When they do Lessons In Love live and Mike steps out from behind the keyboards to do his bit (at 7:54 here), that's one of the most thrilling moments in rock imo.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 20:28 (ten years ago) link
Bit of a Robert Palmer thing going on there with the suits but also the way that first song is so stuffed full of pumped-up sounds
― but my heart is full of woah (NickB), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 20:40 (ten years ago) link
Woah Ismael, Lindup really connects with his spirit animal in that vid, wtf is that kind of nano jazz-hands thing? Ol' Thunder Thumbs going at the gum like Alex Ferguson too, superb.
Prescient thread revival as I backed up my work PC last week and dumped the music folder onto mp3 player; there, tucked away since 2009 ref upthread was A Physical Presence and I've been listening to it again whilst commuting. It's strange how the mind wanders when in transit, but the call-and-response coda of "Turn it On" conjured a vivid fantasy of Shane Meadows or similar using it to accompany some grisly shopping precinct violence in a film about the 80s jazz-funk scene. Kicks in about 4:00 into this,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTG3EYGhLsI
― that mustardless plate (Bill A), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 21:49 (ten years ago) link
If you were a bassist back in the 80s everyone automatically assumed you owned the Mark King solo album and listened to it daily, it was really annoying. Is he actually capable of playing bass normally or what? Maybe he can only slap.
― Addison Doug (Matt #2), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:08 (ten years ago) link
'Something About You' captures a similar mood to 'All The World Loves Lovers' by Prefab Sprout, 'God Only Knows' by the Beach Boys, 'Something' by the Beatles, 'Sorry Grateful' from Stephen Sondheim's Company- I think? I like the video for 'Something About You', with the miming intentionally out of sync with the singing.
― soref, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:17 (ten years ago) link
Something About You is just sublime, simple as that
― http://i26.tinypic.com/2udyu5e.jpg (stevie), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:22 (ten years ago) link
Those high harmonies on "Something About You" kill. For most of my adolescence I thought Level 42 was an American R&B band.
― the objections to Drake from non-REAL HIPHOP people (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:31 (ten years ago) link
I served Mike Lindup when I was a teenager working at a WHSmith's. He walked up to the till in a baseball jacket with an embroidered badge reading "Level 42 Racing Team". I'd been a big fan when I was younger, but by then I was into grunge and noise punk so I just sold him his newspaper and said nothing.
― http://i26.tinypic.com/2udyu5e.jpg (stevie), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:47 (ten years ago) link
regrets.
what did he buy?
― but my heart is full of woah (NickB), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:52 (ten years ago) link
daily express and a scotch egg amirite?
― but my heart is full of woah (NickB), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:54 (ten years ago) link
guys i love Level 42 great thread good work
― shit man props for that hit! fuckin massive! (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:55 (ten years ago) link
we didn't serve food at our branch xp
― http://i26.tinypic.com/2udyu5e.jpg (stevie), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 22:59 (ten years ago) link
Greatest british singles band of the 80s
― Master of Treacle, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:00 (ten years ago) link
its kind of weird how quickly the band broke into pieces when they finally hit it big. the boon brothers seemed to hate the whole pop thing, wanted level 42 to remain some pure jazz funk thing. but after they left, it was pretty much all over. even as a kid i knew the staring at the sun lp was some sorry shit.
― http://i26.tinypic.com/2udyu5e.jpg (stevie), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:00 (ten years ago) link
you weren't able to give him any lessons in lunch then xps
― but my heart is full of woah (NickB), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:01 (ten years ago) link
when i started getting into electric miles and herbie hancock and suchlike, i felt like listening to loads of level 42's early instrumental stuff when i was 10 was good grounding for understanding what this music was all about.
― http://i26.tinypic.com/2udyu5e.jpg (stevie), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:02 (ten years ago) link
well played nickb, well played.
(ps pls do not misinterpret statement above as some "level 42 - the band miles davis wished he could be" ish)
i feel like in some way Level 42 shd be the "Real England" house band
― shit man props for that hit! fuckin massive! (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:06 (ten years ago) link
definitely an improvement on shakatak who i really tried hard to like as a pre-teen who wanted to find something to like every kind of music but always felt it was music for people clinking glasses in sophisticated clubs and therefore i just could not relate
― but my heart is full of woah (NickB), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:12 (ten years ago) link
though i will freely admit now that down on the street is kind of a jam
― but my heart is full of woah (NickB), Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:22 (ten years ago) link
I passed up a chance to see them at Ronnie Scott's a couple of years back. I can't remember whether they were billed as Level 42, or had some legal issues name like The Mark King Funk Ensemble. Either way lounging against the bar while they laid down smooth grooves would've been so choice.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:22 (ten years ago) link
It was very weird listening to a live set by Damo Suzuki backed by 23 Skidoo a couple of days back thanks to the prominence of slap bass.
Linx's bassist Peter "Sketch" Martin joined 23 Skidoo after Linx split up
― soref, Wednesday, 20 November 2013 23:34 (ten years ago) link
Stevie Chick on Level 42's World Machine, in 33 Tweets
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1381964367655174148.html
― Kibbutzki (Jaap Schip), Thursday, 15 April 2021 09:57 (three years ago) link
My partner later explained that, no, they aren't called "Tweetstorms"
― anecdotal certainly but not nothing (stevie), Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:03 (three years ago) link
The only record of theirs that I know, which I bought as a kid when it was released and I still revisit.
Lindup is their secret weapon, that lovely spooky, high register singing voice.
'It's Not The Same For Us', the pre-chorus, so great!
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:09 (three years ago) link
"level 42 - the band miles davis wished he could be"
^^absolutely here for this stance, if you switch HAVE for BE (he'd probably get to play trumpet and that's OK)
― mark s, Thursday, 15 April 2021 10:42 (three years ago) link
There has been some reappraisal of Brit-funk in the last few years, but it seems to be limited to the London scene. The only Level 42 supporter with any profile I can think of (present company excepted) is Gilles Peterson, who plays them about twice a year on his 6Music show.
― mahb, Thursday, 15 April 2021 12:52 (three years ago) link
Marcello Carlin was quite positive about them (and World Machine in particular) here: https://nobilliards.blogspot.com/2014/08/various-artists-now-thats-what-i-call.html
(some present company may be involved)
― Blick, Bils & Blinky • Let's Skip The Shaker Intros (breastcrawl), Thursday, 15 April 2021 13:04 (three years ago) link
Lindup is their secret weapon, that lovely spooky, high register singing voice
I was quite surprised to discover, 35 years after it was a hit, that the verses in "The Sun Goes Down" were sung by Lindup. So, he can carry a tune in a low tenor range too!
― I Advance Masked (Vast Halo), Thursday, 15 April 2021 13:47 (three years ago) link
their first album’s pretty good
― brimstead, Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:04 (three years ago) link
"Something About You" will never stop revealing surprises 35+ years later.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:04 (three years ago) link
another childhood favorite. the "ooooohs" in the beginning are a solid way to begin things.
― P-Zunit (Neanderthal), Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:17 (three years ago) link
and I had no fucking clue what Lindup sang until the internet invented lyrics.
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:18 (three years ago) link
i think their secret weapon is actually wally badarou (has he even been mentioned on this thread yet?)
― building a hole (NickB), Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:30 (three years ago) link
He certainly helped them a lot in the best pop moments, although the albums I go back to these days are mostly the first fusion-y ones. “It‘s good music to work to”
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:38 (three years ago) link
i love this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWM3-Nix_xs
― building a hole (NickB), Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:41 (three years ago) link
The best!
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:53 (three years ago) link
I quite like this cut-up edit Mark-E did of it too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O68Y6BAhS0E
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 15 April 2021 14:54 (three years ago) link
Was thinking some more, and I have seen a video of some DJs in the 80s playing Physical Presence at 45rpm, which sounds quite good to me. I can’t find the video of the DJ right now, and someone has uploaded the track at that speed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEQjdFSSmtY
― Chewshabadoo, Friday, 16 April 2021 09:37 (three years ago) link
haha oh man
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, 16 April 2021 09:50 (three years ago) link
Damn it, looks like the video is offline now. Was DJ Mozart, Beppe Loda and more: https://community.soulstrut.com/discussion/68497/proto-boiler-room-italy-1986
― Chewshabadoo, Friday, 16 April 2021 10:14 (three years ago) link
lol italian djs dgaf about your english vocals
― building a hole (NickB), Friday, 16 April 2021 11:32 (three years ago) link
I wonder if that was prompted by the voice at the very end of the original that was obviously sampled and played back at a lower pitch than normal.
― Maresn3st, Friday, 16 April 2021 12:13 (three years ago) link
There’s a few other tracks in the mix played at wrong speeds, either too fast, or too slow, it’s all about keeping the tempo.
― Chewshabadoo, Friday, 16 April 2021 13:55 (three years ago) link
'starchild' also gets a proper mangling in this baldelli set from 1981 except this it's sloowww as fuck:
https://www.mixcloud.com/Yebo/cosmic-c531981-mix-daniele-baldelli-tbc-lato-a/
― building a hole (NickB), Friday, 16 April 2021 14:22 (three years ago) link
"except this time"
something that's been annoying me since this thread got bumped is that i think there's this one doomy level 42 song that's all about nuclear annihilation or the cold war at least. kind of their answer to ub40's 'the earth dies screaming'? am i imagining this (or getting it confused with something else?) or does someone else know what i'm talking about?
― building a hole (NickB), Friday, 16 April 2021 14:31 (three years ago) link
it's not 'sun goes down' btw. wanna make a playlist of 80s pop songs about the apocalypse just to cheer me up
― building a hole (NickB), Friday, 16 April 2021 14:33 (three years ago) link
'Coup D'Etat' maybe?
― Maresn3st, Friday, 16 April 2021 15:20 (three years ago) link
hmm could be! not as doomy as i was remembering though
― building a hole (NickB), Friday, 16 April 2021 15:32 (three years ago) link