Mark's bass playing style is 95% feel, however he is so naturally talented that his chops are equally as impressive and world class without a doubt. Many bass players try to cop Mark's grooves and some come close in many cases on the technical side of things, however it's Mark's internal sense of meter that makes his funk so damn funky......of course that's just my opinion. LEVEL 42!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't but make another comment on this bass solo , as I think Mark has came up , eventually , with one his bass solo's... As Mark always explains that more often that not his solo's are made up of other similar noodling parts he likes to do & I've actually recognised certain parts from certain songs or instrumental ones , also but on first seeing this so many years ago , I think this was one that saw him play a solo that was or had never been heard by myself & other fans & hence why I agree that this is one of his best ever solo's & it's not just because I don't recognise certain parts as he does throw in a few I recognise but the solo as a whole is about 90% of a noodling solo I've never heard before or after this one I've got on DVD In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and it's variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... .....
I've got this concert on DVD , so its out there to buy & you'll see it with a much better picture & sound... This goes down as one of my favourite of all time Mark King solo's & considering Mark only did these in their early year's as with any bands during the mid 70s to the 80s all had one thing in common & that it wasnt uncommon for synths/keyboards/sequencers & everything to do with player an instrument replicating certain sounds or having a sound like a piano but so much more eady to carry around , well they were less heavy than a piano , but many of them could be as long , as wide & as high as a coffin & they were really heavy as it took 3 of us to get just one to our friends house not that far away but this was in the late 70s & many of them were still quite bulky & hard to move around... I digress... Everyone that used instruments to make synthetic sounds of other instruments or you just made up your own sounds were great but too many of them in the mid 70s into the 80s could be temperamental to say the least & the story I've always heard was that Mark used to do those solo's to keep the fan's happy & hopefully enough time for the tech guys & Mike tried tp figure out why it wasn't working & a lot of times they sorted it & moved on with what the next song was meant to be but when they couldnt figure out what was wrong & that particular song that need Mike's equipment to work but didnt would see the guys from Level 42 dropping that song that needed the partical instrument Mike used & it was replaced by another song instead & didnt need the use of that particular input Mike did on his synths & other instruments... Soon fan's were practicalky demanding or at least expecting a bass solo from Mark even when everything was working fine but many decades later these Synths & Keyboard Mike used go smaller less heavier/cheaper & didnt break down but there was one problem on certain songs or instrumentals it needed the equipment Mike bought all those decades ago as they were the one's that provided Mike with sounds he was used to so it meant keeping many of them as even to this day bands that still tour or bands like Duran Duran who still record albums & go on tour you'll see Nick Rhodes with many of his original instruments aa only they created the sounds he come up with... Thats why you really see Mark do any bass solo's anymore as he has no need to but sometimes , just sometimes fans will get a solo they werent expecting as Mark just felt like doing one & again i think it was to let other set up for the next songs or he just like giving the fan's what they want but he rarely does them anymore... There's just something about this solo that ticks all the boxes for me & hence why i think its one of Marks best solo's but its that adage of " Each To Their Own " In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and its variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... .....
Pretty much every bass solo he’s done in the last 40 years is a derivative of the one he did in the early 80s, notably on the Physical Presence live recording. …except this one. This one starts in E minor and stays there, like all the others. But the melodic idea is unique and he ends up emphasizing the III and IV with the major IV giving a Dorian feel. I also like how he ends this one. It’s his most creative solo and my favorite.
In a long line of great musicians, its great to be able to listen to em all, and see on each video the fervor of the fan, claiming his/hers view on who walks around with Joe Esposito - You're the Best ,Around perpetually playing behind them. We need it though, otherwise how would anyhow know just who the best is?
I dunno about you guys, but i much much prefer Mark kings slap style to victors, Victors style doesnt feel as free...Mark kings is like a train ride, victors feels like a cable car..if you get what i mean
@Zuurkool1 I think its still a valid point. To be a true bass player as opposed to a musician who plays a bass guitar there is a subtle difference. The energy that a bass player brings to their playing is one that melts into and works around the lower frequencies and has a primal groove. VW playing is technically fantastic, but to me it lacks essential groove. It's Too fancy and extrinsically extrovert = VW is a guitar player.
@Mandos why do people still make that argument "that person is a guitarist playing bass" why? that makes no sense... if he is playing a bass he is a bassplayer no matter how he plays. And i love mark king to death but i disagree he supersedes VW in all he as done.
@Mandosami well, i get everything you are saying. i don't agree though, maybe you have only seen the absurd solo vids and not his work with bela fleck or some of his vid where he demonstrates groove, cause i gotta say... i have seen him groove the littles softest notes to the heaviest fast slaps. also, even if i were to agree with what you were saying. the = he is a guitar player still makes no sense to me.
Mark's bass playing style is 95% feel, however he is so naturally talented that his chops are equally as impressive and world class without a doubt. Many bass players try to cop Mark's grooves and some come close in many cases on the technical side of things, however it's Mark's internal sense of meter that makes his funk so damn funky......of course that's just my opinion. LEVEL 42!!!!!!!!!!!
It's all the syncopated bits he puts in whilst not even seeming to think about it that I like. Awesome.
Unbelievable player is mark king,brilliant
This is definetly one of the coolest bass solos out there...
My fav bass solo!
I can't but make another comment on this bass solo , as I think Mark has came up , eventually , with one his bass solo's...
As Mark always explains that more often that not his solo's are made up of other similar noodling parts he likes to do & I've actually recognised certain parts from certain songs or instrumental ones , also but on first seeing this so many years ago , I think this was one that saw him play a solo that was or had never been heard by myself & other fans & hence why I agree that this is one of his best ever solo's & it's not just because I don't recognise certain parts as he does throw in a few I recognise but the solo as a whole is about 90% of a noodling solo I've never heard before or after this one I've got on DVD
In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and it's variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world...
.....
One of the best solos
I've got this concert on DVD , so its out there to buy & you'll see it with a much better picture & sound...
This goes down as one of my favourite of all time Mark King solo's & considering Mark only did these in their early year's as with any bands during the mid 70s to the 80s all had one thing in common & that it wasnt uncommon for synths/keyboards/sequencers & everything to do with player an instrument replicating certain sounds or having a sound like a piano but so much more eady to carry around , well they were less heavy than a piano , but many of them could be as long , as wide & as high as a coffin & they were really heavy as it took 3 of us to get just one to our friends house not that far away but this was in the late 70s & many of them were still quite bulky & hard to move around...
I digress...
Everyone that used instruments to make synthetic sounds of other instruments or you just made up your own sounds were great but too many of them in the mid 70s into the 80s could be temperamental to say the least & the story I've always heard was that Mark used to do those solo's to keep the fan's happy & hopefully enough time for the tech guys & Mike tried tp figure out why it wasn't working & a lot of times they sorted it & moved on with what the next song was meant to be but when they couldnt figure out what was wrong & that particular song that need Mike's equipment to work but didnt would see the guys from Level 42 dropping that song that needed the partical instrument Mike used & it was replaced by another song instead & didnt need the use of that particular input Mike did on his synths & other instruments...
Soon fan's were practicalky demanding or at least expecting a bass solo from Mark even when everything was working fine but many decades later these Synths & Keyboard Mike used go smaller less heavier/cheaper & didnt break down but there was one problem on certain songs or instrumentals it needed the equipment Mike bought all those decades ago as they were the one's that provided Mike with sounds he was used to so it meant keeping many of them as even to this day bands that still tour or bands like Duran Duran who still record albums & go on tour you'll see Nick Rhodes with many of his original instruments aa only they created the sounds he come up with...
Thats why you really see Mark do any bass solo's anymore as he has no need to but sometimes , just sometimes fans will get a solo they werent expecting as Mark just felt like doing one & again i think it was to let other set up for the next songs or he just like giving the fan's what they want but he rarely does them anymore...
There's just something about this solo that ticks all the boxes for me & hence why i think its one of Marks best solo's but its that adage of " Each To Their Own "
In light of this still ongoing coronavirus and its variants stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world...
.....
I was there
Class
Mark King......the best
Pretty much every bass solo he’s done in the last 40 years is a derivative of the one he did in the early 80s, notably on the Physical Presence live recording.
…except this one. This one starts in E minor and stays there, like all the others. But the melodic idea is unique and he ends up emphasizing the III and IV with the major IV giving a Dorian feel. I also like how he ends this one. It’s his most creative solo and my favorite.
WOW
nothin like the funkmaster gauge rotosound strings!
goil , dieser alte alembic bass mit led`s !
i agree totally - I've had abuse on youtube for saying the same! love this solo and the alembic sounds gorgeous :O)
In a long line of great musicians, its great to be able to listen to em all, and see on each video the fervor of the fan, claiming his/hers view on who walks around with Joe Esposito - You're the Best ,Around perpetually playing behind them. We need it though, otherwise how would anyhow know just who the best is?
he's using 30-90's on here - great to play - easy to snap!! I use 35-95 on my vids as they bend well and last a tiny bit longer :)
saying no one else could do this is a wild overstatement.
Can you make several videos how to use/navigate this processor.
I dunno about you guys, but i much much prefer Mark kings slap style to victors, Victors style doesnt feel as free...Mark kings is like a train ride, victors feels like a cable car..if you get what i mean
hey hey now, no comparing, just get your woman and do some naughty things... to the levs42
no chance! Marks primal groove supersedes anything VW has ever done. VW is clever, but he is a guitar playing bass essentially
@Zuurkool1 I think its still a valid point. To be a true bass player as opposed to a musician who plays a bass guitar there is a subtle difference. The energy that a bass player brings to their playing is one that melts into and works around the lower frequencies and has a primal groove. VW playing is technically fantastic, but to me it lacks essential groove. It's Too fancy and extrinsically extrovert = VW is a guitar player.
I think that's called "slap ring"
@Mandos
why do people still make that argument "that person is a guitarist playing bass" why? that makes no sense... if he is playing a bass he is a bassplayer no matter how he plays. And i love mark king to death but i disagree he supersedes VW in all he as done.
...and plays the guitar :)
It's black scotch... :D
@Mandosami
well, i get everything you are saying. i don't agree though, maybe you have only seen the absurd solo vids and not his work with bela fleck or some of his vid where he demonstrates groove, cause i gotta say... i have seen him groove the littles softest notes to the heaviest fast slaps. also, even if i were to agree with what you were saying. the = he is a guitar player still makes no sense to me.
@kungmaster
I like both styles but victor is just more diverse and technically superior.
but mark king is a GOD!
Why he gotta be slapping that bass like that, that bass ain't never did nothing to him!