DS Forums

 
 

Was Level 42 a great band in the Eighties


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 10-05-2016, 00:40
owen10
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 30,384

I remember them and they made some great songs like Running in the Family and Something About You, and in the mid eighties they were big, but are not talked about today as being a great band. So were you a fan of the band
owen10 is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 10-05-2016, 01:15
dodrade
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,121
Quite catchy but I don't think they were ever fashionable even at the peak of their career.
dodrade is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 06:55
Peter the Great
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,080
Level 42 started off as a Jazz Funk band but veered into more of a pop sound a few years later. They made some fairly good pop songs throughout their career helped in my opinion by Mike Lindup's vocals.
Peter the Great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 07:58
mgvsmith
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Belfast
Posts: 7,287
Quite catchy but I don't think they were ever fashionable even at the peak of their career.
I think I agree with that. Tears for Fears seem to be more revered than Level 42 from that era. I liked the musicianship, Mark King seemed to be a great bass player but the songs don't seem to have stood the test of time either.
mgvsmith is offline Follow this poster on Twitter   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 09:27
bryemycaz
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,010
Now got Lessons in Love running through my head. Thanks though as others have said Mark King is a very good Bass Player.
bryemycaz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 09:32
2shy2007
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 40,800
Living it up( the sun goes down) was a brill first single, I listened to it the other day and it still sounds very fresh, Mark King is a spectacular bassist, no one can slap it like he can

I would say they were a good group but did not reach the dizzy heights that some bands did.
Mark also played on track on Nik Kershaws album, the riddle, a song called 'easy' which showcases his style.

https://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?f...k+kershaw+easy
2shy2007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 09:53
emread
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: London
Posts: 189
I had a friend who was so into early Level 42, the fusion instrumental material. I can still hear Heathrow played at considerable volume.
Hot Water has one of the best opening bars of any song albeit now sounding very 80s from this vantage point. It was, literally, acceptable in the 80s.
emread is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 09:55
Inkblot
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: West London
Posts: 24,324
Living it up( the sun goes down) was a brill first single
According to Wikipedia that was their 11th single, the first being Sandstorm.

I think the first to make an impact was Love Games which has their trademark slow-tune-fast-bassline style. They weren't a great band and there were plenty of other British funk artists making more interesting music back in the day, but their early work is still fun to listen to.
Inkblot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 10:09
Moleskin
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 3,040
No everybody took the mickey out of them in the 80s, especially Mark King with the bass up by his neck.

Don't know why the BBC are trying to re-write history and rehabilitate them.

They're doing the same with Phil Collins and most people thought he was crap too.

Level 42 and Phil Collins were the kind of music footballers listened to.
Moleskin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 10:48
Dirtyhippy
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: S Wales
Posts: 1,281
They were pretty good until they sold out their jazz funk leaning and went full pop. They were very popular back in the mid to late eighties but fizzled out in the early nineties when music went more rave/club/brit pop.
Dirtyhippy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 10:54
be more pacific
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 16,034
No everybody took the mickey out of them in the 80s, especially Mark King with the bass up by his neck.

Don't know why the BBC are trying to re-write history and rehabilitate them.

They're doing the same with Phil Collins and most people thought he was crap too.

Level 42 and Phil Collins were the kind of music footballers listened to.
It probably didn't help that they were played on I'm Alan Partridge either. That show seemed like the kiss of death for any music liked by the character Alan.
be more pacific is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 11:01
ohglobbits
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 3,137
No everybody took the mickey out of them in the 80s, especially Mark King with the bass up by his neck.

Don't know why the BBC are trying to re-write history and rehabilitate them.

They're doing the same with Phil Collins and most people thought he was crap too.

Level 42 and Phil Collins were the kind of music footballers listened to.
Exactly there are so many laughable bands that we no longer hear about from the 80's: Curiosity Killed The Cat, Kissing The Pink etc
ohglobbits is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 11:02
sickparrot
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 424
Never liked them because Mark King always struck me as being a Muso type, and I can't stand muso types.

Reinforced by his grinning fizzog appearing in virtually every magazine advert for Basses/strings/pickups/amplifiers.

I've probably got the wrong definition of muso type, but I mean the kind of musician who is technically probably very good, but just uses it to show off and the music itself is a bit pants. Like Jools Holland, king of musos.
sickparrot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 11:26
Ella Nut
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,851
It probably didn't help that they were played on I'm Alan Partridge either. That show seemed like the kiss of death for any music liked by the character Alan.
Nah, I don't see any relevance there. Not even sure he particularly liked them anyway, they were just on the playlist, along with The Pretenders, Kate Bush, Wings (whom he actually DID like because he played Jet on his hi-fi in his Travel Tavern room), The Police, Soft Cell etc - the reputations of whom haven't been affected by the show, as far as I am aware.

Level 42 were not great in my view. They were frankly a bit cheesy, although not terrible by any means (Curiosity Killed The Cat, Brother Beyond and the like).
Ella Nut is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 11:32
Peter the Great
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,080
No everybody took the mickey out of them in the 80s, especially Mark King with the bass up by his neck.

Don't know why the BBC are trying to re-write history and rehabilitate them.

They're doing the same with Phil Collins and most people thought he was crap too.

Level 42 and Phil Collins were the kind of music footballers listened to.
Sorry but how have the BBC tried to rewrite history? Are you honestly trying to say that the BBC should ignore they ever existed just because you think they are crap?
Peter the Great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 11:40
bryemycaz
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,010
No everybody took the mickey out of them in the 80s, especially Mark King with the bass up by his neck.

Don't know why the BBC are trying to re-write history and rehabilitate them.

They're doing the same with Phil Collins and most people thought he was crap too.

Level 42 and Phil Collins were the kind of music footballers listened to.

You can't deny his musical talent though. He was one of the best Drummers around back in the 70s. His work with Genesis to me evens out any of his later poppy stuff.
bryemycaz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 13:27
dodrade
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,121
Sorry but how have the BBC tried to rewrite history? Are you honestly trying to say that the BBC should ignore they ever existed just because you think they are crap?
They might be referring to the fact Mark King was interviewed on Sounds of the 80s this week.
dodrade is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 13:58
Peter the Great
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,080
They might be referring to the fact Mark King was interviewed on Sounds of the 80s this week.
It still does not explain the post? Considering the show is Sounds of the 80's it is bound to have interviews with artists that had success throughout the decade. The poster seemed to be implying that Level 42 and Phil Collins are being constantly hyped up and raved about across the BBC?
Peter the Great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 14:59
barbeler
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 11,708
Have they had an interview with Robert Smith yet?

I was surprised how Mark King came over as quite a likeable fellow, as I always imagined him to be unbearably smug. I truly hated that bass sound at the time.

Even at his peak, Phil Collins was always a poor man's Bill Bruford.
barbeler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 15:08
mushymanrob
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: derby
Posts: 14,765
Quite catchy but I don't think they were ever fashionable even at the peak of their career.
oh i dunno.... popularising the slap bass method made them quite chic...
mushymanrob is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 15:25
Billy_Value
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 18,889
They might be referring to the fact Mark King was interviewed on Sounds of the 80s this week.
It was last week actually.
Billy_Value is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 15:26
bryemycaz
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,010
Have they had an interview with Robert Smith yet?

I was surprised how Mark King came over as quite a likeable fellow, as I always imagined him to be unbearably smug. I truly hated that bass sound at the time.

Even at his peak, Phil Collins was always a poor man's Bill Bruford.
Is that why he only did one tour with Genesis.
bryemycaz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 16:12
Microkorg
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Sussex
Posts: 2,341
They were brilliant up to World Machine, when they started to write for the charts.
All great musicians but I think Mark King must have a clause in his interview contract that he has to play his bass
I can't think of any other who always has to demonstrate what they do in every interview
Microkorg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 16:23
CELT1987
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Scotland
Posts: 10,280
I liked them and still do. Great band.
CELT1987 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-05-2016, 18:28
scrilla
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,643
No everybody took the mickey out of them in the 80s, especially Mark King with the bass up by his neck.

Don't know why the BBC are trying to re-write history and rehabilitate them.

They're doing the same with Phil Collins and most people thought he was crap too.
Possibly because people in the media (comedians, DJs etc.) make fun of a variety of artists and the sheeple follow suit. Many people who make worthwhile music have had the piss taken out of them because some part of their image is easy to parody and it becomes fashionable to knock them. In the case of Phil Collins, being unfashionable conservative politically probably paid a significant part.

I wasn't a Level 42 fan but I wonder what great sounds the detractors were listening to...
scrilla is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 14:40.