53rd GRAMMY AWARDS – On February 13, 2011, the 53rd Grammy Awards took place. Yippee. Planet Earth is saved once again. Generations of Metalheads are so honored to have a select few of our bands nominated by this red carpet billionaire’s club. Per usual, the “establishment” behind the Grammy Awards has not a remote clue in knowing the difference between Hard Rock and Metal. Here is Exhibit A in explaining my Metal point:
Ozzy Osbourne is NOT a Hard Rock artist. Um, no. So, why was Ozzy Osbourne nominated for “Best Hard Rock Performance” with Let Me Hear You Scream from his 2010 Scream album? I’ve listened to this song enough times to realize it’s NOT Hard Rock. Yes, Ozzy has been known for his ballads in the past, Goodbye To Romance, So Tired and Mama I’m Coming Home are a few examples. These Ozzy ballads can very well be considered Hard Rock. My argument is, Let Me Hear You Scream is NOT a ballad, it is Heavy Metal or Metal, whichever you prefer. Therefore, WTF am I missing here? Calling this Ozzy song Hard Rock is like calling Slayer’s Reign In Blood album… Modern Rock.
Any astute fan of Ozzy Osbourne and/or Heavy Metal will agree, that 95% of Ozzy Osbourne’s music catalog is… Metal or Heavy Metal, whichever you prefer once again. Plus, 95% is probably too low. It’s very sad, that the “decision makers” behind the Grammy Awards cannot tell the difference between world known and historic Rock genres such as Hard Rock and Metal. It’s like not knowing the difference between a beer and an ale. There is a difference! Ozzy Osbourne is extremely deserved of a Grammy Award for Let Me Hear You Scream, make no mistake about it. Ozzy was also deserved of many, many, many, other missed nominations for a Grammy award in the past as well. Metal be thy name.
When it came down to “Best Metal Performance”, that so-called sacred institution called the Grammys got it right with all of their nominations being Metal. Big deal. Their supposed to get it right for Metal sakes. However, the Grammys are decades late in honoring the ultra-legendary Iron Maiden. El Dorado from their 2010 studio album, The Final Frontier, was nominated for this “coveted” award and won. In my Metal opinion, the first five Iron Maiden albums are superior to that of The Final Frontier. Self-titled (1980), Killers (1981), The Number Of The Beast (1982), Piece Of Mind (1983) and Powerslave (1984) are audio textbooks for Metal 101. I will even add the 1988 album, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, to this list of Iron Maiden excellence. These are the influential and legendary Iron Maiden albums, the albums that bulldozed the path for countless Metal bands to travel, spanning into a fourth decade now.
I realize that a “Best Metal Performance” never existed during the years when Iron Maiden’s first five albums were released. This Grammy category did exist back in 2007 and Iron Maiden’s 2006 studio album A Matter Of Life And Death was ignored, which is a superior album to that of The Final Frontier as well. Am I happy for Iron Maiden winning the “Best Metal Performance” Grammy? Of course I am. The mainstream Grammys acknowledging Iron Maiden for their Metal contribution(s) has been long overdue. Do you think Iron Maiden cares if I’m happy for them? I doubt it. I will close with this, Iron Maiden should know where their true glory reigns within their album of catalogs and The Final Frontier is not in the same class with their previous albums I mentioned. Some may disagree with me, only I do know that I’m not alone in my Metal thinking.
LONG LIVE OZZY OSBOURNE.
LONG LIVE IRON MAIDEN.
Stone.
Metal, Heavy Metal is so gooooooood. That is why I like to know facts about my favorite Metal heros and bands – Metal trivia/Heavy Metal history. Here are some facts that you may find interesting, informative or just plain boring. In any regard, you found them here!
Every once in awhile, well, I tend to be slightly comedic. What better way to get away from the white useless noise of MSNBC than to have some comic relief that incorporates Heavy Metal? Here are some Heavy Metal happenings that will never, ever, happen in a million Metal years:
I have decided to add a special feature to my Metal Odyssey blog, Women of Hard Rock & Metal. As far as I see it, there are many great female vocalists, guitarists and musicians out there in the world of Hard Rock & Metal and I do not overlook them one bit. So, what better platform than right here, to celebrate some of these fabulous female Rockers? The first in this series is none other than – Pat Benatar. Yes, Pat has had her share of ballads and Pop Rock charting singles, yet so has Poison, Warrant, Motley Crue and Van Halen. My point I am trying to make here is, there is Hard Rock aplenty with the catalog of music from Pat Benatar! 
Here are five quick and easy to read Metal facts! Who knows when this vital Metal information will come in handy? Might you wind up in the Cash Cab? An inter-office Metal trivia contest? Surprise your spouse or companion with some really cool – hey, did you know that…
There are those tidbits of thoughts that I have that just need to be read by the entire world. No, these thoughts are not dirty, so if that is what you are looking for keep searching. Instead, these thoughts are rather more like opinions, than anything else. See if you agree or disagree, either way, these are from a Metal mind. 
The late Jeff Healey, now he was a genuine, real guitar hero. I just cannot resist how much of a role model he can still be, for any youngster wanting to take up playing guitar or any musical instrument for that matter. Jeff Healey was Canadian born, (March 25, 1966) and passed away on March 2, 2008. Jeff Healey lost his eye sight at infancy, despite this handicap, he became an accomplished and world renowned Jazz and Blues/Rock guitarist & vocalist. Jeff Healey & The Jeff Healey Band rose to fame with his 1988 album “See The Light”, which includes the hit single “Angel Eyes”. A Grammy nomination was from this same album for the instrumental “Hideaway”. 
In all of my years of listening to Heavy Metal and all other METAL genres, from going to Arena size METAL concerts, to small club METAL gigs, I do not think I ever referred to any METAL music that I am aware of, as, well, a “METAL performance”. What in the world is a “METAL performance”? I know that a ballet, a comedian on stage, a high school play or a middle school band can give a performance. METAL and the word performance do not add up correctly. If I ever used the phrase, at any time in my METAL life, to anyone I know, “Hey, that was one terrific METAL performance by MOTORHEAD last night”, well, I probably would never be hearing the end of it. 
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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