submitter: it's overslick 80's British synth-pop

I'm disappointed by how wrong that statement is. Got any Howard Jones, instead?

Holy crap, I used to love Level 42.

Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?

Damn I loves me some heavily eyelinered men on keyboards and bass. Good find, subby, even though they left the eyeliner at home and grew too old for puffy pirate shirts. I will raise you this incarnation of Level 42 (which is more jazz than 80's synth pop) for the earlier version of the same: Lessons in Love (new window)

Got-damn, I love Mark King.

DblDad: Got-damn, I love Mark King.

Farkin' A right. The guy rawked. While not as inventive as Jaco Pastorious or Stanley Clarke, he had nice style and a great delivery.

weigelt: Holy crap, I used to love Level 42.

Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?

If you ever got to see them live, you saw a fusion band that played the occasional pop tune. That confused a lot of folks who were expecting the next Flock of Seagulls.

This is the sh*t. (new window)

/1980s fo' da win!

I prefer Old Gregg's version:
Link (new window)
/Howard would love the slap bass though.

Level 42 was playing everywhere we went the year I backpacked around Europe so I'll always have extremely fond memories.

Dialectic: This is the sh*t. (new window)

/1980s fo' da win!
Wrong this is the sh*t

Link (new window)

Now this is the shiat...

Link (new window)

I saw them open for Steve Winwood in the mid-80s and they blew him away. It wasn't until the "Gimme Some Lovin'" encore that the crowd's energy regained its Level 42, uh, level. How can you not want to shake yo' ass to some bass?

Come for the 80s British synth-pop and stay for the funk!

(I only know 'Something about You' but there's some good stuff here)

Worst snare tone evah. WTF is it doing so high in the mix when it sounds like a planck of oak.

Level 42 is the shiat. Can't beleive they are mostly forgotten these days. Even amongst my fellow bassits.

What's with all the past tense in this thread? They released a killer album in 2006, Retroglide (totally worth the wait).

/Mark King is awesome.

Shatnerfreude: I saw them open for Steve Winwood in the mid-80s and they blew him away.

Damn, I almost saw that tour, but I was on a limited budget and it was either that show or Peter Gabriel on his So tour.

I spent too much money on beer in 1986.

Having Allan Holdsworth and Gary Husband play in your band means you rock.

I think I see Husband and his scrunched-up face behind the kit in this vid actually. Awesome drummer.

So love that band!

this is great, thanks!

Dialectic: This is the sh*t. (new window)

/1980s fo' da win!

My absolute favorite song by them.

"Is It Gay or Just The 80s?" is the new family game show that stumps the experts!

weigelt: Holy crap, I used to love Level 42.

Was that wrong? Should I not have done that?

Hell no. I broke up with a girl in the 80s and she was playing Good Man In A Storm. When I hear that song, I always feel like crap.

Does Mark King age?

Bow chika bow.

EXCELLENT bassline

A little late to the thread but...

Mr. Pink (new window)

For 80s pop, Level 42 was among the better bands. Their music was well-crafted, and Mark King is a heck of a bass player, which of course meant that they only had two hits in the US. I still remember sitting in a cafe in Germany in 1986 and hearing "Lessons in Love" for the first time.