Any fans out there...I'm afraid our good old English slapper seems to get forgotten. I mean, come on he took it to another level (pun intended) in the eighties...just check out the Physical Presence live album.
I know that he took Larry Graham and Stanley Clarke and fused them into the monster slapper that he is ( oh yes he's still at it)
but surely one of the most influencial players of all time.

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If they put the truth in your hands, would you really want to know?

when i think english slapper, along with mr king, i also think of colin hodgkinson.

he's a whomper.

------------------
john

money good! napster bad!

Mark has said that Colin Hodgkinson was a great influence on him especially his chord work <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by john turner:
when i think english slapper, along with mr king, i also think of colin hodgkinson.

he's a whomper.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



------------------
If they put the truth in your hands, would you really want to know?

For me , Mark King is my great example.

At home I mostly play Level 42 songs. I think
I 'm goïng to transcribe (no tabs) some.
Anybody who wants to help, or wants some
help with Level 42 songs can ask me.

Has anybody ever seen the tv interview with
Level 42 in Germany. ( question : Mark King,
de you sleep with your bass?).
You find this interview on the web

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kcm:
Any fans out there...I'm afraid our good old English slapper seems to get forgotten. I mean, come on he took it to another level (pun intended) in the eighties...just check out the Physical Presence live album.
I know that he took Larry Graham and Stanley Clarke and fused them into the monster slapper that he is ( oh yes he's still at it)
but surely one of the most influencial players of all time.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Great Post!!!!
I have played Mark KIng's basslines for so many years!
I am glad that someone "rember" about him!
He has the fastest thumb in the world:the most incredible bass line for me,is the one of the third track of"a Phisical Presence"(I don't remember the title now).Not to mention his solo on "Love Games"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But he is not only a bass player;he sings very well,and his song,even if most of them are commercial pop-songs, are beautifull and well written.
Thumbs Up!

third track is Mr PINK....truly awesome. It almost doubled in speed compared to the original album version. I saw Mark for 5 nights at the Jazz Cafe in London last year and he was still kicking ass!

------------------
If they put the truth in your hands, would you really want to know?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kcm:
third track is Mr PINK....truly awesome. It almost doubled in speed compared to the original album version. I saw Mark for 5 nights at the Jazz Cafe in London last year and he was still kicking ass!

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Mr.Pink?
No,I haven't this song on my Italian CD.
I rember the title now:Eyes waterfaling.

mark king is a great player...his slap lines are very driving but mainly rythmnic ...for slap i was a mark king freak until i heard marcus miller..nows theres the MAN!! i always thought his sound let him down and wondered what his playing would sound like on "jazz style" basses....how does he sound on his new gb basses ...is it fuller?i guess due to the doubleing with synth he kept his sound thinner and more percussive so not to confuse the bass end...
"eyes waterfalling" i used for a workout years ago and used to play it on 45 instead of 33...cant do that anymore!!!!
one more thing..i always considered his fingerstyle playing better than his slap....but that thumb speed is still the freakiest thing ive seen including victors double thumbing!!!!!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by markj:
mark king is a great player...his slap lines are very driving but mainly rythmnic ...for slap i was a mark king freak until i heard marcus miller..nows theres the MAN!! i always thought his sound let him down and wondered what his playing would sound like on "jazz style" basses....how does he sound on his new gb basses ...is it fuller?i guess due to the doubleing with synth he kept his sound thinner and more percussive so not to confuse the bass end...
"eyes waterfalling" i used for a workout years ago and used to play it on 45 instead of 33...cant do that anymore!!!!
one more thing..i always considered his fingerstyle playing better than his slap....but that thumb speed is still the freakiest thing ive seen including victors double thumbing!!!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Markj,I totally agree with you about Mark/Marcus:I have played Mark King stuff for many years;but in the last 3 years I have gone crazy for MM.I was younger,then I prefered Mark at those time;but even now I still find Mark's thumb unbelievable.
I don't agree with you about Mark's basses:I wouldn't choice a Jazz Bass to play his stuff;that kind of slap-style is even more percussive than the Marcus' one,so it requires a super tight,mid ranged and dry attack,while a Jbass is a little bit fatter and deeper;and above all,a normal Jbass is passive....(I hope I have used the right words)
The basses I would choce for MK style:Alembic;Jaydee;WarwicK;Zon

amoilbasso....mark king has actually been using fender jazz hybrids and goodfellow basses for the past two years which is another jazz style bass...can anyone tell me how his playing now sounds live?? when he was with level42 he needed that pecussive sound to compliment the synth but maybe now he prefers a fatter sound?
hes currently playing gb basses ...a bass ive used for the past 3 years ...the sound is huuuuuuggggggeeeeee.....almost too big!!!
cheers markj http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif

BTW, what is the current status of Level 42? Disbanded? On hiatus?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Christopher:
BTW, what is the current status of Level 42? Disbanded? On hiatus?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Christopher - Level 42 split up in 1994 and played their last gig at the Royal Albert Hall in October of that year. Both Mark and Mike now have other projects on the go but have not completely ruled out working together again in the future....

kcm ....as your saw mk live 5 times at the jazz cafe ..can you tell me what his sound is like now???

I think I might be alone in this but... I really don't see the attraction of Mark King's Bass playing. I've seen and heard quite a bit and can say that maybe as a technical slapper he's good, but I really don't feel his feel !! There seems to be no passion, I listen to Jack Bruce and hear passion, same with Jaco or Glenn Hughes ( a long time ago )Stanley Clarke passion also. Mark King I'm sorry technical exercises but no passion.... Perhaps someone could point me in the right direction.

Well ive been a huge fan of Mark's for over 15 years now and you really have to dig beyond the popular tunes & singles to find the best of his work. Here's a few that spring to mind...

From the true colours album - My Hero, Hours by the window, True believers

From Standing in the Light - Out of sight, out of mind, I want eyes - bags of feel in those two!

from World Machine - Lying Still, Coup D'etat,

I could go on and on but there's a few pointers for you...don't forget that Mark's fingerstyle playing is often overlooked and is (IMHO) just as good if not better than the slap.

starchild.... as in my previous i to believe mk fingerstyle playing is more inventive than his slap..i feel because of his technique its common to overlook his actual playing.a classic writer of catchy pop lines.....cheers markj http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif

Mark King's basslines was just one part of the puzzle that made Level 42 successful. I especially loved the interplay between Mark King's deeper voice, and Mike Lindup's falsetto.

Too bad they got sidetracked into pop. The Gould brothers supposedly left because of this.

I've been listening to their music since the days of the first album. How many of us learnt left hand muted slap patterns on "Love Games"? "Chinese Way" had a Jaco like bassline that sounds influenced by "Teen Town". "Micro Kid" gets my vote for my favorite Level 42 song. Favorite album would be "World machine". Check out the bassline on "I sleep on my heart"

As an aside, despite the synthesized sound predominating 80s music, I think that we've overlooked some great bass playing. Pino Palladino's work with Paul Young comes to mind.

You are right about Pino Palladino his bass playing with Paul Young was excellent. A great player, tons of feel !

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by markj:
amoilbasso....mark king has actually been using fender jazz hybrids and goodfellow basses for the past two years which is another jazz style bass...can anyone tell me how his playing now sounds live?? when he was with level42 he needed that pecussive sound to compliment the synth but maybe now he prefers a fatter sound?
hes currently playing gb basses ...a bass ive used for the past 3 years ...the sound is huuuuuuggggggeeeeee.....almost too big!!!
cheers markj http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yes knew about Mark's new choice for Fender:it should be the bass played in his last solo album"1 man":I hadn't mentioned this last period for rispect to the real Mark we know and were talking about.....
Don't know nothing about the last concert(I hope he plays some old stuff!!!)
GB basses???????????????????

Mark should be gigging at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, London in November. Just waiting for contracts to be signed. Check out
www.mark-king.com (http://www.mark-king.com) for more details as they come in. Yes Mark is currently using GB basses, a sort of Jazz hybrid but playing and sound wise they are far superior to the Fender. The Fenders that Mark put his name too where pretty awful,a friend had one and the build quality was bad. The GB's are bolt on but he is having through necks built to accommadate his need to bend harmonics with the neck. www.gbguitars.clara.net (http://www.gbguitars.clara.net) is their website. A small but wonderful english luthier!!

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If they put the truth in your hands, would you really want to know?


[This message has been edited by kcm (edited July 04, 2000).]

Totally off tangent here...

Does anyone else think that Mike Lindup of level 42 looks like Pete Sampras?

Halooo!

Do I recognise my good friends Lisa and Colin here! ;-)

To the guy who said Mark has no feel - I think you should perhaps go see him play live! The guy has TONS of feel

I too have been a fan of Marks for many years and he continues to play like no-one else - he is amazing and has done more to popularize bass guitar (ie to the general record-buying public) than any other player!

John Turner - glad to hear you like Colin H - he is a personal friend of mine and one of Marks heroes! In fact Colin is the man who started the `lead-bass' ball rolling before Pastorius and Clarke etc etc. Stanley Clarke took up bass guitar (prior to this he only played upright) after watching Colin play at Ronnie Scotts in London when Colin's band Back Door (whose CDs are now being re-issued - available via Amazon) were supporting Return To Forever!

Anyway, Best Wishes!

Nick

..oh yeah, I own two of Mark's old basses!

Sadly, the magic has yet to rub off!

Nick

While we have Mark King/Level 42 fans present...anyone else have copies of a 12" EP they did back in the '80's? Has a song on both sides, both extended length...one of them is called "I Can't Walk You Home", and it's one his best, IMO. I got it from a friend who picked it up in the UK years ago and I've never run across anyone else who's heard it.

YO Smithy

Allo Big KOL!

(and Liiiiiissssssaaaaaa!)

Wahey!

Happy New Year!

Nick

I am glad Mark King was mentioned. I had forgotten how insanely good he is.

A brief web perusal yielded:
http://www.forevernow.com

This site contains live RA clips of Level 42. The clips are fantastic, specifically Bass Solo Live (of course), and Love Games.

Take Care

Bill

Brad Johnson mentioned on the technique part of the forum that surely Mark King must get airplay over here in the UK. Now my view is that - yeah in the 80s he was very well known, but you would be very lucky to hear anything of him on today's radio stations.

I have Sky Digital which gives you dozens of radio and even more TV stations, but I would be extremely suprised if I heard any Mark King - which says more about how bad or "narrow" the music scene is on TV and especially radio these days, rather than about Mark King.

But apart from going to gigs in London, I'm sure you wouldn't get to hear Mark's playing nowadays, except on show looking back to the 80s.

Do any of the other UK-based contributors want to comment on the sort of stuff you hear on the radio in the UK - I never hear any decent bass lines nowadays and definitely nothing funky or slapped/popped lines.... or do any of you have access to minority radio stations that are playing the sort of stuff that Mark King is famous for?

Living in London I tend to listen to Jazz FM which has the occasional Lev42 track but does play a lot of other funk and soul. Plenty of KennyG and the like but lots of other good stuff like Fourplay, etc. I hear the occasional Lev track on Radio 2 which is to be expected as they tend to play 80s anyway! Apart from that, seeing Mark at the Jazz Cafe once a year is the only real outlet.

Ah well - I can't get Jazz FM in Brighton - it's only available in London and not on digital radio either? I did try getting it when I was in the fitness centre at the place I work in London occasionally, but it was very poor reception and I couldn't hear it very well.

I suppose my point was that Radio 1 isn't likely to be playing anything from Mark King's solo album!! :rolleyes:

Hi!

Colin is right - Mark does get out every November for a short tour, specifically the Jazz Cafe for a week and then selected theatres nationwide! The old boy can still play a bit!

I personally listen to very little `current' chart music as most is complete and utter ****e! My favourite `modern' act is Dubstar and they have just split up! Doh!

Nick

"....I do have my faults, being wrong is not one of them!" (Mark King, 1987)

Originally posted by Doctor Bass (Nick Smith)
Hi!

I personally listen to very little `current' chart music as most is complete and utter ****e!



I am in agreement with that! I suppose my thoughts are that while bassists and some other musicians like us appreciate Mark's playing, that there isn't much demand in the current music scene in the UK for playing like that - i.e the sort of fast slap/pop that he is mostly associated with and if you started playing that sort of stuff over here it would probably be seen as "old hat"?

Originally posted by Bruce Lindfield
Brad Johnson mentioned on the technique part of the forum that surely Mark King must get airplay over here in the UK. Now my view is that - yeah in the 80s he was very well known, but you would be very lucky to hear anything of him on today's radio stations...


Actually I didn't say "surely" ... I had no idea whether or not he got airplay. From your post there seems to be quite a bit that you don't get to hear in Brighton.

On my digital cable I have about thirty stations, separated into different genres, like Light Jazz and 80's... lots of slapping going on there and elsewhere. Then of course we have several radio stations that I don't listen to and an abundance of places to buy music.

I was a pretty big MK fan back in the day but I can understand the "feel" comment. Sometimes, to me, he can sound mechanical. So can I. Not really a criticism, just an observation;)

Sorry - didn't mean to misquote! :(

The only station mentioned that I can't get is "Jazz FM which is only available in London and isn't on digital radio. I can get 36 digital radio channels on my "Sky Digital" system, but none of them play music like this - although some are quite specialist - like "Panjab Radio" and "TalkGospel". But mainly they just play either "Rock" or current dance music - which is invariably programmed/sampled.

Radio 3 is my favourite and does play Jazz, but this is not of the "smooth" variety - for example, "Jazz on 3" this Saturday is featuring a duo by John Surman/Jack de Johnette and "Jazz scene" is featuring "Hal Russell" who it says was involved in the Chicago Free Jazz scene of the 50s!

I would be very happy if there was a radio station that featured stuff like Mark King's solo albums - but I don't think such a thing exists in Europe and I noticed that in this thread, mnost people are referring back tothe 80s and "rememebering" Mark King.

No problem, Bruce:D

I've never understood program managers unwillingness to at least toss in something from out of the norm and see if it gets a reaction. I know that here in the states, some of the busiest switchboard times at some radio stations is people calling for song info right after they play something they haven't played a zillion times before.

With all of the music available it's amazing that any station would have a 20 song playlist. Even the oldies/ classic rock/ etc. stations play the same songs over and over again.