The Overlooked, the Ignored, and the Terrible Omissions

Sorry, this is not three Warped Tour bands, it's a description of the artists who were somehow NOT included on the Rolling Stone list.

First off, let me say what a wild and weird feeling it is to get up in the morning knowing I don't have to listen to anything in particular.  I have more than two years of new music to catch up on and my Spotify algorithm thinks all I want is music from the 70's.  It's going to take me years to get it back to normal.

1. The Jam

The Jam isn't just a great band, although they were that too, they're a totally influential, important band.  You can hear them in everyone from Blur to Bloc Party to Arctic Monkeys to my beloved Libertines.  The fact that they broke up in 1982 and lead singer Paul Weller has resolutely refused to do the now-perfunctory reunion probably hasn't helped, but they should be on this list.

Album that should be on the list: All Mod Cons




2. Van Halen

I know why they aren't on the list; they have a reputation for dumb stoner teenage rock, but guess what?  Dumb stoner teenage rock is rock.  "Van Halen were more influential than the Velvet Underground could ever have been in Lou Reed's wildest dreams," wrote Michael Hann in this fantastic piece about the band and he's not wrong.  VH invented and perfected a style of guitar-forward, melodic metal that would set the bar for rock for years after their first album.  Not having a single Van Halen album on this list is a travesty.  I'm going to put on some Van Halen as soon as I finish this.

Album that should be on the list: Van Halen

3. Duran Duran

I wonder how many bands are in the Rock Hall of Fame and not on this list.  I don't feel like checking, but Duran Duran is one of them.  Not just a great New Wave band, a great band in general.  Incredibly hooky, great songs, and a great overall sense of style and panache.

Album that should be on the list: Rio

4. George Jones

I talked a few times about how underrepresented country was as a genre on the list, but if you have Eric Church and not George Jones at all, not even one album, then you have royally fucked up.

Album that should be on the list: I Am What I Am

5. Jane's Addiction

Hair metal groups like Mötley Crüe and Poison came to define LA in the late 80's but Jane's was the other, dirtier side of the city.  Taking cues from everything from Led Zeppelin to, yes, Van Halen, to Alice Cooper, the band shocked and mystified most of the country while writing some indelibly great songs.

Album that should be on the list: Nothing's Shocking

Honorable mentions: Traffic, Eurythmics, Gordon Lightfoot, The Pogues, The Steve Miller Band, the Everly Brothers

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