The Grammys always pair artists from different eras. Take last night, for instance, when Robin Thicke and Chicago shared a stage. Or Carole King with Sarah Bareilles. Usually the pairings span generations but sometimes they cross genres. Either way, here are five pairings that we'd actually want to see.
#1
Morrissey and Public Enemy
Can you imagine Morrissey's gladiola bouquet going up against Flavor Flav's clock?
#2
Jay Z and Orleans
I don't know about you, but I'd want to hear a rap version of "Still the One".
#3
Rage Against the Machine with special guest vocalist Terry Jacks
"We had joy, we had fun -- Fuck You, I won't do what you tell me". Awkward.
#4
Daft Punk with Kraftwerk, Devo and Gary Numan
Rise of the Man Machines.
#5
Gary Glitter and R. Kelly
Hide your daughters, this could get ugly.
8:27
I'm joining late. Who is Hunter Hayes? And why is LL telling me I have to listen to him? Honestly, this is dreadful. It's another over-wrought, over-vibratoed voice singing something that would have been at home on AM radio in the 1970s. Next!
8:29
Best pop duo or group performance.
It's got to be between "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines"... wasn't that the whole point of last year?
8:30
"Get Lucky" wins. Of course it does. It was clearly THE song of last year. And I love the helmets!!!
Pharrell has the old school Adidas top and the Daft Punk boys are in tuxes with robot masks.
8:32
Steve Coogan is fantastic. He played Tony Wilson in 24 Hour Party People, one of the best music movies ever. And he's introducing the guy who did "Hard Out There for a Pimp" -- he may be the only one who remembers him. Oh... I'm wrong. It's Katy Perry.
8:37
Question: What exactly is an "intimate performance" by Taylor Swift?
8:40
Robin Thicke takes the stage with Chicago? How about Alan Thicke takes the stage with the Everly Brothers?
8:44
I'm sure there's someone out there who would pay good money to see Chicago trombonist James Pankow twerk Robin Thicke...
8:48
It's pretty clear that the producers of the Grammys have that cutaway shot of Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on constant standby...
Speaking of which, Steve Coogan had the line of the night about reuniting two of the Beatles versus all of the Jonas Brothers...
9:02
The best Rock Song. Wow... the Rolling Stones look like they came from a zombie movie.
But of course, anything with Sir Paul is going to win tonight.
9:04
What's better? 1/2 of the Beatles or 2/3 of Nirvana?
9:08
Taylor Swift may be the biggest musical star from Pennsylvania in history. Check me on that, but I don't see a lot of competition. Hall and Oates? Teddy Pendergrass? Live?
9:12
And the Blazers - Warriors game just started. That said, I do want to see Macklemore and Daft Punk perform...
9:17
Pink and the guy from Fun! First, it's two Pennsylvanians in a row -- first Taylor Swift and now Pink. And second, there is zero chance Pink is actually singing when she's swinging upside down. Sorry.
9:23
Best Pop Solo Performance -- Is Lordes going to win?
I've got to say, I'm more interested in her New Zealand accent than her music.
9:28
Yoplait commercial: "Just Can't Get Enough" is the only old song -- from the Vince Clark era -- that Depeche Mode still play live.
9:30
Were Black Sabbath just mistakenly identified as the winner of Best Rock Song? That's a diss to Sir Paul!!!
9:32
Ringo was never a frontman. Never meant to be a singer. Why is everyone going ape over this performance? It belongs in a casino at best... or better yet a cruise ship. I'll bring the dysentery.
9:47
Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons? Was the world clamoring for this collaboration?
I love how the Grammys resorts to the polarization digital effect. Looks cool, guys... like 1989 cool.
9:51
Light up boots on Casey Musgrave!!!
10:01
Oh, Paul and Ringo are the Beatles they were talking about? Half the Beatles and none of the fun...
10:04
Fifty years ago, the Beatles changed music. Fifty years later, the world changed channels.
10:15
Kraftwerk with a lifetime achievement award!!!
10:16
Is it wrong that every time I see Willie Nelson I think of an old David Letterman Top Ten list of headlines that would cause panic? One of them was "Willie Nelson caught washing hair in city water supply".
That said, that was a good thirty seconds of music. Until Uncle Merle and Blake showed up.
Damn... we're going on a third country song? It's like the CMA's have taken over the Grammys.
10:25
Daft Punk and Pharrell with Nile Rogers should be fantastic. I'm honestly excited.
Nile Rogers is responsible for some of the greatest funk and hip hop riffs of all time. And he's still got it. Effortlessly cool.
Yoko gave that peace sign like she's getting lucky tonight...
I know my fellow Discordant isn't a fan of that song... but that truly was very cool.
10:37
Cyndi Lauper hasn't changed in 30 years.
And is it bad that every time I see Carole King I think that I nearly bought a car from her son-in-law?
And is it bad that every time I hear this song, I want to break a Windows operated machine?
10:41
The list of nominees for Song of the Year reads like a commercial break. Except for "Same Love."
Not sure I agree with "Royal" as song of the year. Unless we're grading on a curve.
"Locked Out of Heaven" is a good pop song, and "Same Love" marks a major milepost in music. The rest of the schlock on this list is material from ads -- like that awful Katy Perry song.
10:43
Steven Tyler and Smokey Robinson? "Walk This Way" needs a cane.
10:53
Metallica were old when I was old.
Why not Metallica with special guest Mick Fleetwood?
10:57
I like the wide cutaway shot of the crowd and there's one of the Daft Punk guys still in his helmet.
10:59
Good call on Record of the Year. Daft Punk wins again. But will Pharrell do the talking for them?
11:07
Tell me if "Same Love" doesn't move you. Fantastic songcraft -- right song, right moment.
And Mary Lambert is there to sing it, too. I was worried they'd have Madonna or someone filling in.
OK, officially ruined by Madonna's "Open Your Heart". Even Yoko doesn't have a cane.
Not that I'm surprised, but Mary Lambert can sing rings around Madonna.
Ah yes, it's that time of year again, and here we are. Our 3rd annual Grammy blog. Enough of the small talk...
8:00 - Beyonce opens up with "Drunken Love." All we are fixated on is her ass. The song is not good, and out comes hubby Jay Z to do his thing. Sorry, I just don't get it.
8:07 - Our host, once again is LL Cool J, and he is trying to let us not forget who he is by putting his song titles into his speech.
8:14 - Maclemore wins I guess Velvet suits are in this year.
8:16 - Lorde performs live. A decent live performance. Too much makeup. As my 14 year old daughter says, "What's up with those pants?"
8:28 - Sorry I was too bored to type. I was surfing Facebook.
8:30 - Daft Punk wins. I love they are wearing their helmets. Pharell looks like Dudley Do Right. A very awkward acceptance speech.
8:33 - Juicy J & Katy Perry. I'm getting old. So much time & effort is put into production and choreography. I guess if you like these artists, it's a great show. I wonder if it is to mask a lack of musicianship. I'm a sucker for watching a talented musician play his instrument.
8:43 - Why the big push for Chicago? What is Robin Thicke adding to them besides a velvet suit? I give Chicago a little credit, musically, they sound sharp. Not that I like the songs, but they sound like the records. Where is Peter Cetera? As my daughter says " a bunch of old men dancing to Blurred Lines. Not Cool." At least Ringo gave the nod of approval.
9:03 - what's up with all the retreads for best rock song? At least the winner came from the Sound City documentary. In all sincerity, Courtney Love hates that the remaining members of Nirvana got together to perform that with Sir Paul.
9:05 - My younger girls stayed up for Taylor Swift. To me, this would be a good time to put them to bed.
9:17 - My wife says she likes Pink. Deja Vu moment: didn't she do this same acrobatic circus act last year at the Grammy's? I know I have seen her do this before. Which to me is really disappointing. We are all fascinated with her legs. Monsterous without an ounce of cellulite. The guy from fun. looks like he could get snapped in half by Pink. Nice ironic hipster mustache! He is having trouble with his notes - yikes!
9:23 - I'm fascinated with the clips they showed for best solo pop performance. What were those?
9:25 - Lorde is a kid. Glad to see it. Much talk about how serious she takes herself.
9:30 - I like how watching Ozzy stammer through a live read has become "cute" like an old grandpa. Best Hard Rock album for Black Sabbath. Reminds me of when Tull won.
9:32 - Why do we need to see Ringo sing? Peace & love. Peace & love.
9:36 - Odd, uncomfortable joking between Jamie Foxx & Jay Z. My daughter asked if that's the "golddigger?" I like Jay Z best when he was a sidekick...
9:44 - a little love for P.E. & the Beasties!
9:53 - No need to comment on the light up jackets.
10:00 - people on FB are talking about how much they liked that song and her light up boots. I think I need new friends.
10:01 - Julia Roberts - rock goddess!
10:02 - Tonight is all about Paul & Ringo. I heard Paul play "Queenie Eye" back on Howard Stern about 9 months ago. It does have a Beatles sound. What is the video that is playing along with it?
10:04 - a Yoko sighting, dancing and showing off some 75 year old cleavage. Even worse, there's Sean Lennon right next to her. How sad he has to still pal around with mom.
10:16 - With Johnny Cash dead, why should I care about the Highwaymen?
10:20 - Kris Kristofferson looks lost. Rough few minutes.
10:22 - People love the Zach Brown Band. I can't say I know a single song.
10:25 - I'm not a fan of "Get Lucky," but I predict this will be the highlight of the show.
10:30 - ...and I was correct. Enjoyable. My daughter informed me Yoko Ono is trending on Twitter. I told her she should be.
10:35 - correction. That was 80 year old cleavage. Peace Yoko, peace.
10:39 - now my wife is asking how old Carole King is. The Grammy committee is officially old. Knock off the stroke fest you two!
10:41 - we're taking bets. I lost. I bet "Same Love." My daughter is officially more in the know.
10:49 - Glad to see Lou Reed get his due. The Velvet Underground's influence on music is highly under-rated.
10:50 - Wow. "One" getting mainstream respect.
10:59 - How will history look at 2014 when two French guys with matching white suits and helmets win Record of the Year?
11:10 - "Same Love" doesn't do it for me. I respect that a hip-hop artist had the guts to speak out about homosexuality. I just don't like the song - or Madonna.
11:22 - "In Memorium" who gets the biggest applause? The session musician for Steely Dan is winning!
11:25 - Phil Ramone takes the lead...and wins.
11:27 - It sounds like a syllable is either rushed or missing in the Phil Everly tribute by Billie Joe Armstrong & Miranda Lambert.
11:36 - Daft Punk = album of the year. The robots generally seem happy.
11:39 - "This is how we rock & roll." Trent Reznor, Lindsey Buckingham, Queens of the Stone Age and Dave Grohl. This is what the committee members "feel" is alternative.
11:42 - Some serious maraca playing going on. What an anti-climatic ending. I remember a few years back, we ended with Springsteen doing "London Calling." The state of music is not a good one. Let's hope for a great 2014.
Noel Gallagher doesn't like music videos. He really doesn't. The folks at Jezebel posted a very funny clip of the Oasis guitarist and songwriter commenting on his band's music videos... and for Noel it's all about how stupid the videos are and the many times he was drunk in them. It's great fun, and worth ten minutes of your time.
I'm going way back in time for this one. It's the Robert Smith side project The Glove with "Punish Me With Kisses". Some back story: In 1982, Robert Smith took a break from The Cure after the Pornography album, which drained the band, led to substance abuse, infighting and led to the exit of bassist Simon Gallup. Later that year, Smith was invited to fill in on guitar and became a member of Siouxsie and the Banshees. When Siouxsie and drummer Budgie left to record an album as The Creatures, Smith and Steven Severin started work on their own side project as The Glove, named for the flying glove character from the "Yellow Submarine" movie. Smith was contractually prohibited from singing with a band other than the Cure, so they enlisted Budgie's girlfriend at the time, Jeanette Landray, on vocals. The result is some of the best gothic synth-pop of the 1980s, which arguably stands time's test a tad better than some Cure material from the same era.
So why am I thinking about it? I stopped in to the stellar Co-Op 87 record shop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn the other night. As I was flipping through crates of vinyl, I came across The Glove's one and only LP Blue Sunshine, on offer for eight bucks. I had it as a kid, and I'm sure it -- and the rest of my erstwhile record collection -- is lurking out there somewhere -- so I passed. But when I went back and listened to those songs, I decided to buy it. Unfortunately, when I went back, it was gone.
Years later, in 2006, Blue Sunshine was re-released with a collection of demos featuring Smith on vocals. Here's that version as well, for comparison's sake.
I apologize for the delay in presenting the Best of
2013.Frankly, each year gets a little
tougher for me to find new music that really inspired me or that became part of
any regular listening rotation.Because
of this, I dragged my feet a little in creating this list.Here is what I have come up with.I truly feel it might be the worst selections
I have ever composed, but hey, it is what it is.Without further ado, here is the best of 2013.
The two best:
“Toe Cutter” Thee Oh Sees.
I picked this as one of my “New Tunes on Monday” and I
really liked it.It has a funky grove,
underwater-sounding lyrics, a little surf guitar scales being played.I realize it’s not for everyone, but it’s a
groove that I got stuck in for a while in 2013.
“Black Skinhead” Kanye West
I like Kanye West.The persona is bigger than life.I love that he compares himself to Warhol.I love that he feels he should be commissioned
like DiVinci and other great artists.I
recently read on Grantland that he compares his album Yeezus to Springsteen’s Nebraska.Still looking for the parallels, but I saw
him perform this on Saturday Night Live and was impressed.Plus, he gets points for being a South Side
guy.
Third time is not a
charm – and I stuck by you.
“Come a Little Closer” Cage the Elephant
To me, Cage the Elephant is one of the newer bands of today that
I appreciate.“Come a Little Closer”
pales in comparison to the work on their previous two albums, but it’s still
listenable- more than much of the alt-rock
scene of today.
“Unbelievers” Vampire Weekend
Much like Cage the Elephant, the third album of Vampire
Weekend pales heavily in comparison to their first two.Still, I gave them a greater listening to than
most of what was released in 2013, so I felt that deemed them worthy. This, to me, was one of the better songs on the record.
Not on the same tier,
but not bad
“High School Lover” Cayucas
It was the bass line that got me.These Santa
Monica twins give a cool Franz Ferdinand feel.Pretty cool sound.Editor’s
note: As I am ready to upload this, I didn’t realize Discordant #1 also chose
this.I forgot he pegged this as song of
the summer.I dismissed it when the
“Blurred Lines/Get Lucky” battle enthralled the summer sound waves. I dismissed
it, and now I eat my words.
“Me & You & Jackie Mattoo” Superchunk
I love the way this song opens up with a great opening line
“I hate music...what is it worth.”Pure
power pop – which is my wheel house.It
sounds like it came right out of 1978.
The “Jim” influence
“Stoned and Starving” – Parquet Courts
A shared song with Discordant #1.A quality newer band from Brooklyn.The record itself was one of the best of
2013.Interesting how Discordant #1
& myself both discovered it without influencing each other.I guess it’s a sign of a quality song.
“Elephant” Tame Impala
A great groove.Heavy
bass, and that fuzzy guitar makes this song rock.It might sound familiar for it was used in a
Blackberry commercial.
“Tiger Tank” Speedy Ortiz
The theme of female vocals is most present this year with
another new band.Originated from a
counselor at a summer songwriting camp, she began writing and composing songs
using her laptop.From there, the band
expanded to produce some decent new material.
“We the Common” Thao and the Get Down and Stay Down
I really liked “Beat (Health, Life & Fire) a lot.So when they released a new song, I was
curiously interested and excited to see what they came up with.I’m not big on the banjo, but once the song
kicks in, I like the direction it goes.
Too much pop radio
with the girls…
“I Love It” Iconna Pop
When you have three girls in the car and all three belt out
the chorus at the top of their lungs, it can become contagious fun.I’m sure we will never hear from Iconna Pop
again, but…”I don’t care, I LOVE IT!”
“Royals” Lorde
I know Discordant #3 had this listed, and I agree.An impressive song from a seventeen year old
Auckie.Great imagery: “Maybachs,
tigers on a gold leash” and that slow snap of the fingers.It has worn out its welcome, but it’s one of
the better songs of 2013.
“Still Into You” Paramore
Not my style of band, but something about the music in this
song that seems hurried fascinates me.I
also like that Hayley Williams voce sounds so chipper, when in reality this
double entendre song is partially about her struggles.
“Rosanna” – Wax
When I first heard this, I thought it was by the 90’s bad
Wax (of the California
fame.)Sadly, it’s not.It’s an American rapper with a Cypress
Hill-like beat.The girl’s voice is
annoying, but in a sea of awful pop songs, this is another one I could tolerate.
…and when new is not
truly new
“Heaven on Earth” Boston
I heard this on the radio the other day, and I could have
sworn it was from an older Boston
album.IT ALL SOUNDS THE SAME!The new album is the last featuring vocalist Brad
Delp before his suicide.I love that he
and Tom Scholz believed in the mantra, “If it ain’t broke…”
…and no, I truly do not think
this is one of the best.
