Staring at the Sun (Level 42 album)

Staring at the Sun is the eighth studio album by British jazz/funk band Level 42, released in 1988. The album includes the singles "Heaven in My Hands" (UK No. 12), "Take a Look" (UK No. 32) and "Tracie" (UK no. 25).

Background

Staring at the Sun is the first Level 42 album not to feature brothers Phil Gould and Boon Gould, although Boon did write the lyrics to six of the songs. They were replaced by British guitarist Alan Murphy, who had collaborated with Go West and singer Kate Bush, and drummer Gary Husband, who had been a member of the band Morrissey–Mullen. This would be the only Level 42 album on which Murphy would appear, as he died only a year after its release from complications related to HIV/AIDS.

Commercial performance

The album was not as successful as its predecessors, again reaching the Top 5 in the UK Albums Chart but missing the top half of the Billboard 200 in the US. Internationally, it reached the Top 10 in several countries, but ultimately had a lesser impact on the charts than the band's two previous albums.

Track listing

1. "Heaven in My Hands" (King, R. Gould) – 4:39
2. "I Don't Know Why" (King, R. Gould) – 4.22
3. "Take a Look" (King, R. Gould, Lindup, Badarou) – 4:41
4. "Over There" (King, Lindup) – 3:59
5. "Silence" (Lindup) – 4:56
6. "Tracie" (King, Husband) – 4:53
7. "Staring at the Sun" (King, R. Gould, Badarou) – 4:39
8. "Two Hearts Collide" (King, R. Gould) – 4:10
9. "Man" (King, R. Gould, Badarou) – 7:23
10. "Gresham Blues" ^A (King) – 5:43

^A Available on the CD and cassette only

Personnel

Level 42

• Mark King – bass guitar, vocals
• Mike Lindup – keyboards, vocals
• Alan Murphy – guitars
• Gary Husband – drums

with:

• Wally Badarou – keyboards
• Dominic Miller – guitars
• Krys Mach – saxophones
• Steve Sidwell – trumpet

Production

• Level 42 – producers
• Wally Badarou – producer
• Julian Mendelsohn – producer, engineer, mixing
• Jean Lamoot – assistant engineer
• Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
• The Artful Dodgers – sleeve design
• Mark Hughes – illustration
• John Stoddart – photography
• Paul Crockford – management

Chart positions

Album

Singles

Sales and certifications

References