Level 42 Before Level42

[Bassassin]

I bought my first good bass, a Washburn B20 Stage, out of Macari's in 1981.

 

I'd like to be able to say it was demo'd to me by some short blond guy doing frenetic boinkety-boinkety-boink stuff with his taped-up thumb - but I honestly don't remember.

[Ricky 4000]

Interesting. I thought MK lived on the IOW, and he and the rest of the band were learning their trade on the holiday camp circuit over there, before they made it to the big time.

 

So I suppose MK worked in Macari's before all that...?

[skankdelvar]

I remember Macari's in the latter days after they moved to Charing Cross Road. I'd get drunk at lunchtimes and wander round and stare in the window.

 

On one occasion I bought a Danelectro U2 in there; it seemed like a good idea under the circumstances.

 

 

 

[lowdown]

3 hours ago, EssentialTension said:

What?

 

(I think I said the same last time as well.)

 

 And probably the time before that (several times)...

 

*Brit funk* bassists who crashed around 1970's Denmark Street, disco dancing and cryptic whatever ..!

Merry Groundhog day 2021, Bean9seventy. I'm glad you could make it.

 

[tauzero]

3 hours ago, RhysP said:

Nope, I haven't got a f*cking clue either.

 

Here's me, brain the size of a planet, and I can't work it out either. Something about Santana teaching Mark King to play bass at Macari's under the guidance of the OP, or something.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

19 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

Here's me, brain the size of a planet, and I can't work it out either. Something about Santana teaching Mark King to play bass at Macari's under the guidance of the OP, or something.

It’s just the usual incomprehensible twaddle from the OP.

I can only think that these topics are actually brought about by sporadic moments of comparative lucidity.

The Santana album/track is 70’s by the skin of it’s teeth by which time King, Lindup and the Gould brothers were surely together.

[Bean9seventy]

all those who do not know whats going on , least you got somewhere to type

 

Macaris leaving Demark st is big , the shop is linked to Level 42 ,, we have our own story on both the band & the shop

 

3rd time in this blog now,, "the topic "also" includes some of the early UK funk bassists "not" having Fender Basses at all " soz ?

[Bunion]

The man feels a need to share, we can read and ingest or not as we decide, no need to be rude to the guy as long as he’s having fun who are we to judge. 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

8 minutes ago, Bunion said:

The man feels a need to share, we can read and ingest or not as we decide, no need to be rude to the guy as long as he’s having fun who are we to judge. 

I’m all for sharing, but is it too much to ask to make the topic understandable?

[Bean9seventy]

6 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

It’s just the usual incomprehensible twaddle from the OP.

I can only think that these topics are actually brought about by sporadic moments of comparative lucidity.

The Santana album/track is 70’s by the skin of it’s teeth by which time King, Lindup and the Gould brothers were surely together.

"Santana" was together in woodstock ,, i knew i would get this question,

 

the only bass player at the time ,, not word n mouth , was Robert Popswell

that is the sound & tone everyone wants in 1978 ,,

Runin by Santana is simply a "weapon nice" popswell joint ,, yet, it pre dates level42 

 

And, it was a tune (geek) floating around at the time, the LP even has a Jaco type tune Classic tune the main song , check it out

 

[Old Horse Murphy]

Was this an influence as well?

 

Sorry....

 

 

[Rich]

[Grimalkin]

It is well known that Santana used to moonlight back in the day, to get out of contractual obligations. They used to go out under the non de plume of "Level 41."

[martin8708]

It’s probably well known that Mark King  was originally a drummer when he was playing as a youngster on the Isle of Wight . 
When he moved to London , he blagged a job at Macaris claiming to play bass , ( Macaris did not sell drums ) and that’s where he developed his percussive style of bass playing . 
As a resident of the Isle of Wight for the last 20 years , I have not had the pleasure of meeting him , but he is the patron of the IoW bass players society and all round good guy , unlike some of the unpleasant famous people who move down here .

[Grimalkin]

14 minutes ago, martin8708 said:

 unlike some of the unpleasant famous people who move down here .

 

Alan Titchmarsh? I always thought he was a bit of a gangster.

[RhysP]

42 minutes ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

Was this an influence as well?

 

Sorry....

 

 

With your Mark Kingly and wasp-waist and swivel-hippy, show you had, and I must say it showed it first self in pictures with the rhythmic contrapole of the wobbling of the hipper, sideways with the thumb and tilty, gave him that expression both also with a little doggy-lublike in the eyebold which he conveyed to the smaller femailode of the specie, coupled with his music because he did trittly-how fine on the strims, helped him along the roamer [....] I heard it first of all in Macari's in the early mordy: I was doing the shavit-huff with my razor blade, which of course is a safety one, and suddenly, suddenly he did a little slappity syncopole or a drop-it and how, or something he did and caused a jerkit over a pimplode and I've been suffering ever since!

Edited December 26, 2021 by RhysP

[Old Horse Murphy]

2 minutes ago, RhysP said:

With your Mark Kingly and wasp-waist and swivel-hippy, show you had, and I must say it showed it first self in pictures with the rhythmic contrapole of the wobbling of the hipper, sideways with the thumb and tilty, gave him that expression both also with a little doggy-lublike in the eyebold which he conveyed to the smaller femailode of the specie, coupled with his music because he did trittly-how fine on the strims, helped him along the roamer [....] I heard it first of all in Macari's in the early mordy: I was doing the shavit-huff with my razor blade, which of course is a safety one, and suddenly, suddenly he did a little slappity syncopole or a drop-it and how, or something he did and caused a jerkit over a pimplode and I've been suffering ever since!

Ah, crystal clear. Thanks for clarifying!

[RhysP]

3 minutes ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

Ah, crystal clear. Thanks for clarifying!

Here to help. 🙂

[martin8708]

19 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

 

Alan Titchmarsh? I always thought he was a bit of a gangster.

Bang on , he was the Sheriff of the Isle of Wight a while back , good thing there was no Robin Hoods around then .

[drTStingray]

1 hour ago, Bean9seventy said:

all those who do not know whats going on , least you got somewhere to type

 

Macaris leaving Demark st is big , the shop is linked to Level 42 ,, we have our own story on both the band & the shop

 

3rd time in this blog now,, "the topic "also" includes some of the early UK funk bassists "not" having Fender Basses at all " soz ?

Interesting - I listened to the Santana track and it does have elements of the Level 42 sound, even beyond the slapped bass - but there again they took influences from jazz funk and other genres - so pop became very funk orientated in the early 80s, another Brit funk band being Freeze. 
 

I saw Pops Popwell a couple of times in the late 70s with the Crusaders - a monster of a bass player and not just slap, although he was great at that. However it was extremely unusual that such a player would be playing a Precision by that date as other basses far more suited to slap style (and fatter sounding for finger style) were available by then - you were as likely to see, in the U.K. at least, a decent bass player playing Musicman, Yamaha, Alembic and subsequently Ibanez Musician basses - not many using Precisions. 
 

So I think you’re right @Bean9seventy. 
 

You’re also right that the “accepted history of bass playing” tends to overlook significant “non Fender periods” and the extensive “no flatwound strings available” period - all rather laughable tbh. It’s almost as if LA 1960s - early 70s and Motown 60s and early 70s have a monopoly of all recorded bass for the whole of time - good as they are, they aren’t the be all and end all.

 

Ive personally started to watch more of Level 42’s performances, particularly the fairly recent ones - this has fuelled a new found gas for that archetypal British bass, the Jaydee Supernatural - joining gas for that other archetypal British bass the Wal Mk1 😀

Edited December 26, 2021 by drTStingray

[drTStingray]

41 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

 

Alan Titchmarsh? I always thought he was a bit of a gangster.

Wasn’t he that Uber tw*t who physically threw (or escorted) that other id**t John McCrirrick off his live afternoon talk show because he thought his comments might upset his core Women’s Institute audience?!! 🥴

Edited December 26, 2021 by drTStingray

[Cosmo Valdemar]

46 minutes ago, RhysP said:

With your Mark Kingly and wasp-waist and swivel-hippy, show you had, and I must say it showed it first self in pictures with the rhythmic contrapole of the wobbling of the hipper, sideways with the thumb and tilty, gave him that expression both also with a little doggy-lublike in the eyebold which he conveyed to the smaller femailode of the specie, coupled with his music because he did trittly-how fine on the strims, helped him along the roamer [....] I heard it first of all in Macari's in the early mordy: I was doing the shavit-huff with my razor blade, which of course is a safety one, and suddenly, suddenly he did a little slappity syncopole or a drop-it and how, or something he did and caused a jerkit over a pimplode and I've been suffering ever since!

What a mindblast! Stay cool won't you x 

[lowdown]

 

3 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

Interesting - I listened to the Santana track and it does have elements of the Level 42 sound, even beyond the slapped bass - but there again they took influences from jazz funk and other genres - so pop became very funk orientated in the early 80s, another Brit funk band being Freeze. 
 

I saw Pops Popwell a couple of times in the late 70s with the Crusaders - a monster of a bass player and not just slap, although he was great at that. However it was extremely unusual that such a player would be playing a Precision by that date as other basses far more suited to slap style (and fatter sounding for finger style) were available by then - you were as likely to see, in the U.K. at least, a decent bass player playing Musicman, Yamaha, Alembic and subsequently Ibanez Musician basses - not many using Precisions. 
 

So I think you’re right @Bean9seventy. 

  

David Margen is the Bassist on Runnin'. He was using a Precision while in the Santana band during that period in the late 70's. Although that track 'Aqua Marine' sounds like a Jazz Bass.

Interesting little story about what he got himself mixed up in. The link is lifted from the dark side over the pond.

 

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/what-happened-to-david-margen.301996/

 

 

 

[drTStingray]

3 hours ago, lowdown said:

 

  

David Margen is the Bassist on Runnin'. He was using a Precision while in the Santana band during that period in the late 70's. Although that track 'Aqua Marine' sounds like a Jazz Bass.

Interesting little story about what he got himself mixed up in. The link is lifted from the dark side over the pond.

 

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/what-happened-to-david-margen.301996/

 

 

 

Really? And yeah - having been asked to play a couple of Santana bass lines from the mid 70s he played some very tricky stuff - I found it quite difficult to play some of it tbh.

 

I misunderstood Bean9Seventys posts thinking it was Pops Popwell…… to be fair it does sound similar, presumably because of the playing style and use of a Precision. 

[wintoid]

On 25/12/2021 at 20:16, Bean9seventy said:

 

it quite simply its Level 42 before Level 42 ,,

 

I'd never heard that, thanks for sharing.  Just as you said!