What is the *WORST* album that has won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year?

hello eric clapton

"Bodyguard." Seriously, wtf?

celine dion

Not that I'm voting for it. But what would be the modern equivalent of Bob Newhart's 1961 win? I couldn't imagine any comedian in the last 25 years who could even come close to getting nominated for Record of the year

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd300/d305/d305468e0f3.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DYSN5G4XL._AA240_.jpg

Like you said, there's nothing that would come close to being nominated for Album of the Year these days, but Foxworthy's debut went multiplatinum back in 1993, I believe.

What about 1963's Vaughn Meader win?

Heart says to vote Celine Dion, goes on about it.

Oh yeah, look at that!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/TFF_cover.jpg

the
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/51/Danecookretaliation.jpg
of its day?

yeah those comedy albums look like the weirdest choices of all time but in the historical context maybe it makes sense. this was the early days of the LP format and most performers' albums were hastily assembled hits plus filler save for frank sinatra's pioneering concept works. the LP format was established commercially in the early/mid 50s by Bway scores and movie soundtracks (more consistent song per song) just as rock and roll established the 45 single format. stand-up comedy became a phenomenon in the later 50s, resulting in Newhart's breakout (which put sinatra's reprise label on the map). still it seems perverse, at least to me, as spoken word albums tend to be less durable than music, durable as in how many times do you play them? but then again, the popularity of recorded music at the beginning of the 20th century was established by comedic ethnic novelty records, minstrel songs, etc (as well as opera arias - go figure). and while he's no lenny bruce, bob newhart is actually pretty funny (and lenny bruce's records aren't exactly laff riots anyway).

Celine Dion it is. Even "Supernatural" sounds like an eternal classic beside it. "Bodyguard" is probably the second worst.

It seems the Grammies had an anti-rock music bias before "Sgt. Pepper", but most of those late 50s/early 60s picks are indeed good albums, despite being "old people music".

as far as the worst album on the list, I'm tempted to be be a prick and vote for Sgt. Pepper, which I actually like (even though it's far from the beatles' best) just because it's had such a pernicious influence on rock.

It seemed like the 70s was the decade in which the albums given the Grammies were actually among the good ones.

billy joel???

Stevie Wonder won three times between 74 and 77. O_O, on a roll.

So the worst ... Santana and Billy Joel are up there for me, can't decide.

dixie chicks/U2 face off

which U2?

*snicker*

I've never knowingly heard a lot of those albums, and might hate the Garland or Streisand ones, but out of respect for the old folks I guess I'll vote for U2 in 2006. (Though I was tempted to go with Natalie Cole or Tony Bennett or the fucking Concert for Bangladesh, which my older brother used to have. I'm too lazy now to check and see what's actually on it.) Weirdly, most of these have at least something I don't totally hate on them. (For all I know, the worst might be Hancock. Come to think of, there a bunch of '00s ones I've never heard, too.)

(I meant, I've never heard a lot of those '60s albums.)

(And I'm probably just being cranky by voting for U2. I doubt that's really the worst one up there. Just the one that bugs me the most at the moment.)

I'll go for Supernatural.

Nearly went for Christopher Cross but I remembered that I quite like "Sailing."

Wow, Bodyguard soundtrack or Eric unplugged?

Phil Collins

As much as I hate most of Lennon's post-Beatles stuff and am tempted to vote for Double Fantasy, I'm going with the worst of these albums that I've actually heard, The Low Below.

Most of these albums aren't awful, just dull or ok.

That Vaughn Meander one was a satire/take-off of the Kennedy family. One enormous seller at the time, then the Kennedy assassination presumably 'killed the album stone dead'...

Wow, Bodyguard soundtrack or Eric unplugged?

vs.

Most of these albums aren't awful, just dull or ok.

vs.

Wow, Bodyguard soundtrack or Eric unplugged?

vs.

Most of these albums aren't awful, just dull or ok.

steely dan -- not because it's the "worst" album on the list, but because it's the worst example of "grammy being grammy." though the quincy jones album comes close. and maybe even the herbie hancock.

(and i like steely dan!)

btw Bob Newhart's album was a GIGANTIC seller (in the top 3 of the '60s?), and recorded at his first-ever nightclub appearance.

And, incidentally, Bob was basically the first (only?) comedian to become famous BECAUSE of an LP.

steely dan -- not because it's the "worst" album on the list, but because it's the worst example of "grammy being grammy." though the quincy jones album comes close. and maybe even the herbie hancock

You mean because it's a "lifetime achievement award" in disguise?

No, I'd call that "Grammy being Oscar"

no, what i meant was it's the industry establishment rewarding their own music-academy idea of accomplished songwriting, arrangement, performance and production, in complete disregard to what an album actually sounds like and whether anyone actually wants to hear it.

the norah jones album, on the other hand, meets all those criteria while actually getting through to actual music fans. that's an example of the grammy hive-mind and the public hive-mind actually lining up. whereas steely dan is an example of the grammy hive-mind pressing forward without any regard to actual listeners.

back on the block wtf! god i remember that single with kool moe dee on it, embarrassing....

Toto IV gets my nod...great session musicians, complete hacks on their own...

Who votes for these things?

back on the block wtf! god i remember that single with kool moe dee on it, embarrassin

No, this is a pretty good album – "Secret Garden," the Ray Charles-Chaka Khan duet...

ALL of them except "Thriller".

no, what i meant was it's the industry establishment rewarding their own music-academy idea of accomplished songwriting, arrangement, performance and production, in complete disregard to what an album actually sounds like and whether anyone actually wants to hear it.

If the record industry actually values quality over popularity for once, that is a good thing rather than a bad one.

Toto IV gets my nod...great session musicians, complete hacks on their own...

That album had "Africa" and "Rosanna" on it. That alone.....

exactly

No. Jacket. Required. Not really a contest (although some come close).

steely dan -- not because it's the "worst" album on the list, but because it's the worst example of "grammy being grammy." though the quincy jones album comes close. and maybe even the herbie hancock.

-- fact checking cuz, Monday, 11 February 2008 17:05 (Yesterday)

ny times headline today: "a victory for jazz, or just GRAMMY BEING GRAMMY?"

ha!

all of them?

as far as the worst album on the list, I'm tempted to be be a prick and vote for Sgt. PepperThriller... just because it's had such a pernicious influence on rock music.

influence schminfluence.

I voted for Thriller cuz its caused the most suffering

so have the Beatles.

there's more bad shit inspired by Sgt Pepper than anything else on that list.

Hell, there's more bad shit inspired by Sinatra than -- well, you get the idea, and if not, I've a Michael Buble album for ya.

Boobly

see but I like Beatles knockoffs/ripoffs (Bee Gees, Raspberries, silly Sgt Pepper cover jokes, etc.) Thriller ripoffs are across the board horrible. Plus the album is largely responsible for Michael Jackson's ludicrously undeserved claims as a master songwriter/popsmith ("King of Pop" etc)

wtf you guys it's clearly the Santana album

Two Against Nature is actually pretty good

Hell, there's more bad shit inspired by Sinatra than -- well, you get the idea, and if not, I've a Michael Buble album for ya.

You own a Michael Buble album?

...poor thing.

Things gettin' real squirrely after Rumours, it seems.

it's strange how pretty much every pick from 65-79 would be near-unanimously declared classic by ilxors and then from 80 on things fall apart

Shakey's got a headache from sitting at the computer too long.

Oh God, Supernatural for the lose! Didn't see that one 'til just now. I would rather listen to Celine than that, really.

Not enough hate for Natalie Cole on this thread.

Can't decide between

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill performed by Lauryn Hill (1999)

and

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb performed by U2 (2006)

The Phil Collins album is a classic, an epoch-defining record. OK maybe that's going a bit far but it's a great record, don't be fooled by the cover.

Thriller ripoffs are across the board horrible

What music would be classified as a Thriller ripoff? Rockwell? Debarge? Ready for the World? Shalamar's "Dead Giveaway"? (I don't really believe any of those qualify myself, just thinking off the top of my head.) I honestly have no idea what this category would consist of.

i like the Lauryn Hill record

Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole (1992)
Unplugged performed by Eric Clapton (1993)
The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album (1994)
MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett performed by Tony Bennett (1995)
Jagged Little Pill performed by Alanis Morissette (1996)
Falling into You performed by Celine Dion (1997)

That is one terrible terrible stretch.

Unforgettable, performed by Eric Clapton
Unplugged, performed by Natalie Cole
Jagged Little Pill, performed by Santana
Falling Into You, performed by Celine Dion

otoh in some of those years you could have thrown a dart in a record store and hit a great album, and, seriously, Blood Sweat & Tears as best record of 1970???

er, of 1969 I guess

Plus the album is largely responsible for Michael Jackson's ludicrously undeserved claims as a master songwriter/popsmith ("King of Pop" etc)

I'd say "Billie Jean" alone justifies those claims.

yeah, I think he quite deserves them. The Bad poll reminded me how much all of those songs have stuck with me even though I probably haven't listened to that album straight through since I was eleven or so.

isn't this thread sort of akin to asking what's our least favorite type of cake frosting?

um

Sort, except the recurrent answers suggest that the Grammy voters enjoyed meatball frosting throughout the '90s.

er, Sort OF

The Phil Collins album is a classic, an epoch-defining record.

I wouldn't say that, but it holds up like the two before it. It wasn't until the 90s that he would really lose it completely.

Blood Sweat & Tears as best record of 1969???

It was seen as a "rock band goes showbiz" and was taken on in broadway type TV spectaculars, "You made me so very happy" particularly.

(This is where you say "It's not that one" and I go oh my and boo hoo)

I would have liked BST better if it hadn't been for David Clayton-Thomas' hugely irritating voice. Lew Soloff, Dave Bargeron - some seriously good players in that horn section.

(I imagine Jusin Lee Collins for some reason)

From memory he looked a bit more like Bill Bryson.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Alanis Morissette squeaks past Blood, Sweat & Tears

Yer insane, man! The latter clearly take it.

i'm sure the toto record and the bodyguard ost are godawful, and i'm really tempted to vote for 'how to dismantle an atomic bomb'

but, it's got to be 'supernatural'! for the rob thomas collaboration alone

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Contrarian ass-muthas.

haw!

Worse than the Bodyguard, eh? You people are crazy.

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below performed by OutKast (2004) 2

Idiots.

!!!
???

oh, ilmpaws

waaaaaaaaau

Time out of Mind performed by Bob Dylan (1998) 1

WHO ARE U

Why does everybody hate Supernatural?? You think that album's bad, you should've seen the other nominations that year.

River: The Joni Letters performed by Herbie Hancock

Did this win this year? That's awesome.

"Sgt. Pepper" was also runner up in the best poll, so I guess "Supernatural" is the official winner here then ;)

lol wow people really hate Sgt. Pepper's more than fucking Carlos Santana? Contrarian ass-muthas indeed.

The other nominees from the year of Santana.

Backstreet Boys - Millennium
Dixie Chicks - Fly
Diana Krall - When I Look In Your Eyes
TLC - Fanmail

i don't think the grammy's ever acknowledge anything that hasn't been plugged to death to the point of insanity on the radio

i don't think the grammy's ever acknowledge anything that hasn't been plugged to death to the point of insanity on the radio

Um, I doubt that Herbie Hancock's new album has received heavy radio airplay.

The other nominees from the year of Santana.

Backstreet Boys - Millennium
Dixie Chicks - Fly
Diana Krall - When I Look In Your Eyes
TLC - Fanmail

At least one (and maybe as many as three) of these is/are a lot better than that Santana album (which is really not all that horrible, regardless).

Also, I just found out via googling that another one of these albums made Nick Lowe a millionaire. I had no idea.

how the fuck did ppl vote for thriller

Curtis Stigers = rock and roll hero.

lol at the contrarian choice winning

My contrarian vote was U2 (Joshua Tree).

whoever voted for Can't Slow Down needs to identify themselves, like, right now.

I am OK with these too, apart from the number one.

But, you know, whatever...

Who the fuck voted for Thriller?

I voted for Thriller.

this is kind of a low point for ilm.

You haven't seen some of the real low points then?

yeah it just seems silly though.

nazi punksBeatles haters fuck off.

maybe as many as three) of these is/are a lot better than that Santana album

xhuxk - so which album is *def.* not better than Santana??