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Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
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February 24, 2003
Grammy analysis
Well, in fact our Blogcritics awards came out better than the Grammys- except that they got to announce theirs during a three hour network show with a full complement of top talent to perform. Some of the award choices didn't particularly impress me, but they did put on a better than average show, quite watchable.
Norah Jones won nearly every possible category in the awards for 2002. She was the safest, most conservative choice they could have made. She has a nice voice, and she made a very pretty recording of a pretty good song. Frankly though, she made a fairly mediocre, lukewarm album. I want to be kind, cause she's really hot, and serious minded, and seems like a very nice girl. However, I'm having trouble imagining the critical values you'd have to hold to think that THIS of all things was the best song or album of the year. "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." -Revelation 3:16
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Naturally it was nice to see Simon and Garfunkel's reunion at the start of the show. The simple understated presentation with just the two of them was pure class. They both looked older, naturally, and generally more haggard and worn. This only made "The Sound of Silence" even maybe a little convincing than in the old days, and they sure sing as good or better than ever.
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The No Doubt performance was outstanding. Neither "Hella Good" nor "Underneath It All" is much of a song, but the whole staging of the thing made the most of the songs. The acrobatic stuff with the ropes really set off the whole production.
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Seeing that Etta James got a special lifetime achievement award or some such, I'd like to recommend a couple of obscure recordings of hers that I just recently discovered. She made a couple of recordings of Randy Newman songs for Chess Records that are just outstanding, "Sail Away" (oh yes) and -even better- "God's Song." They're on her Chess box set, or try hunting them down on the net for instant gratification.
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I'm a marginal fan of the Bee Gees at most, and less than that for NSync. So then, I'm doubly impressed with their a cappella Bee Gees medley. Those boys can actually sing, and the lack of orchestration underscored the high quality of the compositions. I might even hunt down an mp3 of the performance just to listen to.
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Nelly really put on an event worthy performance. "Hot in Herre" would have been a much better choice for Record of the Year than Norah Jones. The big spectacle of the presentation just made it that much cooler. The mixing back and forth with the romantic ballad "Dilemna" turned out to show off both songs in their best light by the contrast. "Dilemna" never much impressed me, but this performance may make me reconsider.
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I probably should express appreciation for the self-restraint of the various Grammy participants for keeping their mouths shut about foreign policy, but I admit to being about half-disappointed. I had anticipated some low-hanging humor fruit, perhaps rating which jackass made the stupidest anti-war statement. Instead, the whole pack of 'em frustrated my humor needs by acting like adults.
The only such commentary struck me as ambiguous. The retard from Limp Bizkit made a quick comment wishing that the "war should go away as quickly as possible." I would assume that this was meant to be an anti-war statement, but it really isn't. The quickest way out is through it. You could take it, then, to mean that we should just do it if we're going to and be done with it.
The only other display was Sheryl Crow's "NO WAR" embroidered on her guitar strap. However, that was largely concealed by her hair. I didn't notice it during the broadcast, but only after Drudge pointed it out.
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Politics aside, that duet she did with Kid Rock was godawful. It had to be the worst excuse for a composition of anything all night. I WANT to like Kid Rock, and I even want to be fair to Crow's music, but it was just a big gaping waste of space.
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The only competiton for a worse song would be Faith Hill with her "Cry" song. Actually, in a certain sense it's not that bad a song. The Crow song just plain sucked; there was nothing there. In contrast, Faith Hill's song was competently written; it had a discernable tune, and something of a hook.
Yet it still SUCKS. Maybe partly it's just not to my taste. Partly it's the sappy orchestration. Partly it is that this sappy MOR adult contemporary crap gets a Grammy as "country" music. Most especially though, the whining tone of the basic emotional content leaves me limp.
Which is saying something, considering the sleazy, tawdry appearance she presented. She looked like a $10 whore hanging out behind the bar, or -more pathetic- some desperate slut anxious to just GIVE it away. Criminy, she must have needed a chisel to get the damned makeup off.
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Springsteen's performance of "The Rising" made me want to slap him. Admittedly, Springsteen soured me on him with every single thing about his crappy The Rising album. Even for that, though, he's supposed to be one the all time great live performers in rock.
Yet this performance struck me as wholly contrived, much like other performances he's made in recent years. He's straining away, making this exaggerated body English, flailing away like he's making a Big Statement. I find it difficult to believe that the guy even in his own mind thinks this song is all that. He was less convincing than a whore in a porno movie thrashing and moaning and checking the clock out of the corner of her eye.
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The singer for Coldplay was also writhing away physically during their performance of "Politik" with the New York Philharmonic, but unlike Bruce they pretty much sold me on the song. I haven't really been struck by the band previously, and I have no idea what the lyrics were. However, the melody, the pulse, the dramatic dynamics of this performance came out pretty convincing. Perhaps they merit closer attention.
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They absolutely did do right by giving Eminem the rap Grammy. He would have been a much more interesting choice for album than Norah Jones, but at least this was a good consolation prize. Certainly he dominated ALL the charts, and made the most compelling hip hop record. He had more worthwhile songs, and a far deeper emotional presence in the national conscience than any other musician. Not that he ain't some kind of messed up puppy, but he's an exceptional performer.
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Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters must be enjoying life. They played Saturday Night Live the night before, and they're playing Letterman's show Monday night. In between, they got a big fat Grammy AND he got to play on the Grammy show with Bruce and Elvis.
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They did finally manage to get the REAL artist of the year on the stage. Elvis Costello didn't get any awards, and he didn't even play his own song. However, he played with Springsteen for a Clash tribute to close the show, performing their best song, "London Calling." Sweet. No matter what kind of Burt Bacharach albums he makes, Elvis has that inner punk there ready to rage away.
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Then, naturally, they gave the album award to Norah Jones. Obviously that award belongs to Elvis, but the voters who think the polite Norah Jones album is great aren't even going to nominate the likes of Elvis.
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You can CLICK HERE to get the list of Grammy winners. You can CLICK HERE and HERE to get the considerably better Blogcritics picks.
Or you can CLICK HERE to get the true and correct list of best songs, and CLICK HERE to get the true and correct list of the best albums.
posted by Al at 2/24/2003 05:35:00 AM
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