Level 42 was a British funk music band who had a number of worldwide and UK hits during the 1980s. The band gained fame for its tight musicianship, especially that of Mark King. The founding band members were Mark King (Vocals / Bass), Mike Lindup ( Keyboards/Vocals), Boon Gould ( Guitar) and Phil Gould ( Drums). The band still do live shows (although not in the original line-up) and release new compilations and a new album in 2006.
Level 42 was formed in 1980 as a jazz-funk fusion band. Initially the band was signed to a small independent record label, Elite Records, after being seen jamming together. Shortly after they released the single "Love Meeting Love" on Elite, they came to the attention of Polydor Records and signed to them. One of the performers on that track, keyboardist Wally Badarou, would later become Level 42's longtime co-producer and what King calls the band's "fifth member," though his other commitments prevented him from touring.
In 1981 they released "Love Games", a top-40 hit. They then cut their critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album. This became an immediate success throughout Europe.
The following year, a second album The Pursuit of Accidents was made, and singles from the album, first "Weave Your Spell" and then "The Chinese Way" were released, both charting, the latter in particular rising high in the charts and gaining the band a much wider audience than hitherto. Their album went on to become a huge seller. In between, Polydor released The Early Tapes, recorded in the early days of the band when they were signed to the Elite label. A fourth album Standing in the Light generated their first top ten hit in the UK in 1983, "The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)".
