Full list of nominees Some random notes: When someone e-mailed me the Record of the Year nominees this morning, I thought they were kidding. Nickleback, Vanessa Carlton, Eminem, Norah Jones, and Nelly (!!!). Other than the middling Norah Jones, could anyone honestly try to put together a worse list? The average age of the people nominated for Best Male Rock Vocal (Bowie, Costello, Gabriel, Springsteen, Plant) has to be about 60. When Elvis Costello is the baby of the group, you're in some serious trouble. At least the annual Best Alternative Album category is interesting - Beck, Clinic, Coldplay, TSOOL, and the headshaker of the group, Elvis Costello. Sure the album is good, but is it "alternative"? Really the only alternative music on that list is coming from Clinic. R. Kelly is up for a Grammy. Who'll be his date? Even though I was disappointed in the movie, it's nice to see The Funk Brothers nominated for "What's Going On" with Chaka Khan. There's now an Alternative Urban category? Can we just call this the India.Arie category and give it to her every year? Ralph Stanley is nominated three times for the same category, Best Bluegrass Album. The Charlie Daniels Band recorded a gospel album. Hmmm, that's kinda weird, isn't it? My all-time favorite category is the Best Polka Album category, because Jimmy Sturr has won it for (I'm not kidding) 11 straight years. What's the point after a while?
The suckiest bunch of sucks that ever did suck. If they actually broadcasted all the awards, would this show be about 9 hours? Where's the "Best Performance in a Subway Station, Solo Artist" aware? In a year with some oustanding rock releases (White Stripes, Strokes, Hives) and hip hop (Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Roots), the same old crap comes through: old/bland rock groups and pop-rap. The sad thing is, in the early 90s, the MTV Music awards used to be the true pulse of good (or at least, better) mainstream music. Now, the two shows will probably look more similar than ever before.
Do the folks at the Academy even listen to music? It seems they browse the industry sheets and simply pick out names they recognize or get mentioned a lot. A quick glance at the nominees suggests a big night for Norah Jones and Bruce Springsteen, mostly because all others seem to be fillers.
I about fell out when I read this. I'm just glad this thread was already started. You typed so much of what I was going to say. These people don't have a clue. To add to your list, the World Music Category is largely abyssmal: Field 16 - World Music Category 70 - Best World Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental.) • Mundo - Rubén Blades • Moffou - Salif Keita • Black Ivory Soul - Angélique Kidjo • Fight To Win - Femi Kuti • Anoushka Shankar: Live At Carnegie Hall If this one doesn't go to Femi, it will be a great injustice. Anoushka Shankar is a third rate sitar player. I've had better sitar players at my dinner table. Rueben Blades? pleeeease. Salif Keita is okay, but certainly not earth shattering. Angelique Kidjo is some of the blandest stuff I've ever heard. No wonder the genre gets mocked. There is some of the most soulful music I've ever heard in this genre, but the Grammys always promote the weakest stuff. There were amazing albums this year by Orchestra Baobab, Tabla Beat Science and others that were vastly superior to these. The Grammys are a total joke.
Grammys You mean they weren't rendered completely irrelevant when Milli Vanilli won for Best New Artist back in 1990?
OK, I had a bit of hyperbole with regards to the average age of the Male Rock Vocal category... EC: 48 Springsteen: 53 Gabriel: 52 Plant: 58 Bowie: 55 Average age: 53.2. Sad thing is, I can't think of anybody under 40 who is even remotely popular and could be nominated for this category. Everything now revolves around bands. The days of the solo star are just over.
Re: Re: Re: Grammys It goes to eleven. Seriously, who the hell outside the recordign industry gives a crap. Everyone under age 40 recognizes what a sad joke the Grammies are for all the reasons listed above. In fact, "Grammy winner" on a CD's packaging has become a warning sign to everyone except middle aged suburbanites and cave dwellers.
Re: Re: Grammys Although they might not be Heavy Metal, you've gotta give them some credit... at least they don't bite hard like some of these nominees.
i just hope that the one and only Mr. John Tesh got at least one nomination. if he got passed over i'll never watch the grammys again
for some stupid reason, i read the entire list of nominees. he is on there at least once, although i wasn't counting.
Scotty -- great quote I just picked up the Andrew WK CD...if there was a Grammy for "Best Pregame CD, Male Vocal", they would rename it the "Andrew WK award" Seriously, with songs called "Party Hard", "It's Time to Party", "Party Till You Puke", "Fun Night" and "Take It Off", this CD cannot be topped.
Re: Re: Grammys prove their increased irrelevance This list could be titled: "The only 5 "world" cd's reviewed in Entertainment Weekly this year."
Re: Re: Re: Grammys prove their increased irrelevance Don't even get me started on that weekly edition of bound toilet paper. for a good world music read, i suggest. www.songlines.co.uk
Now, I know I'm biased, and the Jeff Tweedy concert I saw last night is still fresh in my head, but should Wilco's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" be somewhere on the list?
Guys, You're acting like this is a new trend or something. I think I wrote the grammies off about when I left elementary school and that was in the 60s. I'm sure they consider the Costello and Bowie nominations a nod to the non-mainstream stuff.
A- F U C K I N G -MEN!!!!!! On a side note: how the the eff did beck not get nominated for album of the year? more importantly, how the eff did midnite vultures not win it when it was nominated? they boggle the mind.
nancyb got it exactly right (apart from the side-ways swipe at the REAL elvis, declan mcmanus): since when has any self-respecting music fan taken the grammys for anything other than a disc-pushing, corpo-driven, artificial love-fest (or, for that matter, any musician not living on ramen noodles)? (not even the CIA has yet invented a method of torture potent enough to make me listen to david gray, as one example.)
You think I give a damn about a Grammy. Half of you critics can't even stomach me let alone stand me --Eminem