Unlike some recent years, we're starting to see more new acts on the eligibles list. So...who makes it in, the young whippersnappers or the elder statesmen who've been waiting for a while? Time to find out: it's the 2006 election.

Submit a ranked list of your ten most deserving artists. You may want to check out the top 100 eligible candidates. For a reminder of who's already been inducted, see the results thread.

For your top FIVE artists (at least), you must explain why they deserve to be in the HOA. You may recycle your comments from past elections if you wish, but I want us to have a context for WHY we're selecting these artists. Ballots without comments for the top five will NOT be counted!

In addition, you have the option to nominate up to three people for the Backstage Wing. This isn't required, but perhaps we can get a few more luminaries to joing Henrik in that wing.

Deadline for ballots is Sunday, August 23, at 6:00 pm US Central time (midnight GMT).

Voting is now open. Right, off you go.

1. Lynyrd Skynyrd - The southern rock band.
2. The Buzzcocks - Best punk band not yet in the hall.
3. Nat King Cole - Henrik reminded me last week to vote for this great vocalist.
4. Loretta Lynn - Too country.
5. Townes Van Zandt - One of the great songwriters.
6. Uncle Tupelo - The first "alt country" band called as such.
7. Herbie Hancock - A jazz great not getting his due.
8. Lucinda Williams - See answer to no. 5, above.
9. M.I.A. - She's modern.
10. George Harrison - Underrated solo career.

1. Nina Simone - Easily top 10 best singers of all time.
2. Missy Elliott - Creative genius that beats her male counterparts easily.
3. Jefferson Airplane - I guess I have a weak spot for strong women in a male dominated world. Three in a row, last but not least, the great Grace Slick. SHBIBN.
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Currently the leaders of the pack. Well apart from U2, that is, and Coldplay is doing quite well recently.
5. The Prodigy - The perfect marriage between techno and punkrock. Rave music for the alternative crowd.
6. Dusty Springfield
7. Herbie Hancock
8. Franz Ferdinand
9. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
10. Kanye West

Backstage:
I decided to dedicate my backstage votes to one of the greatest labels in the world, Stax, home of the Memphis Soul.
1. Booker T. & The MG's - Booker T Jones, Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Al Jackson, Jr. were as the house studio band probably more responsible for the Stax sound than any other person.
2. Isaac Hayes & David Porter - Writing & producing team that created most of the Stax hits in the 60s ("Soul Man"), until Hayes' solo career got in the way.
3. Jim Stewart - Founder of the label, originally meant to support country music, but moved opportunistically towards soul as the demographics in the neighbourhood changed.

1. Buzzcocks: Classic love songs played faster.

2. The Streets: A Grand Don’t Come For Free is a concept album that didn’t suck. It was actually pretty awesome.

3. Dinosaur Jr.: Made songs that combined all the different rock genres swirling around the American underground.

4. Fugazi: Finished at the top of their game with The Argument.

5. The Libertines: Great band fronted by a lovable sloppy drunk doofus.

6. Erik B. & Rakim
7. Iggy Pop
8. Spoon
9. The Breeders
10. Jane’s Addiction

1. New York Dolls – When I say I’m in love you best believe I’m in love, L-U-V!

2. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – What I said in my earlier top 5 entry about T.P. and company – they’ve lasted this long for a reason. And, again, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench transcended sideman status a long time ago.

3. Kanye West – Love him or hate him (indifference doesn’t seem to be an option), his impact and omnipresence over the last few years can’t be denied.

4. Belle and Sebastian – They didn’t improve on their early work – how could they? – but Stuart Murdoch and company have certainly proven they have staying power.

5. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Patterson Hood thinks they’re the greatest rock and roll band in history. They’re not, but they’re pretty damn great.

6. Lucinda Williams
7. Sonny Rollins
8. Dusty Springfield
9. LCD Soundsystem
10. Bill Evans

BACKSTAGE WING
1. Booker T. Jones/Steve Cropper/Donald “Duck” Dunn/Al Jackson, aka The MG’s
2. Martin Scorsese
3. Greil Marcus

1. Sufjan Stevens - This is an easy one for me. Sufjan has as great a gift for songwriting as anyone that has come before him or since. His songs are deeply personal affairs that lift you into another realm of thought. Even if he leaves us cold on the other 48, Michigan and the brilliant Illinois are quite the left legacy.

2. The Verve - Let's hear it for The Verve!

3. Kanye West - At first I wanted to be edgy so I pretended I didn't actually like Kanye, even though many of my friends did. Now I know there's no reason to pretend. Even without the fantastic production, and the "confidense" Kanye's music is good.

4. Brian Wilson - I dare someone to argue that Brian isn't one of the true geniuses of 20th century music. A composer who will one day be looked back upon as the equal of Beethoven or Schubert.

5. The Shins - I prefer these guy's two records to the two franz ferdinand albums. Fantastic alternapop that reminds one of the 60s band Love.


6. Belle and Sebastien
7. Interpol
8. Franz Ferdinand
9. Animal Collective - I think I'm the first person to cast a vote for these guys. Yes! I'm so hip(ster)!
10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - These guys may top my ballot in 2010.

01. MORRISSEY: after a quite remarkable beginning of his solo career after the disbandment of The Smiths came a gradual decline from the middle 90s, and then that thunderous comeback with his brilliant 2004 album.
My favourite album: You Are the Quarry (2004).
My favourite song: First of the Gang to Die (2003), Everyday Is Like Sunday (1988), Boxers (1995), Irish Blood, English Heart (2004), November Spawned a Monster (1990).

02. RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: talking about gay icons, here it comes sophistication at its peak. Son of two prestigious singers-songwriters and classically-trained, Rufus displays along his four albums a fascinating and lush concept of pop.
My favourite album: Want Two (2004).
My Top 5 Songs: The One You Love (2004), April Fools (1998), Greek Song (2001).

03. ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS: no, although it may seem that, this is not a special edition about gay singers. The achingly beautiful songs of his/her second album are enough to justify the induction.
My favourite album: I Am a Bird Now (2005).
My favourite song: Hope There’s Someone (2005), Fistful of Love (2005), Man Is the Baby (2005).

04. THE STREETS: the critical acclaim is mainly due to his first album but in my opinion the album in which Mike Skinner uses all his weapons to maximum effect is his second (concept) album.
My favourite album: A Grand Don’t Come for Free (2004).
My favourite song: Dry Your Eyes (2004), Weak Become Heroes (2002), Blinded by the Lights (2004).

05. FRANZ FERDINAND: the post-punk revival of the mid 00s was in need of a band capable of showing all the defining sounds of the style but with an unique personality.
My favourite album: Franz Ferdinand (2004).
My favourite song: Take Me Out (2004), Darts of Pleasure (2003), Do You Want to (2005).

06. KANYE WEST.
07. BRIGHT EYES.
08. SUFJAN STEVENS.
09. DEVENDRA BANHART.
10. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM.

And another special edition of the backstage wing (today: computer world); because this is not over, isn’t it?
01. MICHAEL ERLEWINE: only during the current times in our computer world somebody could have created a music bible like All Music Guide, continuously updated and with all the information you may need. And that one was Michael Erlewine who founded it in 1991. Favourite song: THE PRIME MOVERS Yonder’s Wall (1966), Michael was part during the sixties of an unknown blues band with a young James Osterberg (later Iggy Pop) at the drums.
02. KARLHEINZ BRANDENBURG: German audio engineer who was one of the main contributors to develop the modern systems of audio compression, particularly MEPG Audio Layer 3. You know, mp3. Favourite song: SUZANNE VEGA Tom’s Dinner (1987). According to Wikipedia: “Karlheinz Brandenburg used a CD recording of Suzanne Vega’s song “Tom’s Dinner” to assess and refine the MP3 compression algorithm. This song was chosen because of its nearly monophonic nature and wide spectral content, making it easier to hear imperfections in the compression format during playbacks. Some jokingly refer to Suzanne Vega as “The mother of MP3””.
03. SHAWN FANNING: founder of Napster, the first peer-to-peer platform who let us share mp3 music files all around the world, letting the music reach to everyone. Well, before the music industry forced the closing. But, you know, this is unstoppable. Favourite song: JOHNNY CRASS Internet Sandman (Enter Napster).

1. Kanye West - When you're as good of a producer and rapper as he is, you've deserved the right to be an asshole. I wonder if he's ever considered putting an orchestra pit in front of the stage at his concerts so he can conduct the symphony that is Late Registration.

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - If you didn't have to hear the admittedly (sometimes) trashy lyrics, you would think they were a power trio of Jimi Hendrix, Bootsy Collins and Stevie Wonder on drums. And that would be awesome.

3. Crosby, Stills & Nash - It's Woodstock week, and they are sitting in the top 5 of the eligibles list, and they are three excellent songwriters. They're overdue.

4. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Probably the least AM-like band to have a chance of induction. But they are really the kings of southern rock.

5. Franz Ferdinand - Three words: Take Me Out!

6. Eric Clapton - As revered as he is as a guitar legend, he really doesn't get all that much respect.

7. Sufjan Stevens - A briliant, brilliant, brilliant songwriter.

8. Bloc Party - The tightest rhythm section since the Funk Brothers.

9. Dizzee Rascal - I really shouldn't like him; he's severely British, plus he raps, plus he combines with a genre called "dancehall" (that I'm not familiar with at all) to make a new genre called "grime" ('cause grunge wasn't bad enough?). But he's so infectious and creative that it's so hard not to like.

10. The Allman Brothers Band - I have Lynyrd Skynyrd and Eric Clapton, so the Allman Brothers must be next.

Little change at the top for me.

1. JEFFERSON AIRPLANE. Looks like they’ll probably make it. If/when they do, I’ll be finished with the 60s (except for Zevon). I’m a nice guy, so make up something snarky about Woodstock and pretend I said it. (Sorry, Alex D.)
2. BUZZCOCKS. There are some artists that AM’s artist ranking system doesn’t “see” very well—basically, those whose quality isn’t well-reflected in their recorded output. This happens with pop artists who worked before pop artists really made albums (Hank Williams, Little Richard) and bands whose influence was largely through live performances (Ramones). Or, say, a band whose most acclaimed album by far is an ineligible singles collection…
3. RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON. Two legendary albums, both of which hold up very well.
4. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM. With his first album now released, I see no real reason to keep him out. Electronic music is still a bit underrepresented, in any case.
5. WARREN ZEVON. David Letterman, whose taste in music is impeccable, devoted an entire hour of his show to Warren once.
6. THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
7. THE SHINS
8. YEAH YEAH YEAHS
9. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN
10. FRANZ FERDINAND. I’m surprised by how soft their support has been. Sure, it’s true that part of the reason they are (were?) critical darlings is because they’re so easy to pigeonhole. But, to mirror a discussion going on in another thread, I think their first album holds up very well—much more so than Is This It.

Kanye remains just outside my ballot; he’s joined on that fringe by the New Pornographers.

And no, Honorio, the Backstage Wing isn’t over. Y’all keep votin’ for ‘em, I’ll keep inductin’ ‘em.

Same top 4 as during the past years, but I guess it is the last time

01. Red Hot Chili Peppers : BSSM is my "madeleine de Proust" and the summit of a very decent discography
02. IAM : best band in French hip-hop history (and probably best French band ever)
03. Rage Against the Machine : come oooooooon, here is the only real guitar hero of the 90s with very solid song and awesome bass lines
04. Built to Spill : Perfect from now on is the most incredible discover I have made this year, the five first tracks are, well, perfect, which an intensity I have very rarely heard, goes right to my guts.
05. Puppetmastaz : 2 albums released so far ; 2 awesomely fun hip-hop albums, pretty comparable to Kanye West progression but with a much more vocally versatile crew
06. Kanye West : I still consider Late Registration as a disappointment, a letdown... but College Dropout is almost impossible to top and songs such as Diamonds From Sierra Leone are still damn impressive
07. Gorillaz : both albums are splendid. I would not have expected that but I feel like the first is aging better, it encapsulated its era in a very interesting way with happy sad songs.
08. Architecture in Helsinki : In Case We Die is the one and only album that will always make me smile (well, except in case someone dies quite ironicly) and that's a very precious sings. Plus they just sound like kindergarden Beach Boys.
09. Sufjan Stevens
10. Dizzee Rascal


bubbling unders : Millencolin, Foo Fighters, System of a Down, At the Drive-In, Animal Collective...

1. Lynyrd Skynyrd - fingers crossed
2. Richard (& Linda) Thompson - though separately, they're both still releasing solid records
3. Warren Zevon - stopped releasing solid records when he died, but not before then (mind the dip in the early '90s)
4. Drive-By Truckers - best rock band of the decade
5. The Magnetic Fields - best songwriter of the past 2 decades, and one of the most prolific
6. The Blue Nile
7. Jackson Browne
8. Dwight Yoakam
9. John Cale
10. Prefab Sprout