YOU'RE UNDER ARREST

Personnel: Miles Davis (vocals, trumpet, synthesizer); Steve Thornton (vocals, percussion); Sting, Marek Olko (vocals); Bob Berg (soprano & tenor saxophones); Robert Irving III (organ, celeste, clavinet, synthesizer); John Scofield, John McLaughlin (guitar); Darryl Jones (bass); Al Foster, Vince Wilburn, Jr. (drums); James Prindville (sound effects). Recorded at Record Plant Studios, New York, New York. Although Miles Davis didn't die until 1991, 1985's YOU'RE UNDER ARREST is one of his last releases. True to his sometimes deliberately antagonistic form, it's also one of his most controversial albums. YOU'RE UNDER ARREST includes a remarkable amount of funk, soul, and even pop influences, complete with a vocal interlude by Sting. While this angered a number of jazz purists, it suits Miles, who had almost single-handedly established jazz-rock as a viable form with IN A SILENT WAY and BITCHES BREW. More to the point, it's simply impossible to argue with the album's contents. The two-part "Katia" is one of Miles' finest late compositions, and his cover of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" reveals unseen depths to the tune. The masterpiece, however, is a spellbinding reinterpretation of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," which the trumpeter recreates into something entirely new.