Level 42 Digest for Friday, March 02, 2007

I have to say I am really enjoying some of the Gary vs Phil debates. I’ve been a drummer for over 25 years, and have been hugely influenced by both Gary and Phil over the years, along with almost every other drummer I’ve ever heard. In fact, I believe my musical thinking is influenced by every musician on every record or live show I ever see. My world changes just a little bit with every note. Even the “Sheila’s Wheels” adverts on telly. (apologies for non-UK viewers who have no clue what that is!)

With that in mind, I do wonder why it often seems to come down to “a is better than b” in these debates. Why can’t everyone just be happy with “a is different to b” and accept that for what it is.

Just like Retroglide. Retroglide isn’t World Machine. Nor is it Guaranteed. Nor is it Two Against Nature or Dean Martin sings Kids TV Show Themes. It is just Retroglide.

Pretend you have never heard any other music ever in your life. Listen to track 1. Do you like it? What about track 2? For me, it is that simple. I like some of the songs a lot. I think others are reasonable. There are a couple I could live without. The same could be said for most other albums I have heard.

Now, if I want to compare personnel, the way I think about it is this – regardless of competence, does the contribution make or break that particular song? Think Gary on Guaranteed versus Phil on some of the live Physical Presence stuff. Both sound “right”, both are entirely appropriate, both are entirely different. Who cares about whether Gary or Phil could triumph in a drum battle with Gene Krupa. In order to illustrate this, think about a less “technical” band. The Gin Blossoms were one of those bands to me – really just “ok” musicians, but their energy and enthusiasm really came through and I really enjoy their stuff.

OK, I think I rambled, and probably started my own threads and missed half the points in others. No need to refer to my post and tell me how I missed the point of yours, I don’t think I was really responding to anything, just airing thoughts. I actually thought about posting something like this when Retroglide first came out and there was the first flurry of “it is not Level 42”, “where’s Mike”, “bring back Phil / Wally / Boon / Paul Hammond”. All I really wanted to say was “IT IS WHAT IT IS”. Take it at face value and enjoy it. Or don’t, and sell it.

Of course, I realise that would make the Digest a whole lot more boring, so please don’t stop the debate on my account. Back to you, Chris! ;-)

1. The Chris Lawless Digest...
From:	Paul Hammond <phammond @ microsoft.com>
Date:	Thu, 1 Mar 2007 11:14:28 +0000	[top]
I have to say I am really enjoying some of the Gary vs Phil debates. I’ve been a drummer for over 25 years, and have been hugely influenced by both Gary and Phil over the years, along with almost every other drummer I’ve ever heard. In fact, I believe my musical thinking is influenced by every musician on every record or live show I ever see. My world changes just a little bit with every note. Even the “Sheila’s Wheels” adverts on telly. (apologies for non-UK viewers who have no clue what that is!) With that in mind, I do wonder why it often seems to come down to “a is better than b” in these debates. Why can’t everyone just be happy with “a is different to b” and accept that for what it is. Just like Retroglide. Retroglide isn’t World Machine. Nor is it Guaranteed. Nor is it Two Against Nature or Dean Martin sings Kids TV Show Themes. It is just Retroglide. Pretend you have never heard any other music ever in your life. Listen to track 1. Do you like it? What about track 2? For me, it is that simple. I like some of the songs a lot. I think others are reasonable. There are a couple I could live without. The same could be said for most other albums I have heard. Now, if I want to compare personnel, the way I think about it is this – regardless of competence, does the contribution make or break that particular song? Think Gary on Guaranteed versus Phil on some of the live Physical Presence stuff. Both sound “right”, both are entirely appropriate, both are entirely different. Who cares about whether Gary or Phil could triumph in a drum battle with Gene Krupa. In order to illustrate this, think about a less “technical” band. The Gin Blossoms were one of those bands to me – really just “ok” musicians, but their energy and enthusiasm really came through and I really enjoy their stuff. OK, I think I rambled, and probably started my own threads and missed half the points in others. No need to refer to my post and tell me how I missed the point of yours, I don’t think I was really responding to anything, just airing thoughts. I actually thought about posting something like this when Retroglide first came out and there was the first flurry of “it is not Level 42”, “where’s Mike”, “bring back Phil / Wally / Boon / Paul Hammond”. All I really wanted to say was “IT IS WHAT IT IS”. Take it at face value and enjoy it. Or don’t, and sell it. Of course, I realise that would make the Digest a whole lot more boring, so please don’t stop the debate on my account. Back to you, Chris! ;-) PH

2. Music & Lyrics
From:	Andrew Goodwin <thenightfly83 @ yahoo.co.uk>
Date:	Thu, 1 Mar 2007 12:05:15 +0000 (GMT)	[top]
> 4. The Andromeda Strain > From: Chris Lawless > > Lenny Bruce called. He'd like his material back. All > of it. If I'm to be damned as a plagiarist now, can it be someone I've ever heard please? > Yeah, it was. Give it to someone who knows anything > about music theory and composition and they'll > clarify for you. Excellent, any music theoreticians out there willing to clarify in what way Guaranteed can be deemed to be "exceptionally strong" in terms of composition? Or given that you made the original assertion, perhaps you could oblige? I'm always willing to learn, and given that I know almost nothing about music theory or composition would be delighted to hear a technical explanation for the brilliance of The Ape. > Which then credits Mike & Mark for the well written > lyrics Does it? Or maybe saying that Phil and Boon's primary contributions were not as lyricists was intended more as a comment on the lyrics generally? > Let me point you towards some reviews I read for TWO > AGAINST NATURE once upon a time. Go on then. Personally I can't ever find a damn thing in the Digest archives so good luck with that one. But I'll stand by any statement I've made, bizarre or otherwise, except for the ones which were really dumb but seemed funny at the time. In the meantime, let me point you towards a sense of humour. Come on Chris, lighten up. They were throwaway one-liners making fun of the age-old Phil v Gary, Boon as lyricist and merit of Guaranteed topics which have been flogged to death countless times. If you're going to take the sort of drivel that Friesen and I spew out here seriously, we might as well all give up and go home. AG ___________________________________________________________ To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. http://uk.security.yahoo.com

3. 2007 tour refresher
From:	Chris Lawless <chrisjlawless @ yahoo.com>
Date:	Thu, 1 Mar 2007 21:36:32 -0800 (PST)	[top]
On a completely different not to what we've been discussing, could someone refresh my memory in regards to what was said recently about tour dates not happening? Was there a planned 2007 UK tour that got scrapped? Chris L. ____________________________________________________________________________________ We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love (and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list. http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/265

4. Re: Hmmm
From:	Chris Lawless <chrisjlawless @ yahoo.com>
Date:	Thu, 1 Mar 2007 21:34:06 -0800 (PST)	[top]
I didn't think it was return to form either. It did bring back some of the jazz/funk elements, but they were combined with the rock approach of the previous two albums. It took me a while to get into the album, but I did eventually and now have a far greater appreciation for it. Chris L. Winston Walker <winman42 @ gmail.com> wrote: >>Now, the Forever Now album...said it before, i'll say it again...i must be the only person on this digest who didnt think this album was a return to form. Some good songs, but as far as Phil's 'drumming' goes..it has nice grooves at maybe 8 bars at a time, as the whole thing sounds like drum loops to me, which we what it is. I found it a waste of great player. Still lyrically at the top of his game, but i was really disapointed with the drums personally. << ____________________________________________________________________________________ The fish are biting. Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php

5. Re: more on Gary and Phil
From:	Chris Lawless <chrisjlawless @ yahoo.com>
Date:	Thu, 1 Mar 2007 21:06:32 -0800 (PST)	[top]
Eric J. Hansen <ehansen @ worldmachine.com> wrote: >>Interesting comments about "Gary vs. Phil", etc. Personally I always thought it was more of how the song was written and intended to be played (perhaps Mark's preferences?) than purely the drummer's interpretation. So, is the drummer staying true to the song, or is the song being played in the drummer's preferred style? A little of each? And either way, don't you think Mark's direction would have been very influential? << Probably a little bit of both, though in either case Mark's direction/influence would have an effect. It gets interesting when a new drummer gets to reinterpret existing material. This is a completely different style of music, but take Black Sabbath for example. Their original drummer (Bill Ward) was- on his BEST days- passable. Fast forward to 1989/90 when Cozy Powell was behind the drum kit, and that section of the original music took on a life and vitality it never had in it's original incarnation. But, there was the chorus of "Oh, but it's not the same, the original spirit isn't there, blah blah blah." It's a really weak argument for people who can't move forward. And I know I said the other day that Mike and Wally's presence were missed on RETROGLIDE, but I never said anything negative about the album in and of itself. >>That isn't to say that Gary and Phil are interchangeable -- can you imagine Phil playing some of the tracks on Guaranteed, e.g. Heaven In My Hands? << I couldn't. However, I could easily imagine Phil having done the drumming on RETROGLIDE, because it's much more subdued that what we're used to from Gary. I gave the album another listen tonight, and it's definitely one of those releases that you appreciate more and more each time you hear it. Sure, there's a couple tracks on it I'm not crazy about, but it's rare to ever have an album that contains excellent material front to back (last one I know of came out in 2005 by a group called Paradise Lost- even the two bonus tracks were killer). I do want to point out that my intention was never to start another Gary vs. Phil thing. However, Gary takes entirely too much flak sometimes for what boils down to silly sentimentality. Both are exceptionally talented, accomplished musicians, and both contributed some great material to the band over the years. And speaking of Level 42 drummers, I've had the chance to see Gavin Harrison perform with Porcupine Tree three different times now, and plan to add a couple more dates this year when their new album comes out. Again, an exceptionally talented and accomplished musician that continues to do great things. Chris L. ____________________________________________________________________________________ No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started. http://mobile.yahoo.com/mail

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