From: Level42-request @ worldmachine.com (Level42 Digest) Subject: Level42 Digest V96 #156 _ ____ _ ____ _ _ ___ // //__ // / //__ // /__// __// //__ //__ \\_/ //__ //__ // /__ D I G E S T Level42 Digest Volume 96 : Issue 156 356 subscribers Today's topics: LA Level Thing WINSTON WALKER Fof5, FN, Guaranteed Live effects. Marc_Dupuis As Beers Go By Bruce Conrad Re: The Mountain Time Zone Lazlo Nibble Billy's Gone Martin Lewis Q Magazine review of Live At Wembley Jon Riding Turn It On Daniel James Changes and Sunbed Art Leopold ------------------------------ Subject: LA Level Thing From: WINMAN @ gnn.com (WINSTON WALKER) Date: Mon, 03 Jun 1996 09:00:24 Glad to hear from Colin that all in L.A. had a great time at their Level Fest. Of course us New Yawkah's, as Elson Trinidad calls, had a better time! Then again, we didn't get to press CD's or watch Mark King drive trucks. Damn, maybe you guys did have a better time. I guess we'll have to settle this once and for all. I say we all meet Lincoln Nebraska and have the Level Fest battle royale!! Actually, I will be on vacation in Las Vegas in August, and will hook up with John Venzon in L.A. for a day. Maybe we can have a East Coast-West Coast Fest. Lolita will be their as well. Let me know what you guys & gals think. p.s. I love "The Chinese Way", especially the US Dub Mix, always have, always will. Plus, the lyrics deal with the mysticism that has always been associated with the Far East. (after this, no one is gonna' want to meet me in L.A.!) Winston ------------------------------ Subject: Fof5, FN, Guaranteed Live effects. From: Marc_Dupuis @ MADISONUSA.CCMAIL.CompuServe.COM Date: 03 Jun 96 11:02:09 EDT >Subject: Another L42 VHS tape >From: "D. Sim Dietrich Jr." Date: Sun, 2 Jun 1996 >08:15:54 -0700 (PDT) >Man, for such a cool group, they have some really cheesy videos! I think so too, though not as bad as some I've seen (remember Heart's "These Dreams" - now what in the Sam Hell does a Wilson-sister doing high kicks have to do with the content of that song?)... >Is it just me, or is Mike the biggest Ham in the world? Those hand >gestures have got to go... So I'm _not_ the only one that feels this way. Thank you! FN & FN+4 - Man, I am not digging this stuff at all. I agree with the dance/disco analogies, I find my mind wandering during most songs. The thing is that many songs are (to me) disposable except for short sections within songs that redeem them. {I remember Kansas used to do this, they would have a whole lot of activity that would lose a lot of people (except prog heads like myself), then stop everything for a power-chord monster-riff section that even Beavis and Butthead could get into.} There is one song (forget the name just now) where Phil's drumming starts picking up - cool tom overdubs towards the end of the track, another of his trademark "where did that come from?" deals - I thought that was pretty inventive given his extremely laid back minimalist approach on the other tunes. But I must listen many more times, sometimes stuff grows on me. Like fungus. But thank you, Joe, for the tapes, I appreciate it. My Guaranteed Live is wearing out, my daughter Nicole (3-1/2) has it on at least a couple times a day She still thinks Mike's hand motions are cool, and now she's starting to imitate Jakko's scrunch-faced vocal delivery. What to do, eh? I think Mike's The Spirit is Free is one of the best performances on the tape - and it proves that Gary can play the minimalist-groover too. Leaving Me Now was much better with Phil, however. LMN was better without the horns, too, which also killed HIMH on this video. You need A. Murphy for a proper HIMH, anyways. -Marc ------------------------------ Subject: As Beers Go By From: Bruce_Conrad @ hchp.org (Bruce Conrad) Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 00:45:33 -0400 I checked out the B-side CD artwork; to echo most other's thoughts, it is 'busy', but looks great anyway. nice job! LOZ - I got the L42 biography, + finished reading it already. pretty good book. Lvl42.Aol - I was in Somerset, PA on Memorial Day w/e!!! (live in Boston) we Boston folks should have a get together before Eric (maybe?) and A.J. (just checked your web page) head off to sunny/shaky California. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: The Mountain Time Zone From: "Lazlo Nibble" Date: Mon, 3 Jun 1996 11:13:29 -0600 (MDT) > Check out http://www.swcp.com/synth/my42stuff.txt to see my collection. > > Anyone else in the Mountain Time Zone care to participate? Well, what the heck: http://www.swcp.com/lazlo/Level42.txt That makes two of us who are padding our item counts with copies of the US "Hot Water" 12", by the way. I bought three before it sank in that I I already owned it -- what's *your* story, Vince? :-) -- ::: Lazlo (lazlo @ swcp.com; http://www.swcp.com/lazlo) ------------------------------ Subject: Billy's Gone From: Martin Lewis Date: Mon, 03 Jun 1996 20:33:51 -0700 Hello All. I've been a subscriber for the past month or so and after obtaining a copy of the resurgence labelled 'Forever Now', I thought it was about time I ventured into virgin territory. I thought I would start off by opening a potential 'Can of Worms'. After being a fan of the track "Billy's Gone" on the UK Version of "Forever Now", I have only just listened to the "Resurgence" album version. I personally think that 'they' have 'destroyed' what was a blinding record. I don't know why they did it, but it seems to me as if it's lost it's 'Funkyness'. What was once a cool track is no more. At least on the "Resurgence" album. Go on then! Shoot me down in flames! Martin Lewis London, England. ------------------------------ Subject: Q Magazine review of Live At Wembley From: Jon Riding Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 00:04:50 GMT Hi All, Just bought the July edition of the UK magazine Q. Contained within in it is a review of the Live At Wembley CD. It's not nice, so those of you with a nervous disposition should skip it. "The '80s would not have been the same without Mark King's piggy face and show-off cod-funk bass playing. They would, perhaps, have been just that teeny bit more bearable though. Instead, Level 42's career spanned the entire decade and beyond, their minor talent for vaguely tuneful, steadfastly unchrismatic funk-rock bagging them more than 50 appearances on Top Of The Pops and five Top 5 albums. This live album, recorded at the notoriously arid, atmosphereless Wempbley Arena in 1989 (and broadcast on Radio One) is something of a showcase for just how bad British pop became at one time. Tiny, skeletal tunes fleshed out with meandering passages borrowed from Genesis records (Man is a particular low point), these songs tend to evaporate upon hearing, although the more focused tracks like Something About You and Lessons In Love are a marginal improvement" (1/5) Sam Taylor I don't our Sam likes the boys too much :-). I think I ought to make it clear that I don't agree with any of this and I'm just posting it to show everyone what us L42 fans are up against. If you'd like to tell the magazine what you think of their review then their e-mail address is Q_magazine @ dial.pipex.com That's all for now Jon. Jon Riding Email: jonr @ enterprise.net ------------------------------ Subject: Turn It On From: Daniel James Organization: Statistical Sciences Date: Mon, 03 Jun 1996 16:16:51 -0700 Finally received my copy of Turn It On from CD Now today... Can't Walk You Home is just the most excellent tune!!! Well, maybe not *the* most excellent but it really takes you back to why you fell in love with Level 42. I always thought that most of their older tracks sounded somewhat raw, but this one has them all beat (all the stuff I've heard so far). Also, I think that for the most part, the mastering on this disc is excellent. I started listening to some of the other tracks not expecting to hear anything different and was surprised at Children Say. It sounds like the album version, but has that awesome guitar lick during the bridge that is missing on the album version (but is present on Family of Five and the 12" mix-and I'm assuming is on Level Best as well). Of course I already knew that Physical Presence was a live track (and Brent was kind enough to tape that for me about a month ago). Wings Of Love seems to be a strange edit (and mix) and has one tiny little verse at the end that I'd never heard before. Love Meeting Love is what sounds like the single version (early fade). Coup D'Etat is the instrumental version that's on the back of my 7" of SAY -- nice to have this on CD now. I bet that I notice more differences as I listen more. Also I received a copy of Level 42 to replace my original copy that suspiciously disappeared a few years ago. I bought the last CD domestically, and somehow expected that this new copy would have a fixed printing (fixing the first " before 43 which appears subscripted). I think the error adds a bit of character to one of their best albums. -- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel James - Database Administrator djames @ statsci.com Data Analysis Prod Div of MathSoft (formerly StatSci) (206) 283-8802 x284 ------------------------------ Subject: Changes and Sunbed From: Art Leopold Date: Tue, 4 Jun 1996 00:59:57 -0400 Hello All! Been a while since I was last on the Digest, but I had to write = once I listened to "Changes". Must've been lucky because I ordered it = from CD Connection and got it in about a week! And it's well worth the = $20 I spent to get it. I always did like the melodies in the L42 songs, = and now I can definitely see the influence Mike had on them. Yes, it is = a bit poppish, but I don't care. It was good to hear something new from = one of the band. I've got to listen to it again to really get some good = impressions. One question: My CD case says it's a Hi-Definition Picture Disc, = but is it really? Yes, there's some art on the CD, but I always thought = a picture disc meant something more. In any case, the CD plays, so I'm = happy! Without a doubt, "Sunbed" is one of the most groovin tunes the = band ever released. I just can't play this one softly! There's nothing = like that bass line, and the big riff to get you goin' when you get out = of work! Play it loud! It's good to be reading the Digest again, that's for sure. (hoping Pat decides to revive his Bad Lyric feature!) TCOY, Nate PS: Colin, I hope you got the record intact! -- formerly Kirith @ aol.com, now just taggin on a free ride netward!