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Tuesday, February 18, 2003 |
Welcome to the Level 42 Digest! Founded in 1993, this is a community of 615 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 Tuesday, February 18, 2003 1 - Sitting Down - Cheryl Scribens 2 - Reading DVD - rob.a32 3 - Musings - BARUA Cliff -CORPSEC/C&EA 4 - More on Reading - Will Greer 5 - why concerts suck v.2 number 3 - jt 6 - Reading - Lawrence Humphries 7 - FN versions/concert seating - DonZipf @ aol.com 8 - How much longer will we have to wait? - Michael Payne 9 - Forever Now - Dave Mock 10 - Level 42 Digest MARKETPLACE for 2/18/2003 - Level 42 Digest MARKETPLACE |
| 1 - Sitting Down |
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| From: | Cheryl Scribens <Cheryl_Scribens @ warc.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 12:11:53 -0000 |
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| Morning All, I was at the Reading gig and I saw a couple of people who were up dancing being told by an usher to sit down or leave!!!??? Another little niggle - why is it only available on DVD? I'm a techno-phobe and only have a video. Very unfair of the powers that be to decide we all have DVD players! Bye for now Cheryl x | ||
| 2 - Reading DVD |
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| From: | rob.a32 <rob.a32 @ ntlworld.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 13:29:07 -0000 |
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>I hate being obliged to stand up, and I hate being >told how I
>should enjoy a concert, be it peer pressure from >fellow audience members to >stand up or the band cajoling me to clap or sing >along Yeah, go Andrew! Totally agree with you mate. So many people seem to forget
that those who sit down are not necessarily bored or fed up or unappreciative of
the band. Those who sit don't spoil the view/enjoyment of those who want
to stand - but those who stand sure as hell spoil the enjoyment of those
who WANT to sit!
Why not spilt the venue into front half seated and back half standing - then everyone's happy (maybe not cos' usually those who stand also want to rush
the front of the stage to show what huge fans they are. Me, me, me,
me, ME!!!! Of course it is the 'standers' who normally force the whole gig
to stand in order to see the band. I do know that some folks who stood early on
were given short shrift by the stewards and told to go to the back. Plus if Mark
was that bothered he's stage-savvy enought to have said something early on about
the 'lifeless' crowd - actually it was just an appreciative crowd!
I was at the Reading gig - happy that people chose mostly to sit - and so
some observations for you.
1. The camera crew up front and the swinging boom crane at the back were
inhibitive to people I think. Certainly at front of stage there were a number of
bodies with handheld cameras, mini camcorders and main TV-type cameras on
moveable stands and all in a very cramped space between stage and front row
seats.
2. The sound quality in the venue was absolute cr*p - could barely hear
Mark's bass cut thro' the mix at all most of the time. Level 42 minus the bass
line is not that inspiring to dance to ! (Unfortunately this typifies the band's
live sound these days, whcih continues to amaze me). Highlight of the evening
definitely Foundation & Empire - even I stood for that! | ||
| 3 - Musings |
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| From: | BARUA Cliff -CORPSEC/C&EA <cliff.barua @ opg.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 09:00:44 -0500 |
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| Just a few things that struck my fancy about our great trans-Atlantic list: Mathew Areford said: Go Spurs! Now, Mathew my good friend, to us North Americans I'm sure that you're referring to the delightful, seemingly unbeatable, San Antonio Spurs of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. But to our British friends, you are referring to the horrible Tottenhams managed by the despicable Glenda Hoddle (you're correct, I did not grow up in North London). Don Zipf advised: A word of caution to Americans ordering T-shirts from the UK...order at least one size larger than you normally would. Their sizes run considerably smaller than ours, including Mr. King's offerings. Great advice. But to respond to this would cause an incident bigger than the current Iraq debate. Let's just say that there aren't any all-you-can-eat "salad" bars at Sizzler in the UK. (I'm a big fan of the Sizzler "salad bar" wher you can get mashed potatoes, tacos, and many other "salad" items). But you are correct in stating that the sizes of most English people are considerably smaller than the sizes of most Americans. About Level 42, well I haven't seen the Mark King Band (or is it Level 42 mach 4??) or the Reading DVD, so I can't offer any sage comments on those. Actually, I did give Guaranteed another listen, and it's not _that_ bad (but it sure is a little forced). Cliff - Toronto -------------------------------------------------------------- THIS MESSAGE IS ONLY INTENDED FOR THE USE OF THE INTENDED RECIPIENT(S) AND MAY CONTAIN INFORMATION THAT IS PRIVILEGED, PROPRIETARY AND/OR CONFIDENTIAL. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, retransmission, dissemination, distribution, copying, conversion to hard copy or other use of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient and have received this message in error, please notify me by return e-mail and delete this message from your system. Ontario Power Generation Inc. | ||
| 4 - More on Reading |
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| From: | Will Greer <Will_Greer @ empowersolutions.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 07:28:58 -0700 |
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| <<<It's almost embarrassing watching it. I can't help thinking very few of the audience were "proper" fans, most of them just wanted Lessons in Love and were diappointed that it was a gig of semi-obscure album tracks rather than "hits".>>> Funny, the fact that the audience at Reading sits down the whole show never occurred to me. I’d say that in concerts where the primary reason to attend is musical appreciation, the audience would be seated the whole time. <<<Why are there two versions of Forever Now? And, while there are obviously different songs on the different albums, what are the differences between the different versions of the same songs? I have picked up some differences on "Billy's Gone," mainly at the beginning.>>> I think that two different record labels picked up the record at slightly different times – you can tell there was different influence behind the scenes from the varying track order and a couple of the mixes. The differences in Billy’s Gone are interesting to me. I find the mix to be superior on the RCA version (the one where Billy’s Gone is track 7), but the arrangement to be superior on the Resurgence version (Track 1). There are more lyrics on Resurgence, and a slightly more complex and appealing structure (IMO). It seems to me that the band may not have been completely satisfied with the track after the RCA cut, and so they took it back to the woodshed for a while before recording it again. -Will ======================= Will Greer Empower Solutions (404) 995-3822 www.empowersolutions.com ======================= | ||
| 5 - why concerts suck v.2 number 3 |
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| From: | jt <jtraci @ yahoo.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 07:49:03 -0800 (PST) |
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| > Just personal preferences, but you did ask. (AG) I second those preferences,and frankly never understood the whole getting up thing. Personally, I'm there to SEE a concert, and of course to hear. If I wanted to shake my ass, I would 1) do it where I wouldn't bother anyone 2) put on something farmore danceable 3) wouldn't pay the price of a concert ticket to do so 4a) etc 4b) I have little to no interest in dancing, anyway. This goes along with the highly annoying People Factor. Thank (insert god-esque figure here) this was not happening at the Zürich show, otherwise I would have spent the night in jail and several would have been in the hospital. While I most definitely prefer sitting places, the benifit of a 'general admision' is that one, arriving early enough, can place themselves is a preferable stage spot. Anyway, noone here was too absurdly bouncing around, and better yet, not thinking I or any of the other concert go-ers actually wanted to hear _them_ sing. This is something that is just plain phuked up; go play karoke on someone else's time. > For what it's worth, if Mark King was so bothered > about people sitting down, > why did he get Reading Town Hall to set out rows of > seats on what is usually > an empty floor space? And furthermore if he wanted a > DVD full of wild > enthusiasts, why did he pick Reading of all places > to film it? Excellent points, I would be very surprised if MK gave too much of a hell about seeing a sea of people bouncing around before him, clearly knowing that they will and would act this way for any type of music. To look off the stage and see some people grooving, understanding, acknowledging the music, that is the 'key that sets one free'. Clearly some people go to concerts, these are the people that apparently do not give a fig about what the set list is, for "more" than just the music. This is, aparently (oddly), as much a social event as it is a concert. > If one person stands then the person behind him will > in order to be able to > see. Bingo. While I do go along with the, although I will replace 'people' for 'audiences', are "sheep", I feel this for entirely different reasons. If one is to attend a concert and fels that they can not do something (in this case stand) without the approval of others, they must have a real hard time with reality. The other hand also suggests that just cuz xxx number of people do something (or, of course, say something), does not make it right. jjjjjjjjjj __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com | ||
| 6 - Reading |
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| From: | Lawrence Humphries <lolh64 @ ntlworld.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 18:10:27 -0000 |
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> For what it's worth, if Mark King was so
bothered about people sitting down,
> why did he get Reading Town Hall to set out rows of seats on what is usually > an empty floor space? And furthermore if he wanted a DVD full of wild > enthusiasts, why did he pick Reading of all places to film it? As far as I know, it wasn't Mark's choice about the
seats, it was the promotional company (I think, or someone similar). And
he chose to film it there because the Jazz-Café wanted £2000 (I think) for
filming in there.
> If one person stands then the person behind him will in order to be able to > see. That's slightly different from the inference that if someone near me > stands I'll think 'What a marvellous idea, why didn't I think of it myself?' > Strange to say, I am aware of the function of my legs without the catalyst > of a demonstration. Yes, and the fact that some people feel to scared
to get up and dance. The fact is, the crowd at reading were boring - I
mean there was someone reading a book during the gig for christs sakes. He
made numourous jibes at the audience during the gig, and the sound of the hall
was pretty terrible as well. Whenever I or anyone else I was with tried to
stand up, the Usher asked us to sit, or go to the back, which we did (as many of
you probably know).
Also good news for people like me who like standing gigs over seated ones. Mark said at the Guildford gig he prefers standing
gigs - therefore is making sure most of the 2003 tour will be
standing. Let's hope so too.
Humph42...
Alex Humphries | ||
| 7 - FN versions/concert seating |
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| From: | DonZipf @ aol.com <DonZipf @ aol.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 14:05:25 EST |
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| Matthew Areford wrote: > Why are there two versions of Forever Now? Actually, there are three: RCA-UK, RCA-Japan, and Resurgence. Some claim that there is a fourth, a remasterd Japanese version, but I have never seen proof of its existence. > And, while there are obviously different songs on the different albums, what are > the differences between the different versions of the same songs? As I recall, only the Resurgence "Billy's Gone" is different, which has reworked lyrics and a slightly different verse/chorus arrangement. Andrew Goodwin wrote: > I hate being obliged to stand up Agreed! If I have to shell out for a seat, I bloody well want to sit in it. Peace - Z. | ||
| 8 - How much longer will we have to wait? |
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| From: | Michael Payne <michael @ journeyhouse.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 14:20:06 -0600 |
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Hello all, I hope some of our NE USA fans are not buried by this massive blizzard that has appeared out of nowhere! Now down to business.... I am very pleased and thankful that I have been fortunate enough to attend the last 5 MK ("level 42") tours 1999-2002 and that I went to the last two real Level 42 gigs back in 1994. I have met my heroes many times, gotten to speak to them, ask them questions, have a drink with a couple of them. I also know that there are several more fans out there who have never had that chance and would jump 10 buses to have that chance. I consider myself a very dedicated and loyal fan - not a fanatic, although after some awesome gigs well.... I will ALWAYS be a supporter of whatever, mainly Mike Lindup and Mark King, do career-wise, music-wise, or any other "wise" you can think of! NOW........... When the hell are we going to get some NEW material from Mark King, call me Level 42 now.? Mark, if you haven't retired yet - MAN, what is taking so long? Is the song well dry? AND Lolita made a great point, the band will go to Indonesia and Dubai, UAE, but not the short hop over to North America - come on - what gives? Have we offended the band in any way? Are we being held responsible for the lack of success that Level 42 did not receive in the USA? I think I can say for the North American majority (please speak up if you agree or disagree) that North American fans have been die-hard loyal, as well as, disappointed on numerous occasions, I am surprised that there are as many N. American fans (and other Int'l fans) when you consider: 1) The original fan club was based in the UK, made it very difficult for N. Amer fans to get current info, if any! Though many US fans tried to reconcile that void, many gave up or were told that they could not! 2) Having to deal with an highly inflated exchange rate! (I heard some laughs there!) 3) Getting a tenth of the record, tape, and CD, etc... releases, then seeing the content or track listing had been changed or missing from the standard UK format! 4) Having the L42 vids in PAL, rather NTSC - having to go through the hassle and money of having it transferred, except for a few titles! 5) Being promised that a tour was coming our way, then nothing! 6) Being told again, "We are definitely going to America", then nothing! 7) Hearing most of the same tracks over and over again, with minor exceptions on recent tours! 8) Loads of N. American fans have traveled together for several years - getting together at Levelfest, here and abroad, making those long and boring Trans-Atlantic flights to the UK, in essence being completely mad at times, sometimes fanatical, hoping to get a glance, an autograph, waiting by tour buses, just to say HI, or THANKS............. Need I go further? Okay, so I am ranting on just a bit. Again, I am not bashing MK, or anything, I realize that he and the rest of Level 42 owe us nothing else and I am thankful for what I have been able to see and hear, but I fear that it all may becoming irrelevant if some new "life" isn't inserted soon. The great fan base that once existed may soon start to crumble and a golden opportunity may have been lost! Frustrated yes, I know that I am not the only one! The only question I would like to pose to Mark is this, "Are you retired, semi-retired, or is the fun ride over?" Give us some sort of clue, please, do we have something to look forward to, or do we just need to accept what we have received being thankful of course and move on? In closing, before I get flamed, please try to understand, at least this fans view, I am not trying to be ungrateful, rude, sycophantic, out of order, or even materialistic - just one frustrated fan who would like to know some direction of a band that he has followed for a very long time and has spent considerable time and money on, not to say that I would not do it all over again in a heartbeat! Thanks! MIKEY PS: I would like to give some credit to all the webmasters for trying in everyway, to keep the information on websites up-to-date and trying to make a difference in the L42 community, from forevernow.com to bongosalon.com; and of course this digest (the first and one and only) and the web digest, for keeping the fanbase going for all these years! If it had not been for these outlets, I would have missed the friendships of many, who have become very, very close to myself and my family!
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| 9 - Forever Now |
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| From: | Dave Mock <dfmock @ rocketmail.com> |
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| Date: | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 18:12:46 -0800 (PST) |
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| What I've read here about the two versions of "Forever Now" is that the Resurgence version reflects the way Mark and Mike wanted the album to sound and the order to be, as compared with the RCA release. I enjoy L42 -- even "Guaranteed" (though "The Ape" gives me the creeps) -- but I think "Forever Now" is the type of album the band should have released after "Staring At the Sun," instead of "Guaranteed." That "Sunbed Song" gets me moving every time. TCOY, The Duke ===== "...brotherhood is not so wild a dream as those who profit by postponing it pretend." (Norman Corwin) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Send Flowers for Valentine's Day http://shopping.yahoo.com | ||
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