Then There Was A Ever-Present Football Player Rapist Edition

Staff Notes- This week's edition, a nod to the Superbowl, comes with a dash of Pepper. On an unrelated matter, I recently used part of a work-from-home snow day to listen to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" LP on vinyl. I must say that it scared the hell out of me, and that was just "The Girl Is Mine" featuring Paul McCartney.

1. Flashdance...What a Feeling- Irene Cara

• "Now I hear the music, close my eyes, I am rhythm, in a flash it takes hold of my heart, what a feeling, bein's believing, I can have it all, now I'm dancing for my life, take your passion and make it happen, pictures come alive you can dance right through your life." Does anyone want to drop a bucket of water on me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? This song is brilliant. Sheer genius. There are no shortage of 80's pop songs with synthesizers but did any of them use the instrument this well to create a mood? The song structure is also brilliant; the verse, middle eight/bridge, and chorus all build on one another gorgeously. Irene Cara (who co-wrote the song) delivers a great vocal performance. Of course "Flashdance...What a Feeling" was written for the film "Flashdance"; the tale of a young steel worker who tries to dance away the pain associated with living in Pittsburgh. For hip-hop heads, the film "Flashdance" is noteworthy for bringing breakdancing to the masses. The film featured the legendary Rocksteady Crew, including Crazy Legs and the late Frosty Freeze. Breakingdancing (or b-boying) was an underground NYC phenomenon until "Flashdance". Overnight the dance style hit the west coast and every suburb in between (remember seeing cardboard on the streets?) with a fury. "Flashdance...What a Feeling" won an Oscar, a Grammy, and it makes me wish my life was more like 1983.

2. Return of the Mack- Mark Morrison

• "Return of the mack (it is), return of the mack (come on), return of the mack (oh my God), return of the mack (here I am), return of the mack (once again), return of the mack (pump up the world), return of the mack (watch my flow), return of the mack (here I go)." I'm not saying this song should come on every time I walk into a club, but I wouldn't complain if it did....every superhero needs his theme song. The main sample here is taken from "Genius of Love" by the Talking Heads side project band Tom Tom Club. "Return of the Mack" is far from the first song to sample "Genius of Love". Hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash jacked the beat in the early 80's in the song "It's Nasty" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy" did the same in 1995, a year before Mark Morrison took his turn. For some reason iTunes doesn't have Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack". However for years they have offered a cover version by Mo Reese Marks which has to be heard to appreciate how bad it is. Until a year or so ago the only version of "Electric Avenue" available in the iTunes library was a cover by To Kool Chris. Once Mark Morrison's "Return of the Mack" is added to iTunes I imagine Mo Reese Marks and To Kool Chris will form a murder-suicide pact.

3. Who Did You Think I Was (live)- John Mayer Trio

• "I got half a smile and zero shame, I got a reflection with a different name, got a brand new blues that I can explain, who did you think I was. You got my number but I always new the score, who did you think I was." The debut of the John Mayer Trio in 2005 was a serious left turn for casual John Mayer fans only familiar with his pop material. The blues-rock trio features Mayer on guitar and vocals with heavyweight session musicians Pino Palladino on bass and Steve Jordan on drums. Palladino also holds the distinction of being The Who's bass player since the death of the band's original bassist John Entwistle. "Who Did You Think I Was" is a perfect introduction to the JM3 lyrically and sonically. In 2005 Rolling Stone magazine labeled the "Who Did You Think I Was" single as a "vanity project". If that's the case I would like more artists to embark on vanity projects. My favorite lyric in this number is "I am a shifter of the shape I'm in" simply because it reminds me of the shape shifters you'd see on the X-files back in the day or on Fringe nowadays. On the "Where The Light Is Live in Los Angeles" album the trio performs 8 songs including "Who Did You Think I Was". Here it features a fake ending followed by the band jamming on the Jimi Hendrix Band of Gypsy's tune "Power To Love". That song taught us that with the power of soul anything is possible....sounds like the trio to me.