From: Level42-request @ worldmachine.com (Level42 Digest) Subject: Level42 Digest V96 #132 _ ____ _ ____ _ _ ___ // //__ // / //__ // /__// __// //__ //__ \\_/ //__ //__ // /__ D I G E S T Level42 Digest Volume 96 : Issue 132 318 subscribers Today's topics: Re: MKs top 10 Steve Robson WOW This Digest is getting interesting !! Richard Smith Yet more filthy talk M.D. Robins Mark is the best bass player, but Phil was the >> Anthony Burns Various comments Zak Nilsson Gary Husband Interview Daniel James t-shirts, love songs, curious cats... MARQUEZ-RICAH "Let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!!!!" John Edward Martin Shuford Re: Level42 Digest V96 #131 JodyBob F.Frederick Skitty Phil v Gary, et. al. WJGreer Tucker. . . WJGreer SATS WJGreer KKSF, CBS TV appearance, and Mark the jerk? Jerry Rehn Help w/shirts! Roxanne Moore Leave Mark alone... Roxanne Moore LA Levelheads Get-together Colin Campbell ------------------------------ Subject: Re: MKs top 10 From: steve @ redac.co.uk (Steve Robson) Date: Fri, 10 May 96 11:28:23 -0100 >> Also, 'My top 10', again with Andy Peebles, where MK picks his top 10 >> fave tracks. > Can you post a list of MK's top ten for us ? I'll try and dig the tape out. I just moved house so all my tapes are in a box somewhere... I just need to find the box. My apologies if this question has been answered before but: What are the individuals (MK, ML, PG, BG) up to nowadays? Cheers, Steve --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steve Robson - Steve_Robson @ redac.co.uk Zuken-Redac (UK) Ltd., Unix Systems Support Engineer 66 Suttons Park Avenue, Tel: 0118 966 9955 (or) 0836 580066 Reading, Fax: 0118 935 2899 BERKSHIRE Web: http://www.redac.co.uk RG6 1AZ UK --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: WOW This Digest is getting interesting !! From: rsmith @ zipmail.co.uk (Richard Smith) Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 11:52:59 +0100 Keep up the good work Guys and Gals. This is getting really interesting with the exchange of views ...... and we are all still friends. >I don't care if he licks chicken butt (eeyew!), I did n't know Mark did that !! Is it in the Autobiography ???? >Re: RITF is about incest > >Huh? Sorry, I just don't see that in either version of the lyrics. I see >both versions as being about how we are similar, whether we like it or not, >to our parents, due to our genes and environmental upbringing. The first >lyric was just a bit more scholarly, that's all. Here Here !! >[although I hate to admit it, I totally agree with Pat on this one... I've > always interpreted this song to be about how children make mistakes and > parents [hopefully] understand this because they've "been there / done that", > too... -Eric] Eric do you think we should seek help ... I'm worried we're agreeing with Pat ?? >perfect love songs ever written. Two Hearts Collide? Never really liked this track until I heard the Remixed verion on The Remixes album. Now it's one of my Faves, a kicking hard phat song with a soft heart. A bit like a Orange Cream chocolate.. Life is like a box of............ Cheers Richard Member of the "Hey I've found my Mail Signature off Button" Society ------------------------------ Subject: Yet more filthy talk From: "M.D. Robins" Organization: the University of Greenwich Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 11:38:24 GMT Hi all, Well, I am pleased with myself. Starting the whole topic of Mark's swearing with the " gonna fuck her til the Sun goes down " bit. Keep those comments coming, it's good for my ego. On a point of contention though, how can the guy say that " My winkle drops down to my knees " was sad?. Mark really is one funny guy, his all time classic has to be the sun tanning cubicle tale on Fait Accompli. Laugh? I almost voted Conservative. Yet more bad news from the Live Album, although not disastrous. I saw this ad. in Record Collector mag. and it was advertising the Live CD! I couldn't believe it. For only =A312.99 as well! And it was only about ten minutes drive from my house. Anyway, after I had calmed down, I phoned them up. The bastards! They were lying. They said they didn't have it after all, it had been delayed until the 28th May. Teletext on Channel 4 also confirmed this date. Talk about misleading advertising. They did however give a track list, and the amazing news was that it was the whole gig!! Hurrah! Not just the nine songs released by the Fanclub. I think the list was: ( not in this order ) Heaven in... To be with you again Children Say World Machine ( perhaps he didn't mention this ) It's Over Silence Running in the Family Lessons in Love Something about you Love games ( where he sings " show you're tits to me " ) Take a Look Over there Man I think that was all of them. He didn't mention Tracie or the bass solo, but hopefully they should be there. So, good and bad news there. Must go. Tattoo Man PS. Record Collector lists L42 as 156th most collectible band, up from 200 last year ------------------------------ Subject: Mark is the best bass player, but Phil was the core... From: "Anthony Burns" Date: Fri, 10 May 96 11:44:49 UT To all, a clarification: Mark King was (and is) the best player I've ever heard. He sings wonderfully and plays like a man among boys... But Phil never gets, never got, and doesn't seem to be on the verge of getting, the attention he deserves. That deserves and DEMANDS redress (no pun on my last email "^_^") Where's the proof? Line up these two songs and compare actual notes. Forget dubbing and overmixes and who played what brand of cymbal... Phil's sound is open. It is both dynamic and concise as well as being so precise that it sounds like he's in a Zen trance. On "A Physical Presence" (UK-Japan version, track 2), pull up 02:35 through 03:00 and listen for the high hat. Especially at the end. When he hits the open high hat, snare, then cymbal, he goes right back to the high hat without ever losing the continuity of the overall volume. Nothing gets lost. Nothing gets muffled in the shuffle. As one fades down the other picks up exactly where the previous one leaves off. On the other hand, look at Gary's playing on "Guaranteed". Listen to "With A Little Love" (track 12) starting at 00:50. When it gets to 01:11, gary goes tom-tom, cymbal back to the high hat, but there's a moment of dead air space between the cymbal and high hat. As a matter of fact there are moments like that in just about very song Gary plays. Technically he's good, aesthetically, he falls short. Line up song for song and Phil vs. Gary can be broken down into that one basic difference ad nauseum. RE: Mark's bad language Who cares? It's ancient history. Mark gives a taped interview on a CD single that is much more revealing than any bad language he might have inserted into his on-stage singing. RE: RITF is talking about incest! "Like a drummer plays his drum, a father plays his son..." Sounds plausible. What about "She Can't Help Herself"? : "When nearly a woman, a friend of the family Took that away that was precious to give She pretended nothing happened there Through the years" Same difference Boon's best bit of work (and most involved) was on "Foundation and Empire". That should have been marketed. I'd play it now it I had a transmitter. Stupidest song title: "The Ape" Sweetest melody: "I Want Eyes" Silliest Video: "The Chant Has Begun" (The San Diego Zoo goes to Hyde Park) Now, come the flames.... "^_^" Anthony Burns Gaijin_Commander @ msn.com IrishAB @ aol.com ------------------------------ Subject: Various comments From: ZNilsson @ handel.jlc.net (Zak Nilsson) Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 08:12:26 -0500 >> Loz> While Im over there I intend to buy much Level 42 stuff, if I can >> Loz> find it! >> >> You're dreaming, Loz. You're dreaming. > >Seconded. Remember, Loz, that America is like being in Hell for a L42 fan. Thirded. I can't find Mike's "Changes" anywhere. I went to Virgin Records in L.A. with Colin, they had nothing out of the ordinary. Tower Records in Boston also has nothing that all of us don't have already. In order to get anything, we have to mail-order it, and even then it's usually imported anyway. America is truly Level 42 Hell. ___________________ tko writes.... >I just broke up with my girlfriend. I dated her for 7 long a&* years and >......WoW!! >there's perfect song for me!!...."Seven Years"...since I left her............. > How about "It's over." huh? Now, another perfect song for me..... Well this isn't really on topic, but my dad wrote a song called "You're Breakin My Heart" that might work for you if you're feeling vengeful... :) It goes like this: "You're breakin' my heart, you're tearin' it apart, so f*ck you..." Just thought I'd mention. Sorry if I offended anyone. :) ______________________ > Just wondering if anyone out there has a graphic file of Mark as the >"clown" wearing the yellow checkered suit. If so, please contact me. I'd >really like to get a picture of him in that outfit. Also a graphic file of >him in the get up from the Take Care of Yourself video. I don't currently, but I can get one; maybe I can do it this weekend. I'll try to let you know. ________________________ Eric Hansen wrote: >...Well, not exactly, but I _am_ actually considering re-locating myself to >the sunny state of California. What, you got the idea from me? Hey, I know I'm a great guy, but why are you following me around? :) >ANYWAYS, the whole point of this is that I'm curious how many of you are >out there in San Francisco / Bay Area... (this is where I'd be moving to). >Please send me email privately, as I'd like to start a small dialogue with >the group of you to get some feedback about what it's like to live and >work there (as opposed to L.A., where you're dying instead of working =). Oh yeah, that's where I'm going. Hmm. When are you going out? Zak Nilsson ZNilsson @ jlc.net http://www.jlc.net/~znilsson ------------------------------ Subject: Gary Husband Interview From: Daniel James Organization: Statistical Sciences Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 09:59:36 -0700 Apologies to all for taking so long to get this done. I transcribed the article weeks ago, but I have finally put in HTML Tags so that it looks nice. I haven't finished putting them in yet, but if you want to see it, go to "http://www.serv.net/~djames/garyHusband.html" I hope to have a finished version for Vince within the next week or so. In the meantime, please let me know if you find any typos or missed tags. This is from the Guaranteed era, and about 2/3'rds of it is about his Drumming style, and the other third is Level 42 specific. Enjoy! Dan P.S. At least one person had requested a text version of this document--if you're interested (no web access), let me know and I'll forward a plain text version of this to you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel James - Database Administrator djames @ statsci.com Data Analysis Prod Div of MathSoft (formerly StatSci) (206) 283-8802 x284 ------------------------------ Subject: t-shirts, love songs, curious cats... From: "MARQUEZ-RICAH" Date: Fri, 10 May 96 11:40:04 CST Morning everyone! I just want to tell Zak that I recieved the t-shirt today, and I want to thank him for the beautiful job he did with them. Thanks! For the girl who wrote about 42 love songs, I'll agree that "Lasso the Moon" is one of my favorites. Well, I'm a sap. The narrative prose is very similar to the other song he wrote for SAT. What was that? "Silence"? From my memory (small as it is), Mike's lyrics are very plot oriented. In my opinion, he's a very straightforward lyricist, unlike Phil. With Phil, I get a sense of some underlying theme,of course personal, but isn't that what all song writers seem to do. His lyrics are very poetic, almost obscure. Heck, I'm only an anthro major, what the hell do I know. I'll read an ethnography about some tribe in S. America (pretty much factual, only if the ethnographer isn't getting high with the village shamen), and I'll probably call that obscure. Anyway, just thought I'd blab and thank the Mack Daddy "Zak" for the shirts. Ricah. ps...Whatever happened to Curiosity Killed the Cat? Hey, don't laugh. I was young, I thought they were good... (looking) I was rummagging through some old stuff, and I came across their albums. Just a wonderin'... ------------------------------ Subject: "Let's get ready to RUMBLE!!!!!!!" From: John Edward Martin Shuford Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 11:04:32 -0700 (PDT) Wow, THIS must have been what people had in mind when they talked about stirring up some controversy! Well, it's like one of my professors says about graduate seminars: it's not a good meeting unless there's a brawl in the hallway afterwards! (a little philosopher's humour) Well, here's my tuppence on this whole "Mark's a sexist pig" thing. I suppose I should say something because I catalogued some of his "better" moments (by the way, two others come to mind: there's an interview archived on Synth's page where Mark says that he always thought female cello players sexy because of the way they hold the cello between their legs; and in the Q interview coinciding with the release of Forever Now, Mark explains that "Model Friend" is about not being able to be properly non-sexist--that no matter what, you see a beautiful woman and you think "look at the tits on her"--ed: this is a quote from Mark, not me). OKay, I'm sure we can catalogue more remarks such as this, and I don't know whether I'd be more uncomfortable about them if I were a woman. Probably so. They make me uncomfortable as a man--my typical reaction has been to laugh at Mark (not with him) or to slap my forehead. Does this change the way I think about Mark? In the grand scheme of things WHO CARES?!?!?! I mean, none of us know him beyond the face that gets represented in video, music, and printed word. There's plenty of reason to think Mark is not an angel: 1) his divorce from Pia and shacking up with Ria is a bit dodgy 2) sometimes his comments come off as unfortunate 3) he has been rumoured to be (at least earlier in life) moody, aggressive, controlling 4) he's a bit reckless (Mark has supposedly wrecked several autos, including a Ferarri, from reckless driving) 5) he had a drinking problem 6) he's not always honest about the important stuff (i.e. the L42 split, when Alan Murphy was noticeably manifesting AIDS-related illness) though he can be quite frank about other views Now, he can also be quite a gentleman and generous 1) He's extremely devoted to his children 2) He reportedly has given his house on the IOW to his parents, since his father has retired 3) He does some charity work 4) Though he may not be honest about everything, he seems like the "genuine article" and an "open book" (to use but two cliches). He's been quite willing to talk about his divorce, L42's split, Alan's death. He may not have been totally honest about these things, but he didn't dismiss them--and he keeps answering questions on them 5) He's genuinely concerned about the community he grew up in This list could go on and on, in each direction, all from the EXTREMELY limited and selected portions of Mark we have seen. Ultimately, though we are encouraged to identify with the image he puts forth, we don't know much about him at all. So, please, don't start boycotting L42 because Mark says a few things that are questionable. I'm sorry for presenting those selections as X-rated. I thought everyone else would have a good laugh at it and think "yep, Mark's at it again" and not "what a PIG!" For anyone who knows me, my intention is not to sully L42 or harm sales of their scthuff...I just try to point out what I see are the human sides of them beyond the images they put forth. By the way, Porky is still riding Mother while she Slaps-n-Tickles Mr Pink (for those of you who don't know all the L42 catalogue, these are from remix or song titles). At the risk of creating an "ewww, John's a pig too" vibe, I post that last little gem to remind everyone that WE'RE ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL! John ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Level42 Digest V96 #131 From: JodyBob @ aol.com Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 16:14:01 -0400 HEllo All-- I just found "Level 42" the CD in the States!! A RARE find indeed!! I had to share my excitement!! BTW--a question, at the end of the "Something About you" video, mark mouths some words into the camera--what are they? Jody!! ------------------------------ Subject: From: "F.Frederick Skitty" Organization: The Cellar Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 00:26:28 +0100 Err, hello people, long time no speak. I've been away for a while , and I've got all the digests to catch up on (a mammoth task). So I'd just like to say it's nice to be back and has anyone heard from Mike Brooks ? 'Follow Me, to the end of the Earth, Follow Me, 'till it all breaks down' -- Dave Crowson Freelance Oracle DBA Level 42 fan since 1982.(born and bred in Pompey since '66) IGotAn @ omBomb.demon.co.uk or weirdguy @ cix.compulink.co.uk ------------------------------ Subject: Phil v Gary, et. al. From: WJGreer @ aol.com Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 21:57:30 -0400 >Two shillings worth... Gary Husband couldn't iron Phil's underwear if Phil >was >dead... Cymbal playing like hitting a empty box of Cheerios, snare drum with >old socks in it, >notes that get lost in the shuffle... Sorry, but Phil is the epitome of >"professional" drummer... Of course it's strictly prefernce, but I also go on record as a Phil fan. He just always seemed to know where to play and where not to play. A bass player who plays like Mark needs a smart, mature drummer like that to stay alive. And his cymbal work is fantastic. The other cool thing was that Neil Peart said that Phil was one of his favorite rock drummers because of his taste, intelligence, and constant contribution to L42's sound as a whole. This was in an MD interview about 7 years ago. Zak, I'm still sending you the money for the T shirt - I went to Cancun this week and had other things on my mind :) -Will ------------------------------ Subject: Tucker. . . From: WJGreer @ aol.com Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 22:01:05 -0400 >Tom's as right as a three-legged man in circus side show. Tucker, I've lived most of my life in Texas - I bet you don't really talk like this :) Plus it takes a lot longer to type. (Sorry for the non-42 indulgence, folks) -Will ------------------------------ Subject: SATS From: WJGreer @ aol.com Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 22:08:18 -0400 > I also think Guaranteed >was a vast improvement over SATS and Forever Now even better. So I'll stand >beside ye if theres a scuffle!! Yeah, I'm with you guys on this one too. Hey, here's a lyrics comment - "The key to giving up is knowing when it's over. . ." (Learn to say no) . . .is kind of like "The key to playing chicken is knowing when to flinch" (Hunt for Red October) Now, don't both of these statements show an astonishing flare for the obvious? :) -Will ------------------------------ Subject: KKSF, CBS TV appearance, and Mark the jerk? From: lonestar @ redshift.com (Jerry Rehn) Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 20:22:42 -0700 Babbling New Father Greeting to all, (BTW Congrats Proshant!!) A few things... >Thanks all. BTW, in >the Bay Area, L42 gets alot of radio play on KKSF on average at least 2-3 >different tracks a day. So far, I've heard on the radio Children Say, Two >Solitudes, Good Man in a Storm, Leaving Me Now, Something..., Love in a >Peaceful World, Tracie, Freedom Someday, Lessons in Love, Hot Water, Silence. >Do any other stations around the nation play them on such a consistent >basis? Well, not that I know of. I drive up to the bay area frequently and I always tune into KKSF as soon as I can get their signal in clear. They are a great jazz station with impeccable taste, as their liking for Level 42 proves. I live just a bit too far south to pick them up regularly, which is a shame because if I could I'd never change the station. They are fantastic. >There was a "concert" series on CBS in the States in '86~'87 time frame where >bands would come on Fridays and make a stab at being spontaneous. Believe it >or not, Level 42 was on, but for the life of me, I cannot remember the name of >the damn show! Anyone who remembers this broadcast (and/or seeing Phil make >the quickest exit in TV history...), please email me. Even better, anyone who >has a copy of that episode would be worshipped as a God among men and women... I, like Pat, remember this as well. They played Lessons in Love if I remember correctly. The name of the show escapes me though. I think about that appearance all the time, maybe because of being shocked at the fact that my favorite band was on TV. I've never been one of those type of guys that like the "who's hot at the moment" bands and so seeing my fav's on TV has always been rare. Any of you out there remember seeing a show called Solid Gold?? They were on there in 85-86 singing Something About You and I remember Phil looking like he had just woke up. His hair was a bit too long on top and when he played, it bounced around like he was sitting on a jackhammer. >1) Here's one I got from their 87? concert in San Diego, opening for the >truly appalling Tina Turner crowd, who was to say the least not into L42. >After a couple of numbers, Mark yells, "San DIEEEEEEgggo! You look like you >really know how to have a good time! And this isn't it!" I can imagine Mark announcing this and I have laughed for the past 10 minutes straight just thinking about it. I think Mark would be great fun to kick around with. After seeing Fait Accompli, I appreciate his humor so much more. Alot like my own sense of humor. I'm glad I didn't fall into the "Mark is a foul mouthed, sexist jerk" before I watched it. I made sure that I got my own impression of Mark after watching it for myself. Lisa Baylus!! You listening?? Buy the video, you will not be disappointed. In my opinion, Mark is not insecure, I don't know where that came from. I don't see how anyone could lose respect for someone after watching a 90 minute video of them. What would someone think of us after watching for only 90 minutes?? Even 90 hours!! Watch it then decide. Eric Hansen! Come on down! Your the next contestant on the Price is High!! Actually, S.F. isn't that bad :) Peace, Love and Level42... - Jerry Rehn ------------------------------ Subject: Help w/shirts! From: Roxanne Moore Date: Fri, 10 May 1996 23:54:23 -0400 I've been on the digest for about two weeks, during that time I've switched over to a different ISP, and well, I lost all of my Digest Posts........and I'm still interested in getting that B-Sides Disk, if it's not too late, if it is.......that's cool. Thanks- 42fn ------------------------------ Subject: Leave Mark alone... From: Roxanne Moore Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 00:10:04 -0400 Ok.......there's a lot of freaks in this world, that do a lot of REALLY sick things......that NEVER get ripped apart as eloquently as Mark King has been. I dont worship the guy, but I do enjoy the immense talent he possesses, the soul he sings with, the passion he expresses through his bass... Why don't you use that passion to get really pissed off at all of the injustice that's been done to people killed innocently, war, medical fraud, not Mark King's lyrics, come on people, get a life maybe? Remember, there are a lot of freaks in this world, and I dont think Mark King is one of them. Flaming welcomed. "..........and all I'm hoping for, is for someone else to understand........." "...................freedom to live for real................." mklvl42fn ------------------------------ Subject: LA Levelheads Get-together From: Colin Campbell Date: Sat, 11 May 1996 02:07:50 -0700 (PDT) Well, it's been said that any time four members of the Level 42 mailing list get together, you've got a party on your hands. Sure, it helps if one of the members has brought along his band, and you're all meeting at a hip LA nightspot! :) But as could be predicted, our get-together went very well! We had a blast! Elson Trinidad's group "JIBE" rocked le house. (That's right, if something really rocks the house, you switch to French.) Angel, Wendy and I were still separated at this point. But after the group's first set, we all started to find our way together. Elson hooked me up with Wendy and her party (a very impressive crowd she hangs out with -- A PhD, a MS, and an opera singer!), then Elson pointed out Angel to us (who'd brought along her quite hip beau). We were able to hang out and chat between sets. Then JIBE kicked it in to a phonky second set. You've got to hear their version of the Pink Panther theme! (Is the world ready for acid-jazz interpretations of Henry Mancini classics?) After JIBE finished with its housequake (and by the way, every band should have a theme song as hip as JIBE's), we headed back in to the secondary part of the club for high-volume club dancing. Yes, there was Japanese animation being projected on to one of the walls, and high above us, you could see a man in silhoutte (sp?) alternately studying, writing, and cutting out letters from a sheet of paper. Now THAT was a hip club! All in all, a tremendous evening's worth of fun. We WILL be getting together again for a future JIBE gig, so you SoCal 42 fans, don't miss the boat! Have a great weekend! Colin e-mail: jenolen @ earthlink.net WWW: http://home.earthlink.net/~jenolen/