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Beginning as an instrumental jazz and funk group and later morphing into a pop band, Level 42 saw their fan base expand to include music lovers of all stripes. The British band formed in 1980 with Mark King (bass, vocals), Phil Gould (drums), Boon Gould (guitar), and Mike Lindup (keyboards). King attracted much attention with his distinctive and highly skilled bass guitar playing, and by the time of the band's first single, "Love Meeting Love," was released, he was also gaining kudos as lead vocalist. They had a series of fairly minor hit singles, but in 1983 "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)" Continued...

reached the top ten on the UK charts. In September 1985, they released "Something About You", which reached number six and stayed on the British chart for an impressive 17 weeks. It was also a top ten hit in the US. King had gained more confidence as a distinctive vocalist and their 1985 album "World Machine" and its 1987 successor "Running in the Family" firmly established Level 42 as a hugely successful melodic pop band that merited comparison to the likes of Phil Collins' Genesis.
At the same time they were meeting with commercial success, Level 42 alienated some of their early jazz/funk fans. Their next two records, Running in the Family (1987) and Staring at the Sun (1988), were a big success in the U.K., yet only made some headway in the U.S. Both of the Gould brothers left the band in late 1987; they were replaced by guitarist Alan Murphy and drummer Gary Husband. Murphy died of AIDS-related diseases in 1989; he was replaced by the renowned fusion guitarist Alan Holdsworth for 1991's Guaranteed. The band broke up in 1994 and King went on to record some fairly successful solo albums. In 2001, however, King reformed Level 42 with ex member Gary Husband on drums, Nathan King on guitar, Lyndon Connah on keyboards and Sean Freeman on Saxophone. In February 2005, Level 42 played a historic date at The Forum in London. For the first time since October 1994 at The Royal Albert Hall, Mike Lindup joined Level 42 on stage. A new album, Retroglide was announced in February 2006. Recently there have been rumblings about a new acoustic version of Level 42’s classic songs, but no matter what the band comes up with, it’s a sure bet that their many fans will support it.