Staring at the Sun (Level 42 album)

Staring at the Sun
Studio album by Level 42
Released	September 1988
Recorded	Recorded at Miraval, France Engineered and mixed by Julian Mendelsohn Engineers assistant - Jean Lamoot. Mastered at The Townhouse by Kevin Metcalfe.
Genre	Pop rock
Length	43:42
Label	Polydor Records
Producer	Wally Badarou, Level 42, Julian Mendelsohn
Level 42 chronology
Running in the Family (1987) Staring at the Sun (1988) Guaranteed (1991)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Smash Hits	[1]

Staring at the Sun is the eighth studio album released by the British jazz/funk band Level 42, in 1988.

Produced by Level 42, Wally Badarou and Julian Mendelsohn. Recorded at Miraval, France. Engineered and mixed by Julian Mendelsohn. Engineer's assistant - Jean Lamoot. Mastered at The Townhouse by Kevin Metcalfe. The album includes the hits "Heaven in My Hands" (UK No. 12 in 1988), "Take a Look" (UK No. 32) and "Tracie" (UK no. 25).

This is the first album that doesn't feature brothers Phil Gould and Boon Gould playing, although Boon did write the lyrics to six of the songs. To substitute them they took on 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. Murphy died in 1989 of an HIV virus.

This album was not as successful as its predecessors, yet reaching again the Top 5 in the U.K., but missing the Billboard 100 in the U.S. . Internationally, it reached the Top 10 in several countries but had finally 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

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

Plus:

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

Charts positions

Album charts

Year	Album	Chart	Peak position
1988	"Staring at the Sun"	UK album charts	#2
1988	"Staring at the Sun"	US Billboard 200	#128

Single charts

Year	Song	Chart	Peak position
1988	"Heaven in My Hands"	UK single charts	#12
1988	"Take a Look"	UK single charts	#32
1988	"Tracie"	UK single charts	#25

References

1. Smash Hits, October 1988 link

See also