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Friday, June 20, 2003 |
Welcome to the Level 42 Digest! Founded in 1993, this is a community of 570 fans of the band Level 42 and its music. The community interacts here via email, through many related web sites, and at periodic "Levelfest" gatherings held around the world. All subscribers are encouraged to participate and contribute new dialogue about their common interests. Sponsored by SiteSpect - web conversion optimization, a/b testing, split-run testing and multifactor testing system. |
| Topics for Friday, June 20, 2003 1. re: New Album - Jonas Wilhelmsson 2. bands - Eric Johnson 3. "us" gains one more imbecile - jt 4. Sadly, the options are clear - Eric J. Hansen 5. AG?, The New Dan - Matt Rice 6. + WEB DIGEST SUMMARY - Level 42 Digest 7. + MARKETPLACE - Level 42 Digest |
| 1. re: New Album |
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| From: | Jonas Wilhelmsson <jonas.wilhelmsson @ drutt.com> |
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| Date: | Thu, 19 Jun 2003 13:19:44 +0200 |
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Pete wrote:
pete, sorry but steely dan is a band,
jonte | ||
| 2. bands |
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| From: | Eric Johnson <pgi1 @ frontpanels.com> |
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| Date: | Thu, 19 Jun 2003 09:26:24 -0400 |
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I think its good to discuss bands that have
influenced L42; after all there isn't that much going on with a band that hasn't
released new material for 9 years. I am sure Steely had an influence on our
heroes back in the 70's. How come we don't discuss other bands like Earth Wind
and Fire? I heard they have a new album- I don't know if its good or
not.
But if we cant discuss other bands lets just start
making up stuff on Level 42 for conversations sake. | ||
| 3. "us" gains one more imbecile |
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| From: | jt <jtraci @ yahoo.com> |
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| Date: | Thu, 19 Jun 2003 06:14:12 -0700 (PDT) |
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| -Anthony.Kay @ accaglobal.com > I think it is so sad that obviously the lives of > some people are so empty that the only thing > that they have to do in their spare time is spend > the evening writing a short novel about the > comments of other people. Hmmm, maybe. But is it sadder than thinking this, and then going ahead and doing the same godamn thing? With television references, no less? > They (or he) believes that he/they are better > than the rest of us You confuse the verbage of “belief” with “know”, but that’s ok. > AG is obviously someone who would love > to be an aspiring journalist but no one would > ever want to read his crap in the newspapers Fantastic assumptions, needless to say AG doesn’t need me to ‘defend’ him, but you really are showing what a complete moron you are here. >- maybe it's because he [AG] > doesn't wear the trousers at home !!!! Clearly you subscribe to his bizarre (but titillating) Live Webcam...not many would confess to that... > I'm sure that most of us are sick and tired > of reading the same old crap day after day Again with this “us” thing…you all must be very proud. > - why have so many people left this newsgroup > after all, and how come hardly anyone apart > from the "die hard" group of digesters ever > write on this newsgroup now. Or maybe they leave because there just aint much going on within the group? Prime example is that we have some very big news going on (the potential new album, that is), but we merely learn that the group’s Leader (sorry Loz) boxes out his friends/colleagues and offers no news on the matter(s) himself. He’s even not showing up after gigs for his fans, which he usually does quite often –kinda seems like an evasion of answering questions... Or maybe they leave (if indeed the even leave, per your ass-umption) because they couldn't compete/reply-to the lax discourse you offer forth? > I think I'll join the others and leave. Hold on a second, let me get the door for you...However, if your would like to stay, may I direct you to the little scrolling device that lets you easily bypass things that you do not like to read? It’s even easier than using the tele clicker, which you, seemingly, have mastered. - TPM1024 @ aol.com >Love the album BUT, it's only 42 minutes long. Maybe, um, they’re L42 fans? Continually astonished, j __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com | ||
| 4. Sadly, the options are clear |
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| From: | Eric J. Hansen <ehansen @ worldmachine.com> |
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| Date: | Thu, 19 Jun 2003 11:12:41 -0400 |
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Hey
folks:
if there's one thing
that will get me off my duff and post a message, its empty
criticism...
Anthony
wrote:
I think it is so
sad that obviously the lives of some people are so empty that the only thing
that they have to do in their spare time is spend the evening writing a
short novel about the comments of other people.....
Seems like the pot
is calling the kettle black.
Let me comment:
herein lies one of the fundamental problem of email... you don't get
the same nuances of in-person conversation. From what I read of the
regular contributions by the "usual suspects", there's mostly sarcasm and
friendly gibes. Even when there is debate and criticism, I find that it is
usually constructive. And hey, if you don't like their content, then
either don't read it or post something else that you want to talk about (this is
a 100% subscriber-driven discussion forum, after all.)
But, that's just my
opinion, and you're welcome to take it or leave it. The beauty of this
place is that its a free dialogue.
AG is obviously
someone who would love to be an aspiring journalist but no one would ever want
to read his crap in the newspapers - thank goodness we are saved from that at
least !! He just simply loves to hear the sound of his own voice - maybe it's
because he doesn't wear the trousers at home !!!!
Not sure how you
arrived at the trousers comments (although it may be true ;) but your statements
look suspiciously similar to unconstructive complaining. Perhaps, however,
you're just trying to engage the conversation, which would be fabulous. If
the latter is true, then I look forward to reading more of your [more
interesting] comments.
Analogy: if you read
the newspaper every day and eventually conclude that you don't like what's
written, you have two choices: write/publish an editorial, or stop
subscribing/reading. If you choose the former, you're making it a better
publication. If you choose the latter, it has no effect whatsoever on the
publication's content or readers. In this case, your act of
self-selection is both silent and fruitless.
I'm sure that
most of us are sick and tired of reading the same old crap day after day - why
have so many people left this newsgroup after all, and how come hardly anyone
apart from the "die hard" group of digesters ever write on this newsgroup now. I
think I'll join the others and leave. Maybe this time next year there will be
only three of you left to bore each other to death...
I'm not sure how you
arrived at the "most of us" sentiment, but I should note that when you see a big
drop in subscribers (like multiple people per day), that's usually me weeding
out all the bounced emails and removing subscriber addresses that are no longer
valid.
While I'm on the
tangent of subscriber numbers, let me pose the following serious question:
what's more important in a subscriber-supported forum like this.... the number
of subscribers or the amount/quality of the content?
The Digest is like a
room of folks who carry on discussions, and people come and go as they
please. If, after 10 years, you're only left with a small core of "regulars" who are doing the talking, is this a bad thing? Perhaps the
more important (and back on topic) question is "what is there really to talk
about, anyways?" And if days (weeks/months/years) go by without anything
super-interesting to discuss, what are you to do?
Whatever you do, my
friend, keep it real.
Which leads me to my
next, non-Anthony point, which is that I've enjoyed reading the commentary on
DAN. In my music collection, DAN is right up there with Level 42.
The fact that folks on the Digest have a diverse interest in music (and talk
about it) is one of the handful of ongoing interests that I have with this
forum.
Anyways, I've yapped
enough without actually having anything valuable to say.
cheers,
Eric
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| 5. AG?, The New Dan |
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| From: | Matt Rice <rice @ geog.ucsb.edu> |
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| Date: | Thu, 19 Jun 2003 13:46:56 -0700 |
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| > From: Kay Anthony > > AG is obviously someone who would love > to be an aspiring journalist but no one would > ever want to read his crap in the newspapers > - thank goodness we are saved from that at > least !! He just simply loves to hear the sound > of his own voice - maybe it's because he > doesn't wear the trousers at home !!!! Are you sure you are after the right person? I thought I knew where this post was going until you named AG. I can't speak to the trousers issue, but I find his posts damn funny and occasionally insightful. I don't mind a bit of commentary now and then in the digest, and I also don't really care for the anti-social overly negative tripe I sometimes read from other digesters, but if the digest doesn't suit you, change it by contributing a positive post. I really like to hear about Level 42, particularly songwriting and musicianship. I also like to hear about good music other people are listening too, and in that vain I don't really mind the Steely Dan thread this last week. No harm done. If it bothers you, hit the scroll bar a few times. > Colin Gupta: > > And I also agree with Don that all SD is musical mastery. Listen to Peg > or Home At Last for awesome bass, perhaps not "wizardry", but I think > so. To only identify one instrument though is well missing the entire > point. I remember the handlebar moustache guitarist from The Doobies > saying more important than speed was taste, something he felt was > lacking in the music of the day. Yes, this was my point. A single instrumental performance (drum or bass) is really not at all the point. You might as well go get one of Beaver Felton's bass videos, not Steely Dan. EMG contains masterful playing, but not the ostentatious kind that really sticks out. It all fits together very nicely and I'm not bothered at all that EMG lacks any over-the-top playing (Bill Charlap's fantastic solo on Lunch With Gina excepted). Becker's guitar doesn't really grab me, but his contributions as a songwriter and lyricist are superb. The late Ian Dury appropriately described Steely Dan's music as a 'well forged, inseparable alloy' of rock and jazz. Perhaps Level 42 deserves the same kind of description with an additional 'funk' ingredient. If a person approaches SD trying to dig out the bass or drums, they may miss the brilliant songwriting, evocative lyrics, and imagery. Someone will occasionally rip an unbelievable monster solo (particularly on tour), but generally it is just really tight, tasty, smooth playing with nothing hanging out. > Notwithstanding, EMG is brilliant. The song EMG is a modern SD classic > in every way. I love it. Tracks 2 & 6 also have classic SD components, > like, hmhm, superb intro's and finales. This is a great follow up to > 2AN. > . . . > What I find odd is that all you Dan Fans out there keep talking about > Aja, Gaucho Two Against Nature, The Nightfly, Kamakiriad, etc. There is > a lot of Steely Dan left over that gets no mention?!?! What about The > Royal Scam? Katy Lied? Countdown To Ecstasy? Pretzel Logic? Can't Buy A > Thrill? What is it like Aja marks the refined era or something? For me, my Steely Dan fandom started with Decade. Same story with Level 42. I cut my teeth on Running in the Family and worked backwards through the catalog. World Machine for me represents the climax of a fantastic progression from SITL to True Colors to World Machine. They are still my favorite three. Aja/Gaucho/Nightfly also represent a progression towards a pinnacle. Although, like you, I have a very difficult time picking something from the Steely Dan oeuvre that I really dislike, Aja/Gaucho/Nightfly represent something of a progression towards an end, or the culmination of a grand musical metamorphosis. The Nightfly, like World Machine, is markedly different from the previous two albums but has the same sophistication, great arrangements, and superb songwriting. Everything post-Nightfly (from Fagen, Becker, or SD) is in a completely different category for me. We will probably need to keep this in mind if Level 42 put out a new album. If we are still expecting a follow up to a previous album by the same 4, we will probably be disappointed. It will hopefully be something completely different that reflects what these guys have learned, heard, or experienced over the last decade. In my opinion, one thing that made Steely Dan's Aja so great was the contrast it made against the other music of the time, i.e., Arena Rock (Journey, Styx, Boston, Van Halen, etc.), Disco, or Punk. The only similarity between Aja and the music of the day was perhaps the incorporation of jazz instrumentation and arranging into mainstream popular music (see EW&F, Blood Sweat & Tears, early Chicago, etc. ). I'm not quite sure what to compare Steely Dan's EMG with (or an upcoming Level 42 album for that matter). I'm out of touch enough with popular music that I would not be able to see the beauty of the contrast. -- Matt Rice, Graduate Research Assistant National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis UCSB Department of Geography +1 805 893 8652 (phone) Santa Barbara, CA 93106 +1 805 893 8617 (fax) rice @ geog.ucsb.edu http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~rice | ||
| 6. + WEB DIGEST SUMMARY |
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| From: | Level 42 Digest <level42-admin @ worldmachine.com> |
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| Date: | Fri, 20 Jun 2003 04:30:09 -0400 |
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Don't miss a Level beat! The following is a list of messages posted to the Level 42 WEB Digest over the last day (not including off-topic and admin boards). Click on a heading to get the full content for any board or topic. Questions about this mailing list related service? Email us at level42-admin @ worldmachine . com. Have fun!
Author Summary 6 messages: Bassgirl 5 messages: Mrs Pink 4 messages: Sharmin H, SeeBass, Robbie 3 messages: Kansas City Milkman, Lisa_D, far0n 2 messages: des, Mike Linsell, Bjorn42, KBproto5, Feel the Width, MattJB 1 messages: humph42, Ronald, chrisderoo, Loz, Phil, Matt, stainsy29, Dan James, dgezza, Mondo, Thunder on a Yamaha RTC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7. + MARKETPLACE |
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| From: | Level 42 Digest <level42-admin @ worldmachine.com> |
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| Date: | Fri, 20 Jun 2003 04:47:53 -0400 |
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Welcome to the Level 42 Digest MARKETPLACE! Shopping for Level 42 items on the net? Let the Level 42 Digest be your sales associate! By scanning and publishing each day's sale items from various sources, the Level 42 Digest MARKETPLACE helps keep you tuned in to what's available. As always, if you have any suggestions for improvements or additional content, please email us at level42-admin @ worldmachine . com. Happy shopping! :)
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2 new -- 
