From: Level42-request @ worldmachine.com (Level42 Digest) Subject: Level42 Digest V98 #69 _ ____ _ ____ _ _ ___ // //__ // / //__ // /__// __// //__ //__ \\_/ //__ //__ // /__ D I G E S T Level42 Digest Volume 98 : Issue 69 561 subscribers Today's topics: Re cover bands Bill Miller Danger! Danger Will Robinson! Chris Staunton Clarification Brad Dietz Good Man Apaaaaaaaaart / love you bass? Bilal42 LA Levelfest Saturday! :) Zak Nilsson CD Long Box Search... Scott Dawson To Be With You Again MIDI file!!! Charl Mocke ------------------------------ Subject: Re cover bands From: bmiller @ abbeywood.com (Bill Miller) Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 11:43:39 GMT Levelheads Level 42 cover bands in Singapore ??? They must have heard about Level 43 who are alive and well in London, having had six practices, sounding tighter by the day and with 2 more practices lined up on the 22nd March and the 5th April !!! We need a good Mike Lindup voice alike as well, any digesters interested ??? By the way I haven't heard about a UK Levelfest recently, I would be more than happy to help but I can't give it too much time because of a general lack of it !!! If we are going to do a Levelfest we need quite a few people to help co-ordinate it. Anybody care to help ?? Bill Miller ------------------------------ Subject: Danger! Danger Will Robinson! From: Chris Staunton Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 09:38:49 -0500 Greg Jamate wrote: > It is also headless, and hangs so comfortably from my > strap. The chance of whomping a drummer's cymbal or > an egotistic guitarist (OK, these guys are sometimes > intentionally whomped) in tight rehearsal space is reduced. You just reminded me of one of my funniest/least funny moments on stage! I was playing (bass) at an outdoor festival at Penn State, and my whole band was pretty pumped up. So there I was minding my own business, groovin' away on the bass, when the lead guitarist decides he just can't contain his enthusiasm and starts spinning like a top across the stage. Unfortunately his course intersected that comfy little spot me and my bass we're currently occupying, and I got a headstock right in the face (about 4 mm from my right eye actually). I had no idea what had hit me, but some part of my brain screamed "KEEP PLAYING" while the rest just focused on keeping me upright until the song was over. I thank God for two things. One, the guitarist is a rather anal fellow and clips the sharp ends off of all his strings. Two, I'm glad he didn't hit my beloved Warwick bass instead, because then I would have had to kill him. So yes, watch out for the egotistical guitarists, 'cause they might be targeting you, instead of the other way around! > It's tone is not as interesting as the Alembic's, but the fun > playing it outweighs what it lacks in tone. It is most > certainly my main bass. I hardly pick up the Alembic > anymore. I tried to pick up an Alembic once. Hurt my back... ;^) ------------------------------- Chris Staunton chriss @ pcsupplies.com ...gotta get back to BASSics... ------------------------------- ------------------------------ Subject: Clarification From: Brad Dietz Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 18:38:16 -0500 Hello Levelfolks, Clarification- I really do like the early eighties jazz fusion-y sound and style. I just don't see it as fitting with the majority of "Lying Still" which to me, is still one of the most modern sounding Level songs from the eighties, and has some of the best production I've heard from anyone- bar none. At 2:50, The Keyboard sounds change, the drums totally change feel, etc, etc, etc... To me it's like going from sitting and resting to running instantly. Not natural. Another thing, now that I'm thinking about it, is the chords used in the "fusion-y" section starting at 2:50 up until the vocals at 3:11. I never have thought the chord progressions were natural. They sounded forced to me. Listen to Mike's "solo" here... to me, it sounds like he's trying to feel out the changes (hesitant) rather than having control and flowing over them like he normally does. Also, Boon doesn't play anything here (2:50-3:11). Of course, it wouldn't be a first for Boon not to play somewhere, but... All these things seem to add up to me that the "fusion-y" section was an afterthought to the formation of "Lying Still". Just my thoughts, anyways... In response to John's comment, the reason why I like Level 42's music is not that the instrumental breaks are a pop music abberation (and I like them too)- but simply they always bring to the table a musical insight that always goes beyond the scope of their contemporaries. They could (and do) take a I-IV-V progression and make it sound unique, and interesting to listen to and play. In lesser hands, the I-IV-V progression would just end up sounding like your standard MTV pop fare. That's the magic! Sorry about running off at the mouth... Take Care, Brad ------------------------------ Subject: Good Man Apaaaaaaaaart / love you bass? From: Bilal42 Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 19:03:21 EST OK friends, this is how the 'apaaaaaaart' line was done in 'a good man in a storm'. Mark King was in a Formula One Grand Prix car and drove up to the microphone at high speed while singing 'apaaaart' ....(who knows?). 2nd theory: Before the take, Mark's personal parts may have been secured in a vice. The vice was then slowly released while he was singing 'apaaart'. I think not. Either way, I am really really missing Level 42 these days, the world is being deprived of their genius! Next year is the 20th anniversary, we must pull together to try and get them to get together for a celebration. We will enjoy it, they will enjoy it. Anyone want to help this cause? Lets go for it! Come on, lets go for it! Incidentally, a while back someone asked about Mark King leaving straight after the last gig: Firstly, when he was too far from home, Mark and the band would spend a lot of time with the fans. When we once met them, a friend who did not know much about Level 42 once commented to me about how genuine and sincere they all were (patient too!). 2ndly, when Mark was within commuting distance from the Isle of Wight, he would rush home to be with his children asap. That means he would have to rush to get the last ferry to the Isle of Wight. (that way he could be home with the kids when they wake up) I'd rather have a hero who did that than one who got legless all the time! And the last show (Albert Hall)...it may have been too upsetting to hang around after that one. If only the rest of England bought their records like we did instead of buying 'Mr Blobby' and all the other rubbish that gets into the charts!!! Greg: when I said 'do you love your bass?', I was actually quoting a question which the band was asked by a rather nervous TV presenter at the Rockpalast gig in 84! Mr BILL MILLER, where are you??? Lets hear from you! Thank you everybody on the digest Bilal (Come Back Level 42!) ------------------------------ Subject: LA Levelfest Saturday! :) From: Zak Nilsson Date: Mon, 16 Mar 98 20:33:24 -0800 >With the upcoming L.A. Levelfest on the 21st, we might want to figure >out what's a good central meeting point. Virgin Megastore on Sunset sounds good to me. >meet around 3 or 4pm How about 3 PM? Sound good to everyone? And also, how does this sound: My wife Leslie has cleared me to announce that everybody's welcome to come over and hang out at my place. We have a pool, even though the water is only 63 degrees currently; we also have a large TV and a VCR! :) Sound good to everybody? Email me at xaqtly @ primenet.com, let me know what you think, and how many of you there are! :) Zak Nilsson Xaqtly Music http://www.primenet.com/~xaqtly "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines" ------------------------------ Subject: CD Long Box Search... From: Scott Dawson Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 00:55:56 -0500 I think I read that someone was looking for a cd long box from the Guaranteed cd, well I dug up one if anyone is still interested.....Please let me know......... Thanks, Scott ------------------------------ Subject: To Be With You Again MIDI file!!! From: "Charl Mocke" <9413693 @ narga.sun.ac.za> Organization: Stellenbosch University Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 09:09:24 +0200 Hi there Levelheadz... Yes, as the subject reads, the long-awaited MIDI file of To Be With You Again is finally finished! Although I was very ill the weekend (serious case of flu) I managed to finish writing the bugger through all the sneezing, snot and tissues. It sounds quite good on my keyboard, but it all depends through what you listen it through. I also wrote a Guaranteed MIDI file some time ago. Anyone interested in having one/both of these two MID's, mail me and I'll send you a copy(ies). It's not very big, only about 64k, so your mail server shouldn't screw up. (BTW, the file WON'T contain a flu virus! hehhehe) Well, next up is: Freedom Someday.Mid Love In A Peaceful World.Mid Who Wants To Live Forever.Mid (not L42 but one of my all-time favourites!!) Hazard.Mid (Richard Marx) Thanks for the news on Mark and his album. I look forward to hearing it! Bye for now, Charl 101010 Mnr Charl Mocke ============ University of Stellenbosch South Africa Home tel.: +27 21 854 8005 E-mail: 9413693 @ narga.sun.ac.za Mugshot: http://fudd.ard.sun.ac.za/surfer.jpg University Home Page: http://www.sun.ac.za/