From: Level42-request @ worldmachine.com (Level42 Digest) Subject: Level42 Digest V96 #166 _ ____ _ ____ _ _ ___ // //__ // / //__ // /__// __// //__ //__ \\_/ //__ //__ // /__ D I G E S T Level42 Digest Volume 96 : Issue 166 364 subscribers Today's topics: Phil's Last Show WJGreer Im Back!!!! laurence green Re: NYC HMV Rob Kadel World Famous Live At Wembley John Edward Martin Shuford videos! wrholley Tracks on the 'Remixes CD'... Mike Review review Nigel Collier ------------------------------ Subject: Phil's Last Show From: WJGreer @ aol.com Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 09:24:43 -0400 From the Definitinve Bio, page 150: "What turned out to be Phil's last date with Level 42 was, as he recalls, a 'real hick town' near Dallas. 'That last gig was a nightmare. I was spaced out on valium. The music was really loud and I could feel my spine tingling. I was beginning to hyperventilate and was thinking "This is it. I'm going to die"'." Yikes! I think I was at that show! It was in Austin (which is neither a hick town nor, as my car odomer will attest, truly near to Dallas) on October 7, 1987. RJ, if you're out there, I think you were at the show too. I agree that the music was really loud - the concert was at a hard rock club. But Phil seemed to play great. Hmmm. Shows what I know. I'm hurt because Phil didn't "enjoy" playing for me ;). Actually, I'm glad I cought him before he bailed. -WJG ------------------------------ Subject: Im Back!!!! From: laurence green Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 15:15:31 PDT Hi All, Phew Im back, what a great way to blow 1000 pounds. NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH WFRCD5 WFRMC5 Im sure everyone knows about. WFRCD6 is the three track promo, hmmmmm Id like a copy for my radio show too???!!?? Mike will have completed at least enough demos for an album in the autumn. Mark is just about done and his album is going through the 'all the songs are done now we just need to get things sorted out' stage. Crockford says this live album is the first of what could be a potentially large amount if it sells well. If it doesnt sell well Paul may still produce CD for mailorder only. Jakko is auditioning to become the lead singer of Genesis (this is not a joke), and rumour has it he is the strong favourite. I have yet to contact Boon to see how his project is going. Wow, isnt America a fine place. I picked up a 7" by Polydor special production with Lessons In Love and Something About You. I also got two fan club booklets from 1988. Whilst over there I saw World Machine, Guaranteed, Level Best, Running In The Family. I also saw loads of cassettes too but I didnt buy much. If anyone would like a copy of the Book of the book entitled 'Level 42' the Definitive Biography then: COST OF BOOK = 10 pounds UK POST AND PACK = 2 pounds and 50 pence US POST AND PACK = 5 pounds air mail or 3 pounds sea mail ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR PAYING IN DOLLARS = 4 pounds (cause thats what it cost me to cash a dollars cheque into sterling) Exchange rate = 1.5 dollars to the pound. so, if your in America you have two choices. You can write a cheque for (10 + 5 + 4) * 1.5 = 28.5 dollars or go to your bank and draft a cheque in sterling for 15 pounds which will save you some money. If you are elsewhere just add 4 pounds in sterling onto the cost in whatever you currency is, but please dont use a really low exchange rate, ie 1 DM = 1 pound. Or alternatively draft a cheque in sterling, this will probably save you money too. My address is: LOZ Green, 110 Abbey Lane, Sheffield, S8 OBQ England Make cheques payable to L Green or (Laurence Green). Sorrry for that, but I must try and earn some money now, anyway for anyone whose not botheres dont read the rest of this it wont be very Level 42. I went to Orlando for 1 day, then we flew to Cincinatti via Pittsburgh. We met out friend in Cincinatti and spent a day in theme park called Kings Island. Then we went to a small town in Ohio called Portsmouth and spent about 7 days there. From there Kurt left us as he was going to work at a camp. We went to Columbus for three days with another friend. It was a nice big place, we spent most of the time shopping, sight seeing and looking after a cat and three Kittens that someone had dumped on the doorstep of our hotel room. Fortunatly we managed to get the homed. Then we went back down to Portsmouth for a day or two and eventually back to Cincinatti where we got the plane back to Orlando and spant a day there although we didnt spend much time there. I just got Mikes 12" of Spirit Is Free. PS I dont have my CD that was done on the CDrom yet? I hope customs dont have it Ahhhggghhh. Well I must say I am sufferering from Jet lag quite badly and I have so much to do today. I hope everyone is well, Im sure Ill see you all soon, at least it seems they have left my account open. Bye............................LOZ "you can lose yourself in yourself, hurt yourself a little more." ------------------------------ Subject: Re: NYC HMV From: Rob Kadel Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 12:50:44 -0400 (EDT) > Subject: Turn It On > From: lolita @ interserv.com > Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 05:24:20 -0700 > > Hey All: > > Rob - Winston found Turn It On at one of the NYC HMV stores about a month ago, > and they had a number of copies. Your store should have it soon, but I'll > keep my eyes open for you. If there is a Virgin Megastore near you, I suggest > checking their import section for it. > > Lolita Ahh, this is good. I'll keep my eyes open here, but if I don't find it, I'll be coming to NYC in August for a sociology conference. (Yeah, right, I'll spend one morning presenting and the rest of the time partying.) Which reminds me -- to Lolita and all other NYC Levelheads: CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET TOGETHER? I'll be flying into the city on the morning of August 15, and leaving the evening of August 19. So if anyone would like to get another L42 party going one of those evenings, PLEASE e-mail me. I'd love to meet some of you in person! -Rob Kadel rkadel @ emory.edu ------------------------------ Subject: World Famous Live At Wembley From: John Edward Martin Shuford Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 16:25:44 -0700 (PDT) For anyone who presently holds a copy of the new Live at Wembley CD, could you please post the catalogue number of the disc? I'm trying to order it on special order, and I need the catalogue # as well as the label information (which has already been supplied--thanks ya very muchly!) If Johnny V is reading this post, what is the prognosis for the B-side CD as far as delivery time and repair of the CD burner? I think I'm going to have to supply you with a new address, so maybe you could post details of the prognosis, and I'll get in touch with you in person. ------------------------------ Subject: videos! From: wrholley @ burgoyne.com Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 18:08:43 -0600 I have a huge question. Does anyone have videos of the band other than the typical (Live at Wembley, Fait Accompli, Level Best). I am in serious need of something new to watch--I'm wearing out my copies. If anyone has some 'other' videos of the band, please let me know. toodles, Wes ------------------------------ Subject: Tracks on the 'Remixes CD'... From: Mike Date: Thu, 13 Jun 1996 18:29:12 +0000 Here is the list of tracks on the 'Level 42: The Remixes' CD: 1) The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) 2) Something About You 3) Children Say 4) Hot Water 5) Running In The Family (Dave O'Remix) 6) Love Games 7) The Chinese Way 8) (Flying On The) Wings Of Love 9) Two Hearts Collide 10) Lessons In Love (Shep Pettibone Remix) 11) The Hit Combination Overall...its an OK CD...if you're into dance remixes. Mike Dutra Pleasanton, CA USA ------------------------------ Subject: Review review From: Nigel.Collier @ ncl.ac.uk (Nigel Collier) Date: Fri, 14 Jun 1996 10:08:17 +0100 >If you see reviews as a way to tell people what they're likely to think of >an album (which is a valid approach in my opinion) then it's perfectly >valid to have someone unfamiliar with an artist review that artist. Most >of the people reading the review will be just as unfamiliar with the artist, >and their reaction to the material would likely be similar. Given that this is correct (and I believe it is) then reviews could be split into two very basic types: 1). The reviewer is unfamiliar with the group and is summing up A SPECIFIC ALBUM for other poeple who are also unfamiliar with the group. The aim being to give readers information on which to make a decision for themselves on whether they're likely to enjoy the album (arguably the best way to do this is by comparing the music to other groups the readers might know - simplistic example: "try and think of a cross between Stanley Clarke & Go West 2). The reviewer is familiar with ALL of Level 42's work and is summing up the album in context with the group's other work. The aim being to give fans of the group an idea of where the specific album 'fits in' and, consequently, whether they're going to like this one (then previous albums can be used as a yardstick - eg. it's kind of like World Machine but blah, blah ... Now, let's remind ourselves of the review: "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 The review actually gives very little information about the music of Level 42. Even if you're entitled to your opinion, as a professional critic you really must say more productive than an enigmatic, "this band is crap". Is the above review honestly enough for newcomers to the band to judge whether they'd like them or not? What has Mark's appearance got to do with anything? It's a shame that the "piggy face" of one of the world's most inventive and talented bassists prevents someone form enjoying their work - I'm sure Michaelangelo wasn't exactly sex on a stick but that doesn't make the Cistine chapel ceiling an eyesore! 50 appearances on Top of the Pops, 5 top 5 albums and careers which spanned more than a decade don't sound to me like the hallmark of a band with "minor talent" producing "tiny, skeletal tunes fleshed out with meandering passages borrowed from Genesis records". All of the miniscule evidence used by the reviewer to support his 'argument' actually only serves to disprove it. " the more focused tracks like Something About You and Lessons In Love are a marginal improvement" - in other words, "I gave the album a brief listen because I had to but I had decided beforehand that I hated the group. I have to say something which makes me sound knowledgeable so I'll pick out a couple of tracks for special mention which everyone will be familiar with". The logic behind this? - readers will read the review and think, "yeah...Level 42...they were crap weren't they, mind you, Sam Taylor must know what he's taking about because no-one would argue that Lessons in Love and Something About You were their best work" - nonsense, they were just in the 'charts' more. This review is a bluffer's guide all the way. The reviewer attempted to sum up 15 years of the professional lives of very talented musicians who have brought enormous pleasure to millions in one terribly witty, Oscar Wildesque put-down paragraph. IMHO, he can stick it up his arse where it belongs. Nigel Collier (Nigel.Collier @ ncl.ac.uk) Webmaster, Newcastle University Careers Service.(http://kalonji.ncl.ac.uk/careers/careers.html) Eater of donuts & Jedi Knight