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Mark king...Overated?

#21
I like his song bassline ideas, but not his super-light strings rubber-band tone or his whackata-whack-brrrrrrr solos.

he's very influenced by Stanley Clarke (obviously the fast slapping, light strings, string-bending esp. bending harmonics up behind the nut, chords, plucking hard over the end of the fingerboard eg. in the Hot water solo etc.)

but also by Louis Johnson? (judging from how similar "love games" is to Herb Alpert's "Rise")
 
#22
I saw this post last week and being a huge Mark king fan I went home and checked out all of my favorite stuff by Mark and Level 42. I remain convinced that he is an awesome musician. He writes songs, sings lead and harmony, and plays some serious stuff on bass. He slaps with the best of them and his groove playing is as solid as solid gets. Children Say, Good Man in a Storm, Something About You, Chinese Way, Kansas City Milkman, are all great examples of his playing. A Physical Presence is the band live and the video of the band Live At Wembley should all be listened to and watched. IMHO Mark King is not overrated at all, he's a great player!!
 
#23
TRU said:
I can't wait to get the live at Apollo DVD ! :)
Click to expand...

Got it, signed by mr. King himself. :)

This is good ****! The band is in great shape as well as Mark himself. Sound/visual quality is good and the bass sound.. well if you like Mark's sound... ;)

One thing I forgot to mention is that not only Mark plays with great tight groove and sings and dances and chews bubblegum all at the same time. He also improvises, varies his basslines and puts nice fills here and there.

In one of his live-dvds Mark notices that while playing 'I sleep on my heart' the fingerboard led's are not on, so at one point when going to bridge, he simultaneously hammers on notes with his left hand, sings the lyrics and switches the led's on with his right hand... that's impressive!

Setlist for the 'Live at Apollo':
Heaven In My Hands
To Be With You Again
Love Meeting Love
Micro Kid
Follow Me
Leaving Me Now
World Machine
A Physical Presence
I Sleep On My Heart
The Sun Goes Down
Starchild
Running In The Family
Lessons In Love
Something About You
The Sunbed Song
Hot Water
 
#24
Mark King probably was never truly discovered in America way back then,as he said himself,he never got the feedback in America that he got in Britain and Holland.Unfortunately,as the band became more of a commodity,the record company 'matured' and 'tamed' the beast that was Mark King in the early years ('79-'81) Just my thoughts but if you need to hear more then I'm sure my friend Carl will welcome you to his website,which in my opinion is the best on the 'net for all things Level 42.Full of bass solos from different years and locations along with video interview at his home studio.He really is a drummer who learned the bass!! www.forevernow.com
That said,endeavour to stay cool.Fallon.
www.7dd.co.uk/~fallon
 
#26
I think Mark gets all the respect he rightly deserves here in the UK. I saw a Level 42 tour (only Mark was from the original line up tho) only last year. His bass playing was on top form and, most importantly, everyone had a excellent time!

If I have to say anything about him, it would be that I think he reached the peak of his bass skills in the early eighties and has since been coasting on the wave, rather than keep pushing and pushing the boundries. Mind, he's still at the top of his game IMO and I for one can't thank him enough for inspiration.
 
#31
"Love Games" is one of the main reasons I play bass. The thing about Mark is that he's able to display his chops without ever sacrificing the Groove of the song. Flea can do it too, but that's about it. I saw Primus live and while I loved Les's playing, I felt like throwing a nother bass player up there to glue it all together.

Is it just me or does seeing Mark King endorsing Ashdown is feel a bit like watching Ronald McDonald endorsing Hungry Jacks? He was always a Trace man through and through. I guess Trace are no longer and Ashdown are English........................
 
#33
Petebass said:
"Love Games" is one of the main reasons I play bass. The thing about Mark is that he's able to display his chops without ever sacrificing the Groove of the song. Flea can do it too, but that's about it. I saw Primus live and while I loved Les's playing, I felt like throwing a nother bass player up there to glue it all together.

Is it just me or does seeing Mark King endorsing Ashdown is feel a bit like watching Ronald McDonald endorsing Hungry Jacks? He was always a Trace man through and through. I guess Trace are no longer and Ashdown are English........................
Click to expand...

So what? The man is a fantastic bassist and all you want to rant on about is garbage politics regarding endorsments????
Wise up.That said,endeavour to remain calm.Fallon,Scotland's slap bassist.www.7dd.co.uk/~fallon
 

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