Level 42

THE DEFINITIVE COLECTION

Level 42 were absolutely huge. Formed in early 1980, their professionalism and musical sensibilities initially allied them to the nascent British jazz-funk movement before chalking up an impressive run of 29 UK Top 75 singles between 1980 and 1994. The group filled stadiums the world over, and enjoyed unforgettable hits such as Lessons In Love, Running In The Family and Something About You.

The Isle Of Wight, a sleepy, holiday isle on the south coast of England, is not renown for its pop talent. However, it was here that brothers, drummer Phil (b. 28th February 1957) and guitarist and lyricist Roland 'Boon' Gould (b.14th March 1955), together with bassist Mark King (b.20th October 1958) played in various bands during their teenage years. Phil Gould introduced King to keyboard player Mike Lindup (b. 17th March 1959), whom he'd met while studying at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Clearly on the same wavelength, Lindup was studying piano but had taken a course in percussion. They found that they shared similar influences such as Miles Davis and John McLaughlin.

King would drop by and jam with them. Phil's brother Boon, who had previously played with King in America, became the last to join the band now known as Level 42. Phil Gould and King had also played with pop journeyman Robin Scott in M - famous for the hit Pop Musik - on their overlooked second album The Official Secrets Act.

In May 1980, Andy Sojka, the head of Elite, a small independent record label, saw them play. Impressed with what he heard, he signed Level 42 (named allegedly either after the top floor of the world's highest car park or the meaning of it all in Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy), and their debut single, Love Meeting Love was released two months later. Its success in the UK Funk/Disco charts brought the band to the attention of Polydor Records, who snapped them up, releasing their next single, (Flying On The) Wings Of Love.

It was in performance that Level 42 really exploded; their shows were shop-windows for their virtuosity, an all-out attack on the senses where jazz met funk and, although already something of a dirty word, disco. This was music free from the stranglehold of the London-based rock media that spoke to fans in the provinces, who appreciated musicianship and looked forward to their Saturday nights. Working with producer Mike Vernon, they cut what many feel to be their greatest single Love Games, which announced the arrival of the group to the wider world.

Their self-titled debut album was released in late summer 1981. A phenomenal introduction, it demonstrated how the group could balance their commercialism with their virtuosity. Evoking Stanley Clarke and Light Of The World, it spearheaded the Britfunk movement. Although neither were huge chart successes, subsequent singles from the album, Turn It On and Starchild were fantastic club hits.

Their second album, The Pursuit Of Accidents, arrived a year later in September 1982. It reached the European charts and was, of course, supported by a huge tour. A remixed version of the album's standout track, The Chinese Way was issued in January 1983, and became a UK Top 40 hit. At the end of 1982, Earth, Wind and Fire members Larry Dunn and Verdine White spotted the band. Impressed with their musicianship, they offered to produce the group's next album. During recording, the band played their first US concert at New York's Bottom Line as part of the 'Britain Salutes New York' festival. They had long been revered in the city by cooler club DJs. Starchild itself turned up frequently in Francois Kervorkian's set. The album didn't disappoint: Recorded at LA's Complex Studio, Standing In The Light was a successful polishing of their surfaces for the burgeoning American market. The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up) finally gave them a bona fide UK hit, reaching No. 10.

True Colours from 1984 found them edging further towards straight pop territory - lead single Hot Water began a series of kitchen-sink dramas set to chugging, funky beats. After the triumphant tour to capitalize on their growing success there was much demand to record their live performance on album. A Physical Presence, one of the few double live albums of the era, captured their essence perfectly. But it was the new material that the group emerged with later in 1985 which really redirected them into the pop arena; World Machine, with its singles Something About You and Leaving Me Now all made the UK Top 10 and went on to sell over three million copies worldwide.

Their next single, Lessons In Love displayed how capable the group had become with a pop tune. Finally, the band broke in America, as Something About You became a hit. Level 42 finished 1986 by playing four sell out nights at London's Wembley Arena in December. To consolidate their new megaband status, in February 1987, their single, Running In The Family, became another Top 10 hit. Its identically titled parent album, recorded in two sections in Feb/March and August-December 1986 was pop-rich and packed with killer hooks. The group were now members of the chart aristocracy; the album, produced by long-term associate Wally Badarou, went platinum a week after release and became a CD favourite. Sell out UK and European tours followed. A third Top 10 single from the album, To Be With You Again, consolidated this success. Touring with Madonna and headlining America, the band entered a new realm of achievement. King greeted his stardom with his trademark self-deprecation. "I've always thought it must be really nice for Paul Weller, with writers trying to get inside him, asking, What's he really like?," King mused in 1987. "And no one seems to want to do that with me. I'm not surprised. I don't even want to know what I'm like myself. So why the hell anyone else should want to bother..."

However, despite Lindup's gossamer vocals and King's trademark bass, the sound was now completely away from its jazz-funk roots and, in October 1987, the Gould Brothers, first Boon and then Phil left the fold. Prefab Sprout drummer Neil Conti and guitarist Paul Gendler were hastily gathered to fill the vacant roles in order to honour outstanding American tour dates. After the successful dates the line-up reached stability with Gary Husband joining on drums and Steve Topping was recruited on guitar. The new line-up decamped to Ireland to begin writing and rehearsing their new album. After Dublin, the group relocated to Miraval Studios in the south of France and Topping was replaced by ex-Go West guitarist Alan Murphy. The release of Staring At The Sun was followed by a four-month European tour culminating in six sell-out nights at Wembley Arena, where the group were hailed as conquering heroes. To underline their remarkable late-80s popularity, the group played in July 1989 as the house band at The Prince's Trust Concert held at Birmingham's NEC.

This period of stellar success came to an abrupt halt for the group when Murphy died of AIDS-related symptoms on 19th October 1989. The group were devastated. There was a sense of closure when their greatest hits, Level Best, appeared at the end of 1989. It went double platinum within three weeks; the 80s had been the group's decade.

The 90s started with solo and session work; the band moved to RCA/BMG and the eventual release of the album, Guaranteed proved that there was still very much a thirst for their work. Polydor exploited their continuing success with a remix album, The Remixes in 1992. The group cut a final record, Forever Now, which saw Phil Gould returning on drums. The band officially split on 14th October 1994 with a show at London's Royal Albert Hall. King commented retrospectively "We had been very successful, but music by its very nature continually moves on and evolves. Level 42 hadn't really done that for a few years, so . . . to me we really felt like a band from the 1980s that had outstayed its welcome!" But the group could never outstay its welcome: after King cut his solo album One Man in 1998, he acquired the rights to the name and regrouped as a new Level 42 for the 21st century in 2002, and the group tours to rapturous receptions to this day.

Level 42 were absolutely huge. And this, without doubt, is their Definitive Collection. It's rammed with well-crafted tunes, expertly played, brimming with hooks, underpinned with King and Lindup's extra-special vocal blend. You needn't ask for more.

Daryl Easlea

Daryl Easlea is the author of Everybody Dance: Chic and The Politics Of Disco, published by Helter Skelter Books

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