# Grammys decide to nominate an EP as an Album? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammys-decide-to-nominate-an-ep-as-an-album/217955 "2003-12-09T17:14:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammys-decide-to-nominate-an-ep-as-an-album/217955/1 "2003-12-09T17:14:44Z")
Not that I care too much about award shows but I found this a bit odd. From here: > **[GRAMMY.com](https://www.grammy.com)** > > As the world's leading society of music professionals, the Recording Academy is dedicated to celebrating, honoring, and sustaining music's past, present, and future. * * * Best Alternative Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental.) Fight Test The Flaming Lips [Warner Bros. Records] Hail To The Thief Radiohead [Capitol Records] Untitled Sigur Rós [Fat Cat/MCA Records] Elephant The White Stripes [V2/ThirdMan Records] Fever To Tell Yeah Yeah Yeahs [Interscope Records] * * * Now I own the first 3 CDs listed and can not understand how **Fight Test - The Flaming Lips** is considered an “Album”. Was the Alternative Album category that scarce that they needed to fill the ballot? I am not saying anything bad about the EP (hey I like it) but the CD consists of two (2) songs off their Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots album (one which is remixed), three (3) cover song (Kylie Monogue, Radiohead and Beck) and **only two (2) new/original songs**. The CD is marketed and sold as an EP. Has this been done before? For some reason it seems like a waste of a nomination. There had to be at least one other album out there that could have been nominated instead. It seems that the Flaming Lips Official Website is a bit confused as well. Is the “Hail to the Lips” remark an endorsement to Radiohead? Or perhaps a playful jab a the irony that Radiohead might lose out to their own song (Knives Out -Amnesiac)? Hmmm? Here is the link: > **[The Flaming Lips](https://www.flaminglips.com/)** > > The Official Website for The Flaming Lips. Music, Videos, Tour, Merch and more. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammys-decide-to-nominate-an-ep-as-an-album/217955/2 "2003-12-09T17:52:28Z")
I don’t see any reason cover songs should count against an album. Historically, most albums are entirely covers of one sort or another. Re-releases from other albums are a bit much though. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammys-decide-to-nominate-an-ep-as-an-album/217955/3 "2003-12-09T18:21:59Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by SmackFu \*\*\* > I don’t see any reason cover songs should count against an album._\* But it is an EP not an album. 5 out of the 7 songs were previously released (3 covers and 2 from last album). > [@](#): > > **Historically, most albums are entirely covers of one sort or another.** So you are saying there are very few original songs anymore? You might be getting a bit too deep. To me a “cover” is a song originally recorded and released by a band/singer and then re-recorded and released (or just performed) by another band/singer. > [@](#): > > **Re-releases from other albums are a bit much though.** The songs they covered were all recorded within the last two years. Not much of a difference than re-releasing their own songs. IIRC, the covers were recorded during live radio sessions.