Level 42 @ SG

Finally, something I look forward to attending. Finally, a performance venue with seats for sick people like me. 

Pic: Bandwagon Asia

MOMM (30)

There's something about this album that made it unpopular  when it comes to material selection for compilation releases. Level Best, for instance, featured no songs from Guaranteed. If you ever listened to any songs from Guaranteed, we could agree that all of them are well-crafted & perhaps showcasing Mark King & company at their level best (no pun intended). Allan Holdsworth was all over this album & perhaps this is the reason why it's not really pop-oriented; it is guitar inclined, somewhat. 

Level gold

Level 42 celebrates 30 years of music involvements this year. Bassist, Mark King, teamed up with Ashdown amplification to come up with the above anniversary amp head with an added attraction- the control panel face plate is plated with... gold.

The first (Part 6)

The first bass master to have ever impressed me was (still does) Level 42's Mark King. In fact, the man has a certain level of technical mastery to impress anyone but that's half the story- he can also sing at the same time... I can hardly pay attention to the person talking to me while I'm playing, let alone sing when doing that.

I get really inspired to slap/ pop my bass upon seeing this man play all the time. His phrasings are such that they include both bass & melody lines, sound percussive but yet not intruding into the guitar/ keyboard/ drum's highlight. He's out of everyone's way yet retain a commanding presence in the lower frequencies.

Mr. King's right thumb is allegedly insured for a whopping GBP3 million!!

Level 42: Live at Wembly

This is a 1986 footage of the band before the Gould brothers parted ways. Besides being a big fan of Mark King's bass playing, the spectre of how good Boon Gould was as a guitar player haunted me for years because he was purportedly an amazing musician but his authority in terms of guitar-playing in the albums weren't there as proof. However, this recording proved the works as Boon was liberal in his guitar inputs, many tracks had excessive guitar contributions instead of the sporadic presence in the albums. Mark King was at his level best (forgive the pun) & his slap technique was something to behold- the reson he continues to inspire me.