Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – Bands That Are Not in But Should Be

Ozzy is actually already in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but as a member of Black Sabbath. Some might say that should be good enough, but I feel like Ozzy, as a solo artist, should be in as well. His solo albums have not only been some of the best rock out there, but he has helped carve the careers of some awesome guitarists as well. Plus, without him, we all couldn't have seen all of the awesome Ozzfest tours that helped pave the way for some of the best rock bands out there today. We just have to all forget that he did a reality TV show, which, is possible that Ozzy himself has forgotten about.

Judas Priest helped pave the way for heavy metal. Yeah, I said it. Sure, Sabbath had a huge hand in that as well, but Judas Priest, I think, laid down the sound of what would later evolve into thrash metal. From Rob Halford’s high pitched heavy metal voice that could break glass, to the dual guitars of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, they have earned their place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. If you don't think so, then you've got 'another thing coming'. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Speaking of dual guitars, Iron Maiden makes my list as well. Since 1980, the group has represented everything metal and have never strayed away from the genre. They've never had a radio hit, and have never really wanted one, but true metal heads know when they hear an Iron Maiden song. Plus, their album covers featuring Eddie, were probably the coolest covers ever!

Say what you want, but I'm a huge Boston fan and think they deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Some label the band as an arena rock type band, but I think they were straight up rock & roll. When you hear songs like 'More Than a Feeling', 'Smokin' or 'Peace of Mind', not only do you get pure rock, but you get the production value to it as well. There is not a Boston album that doesn't sound good. Boston has sold over 30 million albums just in the U.S, with 17 million being sold of their first album alone. The band was the brain child of Tom Sholtz, who actually played all the instruments on their debut album 'Boston', which is the highest ranking debut album in the history of rock.

I remember the very first time I heard a Motley Crue song. Back in the 80's we had jamboxes, which were just big radios - the bigger, the better, of course. Anyway, this dude would always bring his on the school bus and would play different bands on it. One day, he was blaring Motley Crue's 'Louder Than Hell' off of their 'Theatre of Pain' album. I was hooked from then on and went immediately to buy that album. I remember back then, that everybody thought Motley Crue were Satan worshipers because they used the pentagram a lot. That was far from the truth. The band from L.A. were pretty much the epitome of hair metal, and they grew with the times putting out music that has continued to be very relevant in today's rock. They definitely should get in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Def Leppard took the world by storm in the 80's. They started off as a British heavy metal type band, and had some great rock & roll songs like 'High N' Dry', and 'Let it Go' among others. Then, it was the release of 1983's 'Pyromania' that got them on the map. But, in 1987, the band really emerged with the hit album 'Hysteria'. That album produced 6 hits and, to date, has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Their hooky rock songs, as well as their ability to throw down a mean power ballad, helped propel them to the top of the rock genre, selling over 100 million albums worldwide. I was never a huge Def Leppard fan, with exception of their earlier stuff, but I think they deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Once again, I think the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame needs to open up to more metal bands. After all, metal is rock & roll, right? Topping any list of metal bands, has to be Slayer. They defined thrash metal, and I put them up there as one of the best metal bands in history. They are part of the 'Big Four' along with Anthrax, Metallica and Megadeth, and have never strayed away from their roots, putting out metal albums still to this day.

You must be smoking crack if you think I would leave the best heavy metal band ever off of my list. Sure, that is my opinion, and others have theirs, but this is my list. (They are # 10 on my list because I saved the best for last) Pantera started off as a glam metal band, but, thanks goodness, changed their style when Phil Anselmo got in the band. Not that Pantera were not good musicians, even back then, but did you actually listen to the stuff they had before 'Cowboys From Hell'? Yeah, it was pretty bad. They introduced 'groove metal' to the world, and were basically the saviors of rock & roll as grunge rock was taking over the world at the time. Mark my words, one day Pantera will be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.