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.

1. The Field- Mason Jennings

• "Sometimes late at night I go to the field, is that where you are? are you a shooting star? Can you say my name? Darling, can you hear me? tell me where's your heart now that it's stopped beating? It's right here." Things get pretty heavy on 2009's "Blood of Man" and "The Field" is no exception. What's it all about? I'll give it to you from the horses mouth- "This is a song that was inspired by a friend of mine, he had a brother who died in the war over in Iraq, I'd been thinking a lot about the war for the last 5 years and just couldn't figure out how to really put all of the crazy different feelings I had about it into a song...when his brother died he sent a few of his brother's poems to me that he had been writing out in the desert." Not everyone is a fan of music that makes a political statement but "The Field" does a nice job of humanizing the war. In the song's emotional climax Jennings sings "I don't want no victory, I just want you back." "The Field" isn't one of my favorites from "Blood of Man" but I like the inspiration.

2. Queen Jane Approximately- Bob Dylan

• "Now when all of the clowns that you have commissioned, have died in battle or in vain, and you're sick of all this repetition, won't you come see me Queen Jane, won't you come see me Queen Jane." Every now and again you have to ask yourself- "what would Bob do?". Well in 1965 he fully embraced rock and roll and released the masterpiece "Highway 61 Revisited". It contains classics like "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues", "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Queen Jane Approximately". The album's title track offers perhaps the best (and most amusing) rock and roll interpretation of a story from the Old Testament with it's take on God's test of Abraham's faith....but that's another chapter for another book. The album's only nod to folk music is the epic "Desolation Row", a song that features unparalleled poetic imagery. "Queen Jane Approximately" with it's barrel house piano and organ has the same feel as "Like a Rolling Stone" but it's less frenetic. Here things are a bit more smooth and laid back. It's well known that you shouldn't let anyone know if you don't own "Blonde On Blonde" and the same could be said for "Highway 61 Revisited".

3. Cousin Kevin- The Who

• "I'm the school bully, the classroom cheat, the nastiest play friend, you ever could meet. You won't be much fun being blind deaf and dumb, but I've no one to play with today." The Who's "Tommy" was a Hail Mary pass that saved the band from growing debt and cult status. It's the brainchild of songwriter/guitarist Pete Townshend from start to finish, with the exception of 3 songs. "Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker)" was an old blues song penned by Sonny Boy Williamson. It fits the "Tommy" narrative so well it's inclusion is nothing short of brilliant. (The song is also referenced splendidly by Stevie Ray Vaughan in the opening lyrics of the hit song "Pride and Joy"). The other non-Townshend songs-"Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About"were written by The Who's bassist John Entwistle. Townshend commissioned Entwistle to write the album's darkest material. "Cousin Kevin" tells the tale of sadistic abuse (Tommy is burnt with cigarettes, pushed down stairs, and made to eat glass). "Fiddle About" deals with the cheery subject of sexual molestation. A lost gem that was meant to tie these songs together (but did not make it onto "Tommy") is "Cousin Kevin Model Child" which boasts drummer Keith Moon on lead vocals. The 1998 CD release of "Odds and Sods" and the 2003 Deluxe Edition of "Tommy" both feature this lost treasure.

1. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds- The Beatles

• "Picture yourself in a boat on a river, with tangerine trees and marmalade skies, somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes." Diamonds are forever. Throw ya diamonds in the sky. Oh wait, wrong song. This song is either inspired by a drawing John Lennon's son Julian made of a classmate or about LSD. Given that The Beatles were into "smoking drugs" it is hard to say. What we can say is that "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" is perhaps the height of psychedelia. While The Beatles music is timeless this song (and it's ludicrous imagery) are very much tied to the late 60s. In 1974 Elton John covered the song with a little help from his friend John Lennon who recorded the song under the name "Dr. Winston O'Boogie". As far as pseudonyms go it doesn't get much better.

2. Beginnings- Jimi Hendrix

• (instrumental) Prior to his death in 1970 Jimi Hendrix had been working on new material for his next album while his Electric Lady recording studio was being built. (The Electric Lady studio has hosted a "who's who" of musicians over the years including favorites of mine like The Dave Matthews Band, Kanye West and Ryan Adams) "First Rays of the New Rising Sun" collects 17 of these recordings an attempts to construct what would have been Hendrix's 4th studio album. The sound that dominates "First Rays of the New Rising Sun" is a bit funkier than the music on Jimi's first 3 studio albums. The standout song in the collection is "Angel", a song so gorgeous that Rod Stewart felt compelled to cover it and include it on his box set. "Beginnings" is made up of a handful of riffs the Hendrix crew would jam on from time to time. There is nothing life changing about "Beginnings" but I'm not going to complain about getting to hear Hendrix jam out for 4 minutes. I must not be alone as last year the "Valleys of Neptune" collection of unreleased Hendrix recordings (many of them in raw form) hit #4 on the album charts.

3. Sitting, Waiting, Wishing- Jack Johnson

• "Aww maybe you've been through this before, but it's my first time so please ignore, the next few lines cause they're directed at you, I can't always be waiting waiting on you, I can't always be playing playing your fool." I'll tell anyone who will listen that "In Between Dreams" is Jack Johnson's best work. "Better Together", "Breakdown", "Good People", "Banana Pancakes". They're all here- what else do you want? "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" starts with Jack strumming the song's basic chord progression on acoustic guitar. What's amazing is that 8 seconds into the song (before the vocal kicks in) it's already obvious that this is Jack Johnson. I can't think of too many guitarists who's strumming style is this recognizable. "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" is a diss record, at least the acoustic singer/songwriter version of one. Jack is none to pleased with a special lady friend but the results are quite pleasing to this listener's ears.

1. Box Full Of Letters- Wilco

• "Wish I had a lotta answers, 'cause that's the way it should be, for all these questions, being directed at me, I just can't find the time, to write my mind the way I want it to read." I didn't start listening to Wilco until 2005 or so and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was my introduction to the band. "Box Full of Letters" comes from their 1995 debut "A.M." and like anything on that album it doesn't have the sound I associate with the band. I'm sure long time followers of the band see "A.M." as a landmark and probably think this is how Wilco is supposed to sound. To me "A.M." doesn't sound that unlike Uncle Tupelo- the band lead singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy was a member of prior to forming Wilco. The alt-country sound is great but I feel like the band didn't hit their stride until their sophomore release "Being There".

2. Pittsburgh- Mason Jennings

• "Grocery stores in the middle of the night shine their own kinda light, high school halls and shopping malls never fit me right, but my heart would swing free like a lasso from my hand, when I'd hear that sound and put the pedal down." Mason Jenning's last studio album, 2009's "Blood of Man" through me for a loop. Gone were the mostly upbeat acoustic songs I had come to expect and in their place I found loud electric guitars and dark lyrics. It turns out the material is brilliant and "Pittsburgh" is a primary example. The lyrics reference abandonment, drug overdose, a cemetery, and a suicide wing for good measure. I don't know if this is autobiographical in any way but "Pittsburgh" is sung with enough conviction that I'm inclined to think this is based on some personal experience. Despite the dark tone, when the song gets to the chorus (quoted above) there is something so uplifting about it....as if the protagonist is going to overcome all the negativity around him. There are a few live version of "Pittsburgh" available that give the song even more energy than on the studio recording. My favorite is the version from the "Live at Fingerprints" limited edition CD.

3. No Stopping Us- Jason Mraz

• "Would it take a baker's dozen to get my point to you, would it take a half a pound to roll a joint for you, would it take some hailing Marys so full of grace to get my sound to you, will you help me break it down and get on through." My favorite album from 2002 would have to be Jason Mraz's "Waiting For My Rocket To Come". It's jam packed with goodies. "No Stopping Us" finds Jason in funk mode. It also leads us to believe that he had a few Earth Wind & Fire records in his collection as a child. In the early stages of his career as an independent artist Jason Mraz was a classic coffee shop singer songwriter- his acoustic guitar and vocals were typically augmented by nothing more than bongos courtesy of long time partner Toca Rivera. As he found more success, more and more instruments found their way into the equation, especially in concert. It all comes together nicely but I prefer his stripped down acoustic sound. The most captivating performance from his last live album "Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess- Live on Earth" is a solo acoustic version of another song from "Waiting For My Rocket to Come"-"The Boy's Gone".

The first three sides of Sandinista Edition

1. My Generation- The Who

• "People try to put us d-down (talkin' 'bout my generation), just because we get around (talkin' 'bout my generation), things they do look awful c-c-cold, (talkin' 'bout my generation), I hope I die before I get old." In the history of rock lyrics, "I hope I die before I get old" has to sit towards the very top. Pete Townshend would latter regret writing the lyric but it captures the spirit of rock n roll as well as anything anyone ever wrote. In addition to the lyrics, the stuttering vocal also adds to the song's lore. The stutter may have been meant to mimic someone high on pills (this was widely assumed at the time) or as Townshend once suggested it represented someone who "wanted to express himself but c-c-c-cant". If all that isn't enough the music is phenomenal. We get a bass solo, a couple of key changes, an insane Keith Moon drum solo, guitar feedback and a harder sound than anything happening at the time. In 1965 when "My Generation" was released, the Stones were singing "Time Is On My Side" and the Beatles were crooning "In My Life". Tracing hard rock back to this song might not be an overstatement.

2. Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Bright New Day- Jim Croce

• "Well there's something that I've gotta tell you, yes I've got something on my mind, but words come hard when you're lying in my arms and when I'm looking deep into your eyes." Back in the day my parents used to see Jim Croce play a local bars (The Riddle Paddock in Lima, PA probably among them) and I believe he once played the year end party for their bowling league. Yea, my parents are cool. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Bright New Day" comes from Jim's first solo album "You Don't Mess Around With Jim". Released in 1972 it includes a number of classic songs including the title track, "Time in a Bottle" and "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels"). While "Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Bright New Day" is pure folk singer songwriter for some reason it's always reminded me of Jimi Hendrix. The funky rhythm and lyrical imagery make it easy for me to hear Jimi performing it. Tragically like Hendrix, Jim Croce died very early in life. Jim was only 30 years old when his life was cut short.

3. Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground- Coldplay

• "Now my feet won't touch the ground, now my head won't stop, you wait a lifetime to be found, now my feet won't touch the ground." In 2008 "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" was so popular (at the time it was the most downloaded album of all time) that Coldplay had no choice but to follow it up with an EP of leftover material. That would be "Prospekt's March". How good is it? There is a gem or two but nothing earth shattering. The highlight for me is "Life in Technicolor II" which adds lyrics to the instrumental track "Life in Technicolor" that opens "Viva La Vida". We also get a version of "Lost" with the omnipresent Jay-Z but I could live without that. "Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground" isn't bad. In fact it's quite good. The combination of acoustic guitar and Indian/Eastern percussion reminds me of "Black Mountain Side" from Led Zeppelin's debut. The problem with "Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground" is that it reminds one so much of the brilliant "Til Kingdom Come" that concludes the album "X&Y". It sounds just like it but doesn't come close.

1. Top Gear- The Who

• "Top Gear! Top Gear! Top Gear! Top Gear! Ahh, ahh Top Gear!" The Who offer up a series of advertisements on their 1967 concept LP "The Who Sell Out". Rotosound Strings, Premier Drums, Great Shakes, and Coke are among the featured products. "Top Gear" is a great example of the surf guitar/drums sound The Who dabbled in on occasion during their early years. Drummer Keith Moon was a huge fan of the surf genre, so songwriter Pete Townshend would placate him from time to time with this type of song. The most notable songs from "The Who Sell Out" would have to be "I Can See For Miles" and "Tattoo", due to it's inclusion on the "Live at Leeds" album. Speaking of "Live at Leeds", there is now a "super deluxe edition" version which features the bands performance at Hull the following night. The Who originally intended on releasing the Hull performance (which they preferred) but went with the Leeds show due to technical issues with the Hull tapes. 40 years later the Hull show is finally available. While it doesn't vary drastically from the Leeds show, it's a treasure and worth the wait. I have to figure there is a version of me in a parallel universe that has been listening to "Live at Hull" for years and is now just listening to the Leeds show for the 1st time.

2. Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)- The Jacksons

• "I don't know what's going to happen to you baby, but I do know that I love ya, you walk around this town with your head all up in the sky, and I do know that I want you, let's dance let's shout (shout), shake your body down to the ground." If you're the Jackson 5, what do you do when you leave the Motown label but Jermaine stays behind and Motown keeps the rights to your name? Well, you add youngest brother Randy and become The Jacksons. "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" comes from 1978's "Destiny" album. The infectious disco/R&B sound created here is found again a year later on Michael's breakthrough solo LP "Off The Wall" on songs like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You". Like Juvenline's "Back That Azz Up" this song is very instructional. When it comes on if you aren't already shaking your groove thang you should get down on it. Available on "The Essential Michael Jackson" album, this song belongs in your collection.

3. Ghorgon Master of War- Ryan Adams

• "Ghorgon! Master of war. Death is all around him. Ghorgon! Master of war. This will continue till the systems collapse, under their control, Ghorgon!" Midway through 2010 Ryan Adams released his heavy metal sci-fi concept album "Orion" through his Pax AM record label and website. "Orion" represents Adam's earnest attempt at recording a metal album. The lyrics (which describe an intergalactic war) may be tongue in cheek, but the music is not. I'm not a heavy metal connoisseur so it's hard for me judge how legit "Orion" comes across but it sounds like the real thing to me. "Ghorgon Master of War" starts off with some relatively calm acoustic guitar. It's followed by some ominous synthesizer work and then before we know it we're in the throws of "Ride the Lightning" era Metallica. Adams sings with urgency, as if the battle for the universe is real. I'm not sure the exact role that Ghorgon plays in the "Orion" mythology but I'm pretty sure he's not the good guy. Fans of more traditional Adams material may want to check out the recently released "III/IV" which showcases songs recorded with his backing band The Cardinals in 2007.

1. The End- The Beatles

• "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make." While "Her Majesty" is the last song on "Abbey Road", "The End" serves as the album's musical climax. You can't really talk about this song in an isolated sense because it serves as the exclamation point on a musical score. While the first half (or so) of "Abbey Road" is made up of individual songs the better part of the second half is made up of songs that blend into one another (and borrow themes used previously on the album). It is fair to say that on "The End" The Beatles decide to give the drummer some. In the first part of the song we get to hear Ringo bang out a solo. Where else in The Beatles catalogue do we get to hear that? I don't care if it sounds like a drum solo I could perform with a little practice- it's iconic. If you know of any albums that are better than "Abbey Road" I'm all ears.

2. Who's The Mack?- Ice Cube

• "Straight gangsta mack. Who's the mack? Is it some brother in a big hat, thinking he can get any b*tch with a good rap, rolling in a f*cked up Lincoln, leaning to the side so it looks like he's sinking." In 1990 Ice Cube dropped the cargo known as N.W.A. and started making all the dough. The gangsta rapper teamed up with Public Enemy's Bomb Squad production team to release "Amerikkka's Most Wanted". The album is fast paced, hard hitting and Ice Cube is on the attack. "Who's The Mack?" stands out stylistically for sounding a good bit different than the rest of the album. Here we have a slow, smooth, laid back beat with a flute for extra flavor. The flute must have caught the ear of one Dr. Dre as he used it a few years later (see "Let Me Ride", "Lil' Ghetto Boy") on his "The Chronic" album. The great sample here is Shock G as Humpty Hump- "straight gangsta mack" from "The Humpty Dance". If you peep the "Who's The Mack?" video on YouTube you can see Ice Cube rock the jheri curl.

3. Magazine Called Sunset- Wilco

• "There's a magazine called sunset, and a tape machine that won't let, me ever forget this impossible longing for you. Or I'm a future fallout standing, in the present erase our phantom." The best artists know their best work from the rest of their work. Such is the case with Wilco and "Magazine Called Sunset". Recorded as a part of the sessions that produced "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" this song appeared in the documentary film "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco" and the "More Like the Moon" EP. It did not make the final cut for "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". The film "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" chronicles the struggles Wilco endured to release "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". Nonesuch records saves the day after the band is dropped from their label. In a "what have you done for me lately" world, Wilco announced earlier this year that they were parting ways with Nonesuch to do their own thing.