Sunday, August 06, 2006

TODAY AT MERLE'S: Flashback Weekend!

No, I wasn't commuting to work on a Sunday, but nonetheless I was treated to a Super-SizedĀ® dose of Merle's magic today. Combine the already infrequent train schedule on Sundays with the construction project that forced single-track usage on the Brown Line today and you're talking four big hits in a row on the Francisco platform! Here they are in chronological order. And to mark this extra-special four-song-spectacular occasion, for the first time in TODAY AT MERLE'S history two of these songs are accompanied by videos - and the other two aren't because Disco SucksĀ®.


"Simply Irresistible" by Robert Palmer

The chorus hit me even before I'd turned the corner to approach the platform, and when I saw the neighborhood steering committee setting up "Manor Bash" in the park just across the street from the Francisco stop, I couldn't help but admire the synchronicity of that moment: how indeed could I resist attending what was surely to be the neighborhood event of the year, with its various canned beverages served from plastic coolers and row upon row of table-clothed picnic tables bearing bountiful bowls of potato salad? Somehow I drew myself away from the festivities and onto the platform, declaring my neighborhood's event simply resistible.

Watch a Quicktime video of the simply misogynistic "Simply Irresistible" Pepsi commercial! Warning - this is an embedded video clip and will start playing as soon as it loads, so turn your speakers down if you're at work unless you're not afraid to let your boss know you love both Robert Palmer and Pepsi products. You're obliged to conform when there's no other course.


"If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman

After the DJ proudly declared this a "Flashback Weekend," she served up the first cut of a two-fer from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack. As I sat on the platform and watched the little Lollapalooza-bound kiddies trade compliments on each other's ironic t-shirt designs ("Mine says 'Mr. Wrong'! Isn't that awesome?"), Yvonne proved that rejection always breeds mental illness.

Listen to a clip of "If I Can't Have You" in RealPlayer. Am I strong enough to see it through? Go crazy is what I will do.


"Night Fever" by The Bee Gees

Yes, the second Bee Gees hit from the Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack I've heard at Merle's this week, "Night Fever" began to make me think the Bee Gees were right there with me somehow, telling me with their sweet melody that the train was about to arrive:
Listen to the ground:
There is movement all around.
There is something goin' down
And I can feel it.

But alas it was not to be, and I was forced to sit through the entire song plus one more before I was whisked away by the power of the CTA.

Listen to a clip of "Night Fever" in RealPlayer. Here I am, prayin' for this moment to last. Livin' on the music so fine, borne on the wind, makin' it mine.


"The Glamorous Life" by Sheila E.

Oh, Sheila. Arguably the best of the Prince protege women (I'm ducking, Wendy and Lisa fans) . . . would that this world wasn't cruel and this wasn't actually her first and only real hit -- besides that starring role in Krush Groove, I mean.

Maybe her lack of continued chart success had more to do with the haircuts of her backing band than anything else, as seen below; it certainly wasn't because of the "if-you-have-to-ask-you-can't-afford-it" lingerie, OTT "acting" or amazingly/amusingly bluescreened fire special effects. Ahem.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh. my. god.

that cymbal kick.

just saved my life.

11:22 PM  

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