From: Level42-request @ worldmachine.com (Level42 Digest) Subject: Level42 Digest V98 #17 _ ____ _ ____ _ _ ___ // //__ // / //__ // /__// __// //__ //__ \\_/ //__ //__ // /__ D I G E S T Level42 Digest Volume 98 : Issue 17 546 subscribers Today's topics: tunes! Phil Thomas Phil Gould Brad Byers Re: LevelBest Chris Staunton Forever Now 98 Juan Jose Piffaretti Doin' it the The Chinese Way... Chris Staunton Calling all LA Bassists Lolitaj Phil article lo.larsson Level Best problem Richard N. Herren Phil's feel Marc_Dupuis If anyone is interested... Lolitaj The Sunday LevelCHAT Jeff Grous Bad Songs! & Phil A Hankinson more freebies at LLLF2 dirk.vael Re: Goulds departure Robin E. Walton Shawn C & least faves winston.walker Fait Accompli - video - ice - hats EMIKATIE Re: Level42 Digest V98 #16 Erik Terheggen Re: Level42 Digest V98 #16 MGthatsMe phils drumming jmahoney ------------------------------ Subject: tunes! From: Phil Thomas Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 12:27:38 +0000 (GMT) Hi there everyone. I'm a bit concerned at the songs that have been lambasted here recently. I know it's all personal and my least favourites will probably cause a substantial amount of offence but here are some of the tunes mentioned that I'm willing to stick up for... You can't blame Louis, Silence, The Ape, Set Me Up and most of all Gresham Blues. This last tune has got incredible effects. It's too difficult for me to explain but please believe I'm not completely potty - Anyone else agree? Try listening to it on a walkman when you're on a bus or walking slowly through a crowded station or shop. I hope you'll find out what I mean. I was very interested in reading comments on the lyrics of Don't Bother Me - anyone else know anything about the story behind them? Oh, yes... Incognito. JazzFunk is an awesome ablum, possibly a little cheesy in places but in general an impeccable groove. 100 deg & rising is good too with some great bass playing on a lovely instrumental track at the end (can't remember the name). I'd like to make a little recommendation finally. I remember somebody saying something about the excellence of the sparse groove feel to Billy's Gone. For an album full of similar sorts of grooves, catchy bass lines and beautiful singing check out Imaginary Man by Izit released a couple of years ago on Tongue&Groove. Oops, almost forgot, my least faves. Hope they promote some discussion but not too much anger... Romance, Her Big Day, Over There, Fashion Fever (only sometimes) and Eyes Waterfalling - despite a nice build up on the original album version. And I have to agree with The Chinese Way although the version at the end of Guaranteed Live is better. ---------------------- Phil Thomas pjt195 @ soton.ac.uk ------------------------------ Subject: Phil Gould From: bb007 @ webtv.net (Brad Byers) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 05:07:49 -0800 Phil was not the first to play left-handed hi-hat...Billy Cobham among others had been doing it for years. Winston; hope you don't mind me giving the chair to Carl, I felt he really deserved it. Besides, it was an early wedding present! I was honored to be the first human being to know about their wedding plans. later, Brad in Vegas GO BRONCOS!!! (take the 12 points) ------------------------------ Subject: Re: LevelBest From: Chris Staunton Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 08:40:43 -0500 Brian wrote: > LevelBest, to me, was designed for the person who might have heard a > couple of Level 42 songs but really was never exposed to them beyond > Something About You and Lessons in Love, etc. It's the Reader's Digest > concept. Exactly! Strangely enough, Level Best was the first Level 42 CD I ever heard/bought, and it was on the _strengths_ of that CD (it is fast paced, has many of their hits, and is stuffed with songs...) that I got my next Level 42 CD, Guaranteed. I know, I know, but I liked that one a lot too (bought it primarily because it was on sale, and had different songs than Level Best) and then the buying spree began! So as far as a concept for a "Reader's Digest" of L42, I say, BRAVO! ------------------------------- Chris Staunton chriss @ pcsupplies.com ...gotta get back to BASSics... ------------------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: Forever Now 98 From: Juan Jose Piffaretti Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 10:53:57 -0300 (PST) Hello everybody !!! Some weeks ago I sended to Eric Hansen my version for the covers of a suposed re-issue of "Forever Now" by RCA/BMG. Eric has created a HTML page on the Digest home page that includes this covers, plus the one for the forthcoming "Forever Now Live at Royal Albert Hall". Check it out at : http://www.worldmachine.com/level42/fn98.html Comments are welcome !!! Best Regards Juanjo ------------------------------ Subject: Doin' it the The Chinese Way... From: Chris Staunton Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 09:12:15 -0500 > The Chinese Way (Extended)-I don't love the song, but it's like a > beautiful symphony next to the nasty remix! Eeeek! You must not be a Bass Player... > On the subject of the Chinese way; friends, you brake my heart. Especially > the live versions of the Chinese Way are great and really full of energy. > It is one of my fav. songs to play along on the bass. Ok, I was trying not to post twice in the same Digest, but it's my fav. too, and here's why. I am a fingerstyle funk fan (anyone not familiar w/this term go pick up any Tower of Power CD...) and Chinese Way is chock full of it, not to mention great usage of harmonics and chords (all on bass of course). Throw in the super little fast run just before the pre-chorus, and you have a winner! When I learned this song I played it a few too many times in a row, and got really cool blisters on my fingers from leaning into the verse part too hard! I highly recommend this song for a combination of really cool techniques, and a great groove. :^) ------------------------------- Chris Staunton chriss @ pcsupplies.com ...gotta get back to BASSics... ------------------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: Calling all LA Bassists From: Lolitaj Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 09:13:46 EST I received a flyer in the mail for a sort of conference that the LA Bass Exchange is having (even though I live in NY - go figure) and I think its next Saturday. Alain Caron, Brian Bromberg and others are going to be there, and I think the flyer said it was all afternoon. Anyone who lives in the LA area who is interested should give them a call. Lolita ------------------------------ Subject: Phil article From: lo.larsson @ zeiss.se Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 15:46:59 +0100 I probably won't be the only one stating this but here goes: The Modern Drummer interview with Phil is at: http://kumo.swcp.com/synth/level42/articles/88-phil.html BTW reading that again he comes across as such a nice guy. Although I've never met them offstage in person I have the feeling that they are all very nice. (I suspect Mark can take some getting used to, but generally OK) Lars-Ove L. ------------------------------ Subject: Level Best problem From: "Richard N. Herren" Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 10:28:15 -0500 Aside from the tempo changes, does anyone else notice an annoying effect the pitch correction has on the vocals? Seems to amplify the flaws in their voices rather than hide them... -r ------------------------------ Subject: Phil's feel From: Marc_Dupuis @ MADISONUSA.CCMAIL.compuserve.com Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 11:35:21 -0500 >Subject: Hat work. >From: DonZipf >> Having just viewed Live at Wembley, I was amazed by Phil's >> drumming style. Being a drummer myself, I found it very interesting >> to watch PG hit the hi-hat with his left hand and the snare with his >> right. And then he would cross over on other tunes! >awkward for him, he forced himself to play it the way Phil did, and voila! >It was grooving like it should! This is why Gary, an otherwise impeccable >drummer, just couldn't make that song (and a few others) work. I disagree with this assessment - both Phil and Gary are ambidextrious players. The fact that Gary's feel is different than Phil's is not really a function of which hand he uses to lead with. It's just that they have different styles and a different feel to their playing. What is really interesting is to compare LAW with Guaranteed Live and watch which tunes Gary uses left hand lead vs. the tunes Phil chooses left hand lead. Phil DOES use his left vs. right depending on the feel he wants, where Gary intentionly changes hands (and his entire kit layout) from time-to-time just to prevent himself from settling into a habitual way of playing. There are excellent interviews in Modern Drummer for both drummers where they talk about this, if anyone is interested they are available as back issues from MD. -Marc ------------------------------ Subject: If anyone is interested... From: Lolitaj Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 12:25:43 EST Those of you in the NY/NJ area, on February 13th there will be a concert at the Beacon Theatre with Joe Sample, Candy Dulfer and Jonathan Butler. I figured I'd pass it along. Lolita ------------------------------ Subject: The Sunday LevelCHAT From: Jeff Grous Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 10:00:54 -0800 Hi, everybody! I was gonna encourage everyone to be in the Level42 chat channel on Sunday, but I just realized that this is Super Bowl Sunday, so... See ya NEXT Sunday! -Jeff ------------------------------ Subject: Bad Songs! & Phil From: A Hankinson Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 15:38:11 -0000 Hi everyone, I was reading the last few digests and had a thought. Surely you guys don't hate certain songs. I go through fazes of loving one song and then finding it boring or iritating the following day. (I do tend to skip all of the songs that were released as singles!) Therefore I ask this question..... If you listed your least favourite songs next month, would they read the same as the lists on the previous digests? All the best Adam P.S. Phil Gould One of the best drummers ever to paradiddle this planet! P.P.S. See you in the #Level42 chat room on Sunday......Don't be late ;-) ------------------------------ Subject: more freebies at LLLF2 From: "dirk.vael" Date: 23 Jan 98 17:38:16 Just to say to the LLLF2 guys I will swing in another freebie, this time a midsized poster of Alembic feat MK and his big smile :-) Thanks to Takeo for the original, but since I have no place to hang it up, I guess a Levelhead can do more with it then me leaving it in the dust... Dirk ps: thanks to those for the private Clinton/Hawaii/Tea mails :-) ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Goulds departure From: "Robin E. Walton" Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 14:54:39 -0500 Paul F writes: > In a NJ newspaper that I read at the time of the break up claimed that > the brothers were leaving "because of the stress and nervousness of > touring..." That's the same reason why XTC never tours.. They are too > intimidated and nervous (at least Andy Partridge). I'm not sure about > friction since Boon contributed to the writing of "Staring At The Sun" > and Phil returned for "Forever Now". Then again..... Close to what I heard, Paul. I followed the subject closely and from what I could put together from the various sources that said anything locally, Boon left first due to stress-induced bleeding ulcers. Less than a month later--again, don't remember exact sources but various newspapers/magazines--Phil apparently collapsed from "nervous exhaustion" after a show in Houston and was briefly hospitalised, and decided enough was enough. He apparently never liked the pressures of touring, and the added factor of his brother no longer being there for "support"...Although another interview I read stated that Phil had planned to leave at the end of the '87 tour anyway; his ill health just moved the date up. --Robin ------------------------------ Subject: Shawn C & least faves From: winston.walker @ wathneltd.com Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 16:33:54 -0500 Sorry for a Matt, thanks so much for making that Shawn Colvin track available I downloaded it from your server this morning, and have only listened to it about 20 times so far=2E :-) Needless to say, I'll try and pick that disc up this weekend, as well as another album by her=2E Did anyo= ne catch her performance on Dick Clarks New Years Rocking' Eve? I was housebound for the new years, so i spent it watching the tube Now, on to the least fave songs of albums=2E=2E=2EI don't actually hav= e any level 42 CD's with me at work today, but off the top of my head I can quickly think of 'Billy's Gone'=2E It would rank up there on my list=2E It's okay, I don't purposely skip it, but i don't walk around the house singing it, that's for sure=2E No other's come to mind at th= e moment Tcoy, Winston ------------------------------ Subject: Fait Accompli - video - ice - hats From: EMIKATIE Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 17:45:56 EST Has anyone determined if the songs on Fait Accompli are different from the versions contained on the CD's ? Secondly, what's this talk of music videos from Forever Now? I need to know !!! Thirdly, for any members living in the Northeast that got hammered by the recent ice storms/floods - my heart goes out to you. Lastly, finally, a decent hat update !! :-) The machine stops. John ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Level42 Digest V98 #16 From: Erik Terheggen Date: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 01:18:04 +0100 Henri wrote: >Yep, it sure is. I like the intro jammin' of Mark and Phil at the begin of >"Wings of love" very much. Phil starts with a disco bassdrum. Than gettin' on >a faster snaredrumming. Mark comes in a sneaky way in, and the jam is there. >Good timin' and fast groovin'. That's the way (ahu, ahu), i like it (K.C.). >What do you think of the synchronic percussion break at the middle of that >song? Henri, Are you sure it was Wings of Love ? This song is not on my recording. I think though we are talking about the same concert, recorded for TROS Soulshow. I think you referred to Sandstorm (a song from the Early Tapes record). I checked it out and I agree totally with you, Phil's drumming is smashing ! De groeten, Erik T. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Level42 Digest V98 #16 From: MGthatsMe Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 19:32:17 EST I think Gerham Blues is one of the best tracks on the album. It shows their versatility. In fact I think the music is hypnotic. A brother of mine listen to that -- he's a heavy metal rocker mind you -- and loved that track. In fact after listening to that, he fell in love with the band. Everyone that has listened to that CD say that is a cool piece. I think that people don't know Level 42's instrumental talent. What is your favorite instrumental by them? ------------------------------ Subject: phils drumming From: "jmahoney" Date: Sat, 24 Jan 1998 19:54:47 +1100 hello everybody i have to agree with Z from the last digest about phils left handed drumming style. i'm no drumming but i can see the difference. i can't think of any other drummer i have payed so much attention to than phil. his work on its over and lying still is sensational. also have a look at leaving me know from the wembley video. during mikes piano outro phil is doing some great things back there. beyond level 42s great sound and lyrics and marks voice and bass playing and everything else phils solid yet delicate drumming has been another ingredient that make me love this band. an impeccable groove cheers from (a stormy) sydney jeff