Better late than never

Mark King is one of those musician songwriters who is well known among those who know him and an utter unknown to those who don't. That might sound rather obvious, if you're going to be rude about my skill, or lack of, for writing an anti-cliché introduction, but it should be noted that part of the reason for this, his and their obscurity that is, at least outside of those in their mid-30s, is that even when Level 42 were at their height of chart success, they suffered far more unfair treatment by the hand of in-print pop criticisers - both in their native England and beyond.The descendants of that breed of music journalists who didn't "get" L42 then are even less likely to understand what makes their music far more exciting today than it was back in the days when a spot on MTV actually enhanced a band's credibility. I shall write on confident my feelings on the futility of this is well made by the omission of any further detail.Suffice to say (music journalism cliché number two), a better example of music made by musicians you could not wish for than this album and those which came before it. The joy; the unashamed leap off your bed, air guitar in hand joy, of whapping the volume up on your music centre and slapping your thumb against your chest, nose scrunched on the difficult bits, which this music inspires the frustrated rock star in us all to ignite, is one of those all too rare pleasures we deny ourselves far too often in life. Why, dear reader, are you looking at me like that?OK, so who cares that whomsoever mastered the album can't find a more subtle pre-set for the compressor / limiter in pro-tools? Hands up.. ..one, two three.. Hmm, that's worrying - you're all in agreement on that one. It seems many a digital noise clip speaker ruining experience is as to blame for this particular recording's lack of mainstream radio play as the passing of the days when DJs cared about song-craft - of which, appalic engineering mistakes aside, there are as many a master-class moments of on this, their 2006 effort, as there was throughout their 80s and 90s output.Do I have to pick another negative besides the dog's lipstick who engineered the recording? Well OK then - they need a guitarist. Ouch, but there, I said it - sorry Nathan King (related?) but you are not, I'm sure you'd be the first to confess, anywhere close to being Allan Holdsworth, the fusion supremo from Yorkshire who graced the band's 'Guaranteed' album. If you were you wouldn't have wasted the opportunities handed to you on silver platter by the hauntingly (second music journalism cliché word to describe a power ballad without coming out and saying it) drifting and harmonically rich pastures of the title track - still, we'll let you off, given your impeccable taste in shirts.Look out for early Level 42 performances illegally lifted from a British TV show called The Old Grey Whistle Test which the scallywags in music piracy land have posted on YouTube and, more importantly I say, keep your eyes and ears well and truly pealed for Level 42's tour bus rolling into your neck of the woods, some time soon.Chamown!