Level 42

World Machine

Pop Sensibilities, Jazz-Funk Musicianship

Review Score:

(8/10)
This is where it all started for most Yanks like me. Imagine that it's 1986, and you have your first taste of this quartet from England. They write really thumpin' dance-pop songs and really pretty pop ballads, but underneath it all is a stylistic nod to classic 70's jazz-funk a la Stanley Clarke and the musicianship to pull it off. In other words these were world-class musicians making great pop. World Machine has all of the above in spades.

Nowhere is this pop vs. musicianship phenomena more evident that on the worldwide hit single "Something About You". It's a great pop song with a great hook and lush vocals, but it is driven by the stalwart rhythm section of bassist-extraordinaire Mark King and groovalicious drummer Phil Gould, for my money one of the funkiest drummers ever. Guitarist Boon Gould delivers a beautiful guitar solo to boot.

King is without a doubt the most visible of Level 42's star musicians. He is arguably the greatest bass guitarist in the world, and World Machine shows a slightly more subdued side of Mark King. The thumb acrobatics of prior Level 42 albums give way to more tasteful yet still funky bass guitar work on "Lying Still" and "It's Not the Same for Us". Try doing what he can do on the bass guitar AND sing at the same time!

Other highlights include the pretty yet melancholy "Leaving Me Now", featuring Mike Lindup's beautiful piano work, and the title track "World Machine", a club-friendly dance number.

World Machine shows a band at its peak of popularity yet also in transition. In a couple of years after this release, producer Wally Badarou would be gone as would the Gould brothers. The classic jazz-funk sound of Level 42 would eventually give way to a more rock-based sound. So this is an important time capsule of sorts in that it shows the best of Level 42's jazz-funk past but also hints at the best of things to come.

A special note about the latest US release of World Machine is that it includes a couple of songs that were originally released on the True Colours album from 1984: "The Chant Has Begun" and "Hot Water". These are among the all-time Level 42 classic songs, but they are included at the expense of excluding other classic Level 42 tunes "I Sleep On My Heart", "Coup D'Etat", and the ever-funky "Dream Crazy", which were included on the original US version and are on the current UK version.

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