SYW - no Grammy?
 

I'm sure this topic has been tackled before, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Since I am by no means a music connoisseur, I'd really like someone's opinion as to why FM wasn't nomiated for a Grammy for SYW. I was pleasantly surprised to see their AMA, but that's like winning a People's Choice. So was the public just over FM? Were they not commericially viable enough to nomiate for an award? Was SYW just not as "good" of an album as I think it is? Are there just too many political factors in the music biz that I just don't understand? I know some of you cognoscenti can help me out....

All of the above. Wasn't the last Grammy, like 30 YEARS ago?
SYW was pretty much bought by the die-hard fans only. I got my deluxe version from a friend, a "casual" fan, who bought it for herself, and HATED it.
Her hatred centered around Come, and Murrow. "A bunch of noise".
Lindsey has lost his golden ear.....and/or FM's hit songwriter!:sorry: :lol:

hmmm...could that be...the songbird? :xoxo: :)

I agree..turns out I found out my aunt has SYW...she's a VERY casual FM listener, someone gave it to her for Christmas...she hated it...

It definetely wasn't commercial enough. And in a way, had it been too commercial I think that wouldn't have worked either. It was just not enough of their "old style" that people like. They want familiarity. Of course the die hard fans bought it, but if they wanted to sell to those who only love their hits...the experimental style of much of SYW just doesn't work..

I'm not saying anything else on the subject! Wanna be Bob Dylan might string me up by my ....s!:rolleyes: :woohoo:

Well, it is just too funny that you like to say Stevie appeals to the lowest common denominator, and then you praise Christine for having the most Top 40 pop hits with the band.

It's what we call irony, my friend. ;)

Can Christine help it if her art is appealing to a vast audience?

Not such a narrow band...

I did not really miss Chris at all on SYW.

The Grammys are perhaps the most idiotic and meaningless of all the major artistic awards. They don't have any kind of record of awarding the best musicians and records in any given year (actually, their reputation is built more on the joke of, "Can you believe they actually gave group Z an award in 19XX?"), and nobody in the world pays even the slightest bit of attention them (plenty of people go to see a movie because it's advertised as "Oscar-nominated"; have you ever known anyone to pick up an album because it has a "Grammy-winning" sticker on it?).

Why wasn't Say You Will nominated? Because it wasn't major buzz release surrounded by lots of hype (like The Dance), and it wasn't a runaway commercial success (like Rumours). And in the main categories, that's really all that matters to the Grammy folks, 99% of the time. And the other 1% of the time, they inexplicably give an award to Steely Dan.

I shudder to think what that album would have been like if it had been more commercial.

But what's "experimental" about SYW? I have to say, I've never really understood the Tusk comparisons this album seems to get. The only one of Stevie's tracks that's even slightly "out there" is "Illume." And with Lindsey's songs, I guess "Red Rover" and "Say Goodbye" might be slightly less accessible with all the layered guitar effects, but everything else is either a fairly catchy pop song or "I'm So Afraid #3."

*I* really didn't like SYW at all when I first listened to it, so I can only imagine how a casual fan must have felt about it. I ended up bringing the CD to work and made myself listen to it, and of course I ended up fully appreciating and loving it.

I was in the same boat. I played it for some friends and we'd be 10 seconds into a song and they'd say "skip" and I had to force myself to listen to most of Lindsey's songs and finally ended up liking some of them. Stevie's are really good, but I don't like what they did to Smile At You and Running Through The Garden. I guess once you've heard those demos it's hard to like these. As far as Grammy's go, I like what Jyqm had to say, and I agree. FM hasn't ever really been in that whole loop anyway...I wish they were just for recognition's sake, but oh well. And I also agree with Kelly, I didn't really miss Chris on the album except for her nice backing vocals. Although, I guess her songs could have offset the "hard" sound of most of the songs on the album and I blame Lindsey for that. Each song has a rough edge to it that I don't like.

Gotta say, you've got some ridiculous friends. How can you possibly know whether you like a song or not based on the first ten seconds? For that matter, how can you really know if you like an album or not after a single listen? Good music takes time to sink in. I find that most albums that sound perfect on first listen tend to be largely superficial, and that glitter fades quickly after a few more spins, until you can't really remember what it was about the record that had you so excited in the first place. I'm glad that Fleetwood Mac didn't feel the need to create a slick, superficial production like that with SYW. At this point in their career, they really have no excuse to make albums that way.

Except when they won a boatload of Grammys for Rumours, anyway.

But then again, is that really the kind of recognition you want for Fleetwood Mac? NARAS is almost universally renowned for its idiocy, and the Grammys themselves are a laughingstock. Keep in mind, this is an organization that once gave a Best New Artist award to A Taste of Honey (remember them? They did "Boogie Oogie Oogie" and... um... wait, give me a second I"ll think of another one...) over Elvis Costello. Fleetwood Mac certainly does not need their approval.

As opposed to that demo of "Smile At You," huh?

well, my friends aren't ridiculous and I don't think it's appropriate to say that; I was exaggerating the time, but I do agree with the rest of your statement

ok.

I understand that.

I acknowledge that Smile At You demo is unfinished, but that's not what I mean. I probably can't describe it here, but there's something that's not working for me on this one.

Mac did all they could do at this point with SYW. Not only might they be disinclined to actually re-create their Rumours style of arrangement & production, they're also incapable. There wouldn't be a chance in hell of any future Mac album being arranged or produced to simulate the Rumours sonic landscape. That's gone . . . just as surely as the way we all talked before puberty kicked in. Even Mirage didn't sound like Rumours, despite what a lot of people said -- & that was twenty-something years ago.

I think I'll go slit my wrists now...

You make it sound so sad...and I know there's total truth to what you're saying, it's just depressing. :lol:

Ummm - "narrow band" - Stevie has sold way more solo records than any of them and since around the time of Tusk easily is the most recognizeable person in that band on and off stage. So, defining her reception by the public and/or her product as a "narrow band" is incorrect.

I was in such shock when I read that I couldn't respond, so, I'll second what you say.

Neither did the record buying public!

Fleetwood Mac isn't going to sell millions of albums anymore, period. The group who bought SYW would purchase a FM album no matter what.

As far as SYW not winning a Grammy, eh. There are a couple individual songs that may be worthy, but the album as a whole certainly is not, IMO.

Always the beautiful voice of reason, you are.

I don't think I did....:shrug:

P.S. glad you are back. How is your mom?

:xoxo: :xoxo: :xoxo:

I thought you meant La Nicks has a narrow band of people who like her as opposed to the wider range CM has. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Thanks for asking. She is better. The designer antibiotics seem to be working.

I come from the same angle you do, I wouldnt have had a problem if it was nominated, because I think that for a band of their age, they had one of the best albums ever. But that's just my opinion

You know, I missed her, but I also feel they did a helluva job on it. Hope that makes sense

No, I was talking about the group in general and SYW.


That's great! Still in my thoughts and prayers...

I didn't even know your mom was sick. I hope she is doing ok and I'll keep her in my thoughts.

Ditto.:angel:

You're right. Those songs that are deemed "worthy" weren't released as singles so they had no chance in hell.

I'm glad they can't arrange any more in that way, since we're thirty years later.

I miss Christine on SYW mostly for her strategic role. I have the feeling she would have backed Stevie more in the arrangements discussions, and to have songs like Friend woud have helped to balance the musical War of the Roses.
Other than that it's an awesome album, a personal all time favourite for me.

Romy

I missed Christine's presence at the SYW shows, but that's pretty much it. I can't say that I'm in love with every song on SYW, and as I said earlier, had I been a casual fan, I probably wouldn't have given it as much attention as I did. But that CD definitely grew on me, and now I truly enjoy it.

SYW would not have sold that much more if Christine were involved. I am sure you believe that but their days of platinum selling albums of new material, are long over. For all of them. Together or apart.

IDK? 1997 wasn't really all that long ago. :shrug:

Eight years? That's a lifetime in the music industry. Especially when there's no longer the "reunion" buzz.

...or any promotion by the record label, or the loss of a key songwriter/member.

That is true...

IMHO, I like the rough edge; I don't think Stevie's songs on SYW have enough "rough edge" or "hard sound". I think that's part of the reason for the lack of continuity on the album; you know, how some say that SYW sounds like two solo albums put together. I don't necessarilly fully agree with that, but I do think that the album as a whole would have sounded more consistent if some of Stevie's upbeat SYW tunes were arranged more dynamically. For example, more like the single remix of "Say You Will" (the song), which is much more "edgie" and more "there" compared to the arrangement on the album, which is so much more subdued. I wish that remix had been used for the album. And that similar arrangements were used for her other songs. (Except Illume, which is already edgie.)
- Jim

Warner promoted the **** out of SYW.

obviously not good enough.

Did they? I must have been living under a rock. I heard/saw none of it. My friend works in radio and he said the single Peacekeeper landed with no fanfare, he played it a couple of times, and it went away.