Staring at the Sun (Level 42 album)

Last updated

Staring at the Sun
Startingatthesun.jpg
Studio album by
Released19 September 1988 [1]
Recorded1988
Studio Studio Miraval (Correns, France)
Genre Pop rock
Length49:41 (CD), 43:42 (vinyl)
Label Polydor
Producer
Level 42 chronology
Running in the Family
(1987)
Staring at the Sun
(1988)
Guaranteed
(1991)
Singles from Staring at the Sun
  1. "Heaven in My Hands"
    Released: August 1988
  2. "Take a Look"
    Released: 10 October 1988
  3. "Tracie"
    Released: 9 January 1989
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
Smash Hits Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

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).

Contents

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

with:

Production

Chart positions

Album

YearAlbumChartPeak
position
1988Staring at the Sun UK Albums Chart 2
1988Staring at the SunUS Billboard 200 128

Singles

YearSongChartPeak
position
1988"Heaven in My Hands" UK Singles Chart 12
1988"Take a Look"UK Singles Chart32
1988"Tracie"UK Singles Chart25

Sales and certifications

Certifications for Staring at the Sun
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [3] Gold50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [4] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [5] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Level 42</span> English jazz-funk band

Level 42 are 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.

<i>Running in the Family</i> 1987 studio album by Level 42

Running in the Family is the seventh studio album by British band Level 42, released in 1987. It features the UK hit singles: "Lessons in Love", "Running in the Family", "To Be with You Again", "It's Over" and "Children Say". All five singles peaked in the Top 10 in the Netherlands. "Lessons in Love" peaked at No. 1 in Germany, South Africa, Switzerland and Denmark. This was the last Level 42 album of the 1980s to feature brothers Phil (drums) and Rowland 'Boon' Gould (guitar) who had cited dissatisfaction with the musical direction of the band and exhaustion as departure reasons.

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<i>The Early Tapes</i> 1982 studio album by Level 42

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<i>Standing in the Light</i> 1983 studio album by Level 42

Standing in the Light is the fourth studio album released in 1983 by English jazz-funk band Level 42 on Polydor Records. The album peaked at No.9, being the group's first top 10 showing in the UK Pop Albums Chart. Standing in the Light has also been certified Gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry

<i>The Pursuit of Accidents</i> 1982 studio album by Level 42

The Pursuit of Accidents is the third studio album released by the jazz/funk British musical group Level 42, in 1982. It was issued on CD in 1985. It was re-issued on CD in 2000 as part of a two disc set with the album "Standing In The Light", and again in 2007 as a stand-alone disc. The album reached #17 on the UK album charts.

<i>True Colours</i> (Level 42 album) 1984 studio album by Level 42

True Colours is the fifth studio album by the English jazz-funk band Level 42, released on 5 October 1984 by Polydor Records. Beyond the band's native United Kingdom, the album was released in 10-plus other countries, including Japan, Germany and the United States of America. The album peaked at #14 in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>Level Best</i> 1989 greatest hits album by Level 42

Level Best is a compilation album featuring the most successful singles by the English band Level 42. It was released at the end of 1989, marking a decade since the band's beginnings.

"Take a Look" is a single released in 1988 by British band Level 42 from the album Staring at the Sun. It reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>The Very Best of Level 42</i> 1998 greatest hits album by Level 42

The Very Best of Level 42 is a compilation released by the UK band Level 42. It features a chronological track listing of the band's hit single releases from 1981 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)</span> 1983 single by Level 42

"The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)" is a single released in 1983 by the musical group Level 42. It is one of the few songs by the group which featured Mike Lindup on lead vocals (although Mark King did contribute as lead vocalist on this track). After the success of "The Chinese Way", and of the album The Pursuit of Accidents, this song featured on the newly released Standing in the Light album. The first single from the album, "Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind", did not obtain the expected success for the recording and for the members of the band, leaving the whole expectation for the second single, The Sun Goes Down.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heaven in My Hands</span> 1988 single by Level 42

"Heaven in My Hands" is a 1988 song by the British group Level 42.

<i>A Physical Presence</i> 1985 EP by Level 42

A Physical Presence is a two-disc live album by the British jazz-funk pop group Level 42, released in June 1985 and recorded in England during March of that year at The Coronet Woolwich, The Hexagon, Reading and Goldiggers, Chippenham, Wiltshire. This album is notable for being the first live album by Level 42, and for containing a previously unreleased song and a live recording of a non-LP track ". "Love Games" is preceded by an extended bass intro, which contains also part of "Dune Tune". Also, the first track starts with a taped intro which quotes "Hot Water".

"Tracie" is a song by British band Level 42, written by Gary Husband and Mark King, and recounts King's times with his childhood sweetheart, Tracie Wilson. It appeared on the band's 1988 album Staring at the Sun, and features keyboardist Mike Lindup playing harmonica.

<i>The Definitive Collection</i> (Level 42 album) 2006 greatest hits album by Level 42

The Definitive Collection, released in June 2006, is a greatest hits album by the British musical group Level 42. The album peaked at #20 on the UK album charts.

<i>Past Lives – The Best of the RCA Years</i> 2007 greatest hits album by Level 42

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Care of Yourself</span> 1989 single by Level 42

"Take Care of Yourself" is a song released by the British pop/jazz-funk group Level 42 in 1989. The song was released on the compilation Level Best. It was the last song recorded with guitarist Alan Murphy, who died on October 19, 1989, three days after the single was issued. The music video is a retrospective of rock styles from the 60s through to the 80s, and features state-of-the-art animation. In some ways it is reminiscent of the video "We Close Our Eyes" by Go West. Lindup, Husband and King appear several times dressed as hippies, punks and heavy metal musicians. Murphy did not appear in this video, but does appear in a video alongside King, Lindup and Husband recorded for RTL Veronique a few days before his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weave Your Spell</span> 1982 single by Level 42

"Weave Your Spell" is a single by the British group Level 42, that was released in 1982.

References

  1. Smith, Robin (17 September 1988). "News: Releases". Record Mirror . p. 6. ISSN   0144-5804.
  2. Smash Hits , October 1988 link
  3. "Canadian album certifications – Level 42 – Staring at the Sun". Music Canada . Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. "Dutch album certifications – Level 42 – Staring at the Sun" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers . Retrieved 16 July 2022.Enter Staring at the Sun in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1988 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  5. "British album certifications – Level 42 – Staring at the Sun". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 23 August 2022.