It's probably just another level of crazy holiday wishing, but it would make one fine occasion if the upcoming induction of Genesis into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame would involve a Peter Gabriel-Phil Collins collaboration of some sort. I suppose it's asking a lot for the stars to align in such a way, but when a band with a distinctly dual history like this receives a deserved honor, it would only be right to celebrate its entire 35-year history. And while Genesis mainstays Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford have left open the possibility for the participation of Gabriel and even original guitarist Steve Hackett at the March induction ceremony, it's not clear yet if or to what extent the members might perform.

Still, since the holiday season tends to get us all thinking about the ways we wish things were rather than the often drab sting of cold reality, allow me to indulge myself a bit as an ordinary but fervent fan of rock music. Wouldn't it be great to see Gabriel and Collins take a stab at singing one another's Genesis classics from each respective era of the band, not to mention the pair's bevy of solo hits? Obviously, Collins would do a fine job with "In Your Eyes" or "Red Rain," but it would be a particularly surreal pleasure to hear Gabriel's take on "Taking It All Too Hard," "Follow You Follow Me" or even something a bit underplayed like "Man on the Corner." A Rock Hall induction may mean increasingly less to some observers upset with the institution's penchant for genre inclusiveness, but there may not be a more appropriate occasion for these two hugely successful solo artists to pay tribute to each other's work. Let's hope for the best.

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If you haven't yet heard, '70s Swedish pop group ABBA has indeed been approved for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I must admit that at first I scoffed at the news, as many out there may also have done, but then I just took some time to think about it. I don't know if any music observer or even the band's most hardcore detractors can deny the pop culture significance of ABBA, nor the group's sparkling songcraft. What has surely infuriated more than a few rock music fans, however, is the fact that there exists very few if any elements of the band's sound that fit the description "rock and roll."

Nonetheless, I justify ABBA's inclusion in the Hall's select if swiftly broadening membership roll for two primary reasons: the group's general worthiness when it comes to pop music songwriting and performance as well as the fact that currently no distinction exists better capable of recognizing the best music of the second half of the 20th century than membership in the Rock Hall. So until there's a revered Pop Music Hall of Fame with something resembling equal footing, I'm afraid rock music fans will have to learn with the inductions of the likes of Madonna, Run-DMC and ABBA in place of far more rock-oriented but still potentially worthy bands like Rush, Deep Purple or KISS (which failed to receive enough votes after finally getting a nomination this year).

In celebration of ABBA's overall musical merit, I submit 1982's "When All Is Said and Done," an emotionally wrenching ballad detailing the break-up of one of the band's pair of married couples, in this case Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Frida) and Benny Andersson. This is a powerful track from ABBA's final studio release, 1981's The Visitors, that showcases yet again the sterling songwriting partnership between Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus. Despite reaching only No. 27 on Billboard's Hot 100 and barely cracking the adult contemporary Top 10, this tune stands firmly as music deserving of the label "classic" whether or not it's technically "rock and roll" in any way, shape or form.

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Hip-O

Folk rock duo Aztec Two-Step must have really seemed like a band out of time back in 1986, during the rising MTV age and amidst the early rumblings of the behemoth known as hair metal. I wish I could say I remembered the pair of Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman for their work at the time or even from their early-'70s emergence. I mean, I could say so, but such a statement would be much less than truthful. Even so, it's heartening to realize even at this late date that '80s music had room for the literate social commentary displayed in this song about the often crass treatment America tends to give its arts and entertainment icons. If one knew where to look and listen, quirky songs like this that featured a cunning blend of tongue-in-cheek bemusement and a serious critical eye were not impossible to find during the '80s. This time, at least, I'm happy to do the legwork for you.

• Sample or download "Velvet Elvis" here.
• Compare prices on Aztec Two-Step CDs here.

Album Cover Image Courtesy of It's About Music

If you're only familiar with the music of the Goo Goo Dolls from the past 15 years or so, chances are you might pop a forehead vein if you stumbled upon this 1989 track from the band's sophomore album, Jed. For one thing, bassist Robby Takac still handled most of the group's vocal duties at that early point, and it hardly suffices to say that his vocal style lacks resemblance to the now-familiar, pop-oriented approach of long-time frontman and guitarist Johnny Rzeznik. Beyond that obvious difference, the Dolls' early sound stands out as a pleasantly disorienting blend of hardcore punk, power pop and pulverizing hard rock. In fact, for the first relatively unheralded years of the band's career, the music industry had no idea how to market or categorize the music.

In fact, I remember once seeing a video for one of the group's tracks from 1991's Hold Me Up played on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, which is really strange when one considers how directly that album draws from the mid-'80s work of alternative pioneers the Replacements. As for "Sex Maggot" in particular, the song's title recalls one of the group's earliest work-in-progress names, but more importantly it works wonders as a riffy romp through the immature yet spirited mind of an adolescent. The tune may ultimately be quite meaningless, but it's the kind of nonsense that resonates nonetheless, like the rock and roll version of an Edward Lear poem. "I hear you screaming, but you can't come in," Takac delivers in his distinctive yowl, "because I know that you're just a sex maggot!" If Rzeznik's raw but mighty riffing doesn't take you away from there, then I guess it's safe to say that you may lean toward the nearly adult contemporary, "Iris" camp of Goo Goo Dolls fans.

• Sample or download "Sex Maggot" here.
• Compare prices on Goo Goo Dolls CDs here.

Album Cover Image Courtesy of Metal Blade