Rush to Hall of Fame

Rush

How can Rush not be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?! The new class of inductees has been announced and a few of the names caught me off guard. Red Hot Chili Peppers? Guns N' Roses? Where is Rush? It was the Heebonics website that first brought this story to my attention. For the 27th induction taking place in April 2012, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N' Roses, Beastie Boys, Donovan and The Faces have all been named to the Hall.

I have nothing against RHCP. As far as I am concerned they had two good albums; 1989's Mother's Milk and 2006's Stadium Arcadium. Guns N' Roses? They haven't been GNR since Slash left. The band met with a creative decline immediately after 1987's Appetite For Destruction and a swifter decline followed Use Your Illusion (1 and 2).

The Beastie Boys, also named to this year's inductee list stand above the others, at the very least for their groundbreaking music and consistency of quality output. 1986's Licensed to Ill still gets regular radio airplay. The 1994 video for Sabotage, an homage to the cop shows of the 70s, has to be one of the greatest videos ever made.

Donovan with close to thirty albums and eleven Top 40 songs in the U.S. deserves his spot. The (Small) Faces can be nominated for their music, or for who used to be a member of the band. Do Steve Marriot, Ronnie Wood, and Rod Stewart sound familiar?

But where oh where is Rush in the eyes of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? 40 million records sold. The same lineup since 1974. A band that has inspired multiple generations and some of the biggest acts in the business. The band's 20th studio album Clockwork Angels is set for an April 2012 release.

Whether you listen to their recordings, or watch the band live, these prog rock pioneers will bring you something new with every appearance, with every listening. Lyrics filled with wit and humour, the biggest contradiction is their almost exclusive male following. Every musician wants to be them, every guy wants to play like them, and every woman wants to be their distant cousin.

If you aren't convinced then you must not have seen the brilliant documentary on the band Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage. Sign the petition here. Let's get Rush into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where they belong.

Rush 1974