A major step in the right direction of finally showcasing music groups that aren’t of the extreme norm or voted in by backslapping politics has finally come to fruition in Cleveland, Ohio today as Rush, the Canadian trio whose progressive rock sounds have been thrilling and tantalizing generations of audiences mostly on cult fringes since their debut album in 1974, has finally have been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

No other band in the entire history of the hall has sported the kind of controversy and division like Rush has in terms of entry to the Hall. For the most part, Rush has been anything but critically lauded throughout its tenure as a band, which is still promoting and touring its latest album Clockwork Angels, their 19th studio release. Fans, however, have seen this differently, scoffing at pseudo-highbrow critics who they pretty much have ascertained have no clue what they are talking about when it comes to the amazing, gymnastically musical elasticity of the sounds and styles of Rush.

ABC News reports that along with Rush, the class of 2013 includes Academy Award-winning singer/songwriter Randy Newman; original purveyors of hip hop Public Enemy; the late disco queen Donna Summer, who died earlier this year; the Wilson sisters-led hard rocking ensemble Heart; and “Born Under A Bad Sign” blues guitarist Albert King. Quite an eclectic mix of artists for sure.

The nominations are in for the 2013 class of inductees for Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the mix of names and bands definitely runs the genre gamut for sure.

Finally, however, there is a nod for Canadian power trio Rush. The band has been much the source of controversy at the glass pyramid on Cleveland’s waterfront, as many of its fans have seen the omission of the band in the Hall as unconscionable and out and out ridiculous. Although the band has been around for almost 40 years and the Hall almost 30, this is still the first acknowledgement for the group in any way, shape or form. The band, which is currently on their Clockwork Angels tour spanning America, is bigger than ever. It remains to be seen if they will make it (finally) into the oddly shaped edifice in Ohio.

Yesterday I wrote that though the Red Hot Chili Peppers were just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, to a early fan like me, they will always be four guys with socks on their dicks.

Now, the band has announced that in honor of their recent induction, they will be releasing a digital-only 6-song EP of cover tunes, called We Salute You. The EP, which will be available online starting May 1, 2012, has songs from previous Hall Of Fame inductees which the band was musically influenced by: The Ramones, Iggy & The Stooges, Neil Young, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, and Dion and the Belmonts. Three of the tunes are live versions, while five of the six tracks have never been available digitally.

Below is the full track listing, along with details on each track.

On Saturday another round of musicians and bands were inducted into Cleveland’s storied and controversial Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The triangular glass edifice (which the term “glass house” certainly applies here) has been home to many musical artifacts and slightly biased and even ass-kissing styles in terms of its adoration and out and out blatant favoritism in terms of who gets inducted into this sprawling pyramid of a place.

The history of the hall itself is also as messy as the communal responses to it. The Rock and Roll Foundation itself was founded on April 20, 1983. But the physical building itself did not open until over 10 years later, finally opening on September 2, 1995. There were a few different choices originally where the building should have been built, Memphis (birthplace of Sun and Stax Records), Detroit (home of Motown Records), Cincinnati (home of King Records, which showcased early Rockabilly and James Browns’ embryonic musical start), and New York City (home of many songwriters and producers). But Cleveland was chosen for a few reasons. One, $65 million in public money was pledged to the funding of the construction, which certainly whetted the Rock and Roll board’s appetite; Two, many public polls favored Cleveland to having the hall built there; and most importantly, three, Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed has been considered in essence the first person to credit, acknowledge, and even coin the term “Rock and Roll.” Freed even organized in Cleveland in 1952 what is widely considered the very first Rock and Roll concert as well there. These factors were main catalysts in creating and finalizing the decision to have The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame erected in downtown Cleveland, where it stands today, right by the banks of Lake Erie, just east of where the NFL team The Cleveland Browns play in their stadium.

Industry insiders are reporting that rock and metal legend Alice Cooper will finally be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on March 14, 2011 at its 26th yearly induction ceremony.

Alice Cooper began as the lead singer and frontman of the band of the same name with the release of their debut album, Pretties For You, in 1969. Cooper launched his solo career in 1975 with the release of the concept album, Welcome To My Nightmare, an epic recording that was produced by the brilliant Bob Ezrin.

Cooper established himself firmly in the era of shock rock and early glam metal — his career spanning beyond 30 years, and releasing songs such as School’s Out, Poison, Hey Stoopid, and Brutal Planet. He is known for his concept albums, and theatrical live performance that featured the “execution of Alice Cooper” every night — usually portrayed as death by guillotine. He’s left such an impact on the music world and would eventually become a massive influence on almost all sub-genre of metal.