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| " The Early Tapes (July/Aug 1980)" (Polydor Records) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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More Detailed info:
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Credits/Notes |
© 1982 Polydor Limited (UK) |
Album Notes:
For the many Level 42 fans 'The Early Tapes' will be a great phonographic discovery, for this essential album
is where it all began. The summer of 1980 found our four heroes deep in the depths of a London carpet factory,
cutting the pile by day, and in the recording studios cutting tracks by night. From these sessions came their
debut single, 'Love Meeting Love', which was initially released on the Elite label. With increasing support
from the specialist radio and club D.J's, not to mention hip record shops, this now classic single was heralded
as the forerunner to the so called Brit-Funk movement. The band were speedily signed to Polydor - the carpets
were abandoned. Chart
Performance |
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| UK | US | Japan |
| #46 (6 weeks on chart) | Not released | Not known |
| Track | Song Title | Version | Writers | Length |
| 1 | Sandstorm | (W.Badarou/M.King) | 4:41 | |
| 2 | Love Meeting Love | (M.King/R.Gould) | 6:23 | |
| 3 | Theme To Margaret | (M.King) | 3:59 | |
| 4 | Autumn (Paradise Is Free) | (M.King) | 4:43 | |
| 5 | Wings Of Love | (W.Badarou/M.Lindup/M.King/R.Gould/P.Gould) | 6:55 | |
| 6 | Woman | (M.Lindup) | 4:35 | |
| 7 | Mr. Pink | (M.King/W.Badarou) | 5:05 | |
| 8 | "88" | (M.King) | 5:09 |
| Reviews | |
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It is either a great honour for the band or a shrewdly financial move by Polydor (or both) that the early stuff is being regurgitated before it's hardly had time to get old. But whichever way you look at it, it is still a bloody good set of tunes. There are three vocal tracks, the now famous "Love Meeting Love" and "Wings Of Love" and "Autumn", and for me they are the strongest tracks on the album. There is a tendency for Level 42 to overdo the bass line - on tracks "88" and "Sandstorm" it blisters along like the InterCity 125, so a vocal break adds to the variety of their tunes and gives them a fuller, more complete sound. Mark King's vocals are subtely underdone and benefit greatly from their lack of standard training and technique while his partners, the Gould brothers and Mike Lindup, each allow themselves liberal and imaginative solos. Yet probably the album's greatest value is it's almost 'live'atmosphere. The production is such that you feel you are not listening to an album but sitting in on a session, so the rough edges and lack of superfluous polish are unimportant and, to a certain extent, a definate benefit. Level 42 look as much at home with an Old Grey Whsitle Test session as they do with a manic 'Caister-style' audience, so whatever reason you appreciate them, this album will prove to be another excellent reason to hold them in such high esteem. (Rating:7 by MW) Blues & Soul No.355 - May 1982. Listening to these accomplished. genial efforts from their vaults, you can't help wondering if Level 42 didn't at least half forget those priorites themselves. They've since proved that they can discipline those formal skills into a truly affecting result; last year's 'Turn It On' single was a lean piece of laconic, world-weary perfection, whose immaculate arrangement gave that vital dimension missing from some of the numbers here. Still, 'Love Meeting Love' their first single, is here for those who missed it; and the gymnastic 'Sandstorm' and the fidgety 'Mr Pink' are pleasing bits of pure hypertension. Obviously this release is mainly for 42 fetishists; but since I got mine free, I shan't need to look far for late night noise that keeps you on your toes.Dave Hill - NME May 1st 1982. |
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