Grammy Award for Album of the Year - 1978

[Algernon Moncrieff]

Inspired by the favorite song of 1970 thread, as well as Joe Walsh on Steven Colbert.

We in The Lounge have frequently discussed the wisdom (or lack thereof) of various Academy Awards. We don't get into the Grammy's quite as often. After seeing Joe Walsh; thinking about The Eagles; and thinking about who did what on Hotel California, I ended up looking to see what Hotel California lost to in 1978.

It's an interesting discussion. To begin with, the Grammy year is a little bit skewed. So the '78 Grammys are mostly albums released in '77, but Hotel California is actually released in 1976, and is the oldest of the five nominees when the ceremony is finally held.

The nominees for Album of the Year that did not win were:

Hotel California (The Eagles)
JT (James Taylor)
Aja (Steely Dan)
Star Wars Soundtrack (John Williams)

The winner was

Rumours (Fleetwood Mac)

Some amazing work doesn't make that final cut, including (but not limited to):

Exodus (Bob Marley)
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (The Sex Pistols)
Running on Empty (Jackson Browne)
The Commodores
Slowhand (Eric Clapton)
Animals (Pink Floyd)
The Stranger (Billy Joel)
My Aim is True (Elvis Costello)
Heroes (David Bowie)

...and there are many others

So my question: Nearly 40 years on - what is the Best Album of 1978? Does Rumours stand the test of time? Would you have picked a different finalist?

3 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Rumours
	2 (67%)
	Aja
	1 (33%)
	Star Wars Soundtrack
	0 (0%)
	JT
	0 (0%)
	Hotel California
	0 (0%)
	Something Else
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[Docreed2003]

1. So I'm just gonna get this out of the way...

I kid, I kid....love Lebowski and it was too good not to post that gif!

Damn, that was a helluva year for music!! I'm going to try to be objective, but full disclosure at the outset, I voted that "Rumors" was indeed the best album of the year!

Of those nominated, Hotel California has some great moments, but it doesn't quite hit all cylinders...not an album that I listen to cover to cover; JT, kinda the same thing, there's some great James Taylor hits here but it's just ok for me; aja? That's an incredibly underrated album, I mean U...N...D...E...R underrated....I put it on a lot when we have company over, and maybe that's it's weakness...it sounds great, some great songs, but it doesn't connect on a visceral level...if I'm dying in a gutter, I'm not stoping folks to ask them to play "Josie" one last time, if that makes sense; Star Wars soundtrack? One of my favorite movie franchises and the score that plays when Luke looks out onto the two suns setting, that still gives me chills...it's a masterpiece of cinematic music, but I don't know how you could compare that to the other albums in the category.

Onto the others not nominated: "Exodus"...how anyone who is a fan of music could not love this album is beyond me, it is the culmination of Marley's career vision, but I still like "Rumors" better; "NMTB" is an AMAZING album and certainly highlights the punk era that was growing from the underground scene; "Running on empty"...I'm gonna have to hard pass because I'm just not a fan of Jackson Browne...no clue why, I'm just not; "Animals" is a great album, love it, but it was probably too far ahead of its time same goes for "Heroes", although I prefer "Ziggy Stardust" slightly more, and "My Aim is True"; "The Commodores"...damn, why you got to pull at my heartstrings. I have two copies of this album, one was my mom's and one was my dad's...that album was on a regular rotation at my house...it probably should have been nominated in retrospect, but that could be my own bias showing though, and thanks cause now I can't get "Easy" out of my head; "Slowhand", I actually think that in retrospect it "Exodus" and "The Commodores" hold up the best of the ones not nominated..."Lay Down Sally", "Wonderful Tonight", hell this album solidified Eric Clapton as a rock god!!

So why did I choose "Rumors"?

First, I also own two copies of this one...thanks mom and dad!!!! It played so frequently in our house I could spout off the track list without hesitation, but personal preference and emotional connection isn't what you're looking for. Second, and this is my main point...thank you if you have put up with my diatribe thus far, listen to the album, take notice of who's singing vocals when, listen to who's highlighted from track to track...it's a total band collaboration!! Name a bad song on that album!! I mean the whole album is an emotional roller coaster from "Second Hand News" to "Gold Dust Woman". From Christine's pure angelic anthems, to Stevie's harsher, more sultry vocals, to Lindsey's own pop infused sugary songs, the album is iconic, its visceral, it connects on a very human level, and it plays just as fresh today as it did when it was recorded, at least that's my opinion!!

[Nailzberg]

2. I loved the Eagles when I was first getting into classic rock in my teens.

Now I'm forty and I feel more like the Dude.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

5. Response

First: Great post.

Second: Every album that made the final cut for best album that year has stood "the test of time." The Star Wars soundtrack was the basis of the soundtrack for 7 more films (so far) and has some of the most widely known pieces of modern classical music ever written. The other four all have songs that are staples of adult contemporary and classic rock radio 40 years on.

78 is really a judgement of 77. In some ways, it is probably the peak of the era of album rock we now call classic rock. At the same time, it is the year you see punk rock (Ramones, Sex Pistols) as well as artists like Elvis Costello that will upend the whole genre.

[Docreed2003]

7. Spot on....

FYI, "Rumors" has essentially been on repeat all weekend at out house! Lol, thanks a lot!!!

[hlthe2b]

3. That was a year with really strong contenders and i have quite a few of them in my collection...

and I do play them... I have at least selections from quite a few of them in my iphone play list.

But the one I go back to and go back to and go back to over the decades since...
Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.

You can't count me among any of the Eagles Haters (I actually love the Eagles) nor am I clueless to the sometimes under-recognized talent of Steely Dan and heaven knows I love James Taylor. I also agree that there are some real iconic classics among those not receiving a nomination. John Williams--well as spectacular a film score as that might be, film scores pitted against all other genre music for album of the year just doesn't seem logical to me. Way too much "apples v oranges" to me.

But, I think Fleetwood Mac deserved that award.

[WinkyDink]

4. I vote for "My Aim Is True." Every song is great.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

6. That is a great album

Of the not-in-the-top-5, my vote would go to The Stranger. It is still Billy Joel's best work, IMO.

[Docreed2003]

8. Absolutely!! Forgot to comment on that in my replay

"The Stranger" was, in my opinion, Joel's opus...love that album!!!

[miyazaki]

9. Meh. Best album of that year was Rush, Hemispheres.

Their masterpiece, imo.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

10. I went through the Billboard 100 albums for '77

...and there were like 20 (such as the one you mention) for which you could make a case.

[red dog 1]

11. Hotel California

[Algernon Moncrieff]

15. Most of the songs are great

The title track, New Kid in Town, and Life in the Fast Lane are classic rock/AC staples to this day. ..and even one that isn't great (Wasted Time) is a wink at the concept of the filler song. The Last Resort and Victim of Love are underrated in terms of airplay, but still great work.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. "Insights" ...

Last edited Mon Aug 7, 2017, 06:29 PM - Edit history (1)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insights_(album)

[Algernon Moncrieff]

14. Bizarre

I see the album you mea in the disambiguation section, but when on copies the link, it sends one to the generic Wiki for "Insight."

[eppur_se_muova]

16. Fixed.

I failed to note the () on the first try; replaced them with HTML values now.

[cannabis_flower]

17. My favorite would be..

Talking Heads: 77

Psycho Killer

Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est
Fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-far better
Run run run run run run run away oh oh


But my favorite song of theirs was off their 1980 album: