Grammy season hath arrived ... with comp CDs
Before the Recording Academy gets on with the 2008 Grammy Awards, it will look backward with a 
series of CDs designed to highlight the winners of Grammy past.
In all, seven discs will be released in conjunction with Shout! Factory, beginning with the "classic" pop and R&B albums, which are available now at Borders (available in January everywhere else). The CDs are being issued to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grammy Awards.
Amazingly, there are no Sting or Police songs among the 116 tracks (ah, the Grammys are teased because the Grammys are loved). The seven albums, which hit contemporary and classic pop, R&B, rock and country categories, will surely inspire debate amongst fans.
Of course, track selections were likely subject to who was willing to license music, and limited to songs that actually won. That means an act such as Nirvana, which won for its "MTV Unplugged in New York" album rather than a song, could not be included, and a Lenny Kravitz could be.
And the collections will allow fans to revisit the never-ending genre discussions. For instance, Macy Gray (pictured) occupies a slot on the pop disc with "I Try" rather than nesting over on the R&B album.
But this kind of writing can only mean the Grammys are around the corner, and it's time to start debating, predicting, celebrating and picking apart music's most only credible award show.
Nominations for the upcoming Grammy Awards will be announced the first week in December, but in the meantime, Shout! will issue the contemporary R&B and pop CDs on Nov. 27. The rest will follow on Jan. 8.
Full track-listings below.
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Contemporary R&B (Release date: November 27)
1. Anita Baker “Giving You The Best That I Got” (Single Version)
2. Terence Trent D’Arby “Wishing Well”
3. Soul II Soul Featuring Caron Wheeler “Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)”
4. Luther Vandross “Here And Now”
5. Ray Charles “A Song For You”
6. Sade “No Ordinary Love”
7. Toni Braxton “Breathe Again”
8. Boyz II Men “I’ll Make Love To You”
9. Blackstreet Featuring Dr. Dre “No Diggity”
10. R. Kelly “I Believe I Can Fly”
11. Brandy & Monica “The Boy Is Mine”
12. TLC “No Scrubs”
13. Whitney Houston “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay”
14. D’Angelo “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”
15. Usher “U Remind Me”
16. Beyoncé Featuring Jay-Z “Crazy In Love”
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Contemporary Pop (Release date: November 27)
1. k.d. lang “Constant Craving”
2. Seal “Kiss From A Rose”
3. Annie Lennox “No More I Love You’s”
4. Eric Clapton “Change The World”
5. Shawn Colvin “Sunny Came Home”
6. Sarah McLachlan “Building A Mystery”
7. Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity”
8. The Brian Setzer Orchestra “Jump Jive An’ Wail”
9. Madonna “Ray Of Light”
10. Macy Gray “I Try”
11. Nelly Furtado “I’m Like A Bird”
12. Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why”
13. Justin Timberlake “Cry Me A River”
14. Los Lonely Boys “Heaven”
15. Kelly Clarkson “Since U Been Gone”
16. John Mayer “Gravity”
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic R&B (Release date: January 8)
1. Aretha Franklin “Respect”
2. Sam & Dave “Soul Man”
3. Otis Redding “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”
4. The Isley Brothers “It’s Your Thing”
5. Ike & Tina Turner “Proud Mary”
6. Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine”
7. Billy Paul “Me And Mrs. Jones”
8. The Temptations “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone” (Single Version)
9. Gladys Knight & The Pips “Midnight Train To
10. Natalie Cole “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”
11. The Emotions “Best Of My Love”
12. Donna Summer “Last Dance”
13. Earth, Wind & Fire “After The Love Has Gone”
14. Marvin Gaye “Sexual Healing”
15. Rufus and Chaka Khan “Ain’t Nobody”
16. Commodores “Nightshift” (Album Version)
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Pop (Release date: January 8)
1. Petula Clark “Downtown”
2. The Mamas & The Papas “Monday, Monday”
3. José Feliciano “Light My Fire”
4. Harry Nilsson “Everybody’s Talkin’”
5. The 5th Dimension “Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)"
6. Dionne Warwick “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”
7. Captain & Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together”
8. Janis Ian “At Seventeen”
9. Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love”
10. The Doobie Brothers “What A Fool Believes”
11. Kenny Loggins “This Is It”
12. Toto “Rosanna”
13. Tina Turner “What’s Love Got To Do With It”
14. Phil Collins “Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)”
15. Steve Winwood “Higher Love”
16. Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes “(I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life”
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Contemporary Rock (Release date: January 8)
1. Living Colour “Cult Of Personality”
2. Melissa Etheridge “Ain’t It Heavy”
3. Soul Asylum “Runaway Train”
4.
5. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun”
6. Blues Traveler “Run-Around” (Album version)
7. Tracy Chapman “Give Me One Reason”
8. The Smashing Pumpkins “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
9. The Chemical Brothers “Block Rockin’ Beats”
10. Fiona Apple “Criminal”
11. Lenny Kravitz “Fly Away”
12. Coldplay “In My Place”
13. Dave Matthews “Gravedigger”
14. The White Stripes “Seven Nation Army”
15. Evanescence “Bring Me To Life”
16. Green Day “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Classic Country (Release date: January 8)
1. Roger Miller “King Of The Road”
2. Jeannie C. Riley “Harper Valley P.T.A.”
3. Tammy Wynette “Stand By Your Man”
4. Johnny Cash “A Boy Named Sue”
5. Lynn Anderson “Rose Garden”
6. Ray Price “For The Good Times”
7. Johnny Cash & June Carter “If I Were A Carpenter”
8. Jerry Reed “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot”
9. Donna Fargo “Happiest Girl In The Whole
10. Crystal Gayle “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue”
11. Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”
12. Kenny Rogers “The Gambler”
13. The Charlie Daniels Band “The Devil Went Down To
14. George Jones “He Stopped Loving Her Today”
15. Dolly Parton “9 To 5”
16. Willie Nelson “Always On My Mind”
Ultimate Grammy Collection: Contemporary Country (Release date: January 8)
1. Vince Gill “When I Call Your Name”
2. Mary Chapin Carpenter “Down At The Twist And Shout”
3. The Judds “Love Can Build A Bridge”
4. Brooks & Dunn “Hard Workin’ Man”
5. Dwight Yoakam “Ain’t That Lonely Yet”
6. Asleep At The Wheel and Lyle Lovett “Blues For
7. The Mavericks “Here Comes The Rain”
8. LeAnn Rimes “Blue”
9. Alison Krauss and Union Station “Looking In The Eyes Of Love”
10. Trisha Yearwood “How Do I Live”
11. George Jones “Choices”
12. June Carter Cash “Keep On The Sunny Side”
13. Tim McGraw “Live Like You Were Dying”
14. Gretchen Wilson “Redneck Woman”
15. Emmylou Harris “The Connection”
16. Carrie Underwood “Jesus, Take The Wheel”
(Photo courtesy Geffen Records)
