"World Machine" is a song written by

Wally Badarou Waliou Jacques Daniel Isheola "Wally" Badarou (born 22 March 1955) is a French musician. Born in France with ancestry from Benin, West Africa, Badarou is known for his close association with the English group Level 42, and for his prolific work ...

, Phil Gould, Mark King and

Mike Lindup Michael David Lindup (born 17 March 1959) is a musician best known as the keyboard player and falsetto voiced singer, who joined with Mark King and brothers Phil and Boon Gould to form the British jazz-funk/pop rock band, Level 42. Early li ...

that became the title track of British musical group

Level 42 Level 42 is an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s. Their highest-charting single in the UK was " Lessons in Love", which reached number three on the ...

's sixth studio album. A remix of the song by

Shep Pettibone Robert "Shep" Pettibone (born 10 July 1959) is an American record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. Career Shep Pettibone surfaced after his work with Arthur Baker on Afrika Bambaataa & the Jazz ...

was released as a

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

in the U.S. in 1986 and peaked at number 25 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine's Hot Dance/Disco – Club Play in 1987.

Critical reception

The review of the 12-inch single remix in ''

'' read, "Pulsating electrojazz cut, much requested earlier this year as an album track, newly remixed for club impact." In his review of the ''World Machine'' album for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Steve Bloom wrote that the title track was "their best effort: propelled by Phil Gould's explosive tribal beat, it showcases Mike Lindup's considerable keyboard talents." William Cooper's retrospective review of the album for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

noted, "The jazzy, upbeat title track is one of the band's finest moments."

Track listing

*12-inch single # "World Machine (Remix)" – 5:39 # "World Machine (Dub)" – 7:24

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes for the ''World Machine'’ album: Level 42 * Mark King – bass, vocals *

– keyboards, vocals * Phil Gould – drums *

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 ...

– guitars Additional musicians *

–

Synclavier The Synclavier is an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation manufactured by New England Digital Corporation of Norwich, Vermont. It was produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the early 1 ...

, additional vocals *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts at Wem ...

– saxophone Production * Level 42 – producers * Wally Badarou – producer *

Julian Mendelsohn Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Early life After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run b ...

– production assistant, recording *

– remixing

References

Bibliography

External links

World Machine (Shep Pettibone Remix)
{{Level 42 Level 42 songs 1985 songs Songs written by Wally Badarou Songs written by Mark King (musician) Songs written by Mike Lindup Songs written by Phil Gould (musician)