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Mercury music prize

fred binneys head

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I see Elbow have won the 2008 prize and it got me thinking back to when Anthony & the Johnsons won it a few years ago. I watched the awards show that year and was blown away by Anthony's performance so much so that I logged on and bought "I am a bird now" immediately and have never regretted it - fantastic album.

What do our more musically-intellectual Exewebbers think of the prize and the 2008 nominees and winners? Would be interested to hear your thoughts.
 

Red the Paper

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I see Elbow have won the 2008 prize and it got me thinking back to when Anthony & the Johnsons won it a few years ago. I watched the awards show that year and was blown away by Anthony's performance so much so that I logged on and bought "I am a bird now" immediately and have never regretted it - fantastic album.

What do our more musically-intellectual Exewebbers think of the prize and the 2008 nominees and winners? Would be interested to hear your thoughts.
I did exactly what you did last year FBH.
 

Ian Sideman

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Same here. Ordered my Elbow album from Play.com immediately.
 

Jason H

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To be honest I've tended to be left slightly cold by it - mostly as I'm pretty disillusioned with British music in general. I own one of the shortlisted albums this year (Radiohead), and 16 of the albums shortlisted since the prize started - quite a few of which were from around 04/05 and that I rarely if ever listen to these days (Magic Numbers, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand etc.).

I've never really understood the attraction of Elbow - really doesn't inspire me at all I'm afraid. Everything I've heard from them has me asleep in no time. Each to their own, I guess!
 
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GrecianLez

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very interesting thread this will be. I was surprised not to see the ting tings not get at least a nomination this year as their album ws fantastic and a worthy buy this year.

Going back over the years in 2001 Gorillaz would have won it in my opinion but they asked for the nomination to be dropped if my memory serves me well,

I do like the prize but seldom like the winners, i know pulp had 3 nominations in sucessive years of releasing albums but only won it once.

I remember outcry when portishead won it for dummy when oasis definatley maybe was the bookies favourtie, it caused a outcry which i dont think gave the prize much credit and when gorrilaz pulled out it almost became tinpot.

They also had the spice girls on the nominations one year, if they had won it i think the prize would of been no more.

2003 was a good year with some great talent picked for nominations so was 1994 with paul wellar and wild wood, a worthy winner
 
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Nix

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The Elbow album is fantastic. I got it the day it came out and saw them live in Bristol the next night. Some of the songs send shivers up my spine and I still listen to it loads. I'm seeing them again next month and I can't wait!

I also recommend the radio show on BBC 6music, Sundays 10pm-midnight, that Guy Garvey, the singer, does. All sorts of of fine tunes to be discovered there.
 

Swanaldo

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I've always found Elbow to be hit-and-miss at best. I think one of the main reasons they have won the prize is that they are champions of the album format as a cohesive piece (unusual in these days of one-off song downloads). I think they have been performing the album live in its entirety recently.
 

Grecian_In_Exile

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The Music industry; it's about the only industry (well I can't think of another) where the cream does not rise to the top. The better musicians out there are held back by the suits; who are incidently the only ones to make any real money out of it. Most radio stations have a very short play list comprising what the suits tell them to play; and tell us it's what the public want to hear; bollox; if that's the case why are commercial radio stations losing listeners in there droves to internet radio?
 

jambo

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one of the main reasons they have won the prize is that they are champions of the album format as a cohesive piece
Sounding suspiciously like a concept album to me, Swanny :-O

Burial's album is a work genuine excellence - although Gozzer would dispute that.

Rachel Unthank's album is fine, but hardly stretches new boundaries in folkery (unlike the wonderful sounds emerging from King Creosote in Anstruther).

I quite like Plant & Krauss - but only in very small, & precious, doses.

As for Porticos - in yet another year when British Jazz is demonstrably living through a golden era, this is one of the least satisfying albums out there. Neil Cowley alone out of many, many, others has made a far superior album.

What's to infer? That it's all about industry palm greasing, of course. Once upon a time, there were these things called 'charts' - clumsy, sure, as most democratic processes tend to be - but at least they represented what people 'on the streets' were actually buying (whether pop kids with their singles, or musos with their lps), as opposed to self-important industry hacks telling us what to like.

As for Elbow? The triumph of dull worthiness over genuine excitement or talent...go figure
 

Antony Moxey

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I've always found award ceremonies for music a rather bizarre concept meself. I mean, what's the point when you have your fans and you have your sales figures. Were I to have found meself fronting some popular beat combo many a moon ago, I'm sure I'd have laughingly snubbed any poncy gathering that wanted to give me a trophy voted on by faceless execs.
 
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