With Van Halen, Black Sabbath, and now Metallica in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it is now time to honor those that have paved the way for countless other bands over the last quarter century.
Motley Crue
Love them or hate them, The Crue were the badboys of the metal seen in the 80's. The 80's LA metal seen saw the rise of countless undistinguishable hair metal bands, yet Motley Crue rose above them all and made a name for themselves.
Cheap Trick
You can still find traces of Cheap Trick in bands from KISS to Smashing Pumpkins. They are a band that could be loved by metal heads, punks and pop music fans. Powerful guitars, intense drumming, and one of the smoothest vocal ranges around.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy might already be inducted in the Hall of Fame with Black Sabbath, but like Eric Clapton, he should also be inducted as a solo artist for his contributions to metal.
Rush
What other artist has had 24 straight albums be certified gold or platinum? The Beatles? The Rolling Stones? Rush's contributions to progressive rock and music in general can't be overlooked any longer.
Motorhead
Motorhead probably doesn't stand a chance in hell to be inducted. They have been eligible since 2002 and have made numerous contributions to metal, punk and rock in general. Without Motorhead, there would be no thrash scene.
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden is one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time and have sold more than 70 million albums worldwide. They did this with little radio support.
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are legends, 'nuff said..
Kiss
If there were no KISS, metal concerts would be boring. KISS has been steadily releasing gold albums for 35 years now.
Def Leppard
Rocket, Animal, Armaggedon It, Pour Some Sugar on Me...that was just side 1 of Hysteria. They also have the best one-armed drummer out there. If there had to be a single metal band in the 80's that owned the decade, these guys would be it. They are one of only 5 bands to have gone diamond (10 Million in sales) in the US: the others being The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen.
Alice Cooper
If it were up to metal fans, Alice Cooper would have been inducted long ago. Alice Cooper is noticeably absent from the list. With amazing stage shows and a career spanning four decades, the original shock rocker should be a no brainer.
Subject: Top 10 Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal bands that should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 
Sat Apr 11, 2009 6:18 am
