Saturday, June 28, 2008

YYZ (or in Canada..YYZed)

Just listened to YYZ again, for about the million-somethinged time...and I still can't figure out how it didn't win the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental in 1982. It lost to "Behind My Camel" by The Police. I really like The Police, and have tremendous respect for them. And not to lessen the great contributions to music Gordon Sumner (aka, Sting) has made, Stewart Copeland (drummer) is one of the greatest percussionists ever, maybe second only to Neil Peart, and Andy Summers is, in my mind, second on the list of "Most Underrated Rock Guitarist"... only behind the great Alex Lifeson. But how "Behind My Camel" won the Grammy over YYZ that year is still one of the greatest travesties in rock music.
The only greater travesty is the fact that the idiots who are now in charge of Rolling Stone Magazine, the rulers of the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame", haven't inducted Rush into what I call " The so called R& R Hall of Fame". But, that's another subject for another time.
While I will admit I am biased...for the time it was produced, YYZ was hands down the greatest rock instrumental of it's time. To this day, 27 yrs afterwards, most rock fans don't remember "Behind My Camel". But they damn sure remember YYZ!!!

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