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Thread: The Grammys Show

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    Senior Member Ducatista47's Avatar
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    The Grammys Show

    I watched the Grammys for the first time in decade. Kind of a going away present for television. We are ending the cable TV service this week in favor of a Business Class internet connection. Great bandwidth and no data cap. My kids and I prefer movies, and the kids prefer to Hulu and Netflix what shows they watch.

    Watching the broadcast took me to a place I never expected to go. I tuned it in to be sure to hear the Bonnie Raitt/Alicia Keys tribute number to Etta James. Bonnie doesn't get much national TV time these days. I am also a fan of Adele's work and I expected she would have a good night. (She did.) Notice that my reasons to watch were firmly rooted in the Baby Boomer universe. Whenever the band would come on the late night shows, if it was an act I hadn't heard of I was usually not taken with their level of talent. So I had become really out of it when it came to newer bands.

    But I found myself very attracted to a lot of of new stuff in the show. I liked Katy Perry. Loved the Foo Fighters. In Old School, the Beach Boys number was fine, but in typical Grammys style they performed their biggest hit. I would have rather heard "I Get Around," their most exciting record IMHO. Semi Old School, style wise, I was pumped by "Rolling In The Deep." I knew the song well, having discovered her and this song on NPR (Tiny Desk Concert) a year ago. It was exhilarating to hear her fully recovered.

    But my real awakening was the performance outside in the tent. The big hall is populated with members of the trade, the music business. They act like they are at a big awards show, which is only fair. But the tent was full of fans. Standing, not sitting. Moving, not still. Waiting for the best time they might have all year, every one of them. The contrast was startling. When we Baby Boomers go out to hear music, we are usually at sit down events. I never danced, never found it fun personally; I had forgotten in the last ten or fifteen years what it was like to be standing on a big floor in front of a bandstand, worshiping, participating, immersing myself in the moment with my body as well as my ears.

    NOW I understand the siren call of newer forms of music. They do suck as something to turn down the lights, sit down and listen to. Dance music always has. But experienced this way, the way intended, even vicariously on HDTV, they are something the Old School artists usually are not. Exciting. In the tent, DJ David Guetta led off, was joined by R & B performer Chris Brown and rapper Lil Wayne. It was only the second time in my life I had enjoyed any exposure to Rap. I liked Chris Brown's music. I finally got the DJ thing. He was constantly challenging the audience to have as much fun as he was, and it worked. He IS a musician; his instrument is not Old School, that's all. Then, my very favorite part. The cameras and attention turned to the opposite end of the tent. There were two cloth covered cubes , side by side. The Foo Fighters (who won five out of their six nominations, bested only by Adele in the sixth) ripped a number, just ripped it. They are the equal of any Classic Rock group in their prime as far as I am concerned. Near the end of the song, the lights changed from blinding white to deep red and the second cube's curtain fell to reveal Deadmau5. This guy does not come from DJ. He is something else all together. Part electronic musician, part performance artist, part DJ and part collaborator. His fans were as intense as Juggalos. I have never seen people so high on someone else since the Beatles landed in New York. It was incredible that the two completely different forms of music seamlessly occupied the same space and time in harmony with each other. That takes talent. A ton of it. It wasn't a trick or a setup thing. They were that good. It was like Dorit Chrylser playing Theremin in a rock band at a European festival. It just worked.

    Well guess what. If I could I would go to see all these guys live. I am astonished because I am so used to reacting like the Baby Boomer I am (64 years old) towards "young people's music." The sad part is that this is all a young person's game and I don't belong at these events. I have two bad knees and don't breathe well enough any more to participate at any level that would blend in. My twenty year old son says he dies after five minutes at a rave. All I can do is sit and regret the years I passed ignorant judgement on the scenes that came along after mine. At least I've jumped off of my ivory tower. I should have remembered what it was like. The great concerts and clubs in the Sixties experiencing the likes of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Michael Bloomfield, The Velvet Underground, Ian & Sylvia, The Stones, scores of others. I remember the music but forgot the live experience of being in the middle of it. One thing I never forgot was The Pretenders bursting fully developed onto the scene. I should have realized that the purpose, the grammar, the payoff of pop music had changed, evolved into something else, something new.

    It happens every generation I guess, but I feel like I am alive again in a sense that I have not been for a long time. Maybe I get a second chance after all to stop being stuck in time. I have always been alive and appreciative of the music and everything else I like. But now, after a long semi slumber, I am awake.

    PS I couldn't get into the Whitney Houston thing because I never enjoyed any of the things she did with her awesome voice. That kind of pop music is just too straight for my brain. It's like Richard Nixon. Also, she threw her life away as surely as she threw her talent away, and while sad I can't respect that.

    But when the lengthy segment chronicling the passing of everyone else in the business we lost in the last year gave a special mention to Milton Babbitt, it was nice to see that the old folks in charge had recognized the most significant of the bunch. That was the Old School moment I enjoyed most.

    http://perezhilton.com/2012-02-13-th...=#.Tzpm1fmcdzo
    Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom
    Too many audiophiles listen with their eyes instead of their ears


  2. #2
    Senior Member martin_wu99's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ducatista47 View Post
    I watched the Grammys for the first time in decade. Kind of a going away present for television. We are ending the cable TV service this week in favor of a Business Class internet connection. Great bandwidth and no data cap. My kids and I prefer movies, and the kids prefer to Hulu and Netflix what shows they watch.

    Watching the broadcast took me to a place I never expected to go. I tuned it in to be sure to hear the Bonnie Raitt/Alicia Keys tribute number to Etta James. Bonnie doesn't get much national TV time these days. I am also a fan of Adele's work and I expected she would have a good night. (She did.) Notice that my reasons to watch were firmly rooted in the Baby Boomer universe. Whenever the band would come on the late night shows, if it was an act I hadn't heard of I was usually not taken with their level of talent. So I had become really out of it when it came to newer bands.

    But I found myself very attracted to a lot of of new stuff in the show. I liked Katy Perry. Loved the Foo Fighters. In Old School, the Beach Boys number was fine, but in typical Grammys style they performed their biggest hit. I would have rather heard "I Get Around," their most exciting record IMHO. Semi Old School, style wise, I was pumped by "Rolling In The Deep." I knew the song well, having discovered her and this song on NPR (Tiny Desk Concert) a year ago. It was exhilarating to hear her fully recovered.

    But my real awakening was the performance outside in the tent. The big hall is populated with members of the trade, the music business. They act like they are at a big awards show, which is only fair. But the tent was full of fans. Standing, not sitting. Moving, not still. Waiting for the best time they might have all year, every one of them. The contrast was startling. When we Baby Boomers go out to hear music, we are usually at sit down events. I never danced, never found it fun personally; I had forgotten in the last ten or fifteen years what it was like to be standing on a big floor in front of a bandstand, worshiping, participating, immersing myself in the moment with my body as well as my ears.

    NOW I understand the siren call of newer forms of music. They do suck as something to turn down the lights, sit down and listen to. Dance music always has. But experienced this way, the way intended, even vicariously on HDTV, they are something the Old School artists usually are not. Exciting. In the tent, DJ David Guetta led off, was joined by R & B performer Chris Brown and rapper Lil Wayne. It was only the second time in my life I had enjoyed any exposure to Rap. I liked Chris Brown's music. I finally got the DJ thing. He was constantly challenging the audience to have as much fun as he was, and it worked. He IS a musician; his instrument is not Old School, that's all. Then, my very favorite part. The cameras and attention turned to the opposite end of the tent. There were two cloth covered cubes , side by side. The Foo Fighters (who won five out of their six nominations, bested only by Adele in the sixth) ripped a number, just ripped it. They are the equal of any Classic Rock group in their prime as far as I am concerned. Near the end of the song, the lights changed from blinding white to deep red and the second cube's curtain fell to reveal Deadmau5. This guy does not come from DJ. He is something else all together. Part electronic musician, part performance artist, part DJ and part collaborator. His fans were as intense as Juggalos. I have never seen people so high on someone else since the Beatles landed in New York. It was incredible that the two completely different forms of music seamlessly occupied the same space and time in harmony with each other. That takes talent. A ton of it. It wasn't a trick or a setup thing. They were that good. It was like Dorit Chrylser playing in a rock band at a a European festival. It just worked.

    Well guess what. If I could I would go to see all these guys live. I am astonished because I am so used to reacting like the Baby Boomer I am (64 years old) towards "young people's music." The sad part is that this is all a young person's game and I don't belong at these events. I have two bad knees and don't breathe well enough any more to participate at any level that would blend in. My twenty year old son says he dies after five minutes at a rave. All I can do is sit and regret the years I passed ignorant judgement on the scenes that came along after mine. At least I've jumped off of my ivory tower. I should have remembered what it was like. The great concerts and clubs in the Sixties experiencing the likes of Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, Michael Bloomfield, The Velvet Underground, Ian & Sylvia, The Stones, scores of others. I remember the music but forgot the live experience of being in the middle of it. One thing I never forgot was The Pretenders bursting fully developed onto the scene. I should have realized that the purpose, the grammar, the payoff of pop music had changed, evolved into something else, something new.

    It happens every generation I guess, but I feel like I am alive again in a sense that I have not been for a long time. Maybe I get a second chance after all to stop being stuck in time. I have always been alive and appreciative of the music and everything else I like. But now, after a long semi slumber, I am awake.

    PS I couldn't get into the Whitney Houston thing because I never enjoyed any of the things she did with her awesome voice. That kind of pop music is just too straight for my brain. It's like Richard Nixon. Also, she threw her life away as surely as she threw her talent away, and while sad I can't respect that.

    But when the lengthy segment chronicling the passing of everyone else in the business we lost in the last year gave a special mention to Milton Babbitt, it was nice to see that the old folks in charge had recognized the most significant of the bunch. That was the Old School moment I enjoyed most.
    I watched it yestersay,it's amazing and impressive.i pay attention to every year's awards.this year winner seems to be Adele.
    46 lover

  3. #3
    Moderator hjames's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ducatista47 View Post
    I watched the Grammys for the first time in decade. Kind of a going away present for television. We are ending the cable TV service this week in favor of a Business Class internet connection. Great bandwidth and no data cap. My kids and I prefer movies, and the kids prefer to Hulu and Netflix what shows they watch.
    Thanks for that Clark, a nice perspective on the show and the music scene.
    We started watching last year - I had avoided it for years.
    Its in the TIVO at the moment - haven't had a chance to sit down and scroll through it yet.

    The autoTune artists still kill me, but there are a few moments here and there that pop out - and I'll follow your tips to find them!
    2ch: WiiM Pro; Topping E30 II DAC; Oppo, Acurus RL-11, Acurus A200, JBL Dynamics Project - Offline: L212-TwinStack, VonSchweikert VR-4
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  4. #4
    Senior Member Ducatista47's Avatar
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    I forgot to mention an outstanding cultural moment. A member of Bon Iver, a Wisconsin based group, accepted the Best New Artist Grammy with a speech the likes of which have never before been heard so vividly and will likely never be repeated. Every working musician should be cheering.
    Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom
    Too many audiophiles listen with their eyes instead of their ears


  5. #5
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    I watched with my wife and 17-year-old daughter. Though very few of the featured artists appealed to any of us. I always enjoy seeing Bruno Mars simply because I love his voice, song choices, and style. Unfortunately he's quite possibly on that same path to drugs that wastes so many talented performers. Maybe he can be a model of how not to go that road. Maybe not.

    I hadn't heard much about the show's build-up other than the Whitney tribute (I was traveling to San Diego and North Carolina the past few days) but I was really impressed that Bonnie Raitt was chosen to pay tribute to Etta. Very cool. She's a great talent who seems to be gently aging without losing what we've enjoyed for decades in her vocal and guitar talent. I have to wonder how many watching had a clue who she was? Alicia is another talent I tried to resist but have great respect for. Unlike Adele . . .

    We were watching Adele's performance even though my daughter can't stand her music. My wife, like the rest of the world, recognized the overplayed hits but after listening a while said she found her voice irritating. She asked if I had any of her music and I had to tell her I had done a CD swap with a guy at work and sampled my way through her hit CD only to reject even adding it to my hard-drive for free because her voice irritated me. She doesn't really have any substantial range. Her songs are, for the most part, repetitive and similar. We all found her boring and wondered (I know, I'm a bad person) if it weren't for her recent publicity surrounding her vocal operation, if more might not feel the same. Sort of like watching the Duggar Family train-wreck. What do folks find appealing about her?

    But then my daughter thinks Lady Gaga is a copy-cat. I suppose she follows that much more than I care to.

    I saw an interesting statistic that some huge number of those watching the Grammy's had no idea who Paul McCartney was! In my house we know him as the least interesting of the Beatles (tied, actually, with Ringo) but recognize his contribution. Apparently a hot Twitter topic during the program was "who is Paul McCartney?", or "who is that white guy?" in 140 characters or less. Less famous than Justin Bieber, it seems. Also amazing how many responding misspelled "Beetles". (No, I don't have a Twitter account!)

    I try to be open-minded about music and really enjoy the intros to "new-to-me" artists I get from members here. So keep it up!
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  6. #6
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ducatista47 View Post
    I forgot to mention an outstanding cultural moment. A member of Bon Iver, a Wisconsin based group, accepted the Best New Artist Grammy with a speech the likes of which have never before been heard so vividly and will likely never be repeated. Every working musician should be cheering.
    Some background? http://gawker.com/5882296
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  7. #7
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    I am 49 years old and watched the Grammies. I didn't notice much originality. Sorry if I offense anyone with my comments.

    Chris Brown and Rhiana are just the same old stuff. I consider them to be the McDonald fast food of music. Pre-cooked and pre-digested. Not much nutritive. There are so many talented soul signers out there.
    Isn't FooFighter also pretty blend. Same old rock'n'roll to me? Or are Grammies only giving awards based on sales or marketing budget?
    David Ghetta and Dead Mau5 where a joke. Annoying jokes.
    I wished Jennifer Hudson didn't do Houston's signature song, trying to prove she can do it too. It was against the purpose of a tribute.
    Two kid bands mimicking the Beach Boys. Note for note. Then the real Beach Boys with Brian Wilson on stage. Damn, I was happy to see him on stage. But I would have prefered to hear anything from the Smile album instead. Without the Beach Boys. But hey, even "Good Vibration" reminded me how big a genius Brian Wilson is/was.

    What's left?

    - Adele did impress me. She knows how to sing.
    - There was a couple who did a 1 minute acoustic performance with a guitar. Sounded like Americana type of music. It was interesting and I was positively surprised.

    Too bad that the Grammies do NOT reflect what's happening on the music scene. It looks like a show for the majors to congratulate each others. In 10 years there will be no more Grammies because there will be no more majors.

    Sorry for the pessimism

  8. #8
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee in Montreal View Post
    - There was a couple who did a 1 minute acoustic performance with a guitar. Sounded like Americana type of music. It was interesting and I was positively surprised.
    These guys? http://thecivilwars.com/
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

  9. #9
    Senior Member Lee in Montreal's Avatar
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    Yup. I was happily surprised. It certainly stood out from the rest.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooTyu...layer_embedded

    Thanks for the link.

  10. #10
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    I did not watch ....there was nothing in the previews/lineups that attracted me. past experience has told me that award shows or Superbowls do not produce great music. (only a little OT ...that Madonna show was grotty)

    one nice part of having my son at home was that he frequently introduced me to newer music ...I would not
    have sought out RHCP or Everclear w/o him (or even Johnny Cash's dying album) , and in return ...he often came in to ask what I was playing ..and he sought some of mine.

    Adele ?? I had no clue ?? ..then watched "60 minutes" interview ....seems like a decent voice ...rather a "flavor of the month" talent who may turn into a "who's that ??" by this time next year.....someone who is "IN" because you can't have an empty mike......didn't Nora take home a bunch and then evaporate ?

    Whitney ??
    great voice, wasted life ...crash has been predicted for a long time ...her TV show was grotty too.

    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post

    But then my daughter thinks Lady Gaga is a copy-cat. I suppose she follows that much more than I care to.

    I saw an interesting statistic that some huge number of those watching the Grammy's had no idea who Paul McCartney was! In my house we know him as the least interesting of the Beatles (tied, actually, with Ringo) but recognize his contribution. Apparently a hot Twitter topic during the program was "who is Paul McCartney?", or "who is that white guy?" in 140 characters or less. Less famous than Justin Bieber, it seems. Also amazing how many responding misspelled "Beetles".
    no idea what GagGag sings ,,all I know is the wacky outfits...a serious singer doesn't do that.
    Paul ?? Always preferred George.
    Beaver ? that little Canadian audio terrorist ? he's on my "never ever ever listen" list.
    Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles

  11. #11
    Senior Member Ducatista47's Avatar
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    The Civil Wars were a really nice surprise. I had never heard of them, but I may end up buying some music. So again, if I had skipped the show like I usually do, it would have been my loss.
    Information is not Knowledge; Knowledge is not Wisdom
    Too many audiophiles listen with their eyes instead of their ears


  12. #12
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    I'm 50 and I feel like one of the younger guys on this forum. I don't know a much better way to phrase this except to say that thanks to this internet thingie absolutely everything about the world has changed for the better since 2000. Ignore the abuses, ignore the stuff that sucks, embrace what's good. There is no longer old and new music, there's just stuff you're familiar with and stuff you're not. Every bit of classic and modern music, art, and video is available to pursue and explore. The TV, computer, phone, and stereo are no longer four separate objects, they're more like a stream of consciousness connected by electronic sticky notes. Everyone under 25 gets it, few over 50 seem to. Hear something you like? Do the Google, learn a little something, peel off the YouTube tab and send it to the TV. Play it now or wait until later. See something interesting on the tube or out in the world? Shoot yourself a quick note and pursue it later. I always seem to have a half-dozen songs, artists, or documentaries sitting on the TV waiting. Once you finish a clip there will be several related clips suggested that may take you in a direction you had not previously considered. The number of artists I've discovered in the last four years thrills me. We need to face the fact that with medical advances most of us will live into our 90's and maybe beyond, shutting off your mind to the unfamiliar 10 years ago may not turn out to be a good idea.

  13. #13
    Senior Member BMWCCA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SEAWOLF97 View Post
    didn't Nora take home a bunch and then evaporate ?
    Three Number One albums and her fourth only made it to Number Three. Still went Platinum and was possibly her best, I thought, though a new producer and a dumped boyfriend might have held it back. I saw her live and would love to see her again. Can't say the same for Adele.



    Oh, and I assumed you meant Norah, as in Ravi's little girl? BTW, she has won 10 Grammys!
    ". . . as you have no doubt noticed, no one told the 4345 that it can't work correctly so it does anyway."—Greg Timbers

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    Senior Member pathfindermwd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by berf View Post
    I'm 50 and I feel like one of the younger guys on this forum. I don't know a much better way to phrase this except to say that thanks to this internet thingie absolutely everything about the world has changed for the better since 2000. Ignore the abuses, ignore the stuff that sucks, embrace what's good. There is no longer old and new music, there's just stuff you're familiar with and stuff you're not. Every bit of classic and modern music, art, and video is available to pursue and explore. The TV, computer, phone, and stereo are no longer four separate objects, they're more like a stream of consciousness connected by electronic sticky notes. Everyone under 25 gets it, few over 50 seem to. Hear something you like? Do the Google, learn a little something, peel off the YouTube tab and send it to the TV. Play it now or wait until later. See something interesting on the tube or out in the world? Shoot yourself a quick note and pursue it later. I always seem to have a half-dozen songs, artists, or documentaries sitting on the TV waiting. Once you finish a clip there will be several related clips suggested that may take you in a direction you had not previously considered. The number of artists I've discovered in the last four years thrills me. We need to face the fact that with medical advances most of us will live into our 90's and maybe beyond, shutting off your mind to the unfamiliar 10 years ago may not turn out to be a good idea.
    I agree, all music can now be in fashion, all era's. Now, someone make me some more 60's, 70, and 80's music!



    Quote Originally Posted by BMWCCA View Post
    Three Number One albums and her fourth only made it to Number Three. Still went Platinum and was possibly her best, I thought, though a new producer and a dumped boyfriend might have held it back. I saw her live and would love to see her again. Can't say the same for Adele.
    I don't care for Adele either. I think she has a Funny Car kind of a voice, great for straight line and top speed, but not much else.

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    I agree, all music can now be in fashion, all era's. Now, someone make me some more 60's, 70, and 80's music!
    There was a lot of good music from those eras that didn't make it to radio. For that matter, there are a lot of modern artists firmly rooted in the past. I missed out on Van der Graaf Generator the first time around. I've really come to like Green Carnation.

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