Nightfly, Stevie Wonder's last truly great album was Hotter Than July.  The lone exception was Jungle Fever soundtrack, and I have a theory as to why.  Stevie was still somewhat young and identified with non-establishment folks.  Once he was very wealthy and could indulge himself, he fell victim to what many other R&B and funk acts did: they tried to go mainstream [Lionel Ritchie, Cameo, Kool & the Gang, etc.] and he was never the same - he was able to take too long to make records.  The only reason Jungle Fever was so stellar is that Spike Lee gave him no time to make it - there was a tight deadline so he couldn't add all those strings and flourishes that [IMO] ruined everything he put out after 1991.

 

I feel the same way about a number of other acts - once they became fat and happy they lost their edge.  Billy Joel is the most glaring example to me: once he married Christy Brinkley, he was never the same...

 

Lolita

Check these notes out - which feature in the new "Collection" compilation CD :

 

 Level 42 are in sharp need of reappraisal. Firstly associated with white-sock soul boys and their Ford Cortinas and later with mum'n'dad respectability, the group's catalogue has been unfairly maligned. However, with the inclusion of Starchild on both cult DJ and remixer Francois K's Essential Mix and house legend King Britt's Influences albums at the turn of the 21st Century, the current dance cognoscenti are beginning to realise the unmistakable groove of Level 42's early recordings. It is easy to 

forget that the group, at present a footnote in memories of the 80s, chalked up an impressive run of 29 top 75 singles between 1980 and 1994. Level 42 always struggled with 'cool', being deemed far too un-hip and provincial by the snooty rock press. However, for many in the burgeoning 'Britfunk' movement in 1980/81, the band were seen as heroes. Mark King's Stanley Clarke-esque bass and keyboard player Mike Lindup's angelic voice made an irresistible combination. Add to this the guitar and drumming skills of Boon and Phil Gould and it is understandable to recognise why the band was feted in dance establishments across the country.

Founded on the Isle of Wight, their music proved an underground hit in the jazz- funk movement, which centred around Essex and the home counties at the turn of the 80s. Gaining a live reputation second to none grown men could be reduced to tears with oi' thunderthumbs bass style - the band began to develop a loyal fan base. The circulation of their early demo tapes (finally publicly released in 1982) and the early singles Love Meeting Love and On the Wings of Love resulted in the band signing to Polydor. Their
first new single Love Games, and the accompanying self- titled album in 1981 were nothing short of superb. The delicate Dune Tune from that album ends this CD; it perfectly demonstrates the deftness of their touch in comparison to the bass-heavy chugging of Love Games.

From their start in Britfunk, they began weaving commercial pop numbers into their albums, and as time progressed, a whole new audience listened in. Whereas the odd pop song had cropped up in earlier albums, the phenomenal success of Something About
You and Lessons in Love in the mid-80s facilitated a shift in both Level 42's market and their subsequent marketing. The band hit international stardom, with King - his thumbs now famously insured for huge sums of money - turning up at many prestigious events, including The Prince's Trust concerts; many of their original fans left them. Countless more came on board.

Their enormous success continued and all three of their 1987 singles (To Be With You Again and It's Over are included here)
made the UK Top 10. By turn of the 90s, the Gould brothers had left the act, and, although the bits kept earning, after the
relative failures of their Guaranteed and Forever Now albums, Lindup and King called it a day. However, with support from those with long memories, reappraising their fine catalogue, King recently reactivated the group for a triumphant return tour.

This collection brings together some of the finest Level 42 album and single cuts from the 1980s, including an incredible nine chart hits. Level 42 have spent their time in the cultural wilderness, and the time is more than ripe to listen to the tunes on this CD with fresh ears." 

 

 

Kansas City Milkman
rsmaybury @ tiscali.co.uk
http://website.lineone.net/~rsmaybury/