Using Blender's Greatest 100 American Albums of All-Time as a Predictor for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Blender recently came up with a list of the 100 greatest American albums of all-time. Clearly there are a number of problems with the list (such as using greatest hits albums, the absence of Daydream Nation, listing Canadians such as Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, nothing listed from this decade, etc.), but any ranking such as this will never please everyone.

As far as using the list as a predictor for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there are 45 artists who are Hall of Famers and 41 artists listed who are not. Of the non-Hall of Famers, only the Beastie Boys and Nirvana have two albums listed, and both are almost sure to be inducted in the future.

Other artists who are likely to be inducted after they become eligible are Guns N' Roses, Pearl Jam, Public Enemy, Beck and Jane's Addiction. Some of the artists who might be on the bubble are Modern Lovers, the Minutemen, Hole, Mary J. Blige and Pavement.

Some of the most popular snubbed artists are represented by Randy Newman, Kiss, Gram Parsons, Willie Nelson and The Replacements.

There are obviously a number of hip-hop albums listed, and most of those artists listed would seem to have a good chance at future induction.

The full list is below:

  1. Madonna - The Immaculate Collection (Sire, 1990)
  2. Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill (Def Jams, 1986) [inducted in 2012]
  3. Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia, 1965)
  4. Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (Tamla Motown, 1973)
  5. Guns N' Roses - Appetite for Destruction (Geffen, 1987) [inducted in 2012]
  6. Ramones - Ramones (Sire, 1976)
  7. Blondie - Parallel Lines (Chrysalis, 1978)
  8. Chuck Berry - The Great Twenty-Eight (Chess, 1982)
  9. Nirvana - Nevermind (DGC, 1991) [inducted in 2014]
  10. Joni Mitchell - Blue (Reprise, 1971)
  11. Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (Def Jams, 1988) [inducted in 2013]
  12. Metallica - Metallica (Elektra, 1991) [inducted in 2009]
  13. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall (Epic, 1979)
  14. Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (Capitol, 1966)
  15. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (Tamla, 1973)
  16. Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (Rhino, 1962)
  17. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico (Verve, 1967)
  18. Prince and the Revolution - Purple Rain (Warner Bros., 1984)
  19. Neil Young - Rust Never Sleeps (Reprise, 1979)
  20. James Brown - Sex Machine (King, 1970)
  21. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde (Columbia, 1966)
  22. Robert Johnson - King of the Delta Blues Singers (Columbia, 1966)
  23. R.E.M. - Murmur (IRS, 1983)
  24. Parliament - Mothership Connection (Casablanca, 1975)
  25. Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death (Bad Boy/Arista, 1997)
  26. Van Halen - Van Halen (Warner Bros., 1978)
  27. Al Green - Call Me (Hi, 1973)
  28. Aerosmith - Rocks (Columbia, 1976)
  29. Beck - Odelay (DGC, 1996)
  30. Little Richard - Grooviest 17 Original Hits! (Specialty, 1959)
  31. Louis Armstrong - The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings (Columbia Legacy, 2000)
  32. Curtis Mayfield - Superfly (Curtom, 1972)
  33. Hank Williams - 40 Greatest Hits (Mercury, 1978)
  34. Steely Dan - Katy Lied (MCA, 1975)
  35. The B-52's - The B-52's (Warner Bros., 1979)
  36. Chic - Risqué (Atlantic, 1979)
  37. Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (Capitol, 1989) [inducted in 2012]
  38. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (Atlantic, 1967)
  39. Elvis Presley - The Sun Sessions (RCA/BMG, 1976)
  40. Hole - Live Through This (DGC, 1994)
  41. Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (Reprise, 1968)
  42. Patti Smith - Horses (Arista, 1975)
  43. Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On (Epic, 1971)
  44. Dr. Dre - The Chronic (Death Row, 1992)
  45. Pearl Jam - VS. (Epic, 1993)
  46. Run-DMC - Raising Hell (Profile, 1986) [inducted in 2009]
  47. Phil Spector - Back to Mono (1958–69) (ABKCO, 1991)
  48. Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959)
  49. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP (Interscope, 1999)
  50. Kiss - Destroyer (Casablanca, 1976) [inducted in 2014]
  51. Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark (Asylum, 1974)
  52. Randy Newman - 12 Songs (Reprise, 1970) [inducted in 2013]
  53. A Tribe Called Quest - The Low End Theory (Jive, 1991)
  54. Frank Sinatra - In the Wee Small Hours (Capitol, 1955)
  55. Bob Dylan - The Basement Tapes (Columbia, 1975)
  56. Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire E(PIC, 1996)
  57. Mary J. Blige - My Life (MCA, 1994)
  58. Grateful Dead - American Beauty (Warner Bros., 1970)
  59. Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (Loud/RCA, 1993)
  60. Paul Simon - Graceland (Warner Bros., 1986)
  61. The Coasters - 50 Coastin' Classics (Rhino, 1992)
  62. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town (Columbia, 1978)
  63. Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison (Columbia, 1968)
  64. Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel (Reprise, 1974)
  65. Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin (Columbia, 1958)
  66. Modern Lovers - Modern Lovers (Berserkley, 1976)
  67. Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted (Matador, 1992)
  68. TLC - Crazysexycool (Laface, 1994)
  69. Lynyrd Skynyrd - (Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd) (MCA, 1973)
  70. Prince - Sign "O" the Times (Paisley Park, 1987)
  71. L.L. Cool J - Radio (Def Jam, 1985)
  72. Carpenters - The Singles 1969–1981 (A&M, 2000)
  73. Pixies - Surfer Rosa (4AD, 1988)
  74. Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul (Atlantic, 1968)
  75. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (Columbia, 1998)
  76. Muddy Waters - At Newport 1960 (Chess, 1960)
  77. Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking (Warner Bros., 1998)
  78. Elvis Presley - From Elvis in Memphis (RCA, 1969)
  79. Woody Guthrie - Dustbowl Ballads (Camden, 1964)
  80. Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (Nothing/Interscope, 1994)
  81. Various Artists - Nuggets: 1965–1968 (Elektra, 1972)
  82. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (Tommy Boy, 1989)
  83. The Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime (SST, 1984)
  84. Buddy Holly - Greatest Hits (MCA, 1995)
  85. Willie Nelson - Red Headed Stranger (Columbia, 1975)
  86. Neil Young - After the Gold Rush (Reprise, 1970)
  87. R.E.M. - Automatic for the People (Warner Bros., 1992)
  88. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing… (Mo'wax/FFRR, 1996)
  89. Talking Heads - Remain in Light (Sire, 1980)
  90. Weezer - Weezer (Geffen, 1994)
  91. Eagles - Hotel California (Asylum, 1975)
  92. Lucinda Williams - Lucinda Williams (Rough Trade, 1988)
  93. Tori Amos - Under the Pink (Atlantic, 1994)
  94. Nirvana - In Utero (DGC, 1993) [inducted in 2014]
  95. Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson (RCA, 1971)
  96. Kid Rock - Devil Without a Cause (Top Dog/Lava/Atlantic, 1998)
  97. The Doors - The Doors (Elektra, 1967)
  98. The Replacements - Let It Be (Twin Tone, 1984)
  99. Stevie Wonder - Fulfillingness' First Finale (Tamla, 1974)
  100. Otis Redding - Otis Blue — Otis Redding Sings Soul (Atlantic, 1965)

Other than Sonic Youth, who do you think are the worst omissions? Smashing Pumpkins? Wilco? Soundgarden? Red Hot Chili Peppers? The Flaming Lips? The White Stripes? Devo? Let us know in the comments.

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