The Grammys are known for their prestigious status of awarding the best, defining album of the year, but how true can that be? While The Grammys have selected some great albums for the award, such as The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill and Song In The Key Of Life,what about the winners we forget about? When was the last time we thought about Morning Phase by Beck or Eric Clapton’s MTV Live Performance? Despite the Grammys high status in the music industry, they have a long history of getting it wrong. Every year people watch the Grammys only to get disappointed by their outdated metric of greatness. So, after the last  underwhelming winner, let’s look at the long history iconic albums that didn’t win 

12) Ok Computer by Radiohead

Ok Computer being on here is a nightmare for any indie nerd. Ok Computer is one of the most influential indie rock albums that defined the 90s rock scene. This album is a concept album about a variety of themes from consumerism and emotional isolation to anti-war sentiment. The greatest part of this album is the lyrics, with its vivid imagery of songs like Airbag to the minimalist yet  powerful lyrics of No Surprises. It creates this amazing album that is still discussed to this day. So, if this classic album didn’t win, who did? The award went to singer Bob Dylan for his album Time Out of Mind. While Bob Dylan is a great artist, keep in mind that Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde, Blood on the Tracks and The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan also did not win. This loss seem like the Grammys tried to go with the safe choice of Bob Dylan but in doing so missed out on an iconic album. 

11) Lemonade by Beyonce is an emotional album by Beyonce. This album is about her relationship with her husband Jay-Z. This album is a complex,  passionate album with amazing hits, yet did not win. The snub is obvious when the winner Adele apologized to Beyonce for not winning. Beyonce has always been a favorite for the Grammys everytime she performs, but when it’s time to announce the winner, they ignore her. The same happened for her self-titled album when it also didn’t win, and in 2015, she released another album that should have won that will be covered later in the article. Beyonce is one of the most iconic singers and stars of the 2010s so it’s puzzling when she gets snubbed. 

10) Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd 

Pink Floyd is a band that is critically acclaimed from across the world. So it’s confusing how this legendary band was ignored by the academy, now to be completely fair the winners of both the 1976 and 1977 were both amazing albums. Rumours and Songs in the Key of Life are both amazing albums that stand the test of time. However, Wish You Were Here was not even nominated. Not only that but they didn’t get nominated for any of the categories including rock. How can one of the biggest rock bands be forgotten by the Grammys? So while those albums did deserve, the fact that this album didn’t even get nominated says alot about the Grammys.

9) Paranoid by Black Sabbath 

Paranoid is an album that defined the metal scene in the 70s. They would later inspire bands like Blue Oyster Club, Van Halen, Gun and Roses, and Kiss. So it was a surprise when this album was ignored by the Grammys. This anti-war album was iconic with legendary songs like Paranoid and Iron Man. This album is still looked at as a icon of the decade.

8) All Eyes On Me by 2pac 

2pac is a rapper that everyone knows. 2Pac is an iconic west coast rapper that popularized an entire new style of rap taking influence from r&b and rap and mixing them together. 2Pac is one of the most iconic rappers to exist but this isn’t surprising that he wasn’t nominated knowing the Grammys past. Rap has alway had a hard time even getting nominated, the first rap album that was nominated was MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em. The only two rap albums that won were The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below which are both amazing albums but rap has had such a huge impact on the music industry throughout the decades. For how impact rap has had on the industry, it’s insane how only two rap albums have won album of the year.

7) The Velvet Underground’s self titled album

While paranoid inspired many new metal artists, The Velvet Underground basically created the genre. The Velvet Underground is one of the most influential albums to come out in the 1960s being one of the front bands in psychedelic rock with the others being Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. This album not being nominated is a crime against music of the 60s.

6) The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie 

David Bowie is one of the biggest names in music. David Bowie was the king of glam rock and was a rock legend. So with his rock legend status David Bowie not winning for his most critically acclaimed albums, not only was the Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust not nominated but neither was Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane, Station to Station, Low, and Heroes. It wasn’t until Let’s Dance was David Bowie recognised by the Grammys academy. It’s sad to see a legend not get the recognition they deserve from the Grammy.

5) Abbey Road by The Beatles 

Now even if you hate The Beatles you have to admit that they are one of the most influential bands of all time. They changed the entire game of music, without them we wouldn’t have the same music industry we have today. They have so many iconic albums and Abbey Road is one of their most recognisable. From Here Comes The Sun and Come Together this album has some incredible songs. However, Abbey Road never won any Grammy awards, so how could this happen? Well, the reason the Grammy was created was to keep the music industry pure, and that meant anti rock. The reason the Grammys was created was a direct response to Elvis Prestly and The Beatles popularity. Now that might seem crazy now seeing how legendary they are, but you have to remember that Elvis and The Beatles were the One Direction and Taylor Swift of that time. Old people hated them because teens liked them and they thought music was ‘higher” than that. So, because of the Grammy’s gatekeeping of prestigious music, ironically the most prestigious albums were snubbed. 

4) Nevermind by Nirvana

Nevermind is an incredibly influential album. Smells Like Teens Spirit was a huge hit and led a movement of 90s rock. In the 1980s, hair metal and glam rock were dominating the rock charts, but because all rock artists were doing hair metal that it became stale. So, by the 1990s the people were tired of it and that’s where Nirvana came in. While glam rock and hair metal was loud and theatrical, grunge was the opposite. It was up and personal, it had dry vocals and didn’t follow the set rules of music theory. It revolutionized the new wave of rock and was a perfect 90s rock album. So, if Nirvana didn’t win then who did? Well that award goes to Eric Clapton Mtv Unplugged. that’s right, a Mtv Live Performance won over the biggest rock album ever. Now to be fair I have not listened to this live performance but how can a live performance win over Nirvana? This just shows how outdated the Grammys have always been. 

3) To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar  

To Pimp A Butterfly is one of the best rap albums ever. It’s a truly powerful album with an amazing fuse of rap and jazz. Kendrick is one of the best lyricists and a powerful modern day poet. Now, to defend the Grammys, the winner was 1989 by Taylor Swift. I really like 1989. It’s a great modern synthpop album with some amazing hooks and songs. I would completely understand why someone would be happy with this win. But it also shows the Grammy’s racism within the nomination. The last time a black person won album of the year was in 2008 until Jon Batiste won the award. That means 14 years of black music snubbed. Hundreds of amazing black artists ignored by the Grammys, To Pimp A Butterfly is a clear showcase of the Grammys favoritism towards white creators. 

2) Purple Rain by Prince 

Prince is an absolute legend and an amazing singer and songwriter. Prince makes so many incredible albums with his amazing persona, he was out there and revolutionary. But of course, the Grammys ignored this album. The lead single Purple Rain was an international hit. Even presidents loved it, with Barack Obama’s favorite song being Purple Rain. With an album so adored and beloved it’s a shame it was ignored by the Grammys.

1) Bad by Michael Jackson 

Micheal Jackson’s Bad is an international hit. I believe people underestimate how big Micheal was back then. He was the only other artist to recreate the “Beatles Fever” sweeping the country. Jackson was more recognizable than most presidents, his fame was a virus infecting everyone on earth. So how can someone so iconic lose, they even had him perform there and he still lost. The Grammys have always been outdated but this Michael was such a clear icon and more than “just a trend”.