Mark King

TimWilson · #1 12-08-2008, 07:31 PM

I thought Mark was just the silky-voiced singer for Level 42 who had a bit of slap happening.. Then I saw this... Holeeee CRAP!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMzXtizKcXY

DWBass · #2 12-08-2008, 07:49 PM

Ju mean, ju din no?

Mark King is 'nasty' wit it!

TimWilson · #3 12-08-2008, 08:05 PM

I em tellin' ju, I din no! How I shoulda no when the mTEEvee onee play the "Lezzons in the Loves" song? Soo preety

WJGreer · #4 12-08-2008, 08:10 PM

This one has always been my favorite.

neurotictim · #5 12-08-2008, 08:13 PM

both of which remind me...

...when bass players get a solo, it's time for a beer, catch up on old times... Hey look, he's done...

TimWilson · #6 12-08-2008, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

This one has always been my favorite.

Whoa.. That one's sick, too! He bends the fudge outta the strings, and they don't look like light gauges!

Quote:

Originally Posted by neurotictim

both of which remind me...when bass players get a solo, it's time for a beer, catch up on old times... Hey look, he's done...

I dunno,, Sounded like a hundred or so people clappin' along on the King's beat...

jerry · #7 12-09-2008, 04:07 AM

Mark King has been so good for so long I sometimes take him for granted. Gary Husband the drummer in the first clip is another animal! To play drums like that and also play keyboards in John McLaughlin's band is pretty amazing.

Daveelvy · #8 12-09-2008, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimWilson

Whoa.. That one's sick, too! He bends the fudge outta the strings, and they don't look like light gauges!

I think he uses 30 - 90 gauge, possibly Rotosounds or Elites.

jerry · #9 12-09-2008, 04:22 AM

In the 80's I remember him using a .035 for a G-string, I tried them for awhile because of him.

McDreads · #10 12-09-2008, 05:35 AM

I like the red leds on his 'bic better tan the status' cold blue ones.

DWBass · #11 12-09-2008, 05:52 AM

While I like his tone on his Alembics and Jaydee's, I saw a clip of him playing a Jazz bass and it had the same sound! Ugh! It must have totally been modded! Kinda sacrilig' for a jazz to sound like that!

Mark is a terrific player, however! He is extremely musical so he's not all just slap chops. Just don't know how he can take all that 'brightness' all the time. Would love to hear some P Bass 'thump' or J Bass 'growl' for a change!

Baryonyx · #12 12-09-2008, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McDreads

I like the red leds on his 'bic better tan the status' cold blue ones.

Some of his Status basses have red LEDs in them. His Matrix Empathy bass had them. Some of his Series I Kingbasses had them and he has them in one of his Kingbass mk II basses too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

Mark King has been so good for so long I sometimes take him for granted. Gary Husband the drummer in the first clip is another animal! To play drums like that and also play keyboards in John McLaughlin's band is pretty amazing.

Yeah, Gary is an absolute monster! He has more skill on the keys than Mike Lindup does! It just so happens that he's a monster drummer too! Funnily enough, at a Level 42 show this year, Gary couldn't make it so Billy Cobham took the drum chair!

As for the Mark King jazz basses, they were part of a run of 42. However, Mark didn't use them for very long, for a variety of reasons. They had quality issues (people who bought them have reported numerous problems with them) and they just didn't sound that great! IMO when Mark was using them he didn't get that great tone, it just had none of the snap or character that he got from his Jaydee, Alembic, Status or Pangborn basses!

Although hearing a P Bass thump from Mark would be disgraceful, when you hear Mark you want sharp, precise, articulate and musical tones! Which he usually delivers!

MikeBass · #13 12-09-2008, 06:22 AM

YEah, Mark King.....often over looked because most just see the slapping part- which is badass, but there is a boatload of other stuff that makes him a monster as well!!

He plays a very cool fretless line on "My Father's Shoes" from the Guaranteed disc.

And on most recordings (at least most of the latter ones) he used a StingRay in the studio......go figure!

Baryonyx · #14 12-09-2008, 06:39 AM

IIRC, "My Father's Shoes" was a fretted bass, but about as thumpy as Mark King has ever gotten!

He did use a fretless on that album, on the track "Seven Years". It was a Moon jazz bass that he got for free at an airport in Japan, which he defretted himself. There is some confusion about this, some people think he used it on the track "Lasso the Moon", although that was recorded with a Wal bass with a midi pickup.

As for Mark using the Stingray to record most of his stuff, this is completely untrue. Mark did not get his first Stingray until 1991 (it was a 1991 serial number). He did use a Stingray and a Stingray 5 string to record some of Guranteed, but then he also used a Status Matrix Empathy, a Wal and a Moon jazz bass on that record too! The only record that was recorded completely on a Stingray was "Forever Now" in 1994. Perhaps the Stingray explains why the bass tone on that record is so utterly average, especially given Mark's former glories?

Likesay, before Guranteed, his last recording bass was an Alembic on "Staring at the Sun". And before that it was mainly Status, Jaydee and Pangborn he used.

At the end of the 1990's he seemed to be having a bit of a jazz bass thing. He used the Fender Mark King jazz and then used a couple of GB basses (though these didn't sound very good either, they never had enough tonal defition imo!) before going back to Rob at Status and coming up with the Kingbass design.

alexofc69 · #15 12-09-2008, 06:56 AM

I saw Level 42 back in 1989. I keep wishing he would do a US tour now that Level 42 is back together.
He has always been one of my bass heroes. Jeez! I own an Ashdown Mark King 500 head. Perfect for getting all of those sweet slap happy tones. Mark is an incredible drummer as well, In fact he is a drummer first. Thats part of the reason he has incredible slap chops. He uses his drumming chops for his percussive slap technique. Yeah, here in the US Level 42 was only really know for 1 hit. The were a big pop group in UK and Europe in the 80's.

jerry · #16 12-09-2008, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexofc69

Mark is an incredible drummer as well, In fact he is a drummer first.

If I remember correctly, it only took a few years after his switch from drums that they recorded the first Level 42 album, talented guy!!!!!

/side note, Allan Holdsworth also played on Guaranteed.

Baryonyx · #17 12-09-2008, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerry

/side note, Allan Holdsworth also played on Guaranteed.

His solo on "If you were mine" still blows me away!

jerry · #18 12-09-2008, 08:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alexofc69

Mark is an incredible drummer as well, In fact he is a drummer first.

A good example of Mark's drumming is the song 'There Is A Dog' from his first solo album, very Return To Forever influenced piece.

Alvaro Martín Gómez A. · #19 12-09-2008, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baryonyx

As for the Mark King jazz basses, they were part of a run of 42. However, Mark didn't use them for very long, for a variety of reasons. They had quality issues (people who bought them have reported numerous problems with them) and they just didn't sound that great! IMO when Mark was using them he didn't get that great tone, it just had none of the snap or character that he got from his Jaydee, Alembic, Status or Pangborn basses!

Here's a video of Mr. King playing his Fender.

DWBass · #20 12-09-2008, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alvaro Martín Gómez A.

Here's a video of Mr. King playing his Fender.

First time I'm seeing that one. Man that thing sounded choked! No sustain at all!