Four bands too good to be inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, is a strange and marvelous place. Right on the shores of Lake Erie, on a clear day, one can see a third of the way to Canada. Only not Rock Hall voters, seemingly. Canada is not well-represented in the hallowed halls (or rooms).

Neither are great British bands from the 1990s. Oasis was at least nominated this year. The Stone Roses? Please. Hall voters likely do not know who they are.

All of the musical artists that follow are too good for the Hall. They do not fit into any nice package Hall voters understand. The bands likely do not care about induction, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a lesser place for not honoring these bands.

Four bands that are loved even though the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hates them

Tool

James Maynard Keenan and his band of excellent musicians are likely not something the Rock Hall will ever induct. Not that the band isn't worthy, of course. They are certainly influential and their albums sell decently well. Tool just seems somewhat fringe for the safe Rock Hall voters. Their idea of taking a chance is letting A Tribe Called Quest in. (No offense to Tribe.)

Tool is certainly legendary in the realm of metal, and that is a subgenre that the Hall of Fame doesn't love very much. That is odd as of all the inductees recently, a country artist appears to have a better chance than a metal group and metal is rock. Go figure. Perhaps Tool's name simply does not resonate with the Dolly Parton fans in the Rock Hall. (No offense to Dolly.)

Manic Street Preachers

The Manics are never going to get inducted. First of all, they are a Welsh band from the 1990s and the Rock Hall is still somehow grappling with the idea of inducting Oasis. How can that be? The Gallagher boys sold enough records on both sides of the pond for Hall voters to have a clue who they are.

The Manic Street Preachers were more popular globally than in the United States, though a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame shouldn't be American-centric. The Manics also won multiple Brit Awards so they get love from the critics, too. To be sure, James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, and Sean Moore very much do not care if they get inducted. They are certainly worthy, though, with multiple albums of excellence such as Everything Must Go, This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours, and the all-time great The Holy Bible.

Slipknot

Like Tool, Slipknot's sin is they are a metal band. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is not so sure what to do with them. "Is Slipknot good?" Hall voters might ask. "They appear to play loud music we do not understand." The band from Iowa is influential, sells well, and meets the requirement of having original commercial material older than 25 years old, so what is the issue?

Maybe Slipknot wearing masks bothers some voters. They can handle Kiss - a less loud band who wears a bunch of makeup but at least one can still see their faces! - but them Slipknot boys just seem too dangerous! Maybe if Slipknot wants to be inducted, they need to do a covers album of Johnny Cash, Bill Monroe, and Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys songs. All those country artists are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five)

Ben Folds, especially Folds when he was with his band the Ben Folds Five (there were only three members), were subculture, piano-driven deviants who could churn out a rock song as well as a heartbreaking ballad. Songs such as "Song for the Dumped" and "Brick" are icons of alternative rock (another subgenre Hall voters struggle with).

Folds continues to produce gems while staying ever above the fray of radio-driven wretchedness while remaining original. His current Paper Airplane tour is a sign of that. Fans can show up, and throw paper airplanes at the stage, and Folds will play the tunes. A brilliant pianist and songwriter, he is everything Billy Joel should have become.

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