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Was Level 42 a great band in the Eighties |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Dec 2009
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Was Level 42 a great band in the Eighties
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
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#2 |
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Join Date: Aug 2005
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Quite catchy but I don't think they were ever fashionable even at the peak of their career.
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#3 |
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Join Date: Jan 2006
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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.
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#4 |
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Quote:
Quite catchy but I don't think they were ever fashionable even at the peak of their career.
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#5 |
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Join Date: Nov 2006
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Now got Lessons in Love running through my head. Thanks
though as others have said Mark King is a very good Bass Player.
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#6 |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
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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 |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Nov 2003
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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. |
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#8 |
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Living it up( the sun goes down) was a brill first single
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. |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Mar 2014
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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. |
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#10 |
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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.
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#11 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
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Quote:
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. |
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#12 |
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Join Date: Mar 2008
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Quote:
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. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Nov 2009
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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. |
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#14 |
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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.
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). |
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#15 |
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Quote:
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.
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#16 |
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Join Date: Nov 2006
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Quote:
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. |
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#17 |
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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?
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#18 |
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Quote:
They might be referring to the fact Mark King was interviewed on Sounds of the 80s this week.
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#19 |
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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. |
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#20 |
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Quote:
Quite catchy but I don't think they were ever fashionable even at the peak of their career.
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#21 |
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Quote:
They might be referring to the fact Mark King was interviewed on Sounds of the 80s this week.
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#22 |
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Quote:
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. |
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#23 |
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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 |
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#24 |
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I liked them and still do. Great band.
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#25 |
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Join Date: May 2011
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Quote:
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. I wasn't a Level 42 fan but I wonder what great sounds the detractors were listening to... |
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though as others have said Mark King is a very good Bass Player.