The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame may have its reasons, but the 1980s are horribly underrepresented. While the Hall is terribly misnamed, many terrific bands from this era have been snubbed for years. So many musicians who are not even rock and roll adjacent have been inducted; to leave out actual rock and roll stars doesn’t make any sense.
Suggesting that bands from the 1980s did not influence future musicians is ridiculous. While acts from the Hair Band era, what at the time was called heavy metal, often prioritized appearance and style over substance, a lot of great music came from that decade.
According to IMDB, based on the MTV Countdown of Top 100 videos of the 80s, which was broadcast late in 1989, 20 percent of the videos could firmly be classified now as being from Hair Bands. Most of those 20 were in the top 50.
Two bands from that era have been inducted: Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. At least three other bands should be in. Recently, Bryan Rolli from Ultimate Classic Rock published an article naming eight bands from the 80s that should be in the Hall of Fame. That number seems generous, but Rolli made some excellent points, and he is on the right track.
Three acts from the Hair Band era in the 80s that should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
No. 3 - Scorpions
This German band formed in 1965 and released its first album in 1972. The ballad “Holiday” was from the 1979 album Lovedrive. In 1980, the album Animal Magnetism produced the classic “The Zoo.”
The band started garnering a more prominent international audience in 1982 with their release of Blackout, which featured memorable tunes like “No One Like You, which peaked at number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,” and “Can’t Live Without You.”
The Scorpions hit their stride in 1984 with their album Love at First Sting. The powerful ballad “Still Loving You” peaked at 64, while “Rock You Like a Hurricane” reached no. 25.
The band continued to make good music throughout the decade and beyond. Their highest-charting single, “Winds of Change,” topping out at number four. The band has enjoyed success on the Billboard 200 album chart as well, with 20 that made the charts, including three top 10 albums, all of which were released in the '80s.
The Scorpions enjoy longevity, which few bands have ever experienced. They’ve had their share of commercial success and have always featured a unique vocal and musical style that set them apart. Few would argue against their induction.
No. 2 - Poison
Because Poison seemed like such a knock-off of Motley Crue early on, they are given a bad rap and not enough credit for how good they became over time. Yes, their early songs were prime examples of the glam metal sub-genre with hits like “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” Talk Dirty to Me,” and “Unskinny Bop,” just to name a few.
Like Motley Crue, their music matured as they did. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” is as good of a rock ballad as it was written in the decade. “Something to Believe In” has depth to the lyrics and is arguably their best song overall. “Theatre of the Soul” is another song that reflects the increased maturity in songwriting.
Poison spawned its own legion of copycats. Warrant, Slaughter, White Lion, Vixen, and many others watered down the genre badly. This isn’t to say these bands and others didn’t have their moments or didn’t produce some good songs. It just seemed many of them were a copy of a copy.
Poison stood above all of those. They probably had as many, or more, terrific songs as Motley Crue, and they influenced several metal bands, just like the Crue did. They deserve a place in the Hall.
No. 1 - Motley Crue
Motley Crue’s early albums were as cutting-edge for the time as they could be. Two Fast for Love and Shout at the Devil offered raw power and sound that wasn’t anywhere near mainstream. It was enough to gain them an audience that launched them into commercial success. The latter eventually became certified platinum four times.
That feat was matched by their next album, Theatre of Pain. Songs like “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” and “Home Sweet Home” captured listeners. In 1987, the album Girls, Girls, Girls hit no. 2 on the album charts and cemented them as one of the top acts of the era. Two years later, Dr Feelgood, featuring the title track and “Kickstart My Heart,” hurtled into the top spot.
The band had two top-10 hits and 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. They had one chart-topping album and nine more that made it into the top 10.
The Hall is always harping about influence, and if imitation is a form of influence, then few bands had as much in the 1980s as Motley Crue. Their early glam look became iconic and much-copied, giving the era its Hair Band name. When they pulled away from the spandex and makeup in 1987, other bands followed suit. Their influence on the rest of the decade is undeniable, and their growth as lyricists and musicians increased over time. They should absolutely be included in the Hall of Fame.
Three acts from the Hair Band era that probably shouldn’t be considered for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
No. 3 - Whitesnake
Yes, in the late 1980s, Whitesnake did enjoy a good deal of commercial success. Their 1987 self-titled album peaked at number two on the record charts and produced a number one song in “Here I Go Again,” and another that reached number two in “Is This Love.” Spurred on by eye-catching videos and melodic sound, these songs yanked the band into the spotlight.
In 1984, they released a hard-driving album called Slide It In. It offered great rock tunes like the title track and “Slow and Easy.” While this album didn’t gain the band much in the way of commercial success, the songs were much more worthy of the label of rock and roll.
The Whitesnake album had a much softer sound and appealed to many more fans, but there wasn’t much to the songs. In hindsight, it was closer to bubblegum rock than to what most other bands were producing. The band was obviously influenced heavily by Led Zepplin, but it’s not clear if they had much influence on future musicians.
There just isn’t much of a case for Whitesnake to be voted into the Hall.
No. 2 - Ratt
Ratt is a tough one. They had a bevy of good rock songs but never quite reached the heights commercially as some of their peers. The most significant point in their favor toward Hall of Fame induction is that their 1984 hit “Round and Round” was one of the genre’s early successes. It peaked at number 12 that summer.
That album, Out of the Cellar, and its follow-up a year later, Invasion of Your Privacy, both climbed as high as seven on the Billboard 200, but the songs from those records were only modest hits.
Like most bands of the era, their lyrics weren’t terribly deep, but they were fine musicians. Outside of “Round and Round,” only one other song, “Lay It Down,” crept into the top 40.
The band is a personal favorite of mine, but even I’d be hard-pressed to argue a case for them for the Hall of Fame.
No. 1 - Quiet Riot
If you favor Quiet Riot to be in the Hall of Fame, there are two key points to argue. One, they had the first-ever heavy metal album to go number one when Metal Health reached the top in 1983. Two, Randy Rhoads may have coined the term headbangers before he left the band. Yes, those are two significant contributions to the genre.
Still, name another song by them outside of “Cum on Feel the Noize” or “Bang Your Head (Metal Health). Some might recall “Mama, Weer All Crazee Now,” but of these three tunes, two are covers. Only “Bang Your Head” is an original, even if it is an incredible one.
These two arguments, though completely valid, are not enough to push the band into the Hall. Outside of the Metal Health album, the band didn’t have much commercial success, and whatever influence it might have had was due to Rhoads’ early association with Quiet Riot.
Their success helped push the genre into the mainstream, but they lacked appeal before and after their iconic hit.
Cases might be made for other bands from that era, such as Dokken, Tesla, and Queensryche, plus Iron Maiden, a pioneer in the genre. The latter band is probably one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, yet they’ve not even gotten a sniff of the Hall.