Steppenwolf
Eligible for nomination since: 1993Why they've been passed over: Like Iron Butterfly, this ultimate biker-hippie band imploded before it got the chance to mature like its peers.
Why they should be let in: Their garage-psych stance influenced every punk and metal band of the next two decades, whether they realized it or not.
Representative song sample:"The Pusher"
Possible presenter: Rob Zombie
Steve Miller Band
Eligible for nomination since: 1993Why they've been passed over: They were critical darlings on the San Francisco psychedelic blues scene of the late Sixties, but lost their hip after Miller decided to focus on three-minute feel-good hits.
Why they should be let in: Some bands are actually better once they sell out.
Representative song sample:"Take The Money And Run"
Possible presenter: Phish
T. Rex
Eligible for nomination since: 1993Why they've been passed over: More Anglophobia, even though Marc Bolan has a legion of famous (and more celebrated) admirers.
Why they should be let in: Welded the musical freedom and simplicity of Fifties rock to the poetry of classic rock. Also more or less invented glam.
Representative song sample:"Mambo Sun"
Possible presenter: Def Leppard
Harry Nilsson
Eligible for nomination since: 1992Why he's been passed over: Nilsson's had plenty of hits, but they all sound like they were made by different people. He's too hard to pin down.
Why he should be let in: He was the most idiosyncratic songwriter of the decade in a decade stuffed to bursting with them.
Representative song sample:"Spaceman"
Possible presenter: Badly Drawn Boy
Procol Harum
Eligible for nomination since: 1992Why they've been passed over: Everyone loves "A Whiter Shade Of Pale," but after the hippie dream died, Procol Harum just got (delightfully) unfathomable.
Why they should be let in: All smart prog-rockers know why.
Representative song sample:"Simple Sister"
Possible presenter: Tool
Love
Eligible for nomination since: 1991Why they've been passed over: Even now, their influence is somewhat limited, and their popularity cultish at best.
Why they should be let in: You could say the same thing about the Velvet Underground, except that with Love, you replace decadence with romance.
Representative song sample:"Alone Again Or"
Possible presenter: Lenny Kravitz
Scott Walker
Eligible for nomination since: 1991Why he's been passed over: It took a long time for Walker to transcend his hits and really be viewed as a genius, especially on this side of the sink.
Why he should be let in: His "Wall Of Sound" is every bit as special as Phil Spector's. And Phil doesn't have an amazing voice. Or Walker's maturity.
Representative song sample:"It's Raining Today"
Possible presenter: Conor Oberst
Tommy James and the Shondells
Eligible for nomination since: 1991Why they've been passed over: Far too bubblegummy for HOF tastes.
Why they should be let in: Bubblegum is as valid as anything, if done right. And there is simply no denying "Mony Mony," much less "Crimson And Clover," which are now both part of the human race's very DNA.
Representative song sample:"Sweet Cherry Wine"
Possible presenter: Joan Jett
The (Small) Faces
Eligible for nomination since: 1991Why they've been passed over: They've always been overshadowed by their connections.
Why they should be let in: They were one of the finest psych-pop bands around, and later this band, not the Stones, invented sloppy boogie.
Representative song sample:"Had Me A Real Good Time"
Possible presenter: The Black Crowes
The Pretty Things
Eligible for nomination since: 1990Why they've been passed over: They were never commercially successful, nor did they go on to success in other incarnations.
Why they should be let in: Invented the rock opera. And also freak-folk.
Representative song sample:"S. F. Sorrow Is Born"
Possible presenter: David Bowie
The Turtles
Eligible for nomination since: 1990Why they've been passed over: Just too sunshiny, like the Monkees with creative control and lots of talent.
Why they should be let in: Happy and shiny does not equal shallow. Almost as big an influence on today's psych-pop bands as the Beatles.
Representative song sample:"Eleanore"
Possible presenter: Polyphonic Spree
Johnny Rivers
Eligible for nomination since: 1989Why he's been passed over: Critics hated his signature "go-go" sound for some reason, and while his career didn't die with it, his critical standing did.
Why he should be let in: For vocal chops and genre flexibility, he's at least as eligible as Dion.
Representative song sample:"Seventh Son"
Possible presenter: Tom Petty
The Moody Blues
Eligible for nomination since: 1989Why they've been passed over: Admittedly, their ultra-drippy poesy and thematic pretensions can be hard for some to swallow.
Why they should be let in: No other band consistently mixed rock with orchestral elements so well; at their best, the Moodies were also great songwriters.
Representative song sample:"Question"
Possible presenter: Peter Gabriel
The Zombies
Eligible for nomination since: 1989Why they've been passed over: They were too smart for their time, and critical reassessment of a band with only three hit singles takes a long time.
Why they should be let in: 1968's Odessey and Oracle has finally gained a rep as one of the greatest albums of all time; no reason their other output shouldn't be dragged along.
Representative song sample:"Time Of The Season"
Possible presenter: Squeeze
