Modal Basis for "Cocaine Decisions" - Very Rough Interpretation

This piece can be cut into four main modal/harmonic movements :
  
(1a) Modal movement in the fifth mode of the F Melodic Minor scale

(1b) Varition movement in the fifth mode of the Gb Melodic Minor 
scale (half step up)

(2) Modal movement in the fourth mode of A Major, ie. in D lydian

(3) Dominant turn-around in the fifth mode of C Major, ie. G7




Some Background on The Fifth Mode of Melodic Minor

(Parent Scale)  F melodic minor scale : F G Ab Bb C D E
 
Triads of the F melodic minor scale : Fmin Gmin Ab+ Bbmaj Cmaj Ddim Edim
 
... this gives the scale three sets of similar triads spaced a 
whole tone apart:

F- and G- ... Bb and C ... Ddim Edim

7th Chords of the F melodic minor scale: F-maj7 G-7 Abmaj7+5 Bb7 C7 D-7b5 E-7b5
 
... this gives two parallel structures a whole tone apart:

Bb7 and C7 - two dominant chords (!) and D-7b5 and E-7b5 - two half-diminished 
chords, related to the dominant chords which, superimposed, become Bb9 and C9
 ... and then there's the super weirdo chord Abmaj7+5 ... notice the front end 
of the scale almost sounds like the dorian mode except for the maj7 on the F- 
chord ... 




Movements


(1a) modal movement in the fifth mode of the F Melodic Minor scale
 
The tune starts out with a simple C major triad sound, bass stomping away - 
keys mixed way in the back - harmonica playing minor blues licks in C (!) ... so
from a general harmonix viewpoint there's this blues mixing going on throughout 
the tune on top of modal permutations ... there's three different types of C tonalities 
going on in close viscinity - that's some Harmonic Mixing in action !

... starts on a lead-in four bars long:
 

INTRO: || C | C | C | C ||

 
The first harmonic structure goes something like this ...
 

|| Ddim/C | Ddim/C | C | C || x3

 
... using the following basic voicings for  Ddim/C, C


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----6-------5--------------------------------------------------------------
-----7-------5--------------------------------------------------------------
-----6-------5--------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----10------10--------------------------------------------------------------                                                                                                        


This alternating structure is repeated three times before moving onto the next 
sections ... to immitate the keyboards function guitar chords can be played 
to follow the melody in some fashion - esp. in bars 7 and 8 of the [A] sections 
(see below) ... 

(1b) slightly varied modal movement in the fifth mode of the Gb Melodic Minor 
scale (half step up)

|| Db | EbDim/Db | Fdim/Db | EbDim/Db || x3


This movement uses the 5, 6 and 7 triads of Gb Melodic Minor over Db bass ...
 

   Db        EbDim/C     Fdim/C   EbDim/C
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----6-------7-------9-------7----------------------------------------------
-----6-------8------10-------8----------------------------------------------
-----6-------7-------9-------7----------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----9-------9-------9-------9----------------------------------------------

 
... on the second pass only two bars of this progression are played before going 
to the next section


 
   Db        EbDim/C     
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----6-------7--------------------------------------------------------------
-----6-------8--------------------------------------------------------------
-----6-------7--------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----9-------9--------------------------------------------------------------

 
(2) a modal movement in the fourth mode of A Major, ie. in D lydian
 


|| E/D | D | E/D | D | E/D | D ||          x1
 

 
   E/D           D          


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------9-------7--------------------------------------------------------------
------9-------7--------------------------------------------------------------
------9-------7--------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----10------10--------------------------------------------------------------

 
... on the fourth bar of this section the triads are inverted up following the 
melody ...


--------------------s-12----s-12---10--10--10--12--10--------------------
-----7---10---12----s-12----s-12---10--10--10--12--10--------------------
-----7---11---13----s-13----s-13---11--11--11--13--11--------------------
-----7---12---14-----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----(10)--------------------------------------------------------------------


(3) a modal runaround in the fifth mode of C Major, ie. G7 


 || E-/G | D-/G ||          x1

 
   E/D           D          
 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----5-------3--------------------------------------------------------------
-----4-------2--------------------------------------------------------------
-----5-------3--------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----3-------3--------------------------------------------------------------



Cocaine Decisions - Song Structure


[INTRO]
                    Cocaine de- ...
 
|| C | '/. |  '/. | '/. |

[A]

cisions ...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
go job ...
 
| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^last two bars emphasizes melody based chording 
 
million ...       your way ...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
[A]

                     high class ...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
go job ...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^last two bars emphasizes melody based chording 

nothing ...      nose decay ...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

[B]

I don't wanna ...                                     but if ...
 
| Db | EbDim/Db | Fdim/Db |  EbDim/Db | Db | EbDim/Db |
 
madder ...
 
| E/D | D | E/D | D | E/D | D |
 
la-la-la la-laaaa-la ...

| E-/G | D-/G | C |

[C] (instrumental)

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

[B]
 
I don't wanna ...                                     but if ...

| Db | EbDim/Db | Fdim/Db |  EbDim/Db | Db | EbDim/Db |

madder ...
 
| E/D | D | E/D | D | E/D | D |

                     Cocaine de-
 
| E-/G | D-/G | C |

                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^lead-in bar ?

[LAST VERSES / LEAD OUT]

cisions ...       lawyer ...    
          
| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

foyer ...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^last two bars emphasizes melody based chording 
 
be discovered ...       coc...
 
| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

...

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |

| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |
 
| Ddim/C | '/. | C |  '/. |


... 16 or so more times till the end ...