Originally, Miles wanted Gil Evans to create arrangements for some popular songs, including D-Train’s “Something On Your Mind” and “Human Nature,” recorded by the group Toto for Michael Jackson, and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” which would henceforth become one of the highlights of Miles’ concerts. Then, interrupted because of health problems at the end of 1984, Miles returned to the mode of Star People and Decoy. During the winter of 1984-85, Miles made an about-face and decided to redo everything in several days. The result was an album of great contrasts: popular songs, a solo by John Scofield used as the theme song, the alternation of Al Foster and Vince Wilburn, Jr., the return of John McLaughlin, and an opening sketch “One Phone Call/Street Scenes” with the voices of Sting and Marek Olko (a Polish promoter who had tried to arrange a tour for Miles in Russia). It concluded with a curious descriptive piece featuring children’s voices and a nuclear explosion. As a bell tolled, Miles lamented, “Ron, I told you to push the other button.” Was he addressing his sound engineer Ron Lorman or Ronald Reagan, reelected for his star-wars strategy?