GRAMMYS: A Subjective History of the Album of the Year Winners

[tps_title]1969-1959[/tps_title]

1969: In the year f*cking Electric Ladyland came out By the Time I Get to Phoenix, The Album beats Bookends, Feliciano!, the lesser of two eligible Beatles LPs and Richard Harris’ immortal A Tramp Shining

Verdict: WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT

1968: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! The Grammies finally throw a bone to “rock and roll” (sort of) to the chagrin of Sinatro/Jobim, Vikki Carr, Ed Ames and Bobbie Gentry

Verdict: THE GRAMMIES ARE RIDICULOUS

1967: some weepy Frank Sinatra double record beats out Color Me Barbra, the Dr. Zhivago Soundtrack, What Now My Love by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and, hey, Revolver

Verdict: AT LEAST HIS TRIPLE ALBUM LOST

1966: Frank Sinatra’s shit-I’m-getting-old record beats out Help! (the annoying half-orchestral version), My Name is Barbra (is it, now), My World by Eddy Arnold and the Sound of Music Soundtrack

Verdict: PRETTY MUCH ABOUT AS JUST AS INNERVISIONS

1965: Getz/Gilberto beats out, um, Cotton Candy by Al Hirt, the OBC of Funny Girl, /another/ damn Barbra Streisand album and Henry Mancini’s irresistible Pink Panther soundtrack

Verdict: GO PUT ON ANYTHING BY THE BEATLES OR MOTOWN AND THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS FOR WHEN YOU WERE BORN

1964: The Barbra Streisand Album (finally, she takes it! oh wait) beats out, just get this one: 1) Honey in the Horn by Al Hirt, 2) Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests by Andy Williams, 3) something called Bach’s Greatest Hits by something called The Swingle Singers and 4) The Singing Nun by — well

Verdict: GOOD FOR F*CKING BARBRA

1963: Vaughn Meader in the throes of his moment beats out solid Tony Bennett, okay Getz/Byrd, Allan Sherman in the throes of his moment and, um, Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music

Verdict: THIS SORT OF THING IS WHY PUNK ROCK HAD TO HAPPEN

1962: the classic Judy at Carnegie Hall beats out Genius + Soul = Jazz, Great Band with Great Voices by Si Zentner & the Johnny Mann Singers (I don’t actually believe this record existed), the Nat King Cole Story and the West Side Story soundtrack

Verdict: IN TASTEFUL TIMES, PROBABLY THE MOST ROCK ‘N’ ROLL ALBUM TOOK IT

1961: Bob Newhart beats out Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall (that’s OK), Brahms by Richter (that’s OK too), Nice ‘n’ Easy by Frank (that’s also OK), Turandot by Leinsdorf (fine, fine) and Wild is Love by Nat King Cole

Verdict: SEE ABOVE

1960: Come Dance With Me! ekes out a victory over only serious competition Belafonte at Carnegie 1

Verdict: SORRY VAN CLIBURN

1959: The Music From Peter Gunn sets a precedent for 57 years of frustration

Verdict: IF ELLA FITZGERALD HAD TAKEN IT THINGS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT.

[tps_footer]Ryan Maffei is a self-styled critic and musician. He is the founder of Jamrag Records and writes wherever the internet will have him. He can be reached at randrewmaffei@gmail.com [/tps_footer]