18 December 2016, No. 223, West Street Mob, ‘Monster Jam (Instrumental)’

Maybe because it sounds a tiny bit like “Good Times” with those three bass notes on the first three downbeats, I always think “Monster Jam (Instrumental)” at No. 223 is a cover or at least an interpolation of some other song. As far as I can tell, however, it’s an original composition from Spoonie Gee and The Sequence (and Sylvia Robinson, of course) that was attributed the next year to West Street Mob. You may recall The Sequence from No. 173, “Funk You Up,” which delivers on its titular promise tenfold. At least.

The instrumental version of “Monster Jam” I have is from the B side of West Street Mob’s “Let’s Dance (Make Your Body Move).” West Street Mob comes back to the list in the early 400s to deliver their favorite tune of mine, “Break Dancin’ – Electric Boogie,” which is really just an edit of the Michael Viner’s Incredible Bongo Band’s “Apache” with outstanding vocoding overlaid. Spin on your back and spin on your knees; stand on your hands and then freeze. “Break Dancin’ – Electric Boogie” also borrows “One for the treble, two for the time…” from “Monster Jam,” bringing this entry—as would a six-step or a backspin—full circle.