Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: Not In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame...?!

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl is simply too large a concept to be neatly contained within a mere three-hour weekly time slot. Hence these occasional fake TIRnRR playlists, detailing shows we're never really going to do...but could.

Death. Taxes. Construction on the highway when you're already running late. You wanna know the other sure thing? People complaining about The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. And you know what else is inevitable? People complaining about people complaining about The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Hey, count me in both camps!

Whenever discussion of that glorified Hard Rock Cafe on the banks of Lake Erie fires up yet again, I automatically disregard comments about how the RnRHOF doesn't matter, shouldn't exist in the first place, yadda und yadda. I believe that rock 'n' roll should honor its own, so I'm fully dedicated to the concept of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame while remaining appalled by its inept and myopic execution. I've written about a hypothetical Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Hot 100, and I've written the speech I would give if somehow given the opportunity to correct the Hall's most egregious omission to date, inducting The Monkees into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

The latest pundit to chime in on this subject is writer Bill Wyman, who just posted his top-to-bottom ranking of the worthiness of all RnRHOF acts inducted to date. Wyman infuriates me because he's not an idiot--he's intelligent and he writes well--so I can't just trash his pieces. He has an odd fetish for advocating the induction of Radiohead (whom he apparently deems worthier than either Dion and the Belmonts or Del Shannon, and that's nuts), but he states and defends his positions well. We agree that Chuck Berry is the single most important act overall, and we agree on a few other points here and there, while disagreeing on many, many more. That's what makes pop culture debates fun, right? Barkeep, bring another round!

Years ago, Dana and I did a TIRnRR special edition billed as "Not In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame...?!," a show dedicated in its entirety to worthy and eligible acts that had been unjustly snubbed by Wenner and his hechmen. Some of those past wrongs have been set right in the interim: The Hollies are in, The Sex Pistols are in, and I'm sure several others have seen belated recognition in Cleveland. There are still many other acts long overdue for permanent honor. Here's a fake TIRnRR playlist of some acts that still make us gasp and stammer, "NOT in The Rock And Roll Of Fame...?!"

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--plays Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse on The Spark WSPJ-LP 103.3 and 93.7, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/

Spark Syracuse is supported by listeners like you. Tax-deductible donations are welcome at http://sparksyracuse.org/support/

You can follow Carl's daily blog Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) at 
https://carlcafarelli.blogspot.com/

Our new compilation CD This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4 is now available from Kool Kat Musik! 29 tracks of irresistible rockin' pop, starring Pop Co-Op, Ray Paul, Circe Link & Christian Nesmith, Vegas With Randolph Featuring Lannie Flowers, The Slapbacks, P. Hux, Irene Peña, Michael Oliver & the Sacred Band Featuring Dave Merritt, The Rubinoos, Stepford Knives, The Grip Weeds, Popdudes, Ronnie Dark, The Flashcubes, Chris von Sneidern, The Bottle Kids, 1.4.5., The Smithereens, Paul Collins' Beat, The Hit Squad, The Rulers, The Legal Matters, Maura & the Bright Lights, Lisa Mychols, and Mr. Encrypto & the Cyphers. You gotta have it, so order it here.

Fake TIRnRR Playlist: Not In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame...?!

DICK DALE & HIS DEL-TONES: Miserlou
--
THE MONKEES: Pleasant Valley Sunday
RICK JAMES: Bustin' Out
THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat
THE ZOMBIES: Time Of The Season
THE SPINNERS: I'll Be Around
WARREN ZEVON: Poor Poor Pitiful Me
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THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Personality Crisis
THE SHANGRI-LAS: Leader Of The Pack
JAN & DEAN: Dead Man's Curve
THE SHADOWS: Apache
THE STYLISTICS: One Of A Kind Love Affair
T. REX: 20th Century Boy
--
PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS: Kicks
BADFINGER: Baby Blue
HARRY NILSSON: Without You
TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You
LESLEY GORE: You Don't Own Me
P. P. ARNOLD: The First Cut Is The Deepest
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THE RASPBERRIES: Go All The Way
KOOL & THE GANG: Hollywood Swinging
JOE COCKER: With A Little Help From My Friends
THE JAM: In The City
THE SEARCHERS: Needles And Pins
CAROLE KING: It's Too Late
--
THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams
LARRY WILLIAMS: Dizzy Miss Lizzy
MOTT THE HOOPLE: All The Young Dudes
WAR: Low Rider
TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS: Crimson And Clover
MOTORHEAD: Ace Of Spades
--
BIG STAR: September Gurls
THE REPLACEMENTS: Alex Chilton
DAVE EDMUNDS: Girls Talk
NICK LOWE: Cruel To Be Kind
JUDAS PRIEST: Heading Out To The Highway
THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko
--
THREE DOG NIGHT: Eli's Coming
SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart
DEF LEPPARD: Photograph
HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES: If You Don't Know Me By Now
THE METERS: Cissy Strut
ROXY MUSIC: More Than This
--
BARRY WHITE: In The Ghetto
JOHNNY BURNETTE & THE ROCK 'N' ROLL TRIO: Train Kept A-Rollin'
THE COLLINS KIDS: Hoy Hoy
MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS: Jenny Take A Ride!
LOVE: 7 And 7 Is
TOOTS & THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop
--
THE MARVELETTES: I'll Keep Holding On
JOE TEX: Hold What You've Got
HUSKER DU: Makes No Sense At All
IRON MAIDEN: Run To The Hills
THE TURTLES: Happy Together
CHUBBY CHECKER: The Twist
LINK WRAY: Rumble

NOTE: This is not a ranked list, and there are certainly even more acts I think should be honored. Big tent. With the exception of Carole King (who is in the Hall as a non-performer, alongside her ex-husband/former songwriting partner Gerry Goffin), I avoided duplicating any artist who has already been inducted under another nom du bop, like Ben E. King (inducted with The Drifters) and The Runaways (Joan Jett is in with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts).

I would concede that a few of my choices here might be a stretch; again: Big Tent. (I considered removing P. P. Arnold, but I think I'm developing a crush on her.) All of them had impact. All of them are worthy.