50th Annual Grammy Awards: And The Album of the Year is… What?
This, boys and girls, is why the music industry is in the toilet. Even when/if they get it right, they still fuck it up.
There were five nominees for Album of the Year last night at the Grammys. Everyone has probably heard of two of the nominees (Kanye West and Amy Winehouse). A lot of people have probably heard of a third (Foo Fighters). There might be a few out there who remember Vince Gill. Herbie Hancock? Not so much. So, what did Grammy do? Gave the album to the one record you can guarandamntee no one has heard.
Let me pause for a second: I’m not saying they got it wrong. A jazz record hasn’t taken top honors in more than 40 years. That album might be a brilliant work of art worthy of recognition. The problem is when the award was finally handed out at 3 a.m. (exaggeration of sorts), the 11 people watching all said, in three part harmony, “What the fuck?” and went to bed. Herbie Hancock is a respected veteran artist. I’m not bothered that he won but I’m not sure I understand it, either.
The Grammys want to be all things to all people. They want to represent the best in music and also want to be relevant to the kids, critics, and hipsters. It’s damn near impossible to do, meaning you’re perpetually getting it wrong even when you get it right. If you give the big award to the album with the commercial success, you’ll be accused of selling out or capitulating to the masses. If you pick an album that no one has heard, you’ll be accused of being out of touch or out of your mind. The double whammy of picking the wrong record and having it be a record that no one has heard is the biggest kick in the crotch of them all.
The Grammys aren’t about excellence. Even if it were possible to truly gauge excellence in some sort of objective way – and it’s not – the Grammys don’t even try. The way I see it, the nominations and award show is nothing more than an overblown promotional platform. It’s a 3.5 hour commercial for the industry, allowing it to tout a few acts. It’s why I’m not bothered by it and you shouldn’t be either. We can make fun of them – and will – but there’s no need to be upset about any of it. The Grammys are an infomercial. Did you see anything you liked? Great, check it out. No? That’s cool. I’ll give you something to listen to instead. My list will be better.
The other Grammy problem is that they better stop passing over Kanye West. I don’t have any Kanye records and that’s not ever going to change, but I’ve seen him glowering in the audience when he doesn’t win that big trophy. They’re going to have to hurry up and give him one or they better just stop nominating him. He doesn’t give the company line, “It’s an honor just to be nominated.” Somebody better look into this.
Filed under: Tags: Foo Fighters
Herbie Hancock is a genius… but I agree, he’s won too many times. It would be like giving an award to Quincy Jones or something.
This album of the year is his 12th Grammy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbie_Hancock
1. 1983, Best R&B Instrumental Performance, for Rockit
2. 1984, Best R&B Instrumental Performance, for Sound-System
3. 1987, Best Instrumental Composition, for Call Sheet Blues
4. 1994, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group, for A Tribute to Miles
5. 1996, Best Instrumental Composition, for Manhattan (Island Of Lights And Love)
6. 1998, Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s), for St. Louis Blues
7. 1998, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Individual Or Group, for Gershwin’s World
8. 2002, Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group, for Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall
9. 2002, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, for My Ship
10. 2004, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, for Speak Like a Child
11. 2008, Best Contemporary Jazz Album, for River: The Joni Letters
12. 2008, Album of the Year, for River: The Joni Letters
I have loved “Chameleon” for a very long time. I’ve listened to Herbie Hancock more total than the Foo Fighters or Kanye West(including all the times I’ve heard Stronger at the clubs). Though I thought Back to Black was maybe a bit more mad tasty.
You make a good point. It’s not like they were honoring a previously unrewarded legend by recognizing his latest album (Dylan, Santana, etc). Herbie has won a time or two. Maybe he deserved this one, too. I don’t know. I think a lot of people turned off the TV feeling they’d wasted their time watching West, Winehouse, and Foo win all evening only to get shivved at the end.
Kanye West has won at the Grammy Awards; he won 4 last night. He just hasn’t won the Album of the Year award. His infantile griping about he automatically deserves the top honor each time he puts an album out is pathetic, no matter how good the albums may be.
Bruce Springsteen hasn’t won the Album of the Year award either. Somehow he manages to cope.
The album is actually quite good for what it is. The thing which struck me as sort of strange about it is that it is an album honoring Joni Mitchell…while her own album Shine (her first in a decade, and a pretty good record in it’s own right) was compleyely ignored.
-Glen
And don’t think I’m not extremely bitter about that, Donald. Springsteen should win an Album of the Year Grammy, and Magic would have been a good one.
TheWifeToWhomI’mMarried is completely obsessed with “Girls In Their Summer Clothes” at present. Great song.
The Herbie Hancock record is excellent. I’ve listened, repeatedly, to all of the albums that were nominated and “River” was by far the best. It is musically superior, touching, and engrossing. Hancock is a great talent and it’s about time jazz made its way to the podium again. The Grammys are supposed to honour all music, not simply what’s popular or what’s from newer artists, so I thought it was a lovely thing to see.