner > Journey.
Foreigner Greatest Hits: (That's a murderer's row of hits.)
1. Feels Like the First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Headknocker
5. Hot Blooded Listen
6. Double Vision
7. Blue Morning, Blue Day
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Head Games
10. Women
11. Girl on the Moon
12. Urgent
13. Waiting for a Girl Like You
14. Juke Box Hero
15. I Want to Know What Love Is
16. That Was Yesterday
17. Heart Turns to Stone
18. I Don't Want to Live Without You
19. Say You Will
20. Soul Doctor

That's an impressive list, for sure. Tho I've never heard of 11 or 17-20.

As musicians, Journey is above Foreignor. Lou Gramm is a great singer with serious pipes, but Steve Perry is in the conversation of Greatest singers of all time - Lou's not usually in that conversation.

Mick Jones is a solid guitarist and great songwriter, but he's never in the conversation of Greatest guitarists. Neil Schon is considered one of the best ever by most guitarists.

I can't even tell you who the drummer, bass player, or other people in Foreigner are, off the top of my head. But I know Journey is Jon Caine, Ross Valory , and Steve Smith originally. All stellar players.

But like I said, both bands are great and deserve to be in.

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Seems you know Journey better, which doesn't mean they are better. I still think Foreigner had more hits, even though they don't quite have a mega hit like Don't Stop Believin', even though Juke Box Hero comes close.
This is all moot since Freddie Mercury is the GOAT.

91catAlum wrote:

ImagineSanta wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

Sent from my DROID PRO using Tapatalk

I bet you $5 that if you ask anyone to name 5 songs other than Don't Stop Believin' from Journey, most couldn't do it.
Also, Foreigner > Journey.
Foreigner Greatest Hits: (That's a murderer's row of hits.)
1. Feels Like the First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Headknocker
5. Hot Blooded Listen
6. Double Vision
7. Blue Morning, Blue Day
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Head Games
10. Women
11. Girl on the Moon
12. Urgent
13. Waiting for a Girl Like You
14. Juke Box Hero
15. I Want to Know What Love Is
16. That Was Yesterday
17. Heart Turns to Stone
18. I Don't Want to Live Without You
19. Say You Will
20. Soul Doctor

That's an impressive list, for sure. Tho I've never heard of 11 or 17-20.

As musicians, Journey is above Foreignor. Lou Gramm is a great singer with serious pipes, but Steve Perry is in the conversation of Greatest singers of all time - Lou's not usually in that conversation.

Mick Jones is a solid guitarist and great songwriter, but he's never in the conversation of Greatest guitarists. Neil Schon is considered one of the best ever by most guitarists.

I can't even tell you who the drummer, bass player, or other people in Foreigner are, off the top of my head. But I know Journey is Jon Caine, Ross Valory , and Steve Smith originally. All stellar players.

But like I said, both bands are great and deserve to be in.

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I'm with you in that Journey has numerous hits other than "Don't stop Believin'" So either 'santa is too young to remember how popular they were, or is just a little loco FWIW I don't remember 11 or 17-20 either. I though they got pretty lame towards the end, much as Styx did. Both started great, then ended as shadows of their former selves IMHO.

As for Neil Schon being considered one of the "best ever" by "most quitarists". NO WAY. Though he's played with some greats he's not on the same level as Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix, or Jimi Page for example. Lots of hits for sure, but technical ability....no.

MashTun wrote:

91catAlum wrote:

ImagineSanta wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

Sent from my DROID PRO using Tapatalk

I bet you $5 that if you ask anyone to name 5 songs other than Don't Stop Believin' from Journey, most couldn't do it.
Also, Foreigner > Journey.
Foreigner Greatest Hits: (That's a murderer's row of hits.)
1. Feels Like the First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Headknocker
5. Hot Blooded Listen
6. Double Vision
7. Blue Morning, Blue Day
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Head Games
10. Women
11. Girl on the Moon
12. Urgent
13. Waiting for a Girl Like You
14. Juke Box Hero
15. I Want to Know What Love Is
16. That Was Yesterday
17. Heart Turns to Stone
18. I Don't Want to Live Without You
19. Say You Will
20. Soul Doctor

That's an impressive list, for sure. Tho I've never heard of 11 or 17-20.

As musicians, Journey is above Foreignor. Lou Gramm is a great singer with serious pipes, but Steve Perry is in the conversation of Greatest singers of all time - Lou's not usually in that conversation.

Mick Jones is a solid guitarist and great songwriter, but he's never in the conversation of Greatest guitarists. Neil Schon is considered one of the best ever by most guitarists.

I can't even tell you who the drummer, bass player, or other people in Foreigner are, off the top of my head. But I know Journey is Jon Caine, Ross Valory , and Steve Smith originally. All stellar players.

But like I said, both bands are great and deserve to be in.

Sent from my DROID PRO using Tapatalk

As for Neil Schon being considered one of the "best ever" by "most quitarists". NO WAY. Though he's played with some greats he's not on the same level as Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Hendrix, or Jimi Page for example. Lots of hits for sure, but technical ability....no.

Neil's not in my personal top 5, but maybe top 10ish. He has amazing technical ability combined with a great sense of melody in his solos!

I'd argue that Jimmy Page, while creatively amazing, has much less technical ability than he's usually given credit for. And yes I am a big Zeppelin fan.

Put it like this: I can technically play most Jimmy Page stuff (tho not with the same feel), but I don't have a prayer of playing many of Neil Schon's solos.

But either way, Neil is certainly higher on the list than Mick Jones. I guess that was my point.

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ImagineSanta wrote:

91catAlum wrote:

ImagineSanta wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Journey only has 1 song people know?? News to me. They have as many, if not more, hits as Foreigner. Both bands deserve to be in.

Sent from my DROID PRO using Tapatalk

I bet you $5 that if you ask anyone to name 5 songs other than Don't Stop Believin' from Journey, most couldn't do it.
Also, Foreigner > Journey.
Foreigner Greatest Hits: (That's a murderer's row of hits.)
1. Feels Like the First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Headknocker
5. Hot Blooded Listen
6. Double Vision
7. Blue Morning, Blue Day
8. Dirty White Boy
9. Head Games
10. Women
11. Girl on the Moon
12. Urgent
13. Waiting for a Girl Like You
14. Juke Box Hero
15. I Want to Know What Love Is
16. That Was Yesterday
17. Heart Turns to Stone
18. I Don't Want to Live Without You
19. Say You Will
20. Soul Doctor

That's an impressive list, for sure. Tho I've never heard of 11 or 17-20.

As musicians, Journey is above Foreignor. Lou Gramm is a great singer with serious pipes, but Steve Perry is in the conversation of Greatest singers of all time - Lou's not usually in that conversation.

Mick Jones is a solid guitarist and great songwriter, but he's never in the conversation of Greatest guitarists. Neil Schon is considered one of the best ever by most guitarists.

I can't even tell you who the drummer, bass player, or other people in Foreigner are, off the top of my head. But I know Journey is Jon Caine, Ross Valory , and Steve Smith originally. All stellar players.

But like I said, both bands are great and deserve to be in.

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Seems you know Journey better, which doesn't mean they are better. I still think Foreigner had more hits, even though they don't quite have a mega hit like Don't Stop Believin', even though Juke Box Hero comes close.
This is all moot since Freddie Mercury is the GOAT.

I know and like both bands. In fact I think I have 3 Foreigner CDs and 2 Journey CDs. I'm just not sure about Foreigner having more well-known hits than Journey. But you could be right. To me it seems pretty close, with songs I can name off the top of my head.

BTW I LOVE this thread. I could talk music/bands all day long.

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Journey has about 5 great songs. But in the end, Foreigner > Journey.

CatBlitz wrote:Journey has about 5 great songs. But in the end, Foreigner > Journey.

I don't know... if you look up the songs on their greatest hits album, I see more than 5.

Since they have about the same number of hits, but Foreigner did it with probably half the number of albums, you could argue that Foreigner is better based on that. But Journey has them crushed on total album sales (and musicianship, IMO).

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