Level 42 Improvised Intro to extra long "Love Games" G-Live Guildford 13th October 2012

MK showing off his bass playing prowess at the G-Live Guildford, improvised intro to Love Games with different bass solo incorporating Nile Rodgers Chic's "Good Times" bass line.

[@Poetic_Justice1962]

Mark King's love for music, for his instrument, for Level 42's many great numbers, and his undimmed ability to rock the stage, his enjoyment in performing, it's amazing, second to none.

[@GaryTisdaleFungkSta1]

This will alwayz be my favorite Level 42 song Lawd I'se git an eargasm err time I'se hear it...

[@funkymonkey65]

One of mine too, the others are Flying on the wings of love, Turn it on, Starchild, that Early Tapes Album is one of my favorite ever albums

[@tindog999]

Still Awesome in 2022!

[@Leese42]

Mike, this is WONDERFUL!!! I can't believe I haven't seen it before.

[@austinreid5032]

I saw them in Bath last November and have tickets for Torquay this November. You have to appreciate that when you see Level 42 you are watching the best bass player who ever played that instrument. I guitar terms he is up there with Hendrix Clapton Slash and all the greats . He just plays a different guitar 🎸.

[@swimdeep189]

Your are so lucky!!

[@matthewcarmichael7859]

There’s a few other bass players on his level but for sure he is one of the greats

[@charmedwn]

Thank you so much for posting this. I stuffed up my recordings. He is absolutely phenomenal!!! They all are!!!! Best night ever! Brilliant musicians!

[@pilotjames6285]

Total Magnificent Brilliance!!!!

[@richardclarke376]

First Level 42 song I ever heard, back in 1982. Awesome !

[@austinreid5032]

Great post

[@ronaldwood6926]

Just amazing

[@BrazilCarnivalVideos]

What a "monster"...Impressive...impossible not to feel the goose bumps! Thanks for sharing!

[@kouyate24]

And so good to see Mike there too :)

[@paulsmith6090]

Without Lindup - it's just Level 4!!

[@jameswhite7997]

@@paulsmith6090 I agree they need him 2 :)

[@benjaminbeames665]

He is the man. What a solo!

[@josenoya-InspirationNation]

Just awesome love it !!!!!

[@mcsquared1]

Thanks for posting this, Michael! I experienced this from the front row at the Cliffs gig, and it was definitely one of the highlights for me.

[@43lochness]

r.i.p,bernard edwards.all great bass players together............amen !!!

[@ebland64]

Hey Michael - wasn't this a great night :-) So glad I flew in from the US to see Level 42 live!

[@johnnygee8148]

fantastic Mr King!!!!!

[@MrRedrocket42]

Sounds terrific and the video quality is fantastic! Thanks for posting this Michael.

[@JasonLeonPike]

Outstanding! Always one of my favorites. Thanks for posting

[@joeritchie7286]

The master at work

[@tabbykaz]

Saw them last night at the Cliffs Pavillion in Southend....absolutely amazing!!

[@unicornbass]

EFFING FANTASTIC!!! So relaxed and they´re really having a good time jamming! That´s what we want to see!! :-)

[@dmitrybogatsky1734]

Great Musicians!!! :)

[@kouyate24]

Holy shite, 6mins40 in........nuf said! :) the master

[@BrazilCarnivalVideos]

***** I wasn´t it at 8:40?

[@warmink1973]

This is AMAZING...

[@Bielzibubz]

Was there too. Absolutely brilliant and brought back so many memories.

[@nikola-ie9lu]

Master of bass ! Mark King ! Level 42 legendary group !!

[@CUPCAKESUGARPIE]

🎼🤟♥️♥️♥️🤟🎼 That was freakin PHENOMENAL 🎸

[@Sillysausage61]

Fantastic vid!!!.....great concert, love 'em!!!

[@stuforty2]

Saw them at o2 indigo a few years ago - brilliant 😀

[@jamespaul0121]

I think this maybe one of the finest versions of love games on tube. With he bass solo at the start and in the bridge as good as live at wembley 86. Wish they'd done it at birmingham!!!

[@TheWhippinpost]

Excellent camera-work. I nearly give this one a miss thinking, oh another Love Games vid, but I really enjoyed this one. They seem to be more relaxed with each tour these days, less formal. I guess that's the beauty of smaller venues (and being older :o)

[@kamalorahim]

Amazing👏👏👏👏👏

[@jamespaul0121]

For sure a funked up 'good times' by chic at 1.04 which Mark played a very similar bit in the middle of love games in 83 Montreaux festival. He must be a fan of this classic! I would pay the ticket price to see them just jam for an hour! Absolutely brill vid! Thanks!

[@stefanogabanella8196]

E' sempre un piacere ascoltarlo e vederlo suonare

[@gerwinleupen2223]

Slap Master..... Amazing I am not even able to slap 1 cord....fantastic

[@zorro1955]

gerwin leupen - he took the title from Larry graham🏆

[@roelfbackus]

The Chic's 'Good Times' bass line is from the late Bernard Edwards.

[@scottmarquis7624]

Nice work Sherlock...

[@percygray5168]

Funky

[@TheDreamtheaterlover]

Mark King's idol is Larry Graham the inventor of the Funky Bass

[@ciskajekel]

THE great bass gitar player

[@gobassgo1]

almost a pro shot thank you for sharing !

[@scottmarquis7624]

The subtlety from 6:30 after that blow out is really something...

[@detlevgebers]

he is still the man!!! thank you for posting! best regards detlev

[@Gerardjhughes]

unreal bass player still. no one can touch him

[@stuartjones5664]

Awesome - wish I was there!

[@MichaelBeston]

Pleasure is all mine !.

[@Gerardjhughes]

Love level42 still cant wait till new album

[@spitzerhall]

Mark is turnover himself!! GREAT !!

[@gnabmab]

Fantastic Mark king n level 42

[@MichaelBeston]

"Love level42 still cant wait till new album"

[@hashsafc]

The guy is just brilliant. End of!!!

[@Dannob]

REALLY NICE! job on the vid!! thanks soo much!

[@juanjuanesteva3426]

Supeer!! Level 42 mi conjunto preferido!

[@richardclarke376]

Lemmy... Mark King... Glenn Hughes.... all my fave musicians are bass players !

[@terrific-bats]

Amazing Band !

[@stephenbrown310]

KING OF BASS👑👍

[@MichaelBeston]

Thanks Marie !

[@Sally1658]

Unbelievable!!! Genius :)

[@cocobass]

Status comes across as "plinky" sounding. The Jaydee years were great but the ultimate Mark King years to me were when he played the Alembic basses.

[@Shamanmanwow]

I think it's mostly the 32" scale and the really EXTRA light gauge strings made specifically for Mark King(90-40). I know it's weird replying to a comment made 5 years ago, but here we are.

[@magnusshaw6146]

@@Shamanmanwow Pretty sure he prefers the rotosound funkmaster 90-30

[@greatwhite61967]

This is a slightly long reply but if you can sit through & read it then you'll find out some interesting facts about the sound of specific basses & why some bass guitar's sound better than other's as there are quite a few reasons to factor into why this happens... I felt exactly the same way about Status Bass Guitar's for all the many year's that Mark (eventually) switched over to them but believe it or not its not the Status Bass Guitar's... And with respect to the other commentator who said it was most likely the 30 to 90 gauge strings is wrong also, ill admit that you have to have your intonation spit on & spend a little extra making sure you get no fret buzz from such a lighter gauge of strings... Mark has used 30 to 90 gauge strings once he released that what he wanted to play like was going to be next to impossible to do with the usual factory issued 45 to100 or 110 bass strings that bass manufacturer's use as a default gauge that they put on their bass guitar's before shipping them to Guitar & Instrument Stores... As much as Mark was a fan of Leo Fender's Bass Guitar's he also knew early one that Leo's Fender Precision & Jazz Bass werent going to deliver what he needed which was his own specific bass to get the sound he was looking for & as much as the Leo Fender (then Ernie Ball's) MusicMan Stingray Bass Guitar's have a very distinctive & easily recogniseable brilliant sound Mark felt that even the MusicMan wouldnt do & he why he only used 2 MusicMan Stingray Bass Guitar's which were for the recording on the " Guaranteed " & " Forever Now " Album's Mark was aways on a search for changing the sounds for his bass lines & also used Alembic/Pangborn/Wal & even a Zon Bass along with Mark's first Electric Fretless Bass Guitar which was a Japanese made "Moon" Jazz-style bass Of course Mark went on tp predominately use the JD Supernatural Series 1 Bass Guitar which has its own distinctive sound & i like many Level 42 & Mark King fan's preferred when Mark used the JD Supernatural Series range of bass guitar's as you can roll right back onto the back pick for that tight punchy sound then put the mids & treble up along with the bass on also & it will still have a great sound that you can still hear the bass coming through also... For a brief time he had his own Fender Jazz Bass Guitar made for him in the mid 90s that was based on the Fender American Deluxe Series but it was tweaked more to his liking & also adding the SIM LED's on the fretboard gave it that Mark King look that we've all become accustomed to on his bass guitar's fretboards, hes also used GB Spitfire along with (of course) the Status range of bass guitar's... You can play quite a few various styles of slapping & other techniques & many of the top musician's who play electric bass guitar have been happy to use the standard gauge I've mentioned (of 45 to 110) & some will go for even heavier gauged string's as it depends on what each individual bass player is looking for & is a very personal preference to each & every bassist... Without dragging this on further than i need to, I'll get ok my point... I decided to take the plunge & buy a Preowned 2015 Status Series II Bass Guitar which was & is in mint condition... As i wanted to know for sure what was causing Mark's Bass Guitar's to sound so thin sounding & tinny but when i played the Status Series II on my settings on my Trace Elliot GP11 MKV Bass Amp it spunded brilliant on my settings which was to get as close to Mark's sound & mine sounded so good i decided to go for a Preowned Status KingBass Artist Bass Guitar that Rob Green & Mark King worked on together to give Marl a bass that he was looking for... I think the ma9n reason he moved over tp Status & away from the John Diggins aka JD Supernatural Series bass guitar's could be down to a problem John Diggins encountered on the necks of his bass guitar's as the earlier models had neck bow issues & this was because John Diggin's was because he had issues with truss rods & how he used lament on the necks & along with some issues with the finishing on the necks & bodies didnt help matters also but John Diggins eventually solved the problems he had with his earlier models & i think in my honest opinion this why Mark eventually moved on to predominately playing Status Bass Guitar's... I could be wrong but the only person who knows exactly why he changed to Status Bass Guitar's is Mark King himself... I last went to see Level 42 back in 2017 & it was the worst sound i'd ever heard coming out from Mark's Status Paramatrix Bass Guitar as it sounded the opposite of what i was used to hearing from those Status Basd Guitar's & it was so dense & had too much bass to the point it sounded like his bass guitar was put through many Sub Woofers & i'd also put a large part of the blame on whoever was hired to mix all of the member's of Level 42 through the PA System that particular night... I also think that the fact that though he was one of the first to champion & use Trace Elliot Amps for many year's he (along with using Status Basses) went on to use TC Electronics Amps & Pedals & i think its a combination of changing amps though i think the main reason his Status Basses are not sounding as good is because of his own personal preference for the settings on his bass amps as he has definitely changed them specifically on his bass amp & for me its Mark's settings on his bass amp thats making the Status Bass Guitar's sound the way they do as the sounds i can get for my Status Series II & the Status KingBass Artist sound so much better than Marks & i do think its a combination of the Amp & the Settings Mark has been using but again the only person who really knows is Mark King himsel as im just speculating & i hope i've added more insight into this topic for you... There is alsk one other thing i didn't mention which anyone who has played in a band will tell you that up on stage each musician uses their own amps to hear what they are playing, except for the drums, as the drums will be put straight through into the PA & what bands on stage hear isn't what fans hear as the speakers that are used for the fans to hear are in front of the band & this is were the mixing by the psrson on the PA can either aid you to sound better & get a more overall powerful sound or they can muck up & make the band sound much weaker sounding... And those up on the stage would never know of this as they are based slighly further back from main speakers that overall sound that should be mixed properly & which the fans are hearing & are the members of the band are listening to the sound coming out of their Amps... Yes the mixing on a PA has gotten better & when watching most bands live now you'll see smaller speakers on the floor just in front of the band members which will pointing towards the band so they can hear what the fans are hearing... This is why the 2 main bands i was in would always make sure the sound was spot on at sound checks... We would do this by each of us taking turns to listen to each other's instrument & the drummer would play something but i'd be out in the area when the fans or listeners will be to hear how his drums were sounding & then the drummer would sit where i was & listen to the sound coming out of my bass guitar through the PA & this was done with each musicians instrument so we could dial in the best sound we could get as at times the venue itself can either harm a bands overall sound or help it because the acoustics of that specific place you were playing in... In light of this still ongoing coronavirus remember to stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... Ps Excuse any spelling mistakes as i typed these comments on my phones small screen & it can be difficult to catch any words that end up being spelled wrong as the comments box to type in is even smaller that my phones screen size... .....

[@GothicHeart1311]

Mesmerizing, sexy, phenomenal.

[@andytaravella8124]

love the jaco groove after the good times groove

[@RockyF9]

Amazing !!!!

[@bjthedjdk1]

And that´s why they call him THE King ;-)

[@MichaelBeston]

It is indeed!

[@MichaelBeston]

Hello Edna, a great night indeed ! Just seems to long ago.

[@XCLent0]

Excellent job, I have some footage of their last tour at the Keswick in Philadelphia, PA. here in the US. but it is nowhere near this quality. Darn camera phone! Thanks again!

[@MichaelBeston]

Many thanks !.

[@dennispearson9687]

Love the dead stop @ 5:16! Sometimes less is more. Of course they know that as well.

[@kurtmanderbach8164]

All his slapping aside...try to to match his feel and groove and you will see why he is one of the greats! The coolest thing about Mark King is he still loves to play.....he brings so much energy to his music. I'm a huge fan since the 80's.

[@MatsEvensen]

totally agree

[@achenarmyst2156]

So do I

[@ramon709]

Cool! Thanks for the upload!

[@framax67events]

The boss !

[@bean9seventy]

liking the transition break/ fill at the end of the keyboard solo @ 6 mins into the video ,, ;D

[@oldschoolbbass]

I also hear a Jaco bassline in there too

[@joeking1019]

anything is possible :)

[@MrSilver261]

a jaco bass line ?

[@thatpaulschofield]

I heard it too!

[@highgloss5171]

Funk that bass

[@MichaelBeston]

Welcome !.

[@MichaelBeston]

Nice one !.

[@roythomson555]

How does he manage to not snap those strings? They take some beating!

[@nachtmensch2023]

Amazing! Mark just need to play a few tones of the "Good times"-bassline by Bernhard Edwards and the crowd freaks out. It's to sad, that this extraordinary bassman has died to early.

[@bankovicalexandre7221]

at 1:53 incorporating some Jaco's flavor too

[@JosephGoodmanRestore]

SMOKIN! Absolutely SMOKIN!

[@MichaelBeston]

It was indeed!

[@BigishDave]

2 of the best Funk trax ever mashed together - great footage mate. Watched this 8 times today. Not seeing 42 this year Albert Hall is shite,,,,scott.

[@gdfggggg]

Is this geezer the best bass player in the world?

[@ihbass645]

absolutely not, and his solos are just awful ...but! he is a very talented guy..try singing and playing what he does...plus he wrote all these great tunes.

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

Well, that's a matter of opinion, but he's certainly my favorite bass player. I could listen to him play solo all day. I can't say that about many bass players. I know that many would say that the role of the bass player is to hold down the rhythm, and not to solo, but Mark's rhythms are the most entertaining to me as well. They have so much life and movement to them.

[@zaodizao]

+Ihbass says nobody

[@MatsEvensen]

Definetely among the 5 best in the world, The basslines he have made is epic and many of them are really hard to cover..very hard to cover. He is a rythmical genious when it comes to all from slapping to fingerplaying. And absolutely the best non double thumb player. Personaly i like the non double thumb playing, it sounds cooler and has more attack in it. Ihbass is taking much water over his head, when he says that his solos are awfull, they are brilliant most of them and im sure he knows no level 42 tunes on Bass and never learned any solos by him, cause they are to hard to play. Yeah he is big very big

[@MatsEvensen]

I play a lot of different music and also play double thumb, Mark has a speed and a stamina that is out of this world. who makes him play those cool fast, slow, middle fast tunes they have, no other bassplayer can keep up to everything he is playing. He also developed the hammer on mute playing on bass, which he uses on slap hand and fingerplaying. Let me say it this way- Victor Wooten is a great player, but would not be able to do the Mark King stuff and vica versa. Personaly i use double thumb slapping on few of a places in songs i have made, just because it sound's good on some places, but i use straight forward slap and finger playing for the most. A lot of my playing is inspired from Mark King, but i also love Geddy Lee, Gary Willis, Les Claypol, Marcus Miller, Tony Levin, James Jamerson, Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, Nick Beggs among many others that have formed me as a bassplayer, im glad there is so many bassplayers, they all have things to learn you.

[@MichaelBeston]

My pleasure, no really it was my pleasure!

[@MichaelBeston]

Yes indeedy !

[@jorgemike100]

Muito Top DJ play Jorge Palmer Mix salvador Bahia Brazil deixando um salve

[@MichaelBeston]

Long live the "King" !

[@JBass42]

Would love to hear his Status using the same rig as when MK was using the Alembic, think they would sound just about the same?? This current set up/bass always seems to have something not quite there. Look up Level 42 Almost There live Jakarta and you'll hear how good the KB1 sounds... :) Better than this in my opinion, but who I to say!

[@JBass42]

'Am I to say'...

[@MichaelBeston]

That's interesting as I would assume that the "sound" was from the guitar itself, I often thought that the Status KB's just didn't have as much "punch" or "bottom end" as say compared to the Alembic or even the JD Mark used in the past, the problem is for me is that I keep comparing the sound of the Alembic that MK used back in 1999/2000, compare True Believers at Ryde 2000 to True Believers at the Metropolis 2011, miles apart! True Believers "Grupo Mark King" Level 42 & Level 42 - True Believers Live at Metropolis Studios

[@JBass42]

I know where you're coming from exactly... I seem to remember seeing MK with his current TC gear saying he keeps the EQ all off or all in the middle, not using the classic sort of 'v' shape you would expect.. I can hear something very Alembic-ee in that new Status, but it just doesn't seem to have the balls! Maybe its on purpose as they use alot of sequencers these days, and back in the JD days it was only Hot Water there that was used, but I'd love to hear what he would do with a JD now, a sweep on those mid tones and its a completely different beast - gotta love 'em!

[@mkfloyd9131]

jonannlou just enjoy the music and stop boring the arse off everyone..........

[@scottmarquis7624]

The deadstop at 5:15 is what L42 do better than anyone...

[@danielb.2197]

Genial!!!

[@MichaelBeston]

Welcome !

[@MichaelBeston]

Cheers !

[@robertroberge551]

b b b b bite me once, bite me twice, play on, play on, play on, wow

[@njarnjas]

He played also a part of Pastorius "comme on comme over".

[@patricioandres4237]

And people still say "bass players don´t get laid"...

[@JoseSanchez-bv1ke]

Patricio Andres we don't.

[@MichaelBeston]

Oh yes !

[@greatwhite61967]

You should have seen them playing in Glasgow City Centre in 2017... Talk about a band who are really enjoying what they are doing... It helps if the fan's do there part as I've got Level 42 Live Gigs on DVD & the audience are sitting down acting like they are at a funeral but i know whats causing this & thats just the fact that as those fan's have aged & they've lost that ability to just let go which they did without even thinking about it when they were younger... Usually fan's like that start to get up & sing & dance 3 quarters of the way through the gig & thats because after a few drinks they've let their inhibitions down & just party like they did when younger... Though this is not a test of who's the best fan's but when any solo act or band plays in Glasgow the fans let rip right from the start & on that cold October night in 2017 in Glasgow i saw Level 42 play there usual amazing set of musicianship with great song's & instrumentals but more importantly they were having an absolute ball & at one point the fan's & the band did the conga just for the sheer fun of it , though the band stayed on stage & did their conga there while we did ours in the fans area & what a night of sheer joy... Level 42 have definitely mellowed & enjoy playing Live more now than they did in the past & on that note i urge to go & see them Live before they decide , at sometime in the future , to stop touring & playing live... In light of this still ongoing coronavirus stay safe and healthy wherever you are in this world... .....

[@MichaelBeston]

Indigo2 London 20th September 2013 !!

[@MichaelBeston]

Your'e welcome Lisa x.

[@ArikShahar]

Funky @ is best

[@MichaelBeston]

Yes Stuart ! T'was me.