No thread about Bass Porn would be complete without Mark King; here he is at his most indulgent in a live performance at the Jazz Café. Can you listen to the opening notes without thinking of Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine?
For all the slapping and pulling, it's just not very funky; they're too close to the "smooth" end of the Smooth-Funky continuum. Which is not to say it's bad, it's just very safe-sounding. For some meatier content, here is a fresh vinyl rip of what I think is Level 42's best song, "Good Man in a Storm" from the World Machine album. That album opens with "Something About You," which was rewarded for its rather dumb, anthemic chorus with worldwide hit status, while the melodic, understated "Good Man" wasn't even a single. Go figure.
Now that's nice, as in prime Bill Withers or George Benson nice.
And finally, a bit of levity. You probably don't associate Level 42 with comedy at all, but their appearance on The Fast Show is pretty darned funny. (There are a couple shots of long-haired guitarist Jakko Jakszyk, most recently playing Robert Fripp's parts in 21st Century Schizoid Band, the Fripp-less band of King Crimson alumni who perform King Crimson songs.)
Stay tuned for more bass porn and divers other delights.
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