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Level 42 are an English band coming out in the mid 80's. I didn't know much about them beyond the song they were most famous for in the US. There was a time during the 90's... I'd found a used CD store in Las Vegas where I could buy CDs for as little as a dollar. I used the great selection to beef up my 80's collection. I looked specifically for songs I loved then and hoped to discover new music from these different bands. Level 42 was one of those groups. I picked up this album hoping to discover more songs like 'Something About You'.
What I discovered is a group that had a lot of the pop sensibility of the Stock, Aitken, Waterman production happening all over the UK. I don't know exactly when SAW started, but if it was after Level 42 came out, I'd say they copied some of the pop styling of this band. Level 42 started out more jazz oriented and you can still hear the dedication to instrumentation on certain tracks.
There's a lot to be said for the sensibility of the music appearing on this disc. The lead singer has a nice voice and the catchier songs are fun to sing along with. I recognize some of the tracks other than the one big hit from the disc. For example, 'Leaving Me Now' is a great tune and I've heard it someplace before. It could very well be a tune I've heard on a soundtrack.
There's a lot happening on this record and the tempo of most of the songs are more in line with R&B, Jazz infused soul and that tropical funk bands like Sade and UB40 were so popular for. It really verged on Reggae. However, there's only one song on the disc that really fits in with the popular 80's sound and that's 'Something About You'. There's some great music on this disc and some of it I want to spend time with before I make a final decision. Sadly, I wanted to write this review tonight and so it's not going to get the full review I could give it as I will continue to listen to it after I close this post out.
I'm hopeful I'll find more exciting and enticing songs to rave about before long. In the meantime I'll say my final words: AN ENJOYABLE, THOUGH SOMEWHAT LACKLUSTER RELEASE BY A POTENTIALLY GREAT BAND!
LEVEL 42 - WORLD MACHINE
01. World Machine
02. Physical Presence
03. Something About You
04. Leaving Me Now
05. I Sleep On My Heart
06. It's Not The Same For Us
07. Dream Crazy
08. Good Man In A Storm
09. Coup D'Etat
10. Lying Still
Scritti Politti are a British band from the 80's formed and led by lead singer and songwriter, Green Gartside. He's an interesting guy for a number of reasons, but I find the Scritti Politti material I'm really drawn to are the albums featuring David Gamson. Gamson is an American keyboardist who's distinctive sound really defined Green's songs during their most popular period. Gamson later went on to work with other artists I'm really into. Like Me'Shell Ndegeocello and Tony LeMans.
I discovered Scritti Politti through a British magazine called Smash Hits. I used to buy it because it was the only place you could find information on many of the British New Wave bands during the 80's. Scritti Politti kept coming up over and over. I finally saw "Cupid & Psyche '85" in a bargain bin and picked it up. I was completely blown away by the sheer ecstatic happiness of the music and became a big fan.
On "Provision", the boys from Scritti continue the pop fun with excellent arrangements, Green's choirboy vocals and catchy hooks Stock, Aitken & Waterman would kill for. In fact, if I wanted to be cynical, I'd compare the production on any Scritti Politti record with SAW. The big difference is the more passionate lyric content and the hooks are spread out nicely. Sure there's a couple pieces of filler material, but more great tracks overall. That's not the case with SAW. 'Boom! There She Was' is a typical track. It's got a great beat, exciting lyrics and starts the album off with a dynamic punch. The momentum is building, and the rest of the record is set up nicely. There's a mix of the tune as the final track on the cd that's essentially an extended instrumental. It's also fun and ends the record on a positive high note. The band immediately moves into 'Overnite'; which is the first ballad of the disc. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of ballads, unless I find something truly interesting about them. Gamson uses light bell and chime sounds in his arranging and Green's high pitched voice make ballads a delicious sensation rather than a drudgery. Somehow, they write slow tunes that segue perfectly from the faster tunes. They compliment each other and flow nicely in sequence. Although 'Overnite' is an unremarkable tune in many ways, it's enjoyable when you listen to the disc as a whole. 'First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)' is a tune that really reminds of the SAW production formula. Mainly because of the way the background vocals are arranged. It features a 50's style girl group singing backup. The tune also speeds up the pace from 'Overnite'. It's followed up by 'All That We Are' another pop number. It starts slowly, but quickly picks up when the keyboards start to punctuate the rhythm. It's the play between the urgent synth and the drums that really sets this song apart from previous numbers on the record.
'Best Thing Ever' is probably one of my favorite numbers from this release. It's got a wonderful beat and just floats from the speakers with a natural flow. It follows the formula of an older Motown tune, but Green really delivers the goods. Again, the 50's girl band appear to back him up. The next ballad shows up as 'Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy)'. This number is really exceptional for a number of reasons. Green really pushes his vocal range on this number. It's got an interesting narrative and also shows up later on the disc in an extended version. It's the second track to get a remix on the end of the record. 'Bam Salute' shows another side of Scritti Politti that I've always enjoyed... They've always mixed a reggae rhythm section to certain songs and this one demonstrates that amazing blend while picking the pace up again. 'Sugar And Spice' relies heavily on a minor chord organ motif to really move the song along and it's very effective. That same organ sound shows up again on 'Philosophy Now'. If this were the actual last song on the record, it'd be a nice way to fade out. It's happy pop and very typical for the band.
So in the end, I have to say, compared to the other two records Gamson is on, both "Cupid & Psyche '85" and "Adonis And Bonhomie", "Provision" is the least of the records. It's still excellent by pop standards and enjoyable to listen to. But it lacks the breakout hits of the previous and subsequent efforts. I still enjoy it and I'm glad I own it. My final words: NOT THE GREATEST, BUT DARN NEAR.
SCRITTI POLITTI - PROVISION
01. Boom! There She Was
02. Overnite
03. First Boy In This Town (Lovesick)
04. All That We Are
05. Best Thing Ever
06. Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy)
07. Bam Salute
08. Sugar And Spice
09. Philosophy Now
10. Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy) (Extended)
11. Boom! There She Was (Dub)
Did you ever wonder what would've happened to disco if it hadn't become so unpopular back in the 70's? Lots of 80's electronic bands continued the legacy left behind by disco artists. In fact, disco could be said to be the forerunner to 80's pop. No matter how you look at it, successive genres of music have flirted and titillated audiences with snatches of disco style. But nothing like what the Family Fantastic has done. This is a band that embraces the legend of disco and updates it to a current standard. From reading I've done online, I know members of this band have backgrounds with a variety of groups, but I don't really know any of them outside of Vince Clarke. That's right, folks! Vince Clarke from Depeche Mode, Yaz and Erasure fame. You could call this another side project for him. He seems to have a never ending supply of beats and little ditties locked away in his head waiting for a chance to jump out and find a home. This project is no exception.
So now you know my attraction to the band. Why I bought the cd and paid full price. And you're asking yourself... Does he like it? Surprisingly... I do! Under the guidance of Clarke, (and don't fool yourself, you hear him all over these tracks), Family Fantastic employs some talented singers who take rather embarrassing lyrics and punch them up to power soul levels with disco beats swirling like laser lights all around them. You could seriously skate to this stuff.
'Get Up' starts the album off with a call to dance. Family Fantastic urges you to move out on the floor! 'Get Up' also gets a rather lackluster remix treatment as one of 3 bonus tracks at the end of the disc. 'Get Up' is fun, but hardly as infectious as 'Treat Yourself' the next track and one of the two best songs on the album. 'Treat Yourself' even features bells ringing in the background making me wanna stand up and shout, "You can ring my bell!" 'Funky Feet' and 'Spread Your Love' are both highly energetic numbers. They're both fun, but not as memorable or infectious as 'Treat Yourself'. 'Hey Nu Nu' is a song on the more cringe worthy side of things. The lyrics are quite boring and somewhat embarrassing. The fact this song gets a remix treatment at the end of the disc makes me question the taste of certain band members.
'Halfway To Heaven' is another dance number with a heavy rhythm movement and an almost Stock, Aitken & Waterman formula in the music and progression. Check out those generic background vocals and the punctuated "Whoa's" on the chorus. The generic material continues with 'One Love One Life' a mid-tempo ballad also in the hit making tradition of S.A.W. productions. The surprising track is 'Better Days'. Not because it's good, but because former Prince associate Taja Sevelle gets a writing credit here. It certainly has her sound and writing style. I'm surprised she's involved with this project. This is the other song that gets a different version at the end. The last track of the album is an acoustic version of this song. It's followed by the other truly ecstatic number, 'Soy La Reina'. This song sounds more like something Erasure would be doing. In fact, the vocalist singing wordless scales in the background sounds strikingly like Andy Bell. Like the name suggests, the song has a decidedly Latin feel to it. It's very exciting and I often see it on the internet as an unreleased Erasure outtake. But don't be misled... It has a home right here on this album. The final track is performed in the tradition of old school rap via Curtis Blow and The Sugarhill Gang. It's fun and interesting but sometimes a bit embarrassing. Hehehe.
In the end, there's more to love than to hate about this record. The music is fun even though it sometimes seems generic. As for the 3 bonus tracks, I wouldn't worry too much about getting them. In each instance, the mix doesn't do the original track justice. Ultimately, this record is all about the music. Not the lyrics or the vocalists. It's about the joyful music produced and written by a musical genius. Sit back, veg out and let nostalgia wash over you like waves on a beach. My final words: TREAT YOURSELF TO FANTASTIC FUN.
FAMILY FANTASTIC - ...NICE!
01. Get Up
02. Treat Yourself
03. Funky Feet
04. Spread Your Love
05. Hey Nu Nu
06. Halfway To Heaven
07. One Love One Life
08. Better Days
09. Soy La Reina
10. Doin' This Thing
11. Hey Nu Nu (Trance)
12. Get Up (Bleep)
13. Better Days (Acoustic)
