From: Level42-request @ worldmachine.com (Level42 Digest) Subject: Level42 Digest V97 #121 _ ____ _ ____ _ _ ___ // //__ // / //__ // /__// __// //__ //__ \\_/ //__ //__ // /__ D I G E S T Level42 Digest Volume 97 : Issue 121 495 subscribers Today's topics: MORE SMILES AND CD'S Bill Miller For Sale EMIKATIE Whoops a Lordy, my bottom's on fire! Jonathan Doody RE:Sound Quality of Staring At The Sun Album.. WALTFRA Dream Crazy, Influences, Incognito lolita Re: Forever Now, Guaranteed, et al country94.3 For Sale - part 2 EMIKATIE RE PIETER Bill Miller SITL/SATS mixing, Dream Crazy, BOBC Pat Flanagan Musical Tastes - mostly non-Level stuff Barua, Cliff [Ontario] World Machine, etc. JennCyn SNL/Brit-Funk LP, etc. Winman42 FN and Influences DonZipf L42 Windoze theme ideas(CD proj.) HEYBERT Changes Chuck argh... JennCyn AYGB disc waiting list Zaphod Beeblebrox Hello to all Level HEADS! MLombardo9 Adding fuel to the fire ebender ------------------------------ Subject: MORE SMILES AND CD'S From: bmiller @ abbeywood.com (Bill Miller) Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 11:57:04 +0100 (BST) Levelheads Firstly living in London I can get access to most Level 42 CD's and multiple copies at that so if anybody needs any please let me know. Secondly thanks for Steve Robson for the laugh I had at his posting!!! I thought I would all send in one of my own to give you all a laugh. THE WORLDS SHORTEST BOOKS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Guide to Arab Democracies Amelia Earhart's Guide to the Pacific Ocean Career Opportunities for History Graduates Contraception by Pope John Paul II Detroit - A Travel Guide Different Ways to Spell Bob Dr Kevorkian's Collection of Motivational Speeches Easy UNIX Greenland's tips on world dominance Everything men know about women French Hospitality Bob Dole - The Wild Year How to sustain a musical career by Art Garfunkel Mike Tysons guide to dating etiquette Mormon divorce lawyers Popular lawyers Staple your way to success The Amish phone book The logical side of Dianetics The Chiropractors guide to medicine Salt Lake City Drinking games I sincerely apologise if anybody is offended it is not intentional, but I am sure that everybody in the digest will find at least one that will give them a giggle!!!!. Bill Miller BILLY'S GONE ------------------------------ Subject: For Sale From: EMIKATIE @ aol.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 07:02:55 -0400 (EDT) Happy May Day (yesterday) I've got a spare copy of Staring at the Sun - used - sealed, and a CD single of Overtime with 3 cool versions of the title and At This Great Distance. I'll need what I paid for them. SATS - $8.00 Guaranteed - $8.00 Plus shipping. Let me know. John ------------------------------ Subject: Whoops a Lordy, my bottom's on fire! From: Jonathan Doody Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 04:02:32 -0700 10.00am - Thursday morning, boring morning, nothing new. Search the web under "Level42 - Mark King" Try to find out about any new releases. Saw - http://kumo.swcp.com/synth/level42/newswire.html Had a look.................SCREAMED! NEW SONGS??????!!!!!! New release of Forever Now with 6 extra NEW tracks!!!!!! Called "Visionpoint Records"...."Yeah, we have plenty in stock!!!" Ordered........"It will be with you in two days" SMILED As Homer Simpson would say........"Mmmmmmm New Records" Am I the only person that knows of this title??? Do all of you already have it and I got left behind???? Does any one care??? "Otter's noses.....Wren's Spleens.......Wolf's Nipple Chips...Get 'em while there hot, there lovely." Jonny ------------------------------ Subject: RE:Sound Quality of Staring At The Sun Album.. From: WALTFRA @ frmail.frco.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 06:10:28 -0500 > Since we are on the subject of poor sound quality, anybody else notice > that the Staring At The Sun album doesn't sound quite right? I first > had it on cassette and thought the tape was not high fidelity, then on > the CD itself, the songs just don't sound crystal clear like Running In > The Family and the prior albums... It sounds like they cut back too much > treble on many of the songs... This I have noticed on every version I > have heard of the album....Anyone agree? Disagree? I totaly agree. Of all Level 42 CD's, I must say that SATS is probably the worst in sound quality. Although Julian Mendelsohn mixed the album (as with RITF and WM), the sound is different: not sparkling, no heavy basses, no fine treble. Sounds like a bad copy to me. Maybe the recording site is to blame; they recorded it at Miraval, France in some three weeks. IMHO, that might be too short to produce a decent album. Maybe the equipment was faulty? Who will tell? Walter ------------------------------ Subject: Dream Crazy, Influences, Incognito From: lolita @ interserv.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 06:14:27 -0700 Hey All: Daniel - Tribes, Vibes & Scribes is universally thought of as one of Incognito's best CDs, so that was a good first one to buy. Inside Life is good in an early 80's sort of way [that is not a diss - it happens to be one of my faves for the instrumentals]. Warning: Maysa Leak does not sing lead on this CD, so if she is your main thing, don't be disappointed. Other than Always There, the vocals are unremarkable, but Love Is The Colour and Sketches In The Dark are great instrumentals with kick ass horn parts. As much as I hate to say this, because I'm not fond of the CD, you may want to check out Positivity as well. Most Incognito fans like this a lot (then again, I've never followed the crowd). JazzFunk, the first one, is most Level 42 like, but I would save that purchase for after I bought some of the more recent ones. Tim - Dream Crazy is a funky mid-tempo song, and I think it is the funkiest one on that CD. I always blast it when I play it. I only owned US World Machine (on tape!) for a long time, so now I play it a lot to make up for lost time. Carleen - Mark King does indeed have a solo album. It is titled Influences and was released in 1984. It is not very Level 42 like, but is a good CD in its own right. A lot of bass, which is what we love him for. You can probably get it from CDNow or some other online source. All those meeting me in Europe: I will post the ringleaders in each city within the next week when I get my hotel info to let you know where I'm staying (Andre, Morgan, etc.). Who's going to Isle of Wight on June 7th? We need to get that together soon so we can coordinate. It would be nice to have 7-10 people, but I only have about 4 confirmed. Shuf? Nigel? Anybody? Hellooo...McFly.... Lolita ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Forever Now, Guaranteed, et al From: country94.3 @ wmjc.com (country94.3) Organization: WMJC Radio Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 09:18:50 -0700 Hey Micro-Kids: Some random responses to recent postings -- 1) To Carlene J., who wanted to know whether the Level 42 "Forever Now" CD she ordered is good: My edition, the US print issued by "Resurgence," has been virtually the only album I've listened to over the last two months. (Other correspondents can let you know about the UK version, which I don't have.) As has been noted by someone else here, if the boys had to go out, this was a good way for them to do so. They got closer to their dance/funk roots than in "Guaranteed," and Phil Gould's smart drumwork was a major plus. As I've written, Stevie meets Steely Dan -- case in point, "The Sunbed Song." 2) That being said, though, I still think "Guaranteed" was a top-flight album, better than most of the stuff on this side of the pond, although it was more of a transition piece (coming after various crises in the band). In many respects, this was the Gary Husband album, his crisp drumming dominating most of the cuts just as Mark King's bass did in the earlier albums. The title track had nice echoes of both Seal's "The Beginning" and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" 3) I understand the postings that say "Hot Water" and "The Chant Has Begun" are quite different than the other tracks on the US "World Machine" album. Still, they provided me a good introduction to the dance portion of the Level 42 sound, as this was my first L42 album and I could not get my hands on their original host album, "True Colours." BTW -- it was appropriate that "The Chant" closed the cassette version of "Level Best," since it came out at the time the Berlin Wall fell, the Eastern Bloc bit the dust and Nelson Mandela was about to be released from prison. "The spirit of the people," indeed. I still think "World Machine" and "True Colours" were the best L42 albums. Take care of yourself. Dave Mock ------------------------------ Subject: For Sale - part 2 From: EMIKATIE @ aol.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 07:11:18 -0400 (EDT) Uh, sorry but I should have included tax to the amounts which is 8% here. With US shipping, the discs are going to be $20.00 for the pair. Serious digesters only. Any takers? John ------------------------------ Subject: RE PIETER From: bmiller @ abbeywood.com (Bill Miller) Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 14:50:41 +0100 (BST) A Message to Pieter who EMAILED me on 1st May Pieter I already have a copy of the cassette single that you mentioned, many thanks for the interest you have showed Bill Miller P.S. Zap did you receive my $25 in the post for my AYGB CD?????? BILLY'S GONE ------------------------------ Subject: SITL/SATS mixing, Dream Crazy, BOBC From: Pat Flanagan Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 08:50:46 -0400 > A friend just forwarded me this which made me smile. I share it with > the digest that it might make you smile too!!! That's freakin' hilarious! Thanks for posting. (Let's see what kind of thread your post starts!) > I think this was discussed in the Digest some time ago. All that's > wrong with standing in the light is the following: I disagree. I also own SITL on vinyl, and the mix is terrible on the album, too. Though, I will grant that the CD sound quality is worse than vinyl, but I'm one of those people who thinks that's the case in general with all CDs vs. vinyl. > Since we are on the subject of poor sound quality, anybody else notice > that the Staring At The Sun album doesn't sound quite right? Yeah, the mix is rather flat, as was most American hit albums at the time. I'm sure that's the sound they were going for. They certainly weren't using a slouch engineer. > What kind of song is Dream Crazy? Fast? Slow? Funky? etc. Also, > how different is I Sleep's remix from its original? DC is medium tempo and very funky. I Sleep's remix is sonically similar to the original, mainly extended out. It's pretty cool. WELCOME BACK BOBC! This guy helped me out immensely ages ago, way back when I was on AOL. Glad to see you back. Pat Flanagan Publishing & Design PO Box 281, Granger, IN 46530-0281 email: pfpd @ pfpd.com website: http://www.pfpd.com TOTALMEDIA PUBLISHING: Print * Disk * Interactive * CDROM * Internet ------------------------------ Subject: Musical Tastes - mostly non-Level stuff From: "Barua, Cliff [Ontario]" Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 10:15:38 -0400 After not posting for awhile, I've decided to respond to the recent posts about other artists since not much is happening in Level-land (yes, where are those remasters??). One thing indicative about a Level 42 fan is musical tolerance. I think this is because Level 42's music was so "nice", and the band contained musical virtuosos (of varying Level). What is there not to like about the band itself or its music? (though I'm aware many British critics consider it to be 80's elevator/cocktail lounge music) I find I like many of the bands mentioned on this digest. (Free tip: if you've got some extra cash, pick up the MFSL "Original Master Tape" version of Stevie's Innervisions. $22 US at CD Universe). But with regard to the Spice Girls/Oasis comments: 1. The Spice Girls are not "70's influenced". Nor can they be compared with acts like the Supremes. While I find them catchy, the music is heavily produced and doctored, which makes it hard to reproduce live. As in their performance on SNL, all the flaws and pimples show up. Having said that, I taped their performance and will add it to my video collection beside the SNL performance from 1983 of Musical Youth singing "Pass The Dutchie". The girl groups from the 60's were always able to reproduce some pretty good performances live. 2. The older folks in England might be able to concur (I'm 32 and grew up in England), but I find Oasis to sound more like early 70's British rock (Slade, Sweet, T-Rex, Badfinger) rather than the 60's. Because they've dubiously "borrowed" from acts like the Beatles, they get branded as a 60's cover band. Even though we've heard it all before, I like their music for the simple reason that it sounds British (rather than the American grungy sound of the 90's). Their music itself is also overlooked because they're arrogant twerps. But I still prefer that to the navel-gazing Billy Corgans and Eddie Vedders. Here in Canada, we've always had closer ties than our American cousins to what's big in Britain (hence the easy availablity of Level 42, New Order, Smiths, Stone Roses, etc). Sadly, it seems most Canadian bands these days are sad reproductions of the now-dead Seattle grunge sound. And most young Canadian kids are really into it. To these older ears, these groups are worse than the garage bands at my high school. And by the way, I do like LOUD music (Led Zeppelin, Living Colour, Who). So, apologies for the long post, but I think music in general is at a loss for something new, and refried beans are the order of the day. Also, I think we'll hear from LOZ when he has the big news. Cliff Barua Toronto, Canada ------------------------------ Subject: World Machine, etc. From: JennCyn @ aol.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 01:41:00 -0400 (EDT) > (World Machine US version/import version/stripe du jour) a little footnote: The two copies of WM I have are the US version without the stripe and the import version with the black stripe reading "Includes Extra Track." The only time I saw one with the "US Version" black strip was in Vancouver, BC, and it was an import from Germany, at a proportionally exorbitant price. (Wouldn't it be easier just to pick it up across the border? ;) Oddly enough, even in stores that seem to have everything else, I haven't seen World Machine on the shelf in months...... ------ Random story I just have to mention: There's been a running gag around here about the suit Mark wore in the "SAY" and "Leaving Me Now" videos -- one of the announcers on Hockey Night in Canada has a penchant for wearing similarly loud and brightly colored plaid suitcoats, so the comparison sorta had to come up. But the other night we channel-surfed past CBC and saw something really familiar...... this guy was wearing a yellow plaid suit that looked almost exactly like Mark's (luckily, though, no matching pants). I'm *not* kidding. still makes me laugh..... tcoy, all.... and hey, to our friends across the pond - vote! :) -- Jenn ------------------------------ Subject: SNL/Brit-Funk LP, etc. From: Winman42 @ aol.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 08:57:28 -0400 (EDT) I always enjoyed the Sat Nite Live appearance. We met the band before their NY appearance, and it was Phil who told us of the Sat Nite Live gig. Being that this was only our second time seeing them live, they could do know wrong. I still think it holds up well. Sounds like they just played through their onstage amps, and not the P.A. Gert, the version of 'Starchild' that appears on the 'Brit-Funk' LP is the same as the original 12' verson, NOT the b-side of 'Children Say'. The 'Children Say' version is a remix. And yes, it was Jimmy Haslip on 'Appaloosa'. Carlees, Yes Mark King released a solo album back in 1984. It's great, but it's more in the flavor of Level 42's first 2 albums. Titled 'Influences', it contains 5 tracks, with the first track, 'The Essential', being 18 minutes long! Mark plays most of the instruments himself. Boon supplies the lyrics, and Mike plays on it as well. I never had a problem with the sound on 'Standing In The Light', it will be interesting to give it a spin after all the comments. I do remember a similiar thread about the 'Staring At The Sun' album. Hmmm, maybe it has something to do with level 42 albums that start with 'S' ? ------------------------------ Subject: FN and Influences From: DonZipf @ aol.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 14:44:15 -0400 (EDT) Hey Carlene, from a fellow Southern American Level 42 fan! Yestidy, you wrote... > Here in Georgia only a few 1 or 2 cd's of Level 42 are found at the music > stores. I've looked for "Forever Now," since reading here it even existed. > For so long I could not find anything on L42 until now on-line. I finally > found a store that will order this CD for me. Is it good? Enjoy reading > all of your comments, although you all seem to know so much more than I > on this wonderful group. Saw them in ' 87 as opening act for Tina Turner > here in Augusta, Georgia. I wanted so much to see them again, but info > on them was scarce. Can anyone tell me if Mark King did a solo album & > the best place to find it? Is it good? Yes, Forever Now is excellent! One of their best, but be aware...there are three different versions: UK(RCA), Japan(RCA), and US(Resurgence). I have the Japanese and Resurgence versions, and much prefer the Japanese as an overall album, but I also like the added songs of the Resurgence. I've never seen or heard the UK, so perhaps someone else can advise there, but I think it has a couple less songs. The new Resurgence version should be available at a wrecka stow near you. Also, Mark King's solo album, Influences, is a must-have for a serious L42 collector, but everyone may not like it well enough to justify the high price you'll pay to get your hands on one here in the US. Killer instrumentals, a cover of "I Feel Free," Mark plays drums and guitar, etc. I recommended it! I'll e-mail a resource - Don Z. ------------------------------ Subject: L42 Windoze theme ideas(CD proj.) From: HEYBERT @ ix.netcom.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 14:17:30 -0500 (CDT) Levelheads- Check out this RUSH site for possible ideas for our CD project! www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/club/1400/theme.html Whoever (Lolita??) suggested Earth, Wind & Fire's Live CD....thanks, it's is excellent!!Gooooood jams. BERT ------------------------------ Subject: Changes From: Chuck Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 21:35:49 +0000 Hey you (dream) crazy kids! (I say this with the utmost respect) I've been lurking for a little while, and I'm sure you've all been wondering where Tampachuck went again. (Yeah right) Well, there have been some changes in my life, and maybe a little sorrow. (Guess what I've been listening to a lot lately) For one thing, I dropped aol like a hot something or other, so my e-mail address has changed, as you can tell from the header. No more TAMPACHUCK. Secondly, I am off the market (singles, that is). I got engaged last weekend to the most beautiful woman in the world, both inside and out, IMO. Those are the good changes, now the sorrow. I probably won't be able to make it to Vegas in June. I was really looking forward to meeting all that are going to be there, and I might still be able to swing it, but chances are slim. Oh well, I'm sure there'll be another one in the future. Eric suggests that I organize a DisneyWorldLevelFest in the future. Not a bad idea, big daddy. Any fellow Floridians wanna help me out on that? Also, Matt Rice -- got the shirt the other day. One word -- KILLER. Thanks a million. In case I didn't already do this -- Loz, thanks for the biography. Where are you? While I'm in a thankful mood, Eric -- thanks. You know what for. {happy face with tear forming in my eye} <---- Is that a bracket? Here's my L42 content, so as not to piss off any remaining spirit of Joe P. -- I have The Early Tapes on vinyl. Is this valuable??? It is to me. Bye for now, B^} (The digester formerly known as Tampachuck) ------------------------------ Subject: argh... From: JennCyn @ aol.com Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 17:43:00 -0400 (EDT) hmm, so let me guess: Since the message I sent on the 30th didn't show up on the 1st, it will probably show up today (meaning tomorrow as of the time I wrote this). Either that, or this will show up on its own and you won't have the foggiest idea what I'm talking about... or this will also show up a day late. ? aah, the wonders of modern technology! Okay, to justify the follow up, here's my ObCon for the day: Found a copy of the A&M pressing of Standing in the Light w/different cover art a few days ago..... for a grand total of 99 cents. The same store also had a used copy of the Heaven in My Hands 12" single, but that had no price tag. Considering what a bargain the first one was, maybe that means it's free? ;) -- Jenn ------------------------------ Subject: AYGB disc waiting list From: Zaphod Beeblebrox Organization: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Date: Thu, 01 May 1997 20:16:12 -0500 Morning all! Here's the list of all the lucky folks who've gotten their AYGB stuff in on time! David Withers Bill Miller Kristen Lage John Brindley* Dean Cavill * Don Zipf Terry Primus * *- please get in touch with me Now, I should have all of these discs completed my Monday, and on their way to you. Sorry for all the delays, but my life's been a bit hectic the last couple weeks. Now, if anyone out there's interested in obtaining a copy of AYGB, drop me a note at zaphod @ iname.com, and I'll be happy to send you the info. **** Please note: I'll try to burn some extra discs, but I'm not gonna make any promises. If I get the extras done, I'll send those out on a first-come-first-served basis. Otherwise, this is the last batch of discs before June (and the P&P rush!). **** Later all! Zap ------------------------------ Subject: Hello to all Level HEADS! From: MLombardo9 @ aol.com Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 00:19:29 -0400 (EDT) I am a new subscriber to the Digest and am looking forward to learning more about one of my all time favorite bands, Level 42. In the way of an introduction, I should tell you that I am a computer programmer by day and have been playing the saxophone around the Philadelphia area for almost 30 years. Music is definitely a passion in my life especially jazz, funk and R&B. I have been enjoying Level 42's music for several years now but I never saw them perform live until a bass player I met at a recording session about a year ago, made a video tape of their Guaranteed Live concert from his laser disc. I was amazed by their performance and actually have worn out the tape and I've been looking everywhere on the internet to get a copy of this laser disc. (It must be out of print because no one knows anything about it, not even the mail order laser disc outlets on the internet.) As with all truly talented musicians, the band turns up the energy level .... well 42 notches at live performances and I can't believe a man can sing lead while playing the bass like that! Mark King is absolutely amazing! Of course the other players aren't exactly wimps either! Again I am looking forward to chatting about this superb band and their music. Mike Lombardo P.S. If anyone has any ideas where I can get the above mentioned laser disc, please let me know. ------------------------------ Subject: Adding fuel to the fire From: ebender Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 02:32:34 -0500 Hey all you Levelheads! I've been a subscriber for about a month now, but this is my first posting. I must say that I am pleased with the amount of information that one can learn from reading this digest. The reason I'm writing is to add fuel to the Bass Player magazine fire. I find it interesting that the folks at Bass Player would find it appropriate to include the Violent Femmes premiere album(self-entitled), while overlooking all of Mark King's work with Level 42. The Femmes album was a "staffer's" pick, and the reason given was that Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie's use of the acoustic bass guitar was a milestone in that instrument's development. I'm sorry, but speaking as a professional bass player, Ritchie just isn't that good. Do the songs on the album have catchy lyrics? Yes. Are the musical "hooks" pretty good? Yes. Should Ritchie's name mentioned in the same sentence as Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, and Jaco Pastorius? NO. Is it illogical not to mention a bassist who continues on in the tradition of these legendary bassists? I certainly think so! I think Kdog was right, letters to the editor are most definitely in order. Ethan Bender ebender @ execpc.com