They Dissed Dylan!

Given that I listen to almost no new music these days, my reactions to Grammy nominations are much less involved than they used to be. Still--I have to bemoan the lack of Dylan love on display here. The reviews for Modern Times were seriously rapturous. Add to that the surprising sales - including a week at #1, almost unheard of for a Dylan disc, and the lack of at least a Best Album nomination is disappointing. Did Messrs. Tosy and Cosh have any other reactions?

That "Crazy" is indeed a damn catchy little thing, and not something I would hate to see win record of the year. That wretched "You're Beautiful" song? Not so much.

The new John Mayer and Red Hot Chili Peppers albums got Album of the Year nominations and no Modern Times???

I do not know any of the Song of the Year nominees except for the aforementioned Blount composition, which doesn't belong anywhere near any awards.

U2 get a nomination for their appearance on Mary J. Blige's cover of "One." Neat.

Nice to see Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint get a Pop Vocal Album nomination for their sweet and bouncy The River in Reverse.

Dylan gets a Solo Rock Performance nomination for "Someday Baby." Amen. Listen to the way he toys with those jumps up the scale throughout the song. ("I don't care what you DO.") Master class stuff. And Neil Young gets nominated in the same category for a song off his wonderfully stripped down and homemade Living with War.

Another U2 nomination, this time with Green Day for their cover of "The Saints Are Coming."

Having Dylan nominated for Best Rock Song is like having Shakespeare in a Best Play competition.

But that he doesn't even get a nomination for Rock Album is just plain criminal.

I do appreciate that they put Springsteen's rollicking Seeger Sessions where it belongs, in the folk category.

And Modern Times gets a Best Contemporary Folk/Americana album nomination, alongside Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris' stellar All the Roadrunning. Fun category.

There was a time when I would have been familiar with all of the "Best Musical Show" nominees. This year, I only know the Sweeney Todd revical. Sad. (On my part, that is. Can't blame this one on the Grammys.)

The Brokeback Mountain soundtrack was really nicely put together - albums that mix songs and score material often don't work; this one did.

Very cool to see John Williams also get two "Best Instrumental Composition" nominations, for pieces off of Munich and Memoirs of a Geisha.

I didn't know there was a "Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists" award, but I love that Vince Mendoza got nominated for one for his work with Elvis Costello and the Metropole Orkest.

Until Whenever

John Williams Munich score is great stuff - hope it gets some recognition here.