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	49:41 (CD) ,43:42 (vinyl)
Label	Polydor
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 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
• Gary Husband – drums
• Alan Murphy – guitars

with:

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

Chart positions[]

Album[]

Singles[]

References[]