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Mark King Live Wembley Love Games
- Thread starter murphy
- Start date
I remember when I first came across this on VHS at Sam The Record Man here in Montreal. I'd heard about the existence of the video from an older friend who was a Level 42 fan but I'd never actually seen a copy. Of course I bought it without a second thought and proceeded to watch it countless times over the following years (eventually buying it on DVD as well). As much as I enjoy that concert footage, I can see why Phil Gould was losing interest in performing with the band. As he pointed out, there was a much greater reliance on sequences during that time than previously and the band had a more rigid sound as a result. Compare the Wembley show to the performances on the live A Physical Presence album and you can hear it right away.
I have tickets to a couple of L42 shows in October and am stoked to be able to see them once again (even if it isn't the original line-up - which I've never had the chance to see in-person). It's great that Mark King and Mike Lindup are still out playing this material.
I have tickets to a couple of L42 shows in October and am stoked to be able to see them once again (even if it isn't the original line-up - which I've never had the chance to see in-person). It's great that Mark King and Mike Lindup are still out playing this material.
I saw three of their shows on the 2018 tour. MK's voice sounded decent then but I've seen some footage of more recent shows since and I think you're right. I guess that with some of those bass lines he doesn't want to transpose (even if it would help with the vocals). This year is the 40th anniversary of World Machine so I'm expecting to hear some good non-hits from that album.Just be aware, that Mark King stills plays fantastically, but his voice is not what it was.....
My fav album...I went to the release concert .... I think it was at Hammersmith Odean...and bought the album the next day
My sister saw them play 2023 last and said she was done, as Mark sounds awful now ( might have been 2024, I can't remember)
Maybe he had just finished a tour and voice was tired...Happened when I saw Hall and Oates a couple of years ago....Toronto was the last concert of their North American tour ....and they sounded completely worn out..
We're only Human, after all.....
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Yes, A Physical Presence is definitely a desert island album for me. I've probably listened to it more than to any other album. I'll be catching the band closer to the beginning of the tour so hopefully MK's voice will still be intact.My fav album...I went to the release concert .... I think it was at Hammersmith Odean...and bought the album the next day
My sister saw them play 2023 last and said she was done, as Mark sounds awful now ( might have been 2024, I can't remember)
Maybe he had just finished a tour and voice was tired...Happened when I saw Hall and Oates a couple of years ago....Toronto was the last concert of their North American tour ....and they sounded completely worn out..
We're only Human, after all.....
Probably their finest moment as a band, at least IMO.
I first saw L42 around the time their first album came out. Needless to say, Mark King absolutely blew the mind of this then-teenage bass player. Having said that, I liked them less and less as they moved along although there's no denying that MK was one of my major influences back in the '80s.
Enjoy the upcoming shows, gentlemen!
Just be aware, that Mark King stills plays fantastically, but his voice is not what it was.....
It happens to them all! Man, I saw Rush on the R40 tour. Geddy needed to warm up for the first couple of songs but had a fairly decent night after that. Some of the footage and audio of him singing in later years is fairly painful (like the way he would 'slide' into a note when he was struggling to find it, for instance). But you let these guys off with it because they gave us many good years and play bass so excellently.
FWIW, I never thought Mark had an amazing voice but he did very well here:
Surely this video is more than eight years old too, I feel like I've been watching it for way longer! I had the pleasure of seeing Level 42 live twice, once on the Retroglide tour at a venue designed for acoustic quality - that was a real treat as Mark was still using the Mk1 Kingbass and Ashdown amps and he sounded amazing. The second show was on the subsequent tour where he was playing a Kingbass Mk2. Still sounded great but the venue wasn't as good for sound.
