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Epiphone on the Grammys


Red 333

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Posted

Did you catch it?

 

Brian Ray played what looked like a black MIK Casino with McCartney and Dave Grohl.

 

LOTS and lots of Gibsons elsewhere on the broadcast.

 

Red 333

Posted

People still watch the grammys? LOL... I missed it, il'l have to youtube it later maybe. Or maybe I'll check the listings and DVR it if it's on again by some chance. You say Grohl played with McCartney? What song? I wouldn't mind seeing that part, at least... Anybody else decent play?

Posted

 

How was that? I had to DVR it

 

Thirteen was great but it was continued until next Sunday night. UGH ! Thats as bad as waiting for 24 from week to week.

Posted

Grohl played fierce drums with McCartney on "I Saw Her Standing There." There were several great performances. Justin Timberlake with Al Green was impressive, Radiohead did a big production number with the USC Marching Band, U2 and Coldplay both sounded good, and a tribute to Bo Diddley featured Keith Urban, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and John Mayer ripping it up on guitars.

 

Usually, my feelings about the Grammys can be summed up by this astute commentary from several years back:

 

WHY NOT TO WATCH THE GRAMMYS

By rorshach, music geek

 

 

It’s Grammy Time again! Last week the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) announced its annual list of nominees. Time again for music’s biggest names converge for the annual award ceremony. Time again for millions watch the show on television. Time again for teary eyed winners to weep about what an honor it is to win the bronze megaphone statuette. Time again for Grammy-winning and even Grammy-nominated albums to be given a serious sales boost. Why all this hype? Ten years from now, will the list of Grammy winners really reflect the most important and longest-lasting artists of 2002?

 

If the Grammys’ track record continues, that is a definite “no.” From their endless fascination with old smuck, Sting, to 1990’s Milli Vanilli fiasco to retro-wannabe, Lenny Kravitz, winning Best Rock Male Vocal for the past four years, the NARAS has shown absolute cluelessness to who is vital in popular music. Worse yet, this trend started with the very first Grammys, when Broadway composers and tiresome old crooners were showered with awards while Bob Dylan and Motown were in their primes. While other popular music institutions such as MTV and 'Rolling Stone' have become corporate-ized and irrelevant only relatively recently, the Grammys have always been so. The awards measure little more than appeal to mainstream America and thus, award show sponsors. This explains why Celine Dion has five Grammys, Shania Twain five, Phil Collins seven and 'Supernatural'-era Santana eight.

That is not to say that no great artist has ever won a handful of Grammys. Every now and then there comes along an album with widespread appeal that also happens to be damn good, leading to a Grammy sweep that does not seem as ridiculous in retrospect. Simon and Garfunkel’s classic, 'Bridge Over Troubled Water [Expanded]' won several awards in 1970. Stevie Wonder’s grand opus, 'Songs in the Key of Life' won numerous in 1976. Eric Clapton’s 'Unplugged' earned a record number in 1992. But more often than not, great music is also music not easily digested by the casual listener which makes it dangerous music or at least dangerous to the middle-aged saps that make-up the NARAS.

True, by the time they are respected pieces of rock history and thus safe, the Grammys will throw one of the music’s revolutionaries, or often former-revolutionaries by that time, a bone (Elvis Costello has received a few awards and nominations in the past few years, although such deserving classics as 'My Aim Is True (With Bonus Disc)' and 'This Year's Model (With Bonus Disc)' were ignored in their day). Often, this token gesture takes the form of the “Life-time Achievement Award.” Ironically, these awards do less to make-up for past errors than they inadvertently concede the NARAS’s own ignorance. Performers who have only received a few, one or even no Grammys suddenly receive the award show’s highest honor.

 

Consider some of the following examples of leaders in popular music and their treatment by the NARAS:

 

The Rolling Stones – When The Rolling Stones released the classic string of singles that included “Under My Thumb,” “Ruby Tuesday” and “Satisfaction,” the Grammys had categories for rock and R&B, but they went to The Statler Brothers, Petula Clark and other singers who are now playing county fairs. When the Stones released their first great album, 1968’s 'Beggars Banquet', Album of the Year went to soft-rockers, Blood Sweat and Tears’ 'Blood Sweat & Tears'. 'Let It Bleed', 'Sticky Fingers', 'Exile on Main Street' and 'Some Girls' were also ignored. When a Stones album finally won a Grammy (1994’s Best Rock Album) it was 'Voodoo Lounge', often considered the worst album by a band who had released nothing but bad albums since 1981. The Stones also have Lifetime Achievement Awards somewhere in their attics.

 

Marvin Gaye – Not one of Gaye’s astounding early singles received a Grammy. Neither did his landmark 1971 album, 'What's Going on'. Finally, Gaye won two Grammys, Best R&B Instrumental and Best R&B Male Vocal for the song “Sexual Healing” in 1982. In 1996, he was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

Bob Dylan – Although he would later be given a Lifetime Achievement Award and win three Grammys for 1997’s 'Time Out of Mind', the NARAS completely ignored Dylan during his previous primes. He never received an award for the immortal folk songs he penned in the early sixties, although few other songs of that era have lasted as long and been covered as often. His groundbreaking transition to rock was also ignored. The year Dylan released “Like a Rolling Stone,” the Song of the Year was “The Shadow of Your Smile” from the musical, The Sand Piper! When he released his 1975 masterpiece, 'Blood on the Tracks', the pattern followed.

 

Elvis Presley – Other than the Lifetime Achievement Award, Presley received three Grammys, all of them for Best Sacred/Inspirational/Religious Performance. None of his rock and roll recordings won a Grammy!

 

The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys have earned only one Grammy: a Lifetime Achievement Award. 'A Man and His Music', a collection of previous hits Frank Sinatra rerecorded for his new label won Album of the Year the year 'Pet Sounds' revolutionized the pop song.

 

Bob Marley – Marley was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, despite the fact that everything he released in the 1970s apparently paled in comparison to Billy Joel and The Carpenters.

 

Nirvana – Nirvana’s 'Nevermind' and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” seem like no-brainers for 1991’s Album and Song of the Year. Yet, Nevermind didn’t even win Best Hard Rock Performance, awarded to Van Halen’s 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was neglected for Best Rock Song in favor of Sting’s “Soul Cages.” In 1995, Nirvana was awarded Best Alternative Music Performance for 'MTV Unplugged in New York'.

 

Chuck Berry – Like The Beach Boys, the inventor of rock and roll has no Grammys except the obligatory Lifetime Achievement Award.

 

The Velvet Underground – Ha!

 

Led Zeppelin – Despite being one of rock’s most perennially beloved groups and pioneering hard rock, Led Zeppelin was never given a Grammy.

 

Pink Floyd - Although they have linked generations of rock fans, Pink Floyd's multi-million-selling 70s albums never received a Grammy. The group did win Best Rock Instrumental for "Marooned" from 1994's 'The Division Bell'. I bet they felt they really made it afterwards.

 

The Who – Aside from the Lifetime Achievement Award, The Who have received no Grammys. “King of the Road” by novelty-country singer, Roger Miller, won Best Rock & Roll Single the year “My Generation” was released (as were "I Get Around," "Satisfaction" and "Yesterday").

 

So this year, when the cleverly paired air-head pop starlet and the tuxedo-clad has-been rip open the envelope and exclaim “And the winner is…” remember not to care. In fact, don’t even tune in. The Grammys have nothing to do with rewarding major achievements in music and everything to do with continuing to force-feed over-exposed, untalented, conventional pop stars to a crap-guzzling American public.

Posted

Did you guys see Robert Plant and allison Kraus?

 

It was awesome. Will like to know what TBone Burnett was playing ( Iguess it was a Kay) MF has a reissue...

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