''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
"Heaven in My Hands" is a 1988 song by the British group Level 42.
It was released as the first single from the band's album ''Staring at the Sun (Level 42 album), Staring at the Sun'', and reached number 12 in the UK charts. It was the first Le ...
" (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
Rowland Charles "Boon" Gould (4 March 1955 – 30 April 2019) was an English musician and one of the four founding members of Level 42.
Career
Gould was born in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight. He was the guitarist of Level 42 and occasional sax ...
, 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
Gary Husband (born 14 June 1960) is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer.
Husband is a member of John McLaughlin's group The 4th Dimension, he also regularly pe ...
, 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
# "
Heaven in My Hands
"Heaven in My Hands" is a 1988 song by the British group Level 42.
It was released as the first single from the band's album ''Staring at the Sun (Level 42 album), Staring at the Sun'', and reached number 12 in the UK charts. It was the first Le ...
" (
King,
R. Gould) – 4:39
# "I Don't Know Why" (King, R. Gould) – 4.22
# "
Take a Look" (King, R. Gould,
Lindup,
Badarou) – 4:41
# "Over There" (King, Lindup) – 3:59
# "Silence" (Lindup) – 4:56
# "
Tracie" (King,
Husband
A husband is a male in a marital relationship, who may also be referred to as a spouse. The rights and obligations of a husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between societies and cultures, ...
) – 4:53
# "Staring at the Sun" (King, R. Gould, Badarou) – 4:39
# "
Two Hearts Collide" (King, R. Gould) – 4:10
# "Man" (King, R. Gould, Badarou) – 7:23
# "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
Gary Husband (born 14 June 1960) is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer.
Husband is a member of John McLaughlin's group The 4th Dimension, he also regularly pe ...
– drums
with:
*
Wally Badarou – keyboards
*
Dominic Miller – guitars
* Krys Mach – saxophones
*
Steve Sidwell
Steven James Sidwell (born 14 December 1982) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Sidwell was a product of the Arsenal academy, and after winning two FA Youth Cups, he had constructive loan spells at Bren ...
– 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
{{Authority control
1988 albums
Level 42 albums
Albums produced by Wally Badarou
Polydor Records albums
Albums produced by Julian Mendelsohn
Albums recorded at Studio Miraval