| World Machine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 October 1985 [1] | |||
| Studio | Maison Rouge (Fulham, London) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:04 | |||
| Label | Polydor | |||
| Producer | Wally Badarou, Level 42 | |||
| Level 42 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from World Machine | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Rolling Stone | (mixed) [4] |
World Machine is the sixth studio album by British pop group Level 42, released in 1985. It was the band's breakthrough album internationally and features one of their most successful singles, "Something About You".
This release marked a transition from their jazz-funk beginnings to the funky pop they are best known for―a transition which eventually resulted in the departure of drummer Phil Gould subsequent to the release of their follow up album Running in the Family .
The album features the singles "Something About You" (the band's only American top 10 hit, peaking at number 7, and a success internationally) and "Leaving Me Now". Also featured is "Physical Presence", the song from which the name for their first live record was taken.
The album was re-released in 2000 as a 2-CD set also including the band's previous album, True Colours . In 2007, World Machine was re-released as a 2-CD remastered Deluxe Edition containing several remixes and live versions as bonus tracks.
The cover photo is of Hafnarfjall, a mountain in west Iceland.
World Machine peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart, staying on the chart for 72 weeks. It was also the band's first album to enter the US Billboard 200, peaking at number 18 and staying on the chart for 36 weeks. [5] Album sales have reached over three million copies, being certified 2× Platinum by the BPI.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "World Machine" | Badarou, P. Gould, King, Lindup | 5:14 |
| 2. | "Physical Presence" | P. Gould, King | 5:27 |
| 3. | "Something About You" | Lindup, P. Gould, King, Badarou, R. Gould | 4:24 |
| 4. | "Leaving Me Now" | Badarou, King, P. Gould | 5:00 |
| 5. | "I Sleep On My Heart" | Badarou, R. Gould, P. Gould, King | 4:04 |
| 6. | "It's Not The Same For Us" | Badarou, King, P. Gould, Lindup | 4:36 |
| 7. | "Dream Crazy" (originally included as a bonus track on the CD and cassette) | R. Gould, King, Lindup | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Good Man in a Storm" | P. Gould, King | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Coup d'état" | P. Gould, King | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Lying Still" | Badarou, R. Gould, King | 5:39 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "I Sleep On My Heart" (remix) | 6:02 |
| 12. | "World Machine" (dub mix) | 7:25 |
| 13. | "Something About You" (Sisa remix) | 7:41 |
Level 42
with:
2007 Re-issue:
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart [9] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200 [10] | 18 |
| Canada RPM 100 [11] | 15 |
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.
Thunder and Lightning is the twelfth and final studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, released on 4 March 1983. Guitarist John Sykes was hired to replace Snowy White after 1981's Renegade, and Sykes helped to provide a heavier sound and guitar tone than Thin Lizzy had used on previous albums. However, the bulk of the songwriting was completed before he joined the band. Keyboard player Darren Wharton also offered a stronger musical influence to Thin Lizzy's final studio album, co-writing many of the tracks including "Some Day She Is Going to Hit Back", and the final single "The Sun Goes Down". A farewell tour followed the album's release, followed by the live album Life. The group's co-founder, frontman and bass player Phil Lynott died in 1986.
"Atomic" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released in February 1980 as the album's third single.
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.
Level 42 is the debut album released in August 1981 by the British group Level 42.
Close to the Bone is the second studio album by the Tom Tom Club that was released in 1983. The Tom Tom Club's musicians were: Wally Badarou, Tyrone Downie, Chris Frantz, Roddy Frantz, Rupert Hine, Raymond Jones, Steve Scales, Steven Stanley, Alex Weir; and sisters Lani, Laura and Tina Weymouth. The album was released on compact disc for the first time on May 19, 2009, as a part of a two-CD deluxe package with the band's first album, Tom Tom Club, as part of Universal Music's deluxe editions series.
Live...in the Heart of the City is a 1980 live album by English rock band Whitesnake. Originally released as a double-vinyl album, and double-play cassette, it utilises recordings made in 1978 and 1980. The album charted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart with Platinum certification, and number 146 on the Billboard 200. The Classic Rock magazine in 2011 and 2023 placed it among the best live albums ever.
Forever Now is the 10th studio album released by British pop musical group Level 42, released in March 1994. There were two releases of the album with different track-listings and cover art. The first release in 1994 on RCA Records has 11 tracks. In 1996, the album was re-issued by the label Resurgence, with 15 tracks including six additional tracks, but without the songs "Tired Of Waiting" and "All Over You". Also, some of the songs on this version varied in length from those on the RCA release, and the track "Billy's Gone" was completely remixed. The Resurgence album was re-released in 2009 by the label Edsel, as a double CD, bringing "Tired Of Waiting" and "All Over You" back to the track-listing again, and also adding extended remixes of "All Over You", "Forever Now", "Learn To Say No" and "Love In A Peaceful World". The sleeve notes for the reissue state that the Resurgence version of the album contained the original intended track- listing.
"Burning Down the House" is a song by new wave band Talking Heads, released in July 1983 as the first single from their fifth studio album Speaking in Tongues.
Guaranteed is the ninth studio album by the British musical group Level 42, released in 1991, their first album of the 1990s. The album was released by RCA records and it was the first Level 42 studio album released by a label other than Polydor.
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
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.
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", "Take a Look" and "Tracie".
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.
Choose Your Masques: Collectors Series Volume 2 is a 2000 live album release of most of a pair of 1982 concerts by the English rock band Hawkwind. It was recorded during the winter 1982 tour at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, mostly on 12 November, with some tracks possibly from 13 November. The recording features a guest slot from Michael Moorcock on 12 November. Note the final actual set list, compared to the released double-CD, and all songs where Nik Turner's contribution could be removed, have been, almost certainly due to continuing legal wrangles.
The Very Best of Level 42 is a greatest hits album by English jazz-funk band Level 42. It features a chronological track listing of the band's hit single releases from 1981 to 1994.
"Hot Water" is a single released in 1984 by the English jazz-funk band Level 42. It was released a couple of weeks before the band's studio album True Colours (1984). The single reached #18 on the UK Singles Chart and was a top ten hit in the Netherlands and Norway. The song was produced by Ken Scott.
The Secret of Association is the second studio album by the English singer Paul Young. Released in 1985, it reached number one on the UK album charts and the Top 20 in the US. The album spawned the hit singles "Everytime You Go Away", "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down", "Everything Must Change" and "Tomb of Memories".
A Physical Presence is a two-disc live album by English jazz-funk band 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".
A Night at the Odeon is a live album by the British rock band Queen. The album is the first official release of the band's Christmas Eve performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975, filmed by the BBC. The show was broadcast on BBC2 and BBC Radio 1, and included one of the first live performances of "Bohemian Rhapsody". It is the band's most popular bootleg.
