The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2013 induction nominees on October 15, including KISS, Nirvana, N.W.A. and more. Although there's no limit to how many can be allowed into the hall by the panel of 600 voters, we at Music Times have been reading too much The Hunger Games and wondered: What if there could be only one?
Therefore we've organized the nominees into a bracket, and are giving you, the reader, the chance to vote for the artists of your choice. Is it fair? No, but it will certainly test your loyalty to your favorite acts. We'll release one quadrant a day for voting, and hopefully give you a chance to learn something about the acts along the way.
Peter Gabriel vs. Hall & Oates
Peter Gabriel didn't have any trouble getting past his fellow Brits, The Zombies, but he may have a tougher time getting past his next opponent. The Replacements have enough of a cult following that an upset seems possible against pop-rock superstars Hall & Oates, but the latter duo won its first round battle by the largest of margins. Both Gabriel and H&O have plenty of hits to their name, but the ultimate answer might come down to Genesis: Do you prefer Gabriel's preference for for more progressive rock, or do you hold it against him that he's already been inducted to the Hall of Fame with his first band? Of course, you could also consider the hairstyles of both acts during their heyday.
Nirvana vs. Deep Purple
A decent portion of rock historians gave a vote for Link Wray, but ultimately alternative rock icons Nirvana got by relatively easy. On the other side of things, Deep Purple managed to edge past Cat Stevens during one of the first round's closest match-ups. So, Nirvana beat out one of the foremost purveyors of grunge, but can it also beat out one of the foremost purveyors of heavy metal, a genre few realize had a significant influence on the band? Things are looking somewhat bleak for Purple...they barely got enough votes to edge by the folk leanings of Cat Stevens, much less the onslaught of Nirvana. But fans have proved us wrong before...
