ABBA Rocks?! Can We Get a Recount?

Swedish popsters lead curious class for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enshrinement; Genesis, Stooges, Hollies also tapped

That sound you hear is rock 'n' roll purists smashing their vinyl collections against their heads now that ABBA has just been certified as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-approved act.

While KISS and Red Hot Chili Peppers fans will have to wait until next year, the Swedish foursome responsible for the decidedly unrocking "Dancing Queen," "Knowing Me, Knowing You," "Waterloo" and the Broadway musical-launching "Mamma Mia!" will be getting a pass to the Cleveland shrine.

Also making the cut were more likely candidates, including Genesis, reggae king Jimmy Cliff, '60s British invaders the Hollies and the Iggy Pop-fronted punk-metal pioneers the Stooges, which had up until now been rejected for inclusion in the Cleveland shrine a whopping seven times.

The annual induction ceremony is set for March 15 at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

Just don't count on ABBA to be there, and it has nothing to do with having to face down angry Gene Simmons fans.

Since dissolving in 1982, Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad have repeatedly turned down offers to regroup over the years, most famously dismissing a $1 billion reunion offer in 2000.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Andersson said even he was shocked by their election.

"I didn't think this would happen, because we were a pop band, not a rock band," he said. "Being a foreigner from the North Pole, this feels really good."

But he put the odds at "99 to 1" that ABBA would show up.

"It's very tricky because Agnetha is not flying," said Andersson. "The people who are really fond of ABBA for what we did, I think we are doing them a favor by not going out."

There's also no word yet whether Peter Gabriel will rejoin Genesis mates Phil Collins, Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford.

Meanwhile, leading the list of nonperformers tapped for enshrinement is Geffen Records mogul David Geffen.

Per tradition, this year's crop of inductees were decided by over 500 voters of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. Artists are eligible for enshrinement 25 years after their first recording is released.