There are few things that stoke the flames of rock & roll geekery like the list of nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sure, we know that their induction guidelines are dubious. We roll our eyes at their induction choices, while our favorite bands and artists are overlooked. But we pay attention anyway. Because we are music geeks, and this is what we do.

Last year was a banner year for the HOF, mainly because of the inductions of Nirvana and KISS. Hall & Oates received their (IMHO) long-deserved induction, as did Linda Ronstadt. No one on this year’s ballot approaches the iconic status of a Nirvana or KISS, but there are certainly deserving artists in the lineup.

For the second consecutive year, fans get the chance to have their say: go over to rollingstone.com and vote for who you’d like to see inducted. Your cumulative votes will be included as one total vote during the induction process.

Between 4 and 6 of these artists will be inducted when the ballots are tallied early next year.

For your reference, here’s the article I posted last year around this time. Now, let’s look at who’s up for potential induction this year.

Paul Butterfield Blues Band-Butterfield was an iconic blues/rock harmonica player. Can’t say I know much about him or his band otherwise. (yes, I copied this verbatim from last year’s article.)

Chic-Last year, Chic seemed like a mortal lock. Nile Rodgers’ profile hadn’t been higher since the mid ’80s, thanks to his Grammy-winning work with Daft Punk. Somehow, they still got left out. Can the “disco sucks” brigade be behind Chic’s omission? Probably not-as The Bee Gees and Donna Summer are enshrined. Sure, I get that Chic didn’t have as many hits as the Gibbs or Donna, but they were just as-if not more-influential. And, as I said last year, they boasted three of the most influential (not to mention talented) instrumentalists of the last 40 years. If they don’t get in this year, I’m gonna aaaaaaaaaaaaaAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHFREAKOUT!

Green Day-This is the pop-punk legends’ first year on the ballot, and I’m not sure what to think. On one hand, they deserve to be in. Dookie birthed as many copycat bands as Nevermind did, if not more. Think about it-there would be no blink-182, Sum 41, or (insert name of band without a number in its name) without Billie Joe, Tre and Mike. One could also stretch slightly and say that Green Day ushered in a whole “California rock” scene that included not only their brand of pop-punk but also acts like No Doubt and Sublime. Then there’s the whole career renaissance thing with American Idiot, still one of the most pointedly political albums of the 21st century. On the other hand, their post-Idiot repertoire has been pretty lame. I think they might get in this time. Especially with a ballot low on superstar power.

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts-Joan Jett is THE female rock star. Not to say there’s a dearth of women in the Hall of Fame, but there’s certainly not many (any?) femme rockers (do we count Stevie Nicks as a rock star or a pop singer?) Her influence should not be in question-I’m pretty sure most of the “riot grrrls” of the mid ’90s decided to pick up a guitar after hearing Jett snarl through “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” or “Bad Reputation.” I’d vote her in, although it would be as a solo act (and somehow acknowledging her role in the pioneering all-girl band The Runaways.) I couldn’t name one Blackheart if you put a gun to my head.

Also, who’ll be the next female rocker to get in? Melissa Etheridge? The Go-Go’s? Hole? I’m actually gonna go with Kim Deal-as I wouldn’t be surprised if Pixies get inducted in the next three or four years.

Kraftwerk-Kraftwerk were pioneers in the electronic music field. Look a little further down the list, find Nine Inch Nails. Something wouldn’t be totally right if NIN got in before Kraftwerk. The German band’s influence spread past rock, into much modern dance music (is it fair to say that they were EDM 35 years before EDM existed? They were definitely Daft Punk a quarter century before Daft Punk existed) and hip-hop. Worthy of induction for sure.

The Marvelettes– All-girl Motown group with one absolutely iconic single (“Please Mr. Postman”) and a handful of “B”-list hits. At this point, I feel like every iconic Motown act is in the HOF with the possible exception of Rick James. The Marvelettes-“Postman” aside-aren’t worthy.

N.W.A.– It’s hard to argue against N.W.A. More than anyone else-they popularized gangsta rap and West Coast hip-hop in general. They went on to arguably become more influential as solo artists; particularly Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. I think they’ll get in this year-at least in part because no rap acts were inducted last year. Also, their collective profile has jumped sharply thanks for Dr. Dre’s super Beats/Apple cash out and the upcoming biopic about them. Finally, 2015 will mark the 20th anniversary (!!!!!WTF!!!!!!) of Eazy-E’s passing.

It’s hard for me to listen to Straight Outta Compton or Niggaz4life these days. But I can’t deny their influence.

Nine Inch Nails– I’ve had a love/hate relationship with Trent Reznor over the years. His mid-career whining struck me as inauthentic (how tortured can you be when you’re selling millions of records and rolling in dough?) and his shhhhh-don’t-make-this-too-public jump from “indie artist” to Beats Music shareholder hit me the wrong way. Still, one should separate the artist from their art, and there’s no question that Nine Inch Nails made some of the best music of the past 25 years. I’d vote Trent in for Pretty Hate Machine alone.  As I said earlier, it would be nice if Kraftwerk (who were a major influence on Trent) got in before NIN, but it’s likely that the student will enter the HOF before the teacher. That’s how it goes, I guess.

Lou Reed– I wouldn’t call myself a Lou Reed (or Velvet Underground) but I’m well aware of the respect he gets from the music community and the influence he’s had on popular music. His death is still fresh in the minds of many, and I feel like one (if not both) of the deceased solo artists on the ballot this year will get in. Move down a few spots for the other one.

The Smiths– I didn’t discover The Smiths or Morrissey until high school (at which point Moz was just beginning his solo career.) I didn’t consider myself a fan of The Smiths or Morrissey until maybe five years ago. I still find Morrissey reprehensible from a personal standpoint. But (repeating myself again) one must separate the artist from the art. The Smiths deserve induction. One hopes that Moz and Marr will set aside their differences, but I find it unlikely that they’ll even stand on the same stage together if they get inducted, which I would say is a solid bet.

If we’re going to nominate/induct The Smiths, by the way: I hope the next ballot or two brings us Joy Division/New Order, The Cure, Depeche Mode and Duran fucking Duran, for crying out loud.

The Spinners– Love The Spinners. They were one of the preeminent vocal groups of the ’70s, with a string of hits including “The Rubberband Man”, “It’s A Shame”, “Then Came You”, “I’ll Be Around” and “Love Don’t Love Nobody.” Are they worthy of induction into the R&R HOF? I’m not so sure about that. I don’t know if I would put them in the “A” class of vocal groups. They won’t get in, anyway.

Sting-If you were to ask me who my favorite rock band of all time is, my response would (probably) be The Police. I guess it depends on whether you consider The Beatles a pop group or a rock band. At any rate, I’m a bit more conflicted when it comes to Sting as a solo artist. For every solid album he’s released (Nothing Like The Sun, Ten Summoner’s Tales), there’s been a dog (Mercury Falling, anything he’s put out in the past 10 years.) He’s already in as a member of The Police. I’d pass on a solo induction. Sorry, Sting.

Stevie Ray Vaughan– When I saw Stevie Ray’s name listed as one of the nominees, I was shocked. I assumed that he’d been inducted a while back. The highly influential guitarist had his life cut short due to a plane crash in 1990 but had already staked his claim as a stunning instrumentalist.

War– The Latin-funk pioneers have been on a ballot several times before, with no luck. I don’t see them getting in this time either.

Bill Withers– FINALLY.

Check out our guide to the discography of Mr. Withers here.

Bill Withers is one of the ten best songwriters to emerge in the ’70s, and quite frankly, one of the greatest musical wordsmiths of all time, period. Although he didn’t have the late-career renaissance that James Taylor had, I’d consider them equals in terms of qualitative musical output. Although he didn’t achieve the level of success afforded, say, Stevie Wonder, he’s been just as influential. Aloe Blacc, Anthony Hamilton and many others pull from the template Bill set, and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Use Me” and “Lean On Me” are some of the most covered songs in history. If Bobby Womack’s in the Hall of Fame, Bill Withers should be there too.

A lot of worthy nominees, and only six spots. Who gets in?

I’d say NIN, Green Day and N.W.A. are sure things. My gut tells me Lou Reed will be inducted also. The Smiths, Bill Withers, Stevie Ray and Kraftwerk will fight over the last two spots. They’re all deserving, and even though there’s no single superstar act among the nominees, all of these artists boast a rich musical legacy and are worth checking out.