Level 42 Digest for Monday, October 27, 2003

I never understood why they didn't just released the UK version with

Hot water and The chant as bonus tracks. Fits easely and if they wanted

to include those tracks this would have been the best way. But no, "We

at the recordcompagny know what the public wants. We know best."

I never heard of Dream Crazy until I joined this digest in 2000, which I've said before is a sad reflection on the marketing of the band abroad.

In that era, I spent a lot of time searching all over Toronto for every Level 42 recording I could find. Finding out 15 years later there was another song from that album was disappointing. Similarly, these others were new to me: Forty Two, Beezer One, Foundation & Empire (knew it from the live album only), Can't Walk You Home and The Return Of The Handsome Rugged Man. These are a lot of great tracks to not be aware of given how passionate I was about Level 42 music.

I bought TET, L42, POA, SITL, TC, WM, APP and RITF all as they were released here in Canada. I believe they are all imports, except for SITL and RITF.

Anyway, when I discovered there were two WM album versions I asked the digest, but am still confused. In November 1985, I bought World Machine on import vinyl. The sleeve and label says Polydor London, POLH 25.

It's Not The Same For Us

What version do I have? By the sounds of it, I have neither the U.K. or U.S. version.

And I'm still wondering if my A&M version of SITL is a rarity.

P.S. I am a Porschephile and must say that I was rather impressed that Ms. Apple not only referenced the 4S, but specified that it is a wide body; a woman after my own heart.

<DonZipf @ aol.com> wrote:

>I imagine that you feel that way mostly because the US version is the one you became familiar with first, so it's >burned into your brain. Too bad there isn't a way to erase bad brain patterns like that. :o)

>I think Polydor blew it, mucking with the track list and substituting the True Colours songs. To my ears, True >Colours and World Machine are such stylistically disparate works, the transplanted tracks sound out-of->place. The original UK version of World Machine, to me, is one of the great pop albums of all time, absolutely >perfect as it is. Of course, I must admit that I (by stroke of luck) bought the UK version first, so it's the one that >got burned-in.

They most definitely are disparate works, and based on what everyone else wrote, there seems to be a lot of head scratching as to why the tracklist was changed (especially with the inclusion of 'The Chant'). That's record companies for you...

<winman42 @ comcast.net> wrote:

>Chris..the decision to edit the WM album was done by the record company, who saw this LP as way to break >the boys in the states. In particular it was that guy Frank in marketing.

If I remember my band history correctly, wasn't the change in style in part due to a desire to break out in the States?

>Who actually picked the tracks is beyond me, but rumours point to Sally…picking The Chant, a song that >wasn't a hit in the UK still bothers her. ;-)

Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing an in-joke here?

<djames @ serv.net> wrote:

>I on the other hand heard the US version first having borrowed it on vinyl. I listened to it for quite a few months >until I picked up the import DVD on a trip to Washington, DC back in '86. As a bit of a side-note, I picked this >up being quite ignorant to the fact that it was not the domestic release and frankly, even at the peak of Level >42's popularity in the states, I saw tons of the import and the so-called US release only twice. So much for >Polydor's brilliant promotional effort...

>Anyway, despite knowing the US version first, I much prefer the UK version. That might have something to do >with the fact that I think "The Chant" blows chunks however :)

I also remember the UK version being readily available on CD and not seeing the US version for at least a full year after I had picked up the original. My friends and I used to take these trips down to a Lechmere's store in Poughkeepsie and spend WAY to much money on CDs, but that's another story...

So you and this Sally person are big advocates of "The Chant"??

<Stephen.Whyte @ lpc.tv>

>Coincidentally enough, I picked up the US version of the cd for only Ł2 in a shop in Soho the other week.

Based on what others have said about the US version, that sounds like all they could get for it. I have both, and in all likelihood will keep the US version for sake of completeness. I do have to say though that it's not that much of a stretch to see "Hot Water" fitting in with WM, maybe because of the way the song was tinkered with and the inclusion of the horns section in the beginning. Unless the version included on the US WORLD MACHINE is one of the 12" versions?

Later,

Chris L.

1. World machine
From:	Ronald Kuipers <rkuipers1 @ chello.nl>
Date:	Sun, 26 Oct 2003 11:31:53 +0100	[top]
I never understood why they didn't just released the UK version with Hot water and The chant as bonus tracks. Fits easely and if they wanted to include those tracks this would have been the best way. But no, "We at the recordcompagny know what the public wants. We know best." Yeah right. :-D Ronald

2. World Machine Versions
From:	Colin Gupta <thegoop @ sympatico.ca>
Date:	Sun, 26 Oct 2003 07:30:52 -0600	[top]
Howdy I never heard of Dream Crazy until I joined this digest in 2000, which I've said before is a sad reflection on the marketing of the band abroad. In that era, I spent a lot of time searching all over Toronto for every Level 42 recording I could find. Finding out 15 years later there was another song from that album was disappointing. Similarly, these others were new to me: Forty Two, Beezer One, Foundation & Empire (knew it from the live album only), Can't Walk You Home and The Return Of The Handsome Rugged Man. These are a lot of great tracks to not be aware of given how passionate I was about Level 42 music. I bought TET, L42, POA, SITL, TC, WM, APP and RITF all as they were released here in Canada. I believe they are all imports, except for SITL and RITF. Anyway, when I discovered there were two WM album versions I asked the digest, but am still confused. In November 1985, I bought World Machine on import vinyl. The sleeve and label says Polydor London, POLH 25. Side 1 World Machine Physical Presence Something About You Leaving Me Now Side 2 I Sleep On My Heart It's Not The Same For Us Good Man In A Storm Coup D'Etat Lying Still What version do I have? By the sounds of it, I have neither the U.K. or U.S. version. And I'm still wondering if my A&M version of SITL is a rarity. Colin P.S. I am a Porschephile and must say that I was rather impressed that Ms. Apple not only referenced the 4S, but specified that it is a wide body; a woman after my own heart.

3. World Machine
From:	Nathania Apple <n @ nathaniaapple.com>
Date:	Sun, 26 Oct 2003 08:50:10 -0800	[top]
I, like Dan, first owned the US version of World Machine and then bought the import version. The US WM never goes into the CD player. The UK version is so much more dynamic and “I Sleep On My Heart” is one of my favorite L42 tunes. I also concur with Dan’s evaluation of “The Chant Has Begun”. While I agree with the sentiment, the song does nothing much for me – and the video even less... N

4. Discography question #5
From:	Chris Lawless <lawford42 @ juno.com>
Date:	Sun, 26 Oct 2003 17:22:16 -0500	[top]
I know that when RITF and SATS were first released on CD, there were "bonus" tracks (Freedom Someday and Gresham Blues, respectively) not found on the LP or cassette that were included to entice people to buy the CD format (hard to imagine there was a time when CDs were the underdog). However, when I picked up my CD copy of TRUE COLOURS (the 1986 US reissue), the sticker on it says something about a bonus track called "My Hero". Having owned all the 1986 reissues on cassette, I had never heard of this particular tracks, but it didn't seem to be a case where an extra song was recorded (Freedom Someday, Gresham Blues) for inclusion on CD only (and I'm making an assumption that these two songs were specifically recorded for the CD versions, so someone correct me if I'm wrong). So my question is where did this track come from, and did any of the original UK releases of TC include it? Looking back, it seems possible that Polydor here in the States were trying to giving people reasons to buy the CD version of the back catalog: extended mixes of three songs on the first album, two (albeit bad) remixes on TPOA, and the inclusion of 'My Hero' on TC. Odd though that there was nothing extra on the SITL CD. Anyone have any thoughts? Also, were there ever LP or cassette version of RITF or SATS that in fact included "Freedom Someday" or "Gresham Blues"? Later, Chris L. ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

5. responses to WM responses
From:	Chris Lawless <lawford42 @ juno.com>
Date:	Sun, 26 Oct 2003 17:06:31 -0500	[top]
<DonZipf @ aol.com> wrote: >I imagine that you feel that way mostly because the US version is the one you became familiar with first, so it's >burned into your brain. Too bad there isn't a way to erase bad brain patterns like that. :o) >I think Polydor blew it, mucking with the track list and substituting the *True Colours* songs. To my ears, *True >Colours* and *World Machine* are such stylistically disparate works, the transplanted tracks sound out-of->place. The original UK version of World Machine, to me, is one of the great pop albums of all time, absolutely >perfect as it is. Of course, I must admit that I (by stroke of luck) bought the UK version first, so it's the one that >got burned-in. They most definitely are disparate works, and based on what everyone else wrote, there seems to be a lot of head scratching as to why the tracklist was changed (especially with the inclusion of 'The Chant'). That's record companies for you... <winman42 @ comcast.net> wrote: >Chris..the decision to edit the WM album was done by the record company, who saw this LP as way to break >the boys in the states. In particular it was that guy Frank in marketing. If I remember my band history correctly, wasn't the change in style in part due to a desire to break out in the States? >Who actually picked the tracks is beyond me, but rumours point to Sally…picking The Chant, a song that >wasn't a hit in the UK still bothers her. ;-) Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing an in-joke here? <djames @ serv.net> wrote: >I on the other hand heard the US version first having borrowed it on vinyl. I listened to it for quite a few months >until I picked up the import DVD on a trip to Washington, DC back in '86. As a bit of a side-note, I picked this >up being quite ignorant to the fact that it was not the domestic release and frankly, even at the peak of Level >42's popularity in the states, I saw tons of the import and the so-called US release only twice. So much for >Polydor's brilliant promotional effort... >Anyway, despite knowing the US version first, I much prefer the UK version. That might have *something* to do >with the fact that I think "The Chant" blows chunks however :) I also remember the UK version being readily available on CD and not seeing the US version for at least a full year after I had picked up the original. My friends and I used to take these trips down to a Lechmere's store in Poughkeepsie and spend WAY to much money on CDs, but that's another story... So you and this Sally person are big advocates of "The Chant"?? <Stephen.Whyte @ lpc.tv> >Coincidentally enough, I picked up the US version of the cd for only Ł2 in a shop in Soho the other week. Based on what others have said about the US version, that sounds like all they could get for it. I have both, and in all likelihood will keep the US version for sake of completeness. I do have to say though that it's not that much of a stretch to see "Hot Water" fitting in with WM, maybe because of the way the song was tinkered with and the inclusion of the horns section in the beginning. Unless the version included on the US WORLD MACHINE is one of the 12" versions? Later, Chris L.

6. one more thing...
From:	Chris Lawless <lawford42 @ juno.com>
Date:	Mon, 27 Oct 2003 00:52:41 -0500	[top]
Forgot to include this in my Discography question #5 post- For what it's worth, the remastered versions of TC, RITF, and SATS all include the bonus tracks I mentioned, but the liner notes make no special mention of them other than the writing & publishing credits. Whether or not this is indicative of what tracks the albums were supposed to originally include before record label tampering, I have no idea. Can anyone clarify? Later, Chris L. ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

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