Thursday, March 3, 2022

The 1981 Listening Post - Level 42 - Level 42

 Level 42 - Level 42



#421

By Aaron Conte

Level 42

Level 42

Genre: British jazz rock

Allen’s rating: 3 out of 5

Aaron’s Rating: 3 out of 5 cosmopolitans



Another one that has taken me WAY too long to get done. I'm definitely over thinking this. 

Level 42 was a band I only knew from "Something About You" and "Lessons in Love".


They had a small hit in 1981 with "Love Games" which upon multiple listenings doesn't veer too far off the Level 42 path of style or sound.


British jazz rock is a hard sell, especially to an American kid in 81. No matter how much I liked, or wanted to like, jazz then, this still had to compete with Depeche Mode, DEVO, "Gaucho" and the late great Chick Corea.


Don't listen to me, I don't like how people hold their guitars or the sort of drums they use (strapping your bass too high or using a drum cage, and I move on). It's a problem I know, and I'm revealing myself here so don't judge.


I could in fact listen to this a few times through. It's that good. I can appreciate musicianship and recording technique, I just don't enjoy it all. There's no tape hiss and there are "too many notes" for me.


For background music, first date, make-out music, it's awesome. Probably also for music school folk, it translates, but for me I need them to lower their bass guitars to around the waist and make way for Primus and Go West.



https://open.spotify.com/album/5H8piXvRoomykHCTvE8dnK?si=_7FilV0MSdSeuXkF61pwtg

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