Great chords, melody, harmonies, great singing, lyrics that make sense, beat is awake but soothing -- what's not to love?
And that piano outro! Beautiful, beautiful melody.

These guys rightfully earned the title "musicians".



Here is the video version, from Wembley, UK in 1986. My Dad had a VHS copy of this, and we watched it so many mornings! I started off my day listening to Level 42 (either the video or the cassette tape my Dad had), made a pitcher of kool-aid (if we had any left) and got on my bike to go explore the neighborhood. So many great memories when I was 12. Especially the summer, when I was out of (public) school. So carefree and happy.

Great chords, melody, harmonies, great singing, lyrics that make sense, beat is awake but soothing -- what's not to love?
And that piano outro! Beautiful, beautiful melody.

These guys rightfully earned the title "musicians".



Here is the video version, from Wembley, UK in 1986. My Dad had a VHS copy of this, and we watched it so many mornings! I started off my day listening to Level 42 (either the video or the cassette tape my Dad had), made a pitcher of kool-aid (if we had any left) and got on my bike to go explore the neighborhood. So many great memories when I was 12. Especially the summer, when I was out of (public) school. So carefree and happy.

I just ripped open a new pair of headphones (my old ones broke, several pairs actually, and I haven't fixed them yet) to give these a fair shake. I can't say anything stood out to me, except some of the synth. But, the few pieces of Bach's organ works that I like, well most of them didn't really grab me either. Is it an acquired taste? Is it learning the particular composer's style/language/logic/thought process before being able to enjoy the music? Is it just that organ music can sound like a mess through speakers, and several listenings as well as reading the sheet music allows one's brain to better process what's going on? By then, so many listens would bias a person with familiarity, and some of Bach that I enjoy does lose favor if I don't listen to it regularly. Anyway, I couldn't understand most of the lyrics (of the live video, the only one I watched), and there was a lot going on making it sound messy, so my first impression was that it's hardly above average, and well below my preferences. There is obviously some skill and good artistic order to the composition. The outro didn't grab me either. It was funny how once the drummer stopped giving people a visual cue, their claps rapidly lost synchrony due to their relying on the slow feedback of sound.

Did this music strike you as particularly enjoyable when your first heard it, or was it with familiarity and the observance of your Dad's approval that caused you to take such a liking to it? I probably enjoy a lot more music than I would have simply because my Dad would often play it, whether I wanted to hear it or not. I didn't approve of rock, being raised Catholic, but familiarity at least has made some rock easy on my ears, though having been away from it for so long, even just months after quitting it, it sounds much more trashy than I remember. 

It makes me wonder what good music is supposed to sound like. Must it be immediately enjoyable to all people? I honestly wonder. Some days certain music I like sound extremely good, other days I wonder how I ever liked it.

Mark King showing off his bass guitar skills. He developed his own special "slap" technique to get that funky sound.

And gotta love them Brits -- even rock stars dress well (a suit) on stage!

Funk is fun sounding, but that intro is clearly the rock equivalent of those charismatic pastors getting people agitated and riled up until the "Holy Ghost" or rather a demon possesses them. Quite the demonic intro if you ask me.

Here's a talented funk musician for you