I wonder if there's anyone out there who has a complete collection of every single record Tony played on.
I wonder if there's anyone out there who has a complete collection of every single record Tony played on.
I'll bet even Tony doesn't have that.Originally Posted by GuitarGeek
He might not. I know he did a lot of pop and singer/songwriter sessions (probably still does), probably a lot of things where he went in and did just one song, or whatever, then forgot about it.
I do know someone who has a record by the Boston area youth orchestra that Tony played in as a teenager. My friend brought it to NEARfest the year Liquid Tension Experiment played, and Tony was quite surprised to see that one being put forth for an autograph!
I believe Tony lives in Kingston, NY, which is 15 miles due north of here. I don't spend a lot of time there, but I've never seen him out and about, although he has played a local gig or two at various times.
Great to see all the responses here, and some great observations! As to TLev's discography, a quick examination shows well over 500 albums listed on his website between the actual discography page and the front-page "recently played on" list. I'd bet when you include all the one-offs, guest spots, and other miscellaneous sessions he's done over the past (nearly) 50 years, the number could approach 1000. And, as several have pointed out, what's even more amazing than the number is the sheer scope of musical style covered therein.
A couple of other things that I find noteworthy about Mr. Levin's career: He is pretty much singly responsible for putting the Chapman Stick on the musical map. Obviously, this could have never happened if Emmitt hadn't invented the instrument in the first place, but it was Tony's use of it in the 70s that brought it to the attention of other musicians. I daresay if you asked any Stick player where they first heard the instrument, the answer would include Tony. Being a significant part of the development of a completely new instrument = pretty cool.
Also, how many artist of his stature will tour with five-star accommodations, staff, and travel, playing for massive crowds, and then turn around and do a van tour of clubs and small venues, staying in modest accommodations? I know the one finances the other, but he seems genuinely happy doing both, and I doubt that it's for the money; he just loves playing and creating new music. Remarkable!
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
How could you? The man is constantly touring!
LEVIN MINNEMANN RUDESS - Amazing albums by highly accomplished and skilled musicians.
I've met Tony twice, wonderful down to earth guy and by the way incredibly talented King Crimson bassist and stick player! See you on tour this summer with Crimson..
http://www.levinminnemannrudess.com/
That's him! I knew there was a Todd connection. And no, no bass. I think it was actually during the drum solo.
The Levin Torn & White album is an acquired taste to say the least but the musicianship is outstanding, Those who think Alan White ain't no Bill Bruford should also give it a listen.
One of the first things Tony was ever involved with, along with his brother and Steve Gadd. Amazingly, I heard this was made for a Carpenters TV special!
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
...and even on that, there's a surprisingly high level of straightforward musicianship...
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
Plays upstate in Woodstock a lot and hope to see him this summer---and he is a great bass player----Bruford ---in his day---knows who to play with.
Well, of course. Look at the musicians FZ needed to play his "comedy music". Or the first-call LA sessionmen who recorded Carl Stalling's scores for the Warner Bros. cartoons. From what I understand, Al Yankovic's long-time band are no slouches either, and he pays them well enough that they're happy to stay on.
I doubt even the man himself has everything.
The last time I was shocked to find Tony Levin in the liners was Buddy Rich's The Roar of '74 about 25 years ago. After that, nothing shocks me.
Great musician, better person.
Been on the radar since it came out. Hopefully soon....
I just placed an order for Levin Torn White today. Eagerly anticipating hearing the sonic maelstrom....
It's a pretty interesting album - by coincidence i've listened to it several times in the past couple of weeks.
Quite dense - there's a lot going on so I'm still absorbing it. Not everything quite works for me but i really dig the vast majority of it.
One of the great treats of getting the Exposure with 3 editions, was the TL heavy sound on the third edition's take of Breathless. His playing on the bridge of that just made my hair stand on end. Incredibly awesome.
Sounds like it would be right up my alley although I pretty much know that.
Even back when he had hair, he had a shiny head.
Absolutely, Tony Levin deserves maximal appreciation!
My first clue was the Levin/Marrotta rhythm section on Gabriel III and especially Security. The bass break in "San Jacinto" is one of the pinnacles of music.
Next was the opening bars of "Sleepless". That propulsive beat makes everything else feel like standing still. From there it was a short step to "Frame By Frame" and "Discipline".
This was around the release of A Momentary Lapse of Reason. People talk about Gilmour's guitar on "Sorrow", but the middle half of the song is driven by Levin -- a much looser, somehow elastic sound compared to Waters. (And there's a tremendous bridge in "Yet Another Movie" that I love hearing to this day.)
After that Levin was a fact of life. There were some great bassists in single bands (Squire, Lee), and everywhere else there was Tony Levin, spreading awesomeness.
Big fan of Tony. Any list of greatest bass players that doesn't have him in the top 5 is awful. Tony's played on so many albums. I've been seeing Tony live for 5 decades:
Gabriel(70's,80's,90's,00's,10's)
King Crimson(80's,90's, 00's,10's)
California Guitar trio
Stickmen
Liquid Tension Experiment (at NEARfest)
Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
Gabriel and Sting
A band with Levin and Steve Gadd back in the day.
I think the occasion of TLev being inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame warrants this thread's resurrection. From his road diary:
https://tonylevin.com/road-diaries/r...and-rehearsals
https://tonylevin.com/road-diaries/r...oncert/concert
Pretty damned cool, and so well deserved.
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
A friend and I had a good laugh yesterday talking about a kid we went to school with who was always borrowing our tapes like Iron Maiden or Van Halen and then when we'd ask for something in return, he would bring us religious stuff like Petra and Amy Grant. Anyway, out of nostalgia, I looked up a song he foisted upon me all those years ago because I hadn't heard it since... well, probably 1986. It's Wired for Sound by Michael W. Smith, who I presume was a big CCM artist in the U.S. but unknown up here. Sure enough, the bass player? Tony Levin.You just can't escape the guy, no matter what corner of music you explore!
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
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There's at least one other Tony Levin out there, a drummer. Our Tony's brother Pete is a keyboardist. Together they could play a battle of the bands with The Dave Stewarts.
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