According to this post on Coolfer, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee is about to be replaced with new blood. The current chairman, Jon Landau says, "We are particularly interested in recruiting some fresh voices whose taste and love of music was formed more in the Eighties."

This could signal a major shift in the future direction of the Rock Hall. If the nominating committee becomes filled with music experts who came of age in the 80's (instead of the 50's and 60's like it is today), bands that haven't been able to break through the generation gap will now have a renewed hope of induction. Could the 2007 nominations be filled with artists who were ahead of their time like the Cure, Joy Division, Hüsker Dü, and the Replacements? Or maybe previously overlooked arena rock legends like Van Halen, Kiss, and Alice Cooper?

If this rumor is true, the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees could be the most exciting and controversial collection yet.

Nominations are traditionally released in mid-September. Stay tuned...