Level 42/Mark King Web Site

So where better to start a biography on Level 42 then right at the very beginning. Four young men namely Mark King - bass (b. 20th October 1958 Northwood, Isle of Wight), Mike Lindup - keyboards (b. 17th March 1959 London, England) and brothers Boon - guitar (b. 4th March 1955 Shanklin, Isle of Wight) and Phil Gould - drums (b. 28th February 1957 Hong Kong) met up in early 1980 for a jam at the Guildhall School of Music. It was here that the four piece first played instrumental tracks such as 'MR PINK', '88' and 'LOVE MEETING LOVE'. Mike later arranged the then unnamed bands first booking at the Guildhall Students Union playing in the bar to a respondant audience. Mark and Boon had spoken about coming up with a number as the groups name for the occasion. Mark suggested 88 as it was short and could be easily remembered. Several days later Phil and Mark spotted a poster for Rocket 88, the name adopted by Jack Bruce and Friends. It was too close for comfort, although '88' was to be the title of a song.

Phil and Boon's brother John was working as head of promotion at MCA Records at that time and was contacted by Andy Sojka who had his own record label called Elite Records. John mentioned that two of his brothers were playing in a band and would he be interested in hearing them. Andy was certainly not looking for another act to sign to Elite but was prepared to give them a listen. Andy wanted to know what the bands bass lines were like and particuly liked one of Mark's riff's and said that if the band put some lyrics to it it could be incredible. A week later they played the finished version to Andy, who was happy to record it. First of all they had to sign a six month recording contract with Elite Records and deliver two singles and an album during that period. John Gould took on the managerial role. By this time the band had agreed on the name Level 42 after Boon and Mark had read the science-fiction book 'The Hitch-Hikers Guide To The Galaxy' by Douglas Adam's. In it, 42 is the answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?".

The band were keen on using synthesizers, this creating something unique. Mike had not had experience in this field, so Phil suggested that he phone Wally Badarou. Having previously worked with Phil and Mark, he was more than happy to be involved in the making of the single and the Frenchman flew out to London. At the time, Wally was signed to a French record label and was therefore in no position to join Level 42 on an official basis. They recorded the song in the 16-track Gateway Studios in Clapham in March 1980. Wally added a clarinet part to the second verse. Before the release of 'LOVE MEETING LOVE' a 12" white label promo appeared (DAZZ 4). It had a Level 42 track called 'SANDSTORM' on the A-side and an instrumental entitled 'Journey To The Powerline' on the B-side. It was thought that the B-side was a Level 42 track but it turned out to be a track by a group called Powerline who later produced a 12" on Elite of the song. Presumably the 12" (DAZZ 4) was only pressed as a white label sampler and given to club DJ's to promote two bands signed to the Elite Records label.

3000 copies of 'LOVE MEETING LOVE'/'INSTRUMENTAL LOVE' were released to the British public on the Elite Records label (DAZZ 5) in April 1980, on 12" only. Polydor Records picked up on it and almost immediately re-released it on 7" and 12". By August it had peaked at number 61. Andy offered the band ten days in Hillside Studios, Streatham to record an album. However, they left Hillside with the album incomplete. The band then started to play their first live concerts around the country starting at La Babalu Club on the Isle of Wight on the 5th and 6th September. In November 1980, Polydor released '(FLYING ON THE) WINGS OF LOVE'/'WINGS OF LOVE'. It peaked at number 76 and came as two 12"'s. The first had a US mix on one side and a UK mix on the other, while the second had a '81 remix and 'LOVE MEETING LOVE'. Both 12"'s had the same catalogue number (POSPX 200).

1981

In March 1981, Polydor teamed the band up with producer Mike Vernon and they recorded 'LOVE GAMES'. This was later released in April coupled with the instrumental '42' and the single reached number 38. The band suddenly found themselves on BBC's Top Of The Pops (as you can see on the 'Level Best' video). As the live re-bookings flooded in, Level 42 went back into the studio to record their first album for Polydor. In the meantime, Andy Sojka had been trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to get Polydor to take over the tapes of the unfinished tracks which he still held. It meant that Andy had to sit as he no longer held the rights to 'LOVE MEETING LOVE' or 'WINGS OF LOVE', which were to be included on his 'STRATEGY' album. Polydor at that time had no intention of including the tracks on the bands forthcoming album.

As this saga was continuing, Polydor had released the second single, 'TURN IT ON'/'BEEZER ONE', in July, which reached number 57, and their first album 'LEVEL 42', which received favourable reviews, eventually reached number 20. The critics described it as having "Freed jazz-funk from the neurotic self-absorption and vacuous meanderings prevalent among many practitioners of the art". Polydor planned a tour to coincide with the album release, which began at the Venue, London on the 21 August and took in St Albans Civic Hall, Norwich Penny's, Braintree - The Barn, Preston - Clouds, Neath - Talk Of The Abbey, Scunthorpe - Tiffany's, Scarborough - Tiffany's, Burnley - Tiffany's and ended at Haywards Heath - The Taverners. The album earned the band their first award when it reached number 5 in Holland achieving gold status.

In September they were offered the support role to the Police on their seven date tour of Germany. On 23rd October the band commenced on their first major tour at Brunel University, Uxbridge. Their final single of the year was 'STARCHILD'/'FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE PARTS 1&2'. The single reached number 47 after indifferent reviews. In December, Level 42 returned to Europe, taking in fourteen dates between the 6th and 19th in Holland, Belgium and Germany.

1982

The last few months had proved so hectic for the band that they started 1982 with the prospect of recording their next album and no new product to speak of. In the meantime, Andy Sojka was still trying to sort things out with Polydor over the master tape he still possessed. He was offered Ł25,000 for the tape, bearing in mind that the album had probably set him back Ł8000 in production costs. The album, 'THE EARLY TAPES-JULY/AUGUST 1980', was released in March and went on to chart at number 46. In April Polydor released 'ARE YOU HEARING(WHAT I HEAR)?'/'THE RETURN OF THE HANDSOME RUGGED MAN', which reached number 49.

The band were proving enormously successful throughout Europe as they prepared for an extensive tour which was to culminate in two sell-out shows at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The German leg of the tour began on the 18th of April at Audimax, Aachen and took them through a total of ten stops finishing at Alabama Halle, Munich. After three dates in Holland, they played a further three in Belgium before appearing at Captain Video in Paris on the 5th and 6th of May. Level 42 then made a triumphant return to the UK where they played twenty dates on the trot, starting at Manchester University and ending at the Hammersmith Odeon on the 31st of May.

On the 9th July, Mark and Mike released a single through Polydor, under the names 'Thunderthumbs And The Toetsenman' (pronounced Tootsieman), called 'FREEDOM'/'FREEDOM A GOGO'. Even if it was a bit of fun, the breezy Latin-style rhythm had caught the mood of the summer. This single has now become very collectable as it is not featured on any album. The album 'THE PURSUIT OF ACCIDENTS' was released in September and stormed into the Top 20, peaking at number 17. Released simultaneously was the single 'WEAVE YOUR SPELL'/'LOVE GAMES(Live)', which was specially remixed at the Power Station in New York. It reached number 43. Level 42 followed the release with a mini-tour of the UK, taking in seven dates between the 11th September (Guildhall, Portsmouth) and the 17th (Central Hall, Chatham) before storming through Europe yet again taking in twenty dates between the 28th and the 18th of October. They played France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Holland and Belgium. Upon their return to Britian, the band began a sell-out tour on the 3rd of November at the Regal, Hitchin. The band played a night at the Hammersmith Odeon on the 7th and then played in Scotland in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

1983

On the 7th January, Polydor released the single 'THE CHINESE WAY'/'88(Live)'. It was co-written with Wally Badarou and it reached number 24 resulting in the band appearing on Top Of The Pops, followed by a one off date at London's Brixton Ace on the 3rd Februray, which was filmed for Channel 4's 'Whatever You Want' programme. The single came as a 7", 12", 12" yellow vinyl and as a 12" doublepack which was shrink-wrapped with the 'WEAVE YOUR SPELL' 12". In April, Polydor released 'OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND'/'YOU CAN'T BLAME LOUIS', which reached number 41. It was the first track produced by Wally Badarou, and it had been recorded before their first visit to Los Angeles. The single came out as 7" and 12" picture discs as well as the standard two formats.

With only the final mix to be made on the new album, in May Level 42 played their first American concert in the 'Britain Salutes New York' festival, playing at the Bottom Line Club. In mid-July, the four grabbed the chance of a mini-break appearing at the Montreux Jazz Festival. They followed Montreux with rehearsals for their 1983-4 World Tour. Polydor then released the single 'THE SUN GOES DOWN(LIVING IT UP)'/'CAN'T WALK YOU HOME'. The single reached number 10 giving the band their first Top Ten hit. The B-side was to be the last non-album B-side until 1989.

The album 'STANDING IN THE LIGHT' produced by Larry Dunn and Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire was released in August and went Top Ten by hitting number 9. With the success of the album and single still in peoples minds, the band embarked on the first section of their world tour. Commencing in Margate Winter Gardens on Bank Holiday Monday the 29th August, the six week. non-stop schedule, ended at Sheffield University on Saturday 8th October. The band then hit Europe for the next 2 months taking in Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Polydor released 'MICROKID'/'TURN IT ON(Live)' in the same month as the album reaching number 37. A 12" doublepack was issued featuring the 'MICROKID' 12" with the New York Remix and dub of 'THE CHINESE WAY'. The band returned to the UK in mid-December, beginning a mini-tour on the 13th at the University of Kent in Canterbury and taking in Chippenham, Reading, Dunstable, Croydon, Swansea, Hanley (Stoke) and Brighton. On the 22nd, long overdue for a holiday, they headed home for Christmas.

1984

Level 42 were tired after the hectic schedule. They had become fractious with each other, no doubt through living out of suitcases for so long. They needed breathing space and the New Year offered a wellcome relief. Mark usefully used the time to write and record a solo album called 'INFLUENCES'. This was released in July and also released from it was the single 'I FEEL FREE'/'THERE IS A DOG'. The entire first side of the album was taken up by several pieces entitled 'THE ESSENTIAL' which stemed from 1980.

Level 42 had a three month run of releases shortly afterwards. On the 18th August, 'HOTWATER' was performed on Peter Powell's BBC1 television show 'One For The Road'. Six days later HOT WATER/STANDING IN THE LIGHT' was released to critical acclaim, climbing to number 18. In September the album 'TRUE COLOURS' was issued reaching number 14; it's tracks marked a definate change in the band's music. In October the single 'THE CHANT HAS BEGUN'/'ALMOST THERE' reached number 41.

By October 'HOTWATER' was number 4 in Holland, 7 in Belgium and was about to enter the German charts. The first eight days of October were spent in a rehearsal studio in preparation for the album tour, with Krys Mach stepping in on saxophone. On the 10th, Level 42 flew to Essen, Germany, to rehearse for a Rockpalast live concert, broadcasting to over 50 million people. Their UK 'TRUE COLOURS' tour began on the 21st October in Norwich, ending with dates at the Hammersmith Odeon, on the 12thand 13th of November. During the same month, Nik Kershaw had an album released called The Riddel, on which Mark played bass on the track 'EASY'. After the 21 date sell-out tour of the UK, Level 42 spent a further four weeks in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium and France.

1985

Back in the UK, dates for a mini-tour of France were confirmed, kicking off on the 21st of March in Strasbourg at the Palais De Fetes and taking in Lyon, Nice, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Rouen. Back in the UK, they were booked in at Woolwich, London, on the 30th, followed by Reading and Chippenham. The English dates were carried out primarily to record a live double album, 'A PHYSICAL PRESENCE', using the Rolling Stones mobile. The album was released on the 19th of June and was to climb to number 28, remaining in the charts for only five weeks. It was something of a disappointment for the band, bearing in mind their live reputation.

In September 1985, Polydor released the single 'SOMETHING ABOUT YOU'/'COUP D'ETAT'. It shot to number 6. It came out in no less than five formats. Apart from the standard 7" and 12" formats, a 7" poster edition, a 10" and a second 12" featuring 'HOTWATER' and 'THE SUN GOES DOWN', were also issued. On the 9th October the album 'WORLD MACHINE' hit the streets to chart at number 10. Level 42 were accused of selling out to thier previous material, but the fan base was growing, not receding. The sales proved that. 'LEAVING ME NOW'/'I SLEEP ON MY HEART' the follow-up single, came out and reached number 15 in November. The band were voted Best British Funk Act by British disc jockeys for the second successive year.

On the 24th October Level 42 began a UK tour. It was ninety per cent sold out even before advertising began to appear. Starting at Loughborough University, they travelled through Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. On the 1st November they were at Newcastle City Hall, followed by Oxford, Portsmouth, St. Austell, Cardiff, Norwich and Birmingham. From the 10th to the 13th they sold out at the Hammersmith Odeon.

1986

The band played their debut shows in Ireland before settling down to write some new material for the follow-up album to 'WORLD MACHINE'. Mark had several ideas he wanted to lay down on tape, one of which was 'LESSONS IN LOVE' featuring Gary Barnacle on saxophone. When Richard Ogden, then managing director of Polydor, heard it, he told new band manager Paul Crockford: "This is a smash record". He was right. 'LESSONS IN LOVE'/'HOTWATER(Live)' literally smashed into the British charts at number 3 in April. The second biggest selling single across Europe in 1986, it was number 1 in Germany, Switzerland and Denmark, number 2 in Holland and 3 in Sweden. "It was basically Top 5 in every territory in the world apart from America because they wouldn't take it without an album", says Paul Crockford. In fact America was quickly waking up to the music of Level 42. 'SOMETHING ABOUT YOU' reached number 7 in April and acted as a launch pad for the band. Polydor followed up in May by releasing the limited edition US version of 'WORLD MACHINE'. It included 'HOTWATER' and 'THE CHANT HAS BEGUN'. All this pushed the album to number 3 in the charts and it went on to sell 600,000 copies in the UK, over 3 million worldwide.

After several successful festival dates across Europe in the summer, dates beckoned in France, the USA, Canada and the UK, with Lyon (Bourse Du Travail) and Nice, (Theatre de Verdure), Montpellier and three gigs in Paris. McNicols Arena, Denver, Colorado, (the opener as support for Stevie Winwood), Mesa Amphitheatre, Arizona, Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, Mountain View, Seattle Coliseum, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Louisville and Toronto to name but a few stops on a schedule that would keep them out on the road for two months. The American tour went particularly well, reaching it's climax at New Yorks's Madison Square Garden where they appeared before 20,000 people.

The date 30th of November and the nights of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of December were to be a very special time for the band. Wembley Arena was in sight with sell-out concerts to perform. They drew fans from as far afield as the Falklands. Between the 15th and the 22nd of December the band were in London's Sarm Studio with Wally Badarou and Julian Mendelsohn, putting the finishing touches to the new album.

1987

In Februray 'RUNNING IN THE FAMILY'/'DREAM CRAZY' reached number 6 in the charts. A doulbepack 12" was released as well as the standard 7" and 12". The month was spent on European promotions, rehearsing and recording a German show, popping back for an appearance at the BPI Awards, then going to Norway (where the single reached number 1) and Spain. The following month saw the new album, 'RUNNING IN THE FAMILY', which featured both Gary Barnacle and Krys Mach on saxophone, go to number 2 on it's release, achieveing platinum status within a week. March also saw the British leg of their world tour commence with two nights in Birmingham followed by Poole and four nights ar Wembley, three in Manchester and four more at Wembley. As a grand finale, Mark and Mike were hoisted fifteen feet into the air, with Mark still thundering out a compelling dance beat on the bass. Kicking his legs, he swings across the stage as the audience go into a frenzy. This is all captured on the 'LIVE AT WEMBLEY' video.

The band sold-out shows across Europe. In Zurich they drew a crowd of 12,000 and in Cologne, 8,000. On the 13th of May the band travelled to Montreux for the Golden Rose Festival. At this time Polydor released the single 'TO BE WITH YOU AGAIN'/'MICROKID(LIVE)' which reached number 10. A picture disc and 12" remix, known as the ADSC Mix, were also issued as well as the customly 7" and 12" formats. June, July and August took the band to America to appear as support to Madonna. All this success took it's toll on Boon who left the band due to ill health in September just after the band performed their new single 'IT'S OVER' on the Wogan show. The single had been released with 'PHYSICAL PRESENCE(LIVE)' on the B-side in August, when it reached number 10.

Boon's departure came as a big shock to Mark, who had expected Phil to do something like that, but not his brother. On learning of Boon's desire to leave, Mike was concerned they wouldn't be able to find a replacement half-way through a world tour, but his doubts were quickly dispelled. The name of Paul Gendler cropped up. Paul Gendler played his role well as the band continued touring as support to Tina Turner, but Phil remembers: "He was nice but he felt bad with me because he was taking over from my brother's place in the band." Phil had been suffering from hypeglycemia (low blood sugar), but did not suspect just how bad it had become. Like his brother, he too was having self-doubts about Level 42, although he couldn't force himself to admit it in any positive sense. Phil, who had by this time told Mark and Mike that he wanted to leave at Christmas, managed to survive the Canadian leg of the tour, but he was obviously far from well and left the band meaning that the Japanese leg of the tour had to be cancelled.

Mark returned to England to complete the mixing of the track 'CHILDREN SAY'. The single reached number 22 in December. A 7" picture disc was issued as well as the bands first CD Single. All the proceeds from the record went to London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Phil in the meantime headed straight into a private clinic in London's Harley Street. Mark and Mike went in search of a replacement drummer. They found one in the shape of Neil Conti, a member of Prefab Sprout. He was available and willing. With all the changes in the band the album eventually went on to sell 3 million copies worldwide.

1988

It had been Mark's intention to replace Phil on drums with Gary Husband, who had worked with Allan Holdsworth, Esquire and Syd Lawrence, but Gary was on tour himself until Christmas 1987. Neil Conti had competently filled an immediate need, as had Paul Gendler. Now with Gary available and willing to join Level 42, Mark duly brought in guitarist Steve Topping. On the 3rd of January 1988, the foursome rehearsed at the Warehouse, Lotts Lane, Dublin. After a two-week stint, they still weren't ready. There was a lot of material to learn and, despite working as hard and as quickly as he could, Steve could only take in so much at a time. As a result the Irish dates were postponed, meaning that the next scheduled stop was Tel Aviv. They stopped off en route in Holland to collect a platinum disc for 'RUNNING IN THE FAMILY' before arriving in Tel Aviv on the 20th of January, when they were mobbed at the airport. On the 23rd and 24th of January, at Tel Aviv Cinerama, the new line-up took to the stage.

The Japanese dates, which had been rescheduled from the year before due to Phil's illness and subsequent departure, had come around. Nagoya-Kinro Kiakan, was the first booking on the 24th of Februray. Tokyo followed on the 25th and 26th with shows at Shibuya Kokaido and Nakano Sun Plaza, and finally Osaka Koseinenkin Hall on the 29th. The band had been schelduled to appear in the Soviet Union between the 15th March and 2nd April, but these dates had to be cancelled. They had been lined up for ten shows in Moscow in a 30,000 capacity venue. Says agent Paul Fenn: "Level 42 are a big act in England but couldn't sell enough tickets to do that there. You also have to bear in mind that in England a band does one show and then adds options, but the Russians wanted Level 42 to do all ten. The band would have got bored rigid playing in the same venue for ten days."

The world tour finally behind them, Mark and Mike retired to Dublin, where they were joined be Wally Badarou to finish writing material for the next album. They transfered to Miraval, which lies inland of Cannes and Nice in Provence, Southern France, to record 'STARING AT THE SUN'. The engineer and co-producer was Julian Mendelsohn. The album was actually recorded and mixed in three and a half weeks. On reflection Mark wished he hadn't rushed through the final stages because by December he was back in a London studio remixing the track 'TRACIE' for release as a single. Boon Gould had spent much of his time since his departure fron the band working on lyrics and was involved on seven tracks. The others were written by Mark, Mike and Wally. Gary Husband played drums, Dominic Miller, who had not been around since those first rehearsals in the Guildhall School of Music, played some guitar with Mark doing most of the parts himself. He also brought in former Go West guitarist Alan Murphy on solos.

In the summer the band flew out to New Orleans for the video shoot of the new single, 'HEAVEN IN MY HANDS', which was released on the 22nd of August. After a round of European promotions for the album, Level 42 were back in the rehearsal studio in preparation for their next major tour, which began with three consecutive nights at the Ahoy, Rotterdam, fron the 3rd of October. On the first night in Rotterdam they broke the house record,and on the third night they broke it again. The October dates wound through Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. November saw them in Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.

As this was going on, the album 'STARING AT THE SUN' was released reaching number 2 in it's first week and going on to sell over a million copies worldwide. In October, Polydor released 'TAKE A LOOK'/'MAN' which reached number 32. It came out as a 7" envelope pack with four postcards as well as a 12" picture disc. By December the album had gone platinum.

1989

The UK leg of the tour started in January, in which the Wembley Arena concert was recorded and broadcasted on Radio 1. The same month saw the third and final single released from the album. 'TRACIE'/'THREE WORDS' reached number 25. The single came out as a 7" gatefold tour edition as well as a second 12" boasting a US Remix. The B-side was the first non-album B-side to be released by the band since 'THE SUN GOES DOWN's' in 1983.

Level 42 took a well-earned break in 1989, only interrupted by an appearance at the Princes Trust Concert held at the Birmingham NEC in July. Mark took the reins as musical director of the event with Level 42 as backing musicans for the other artists on the billing. Mark spent the summer building a 48-track recording studio, called the Summerhouse, at his Isle Of Wight home, where the band were to record their next studio album.

October saw a new tune entitled 'TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF'/'SILENCE(Live)' released and reach number 39. A 12" Remix was also released and included a new remix of 'STARCHILD' on the B-side. The 12" had a live version of both 'MAN' and 'SILENCE' taken from the recording at the Birmingham NEC concert earlier in the year. The single came from the greatest hits album 'LEVEL BEST' which was released in November and quickly gained double platinum status - although it was to be their last release for Polydor.

Tradegy struck that same month when Alan Murphy died from the Aids virus, a secret he had carried around with him for many years. He died on Thursday 19th October at 4.30pm. He had been admitted to the Westminster Hospital in London the week before suffering from respiratory complications and, in the course of a few short days he died. Alan was well liked in the music industry for his professionalism and, this was shown by the work he achieved as a session guitarist in a highly competitive field. Backing artists and groups such as Kate Bush, Mike and the Mechanics and Go West, he had a recognisable style but always managed to blend into the overall sound needed by the artist he was backing.

1990

Mike spent the beginning of 1990 writing and recording material for his solo album entitled 'CHANGES' with the help of Pino Palladino (bass), Manu Katcho (drums) and Dominic Miller (on guitar) as guest musicans. Although Polydor never gave 'CHANGES' the full support that a Level 42 product would have, a single was released entitled 'THE SPIRIT IS FREE'/'JUNG' in June. No promtional video was made for the song but Mike did perform it live on British MTV. To help promote the album, he played only two concerts in small clubs: the first at the Subterrania Club in Lodon on the 11th of June (the same day the album came out) and the second at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow.

The 'GUARANTEED' album was due to emerge in September/October 1990. On hearing the final product, Polydor decided that they were unhappy with the sound and refused to release it. The band were annoyed because even though their contract with Polydor was due for renewal, they had given Polydor Records the best that they could give, not just with the new album but with all the other albums over the past ten years. The legal ranglings carried on for several months.

Level 42 continued with December's scheduled appearances at London's Hammersmith Odeon, which had been booked some eighteen months in advance before the unexpected death of Alan Murphy. In fact they added more shows to make it 15 nights, breaking the record held by Elton John, due to public demand. In the place of Alan Murphy, the band brought in Alan Holdsworth who was a close friend of Gary Husband. He had to cancel his own UK tour in order to appear. The two-hour set consisted of old classics such as their first single 'LOVE MEETING LOVE' and from 'TRUE COLOURS' the popular album track 'KANSAS CITY MILKMAN'. They also played five new tracks from the then unreleased new album.

1991

The split from Polydor finally came in March 1991 and the group were immediately signed to RCA Records who took the album as it was - although they waited five months till they released it. Meanwhile, as far as live gigs were concerned, Jakko Jakszyk was brought in on guitar - permanently. His collaborations with other artists have been quite extensive. He has worked with the Pet Shop Boys, Swing Out Sister and Tom Robinson, as well as recording his own solo albums and working in a group called the 64 spoons.

That summer saw the band play outdoor festivals across Europe. They played concerts in Switzerland, Denmark, Portugal and Andorra during June. They took a break half-way though they did do a live concert show for Channel 4's Friday Night At The Dome, in Kilburn, London. In July Mark was special guest on Gary Davies's Lunchtime show on BBC Radio 1FM. It was here that the first playing of the new single 'GUARANTEED' took place. Mark also plugged the concert coming up at the Crystal Palace Bowl. The band played as headline act to other bands on the 4th of August in front of 20,000 people.

A day after they played at Crystal Palace, RCA Records released the new single 'GUARANTEED'/'ALL SHE WANTS' which shot into the charts at number 17. The 12" included two mixes of the single, one which wasn't available elsewhere. The 'GUARANTEED' album was released a month later going into the album charts at number 3 proving that the fans were still interested in the band, after all the up's and down's of the last few years.

The second single from the album entitled 'OVERTIME'/'AT THIS GREAT DISTANCE' was released in October but only reached number 62, their first single not to go into the Top 40 since 'THE CHANT HAS BEGUN' back in 1984. The 12" included two remixes of the single, one of which was remixed by Mark. A second CD single was released and included live versions of 'OVERTIME', 'GUARANTEED' and 'IF YOU WERE MINE' from the Crystal Palace concert. The CD included a live fold-out picture of the band on the stage at the Bowl.

On the 1st of October the band started the British leg of the Guaranteed tour at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. It was to be their biggest tour in their ten year career up till then. 22 dates were spread out within the same month taking in the 2,000-3,000 seater theatres instead of the 10,000+ arenas which have bad acoustics. It would have been 24 dates if it were not for the cancellation of two shows (Bridlington and Leicester) due to Gary Husband blistering hand. In most of the shows the fans were treated to something different in the way of an encore before 'LOVE GAMES'. This was usually a solo from the bass of Mark, followed with an instrumental jam from the whole of the band, flowinf into part of a Cream song, either 'SUNSHINE OF YOUR SMILE' or 'I'M SO GLAD'. The band then played in Europe taking in Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finlan, Belgium and France, finishing just before Christmas.

1992

The new year kicked off with dates being announced for a south of England mini tour in March. The 11 date tour started on the 17th in Hereford and finished on the 29th at the Cambridge Corn Exchange, the venue where the tour started back in October. The 19th, 20th and 21st of March saw them play three consectuative nights at the Town And Country Club in London where one night was filmed for the ITV regions as well as bieng broadcasted on Capital FM. Before all this though, the band finished thier tour of Europe which had started again in February where they took in Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy. It ended two days before the UK mini tour started in March when they returned from playing in Austria, and for the first time in Czechoslovakia and Poland and more dates in France ending in Paris at the Elysee Montmartre.

The next single, the third from the album, was released in April. 'MY FATHERS SHOES'/'AS YEARS GO BY' was a rather Country and Western sounding track and a strange single to be released. The B-side was the third in a row of non-album recordings, the first time that any one albums singles where recorded with new songs on the other side. As well as the 7" and cassette formats, two CD singles were also released. The first (PD 45272) included the edited version of the single and the B-side as well as two live recordings; 'HER BIG DAY' and 'THE SUN GOES DOWN' which came from an offical bootleg recorded by Dave Dixon. The second (a limited edition CD, PD 45274) has a purple tinge to the cover. It included the single and the two live tracks and an interview with Mark and Mike in Vienna recorded by Paul Cooke. The single eventually reached a poor number 55. The next couple of months saw the band take a short break before writing new material for the next studio album.

June the 15th saw the release of a 16 track live video which was recorded at one of the three dates from the Town And Country Club in March. The video really brings home Level 42's live performance's to the full. The tracks included are:- 'HOTWATER', 'THE SUN GOES DOWN', 'RUNNING IN THE FAMILY', 'LESSONS IN LOVE', 'SOMETHING ABOUT YOU' and 'THE CHINESE WAY'. Lasting 90 minutes it takes in the whole concert apart from oddly 'LOVE GAMES' but it is a must for Level 42 fans. The video is called 'GUARANTEED LIVE'.

At the beginning of August, Polydor released a cash-in remix album called 'LEVEL 42 - THE REMIXES'. It was released on CD, cassette and as a double album. It includes the 12" mixes and remixes of some of their well known hits. But the two most exciting tracks on the album are a remix by Tom Lord Alge of 'TWO HEARTS COLLIDE' from 'STARING AT THE SUN' and a megamix by Ben Liebrand.

1992 was to be the last year in which Gary Husband was to be with the band. He made the decision to leave after being the permanent drummer for nearly five years and he continued his work with Alan Holdsworth. News came about in the Fan Club Newsletter that Phil Gould might return to write songs with Mark and Mike and possibly play drums on the new album and also play live with them once again.

1993

In the summer issue of the Fan Club Newsletter, information came through about touring and releases for new material. It said that as far as touring was concerned there will be no concerts in the UK until January 1994. Two singles will be released in the Autumn followed by the new album in early 1994. The album was recorded at Mark's Summerhouse Studio and in London at the 'Marcus' Studio. Taking part on the album were Mark, Mike, Phil Gould, Wally Badarou and Danny Bloom, (from the USA). This confirmed that Phil had returned to the group and he also appeared on some exclusive studio photos taken by Mike at the Summerhouse, the first time anybody had seen him since his departure from the band in late 1987.

1994

As the new year started there was still no new Level 42 product released. The fan club fanzine said that there would be a new single, 'ALL OVER YOU' released on the 7th February followed by the new album in March with a planned tour taking in may countries to follow. The fanzine also printed 14 song titles either to appear on the new album or as extra single tracks. As it happens 'ALL OVER YOU' was remixed by Mother and K-Klass and a double 12" promo came out in January. The remixes of All Over You were played on Pete Tong's Essential Selection BBC Radio 1 show where they reached number 3 in his 'Cool Cuts Chart'.

The band started a very busy February with a regiional radio tour between the 1st and 10th. This involved taking in four or five radio stations a day in cities such as Newcastle, Liverpool, Nottingham, Derby, Cambridge and London. The single 'FOREVER NOW' was finally released on the 14th on two CD's, 12" and cassette and reached number 19. The following month saw the album 'FOREVER NOW' released to critical acclaim and reach number 8. The following month saw the second single taken from the album called 'ALL OVER YOU' reach number 26 in the charts. The third and final single taken from the album was 'LOVE IN A PEACEFUL WORLD' which was released in July and reached number 31.

In September the band played 6 concerts in Japan with new drummer Gavin Harrison before heading back to the UK to play gigs across the UK in October ending at the Royal Albert Hall on the 14th. This concert was to be the last ever concert by the band as Mark and Mike decided to go their separate ways and do their own thing.

1995

And so life after Level 42. The wilderness years as I like to call them. Trying to get any information about what any of the band members were up to was very difficult but there was an album to fill the void from Boon entitled 'TIN MAN' in which all the 12 tracks were written and produced by Boon.

1996

Mark appears on an interview called The Pier in which he plays new tracks penned by himself and Boon. This gave fans an insight as to what might be coming round the corner from Mark and there is great hope that a new solo album would be out in the not-so-distant future. As a stop-gap, a live album, 'LIVE AT WEMBLEY' was released in June recorded at the bands gig at Wembley in 1989.

1998

It was to be another 2 years until Mark finally released the album 'ONE MAN' on the Eagle Rock record label. A single was released from it called 'BITTER MOON' which became BBC Radio 2's record of the week. Mark followed up the album by playing concerts in Belguim, Holland, Germany and Austria as part of the Night of the Proms tour in October, November and December. Polydor capitalised on Marks new release by releasing a best of compilation called 'THE VERY BEST OF LEVEL 42' in which all of the tracks were remastered and which also included a new version of 'THE SUN GOES DOWN' with Omar adding new vocals. This was released as a single in October but was quickly withdrawn from sale but some singles were still sold accidently.

1999

In January, Mark went on the road to promote One Man and played several concerts in the UK and across Europe taking in countries such as in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. The line-up for the tour included Marks brother Nathan on guitar, Lyndon Connah on keyboards and Trevor Smith on drums.

Mike was also back in the public eye when he played 2 gigs at the Komedia in Brighton in May.

Mark continued to play a few shows at various festivals in the summer and then released a collection of finished demos from the One Man recording sessions entitled 'TRASH'. The CD was released on Marks new website in which he made the cover artwork and also individually signed each copy. The CD was promoted on a mini tour in November where he played 7 dates at Ronnie Scott's in Birmingham and 5 nights at the Jazz Cafe in London. For these shows and a few during the summer, Mark drafted in ex-Level 42 members Gary Husband and Jakko Jakszyk making a 5 piece band called Grupo Mark King!

2000

2000 was to prove a busy year for fans of Level 42. Firstly, Mike teamed up with childhood friends Roland and Tabitha Chadwick to form Post Pop Federation to play a few concerts in London before teaming up with the samba inspired group Da Lata to play at various festivals in London, Holland and Belgium in the summer.

On the record front, Mark releases a live CD from the Jazz Cafe shows entitled 'LIVE AT THE JAZZ CAFE'. This was to be the first of many live CD's and DVD's to be released by Mark via his website.

In August of 2000, three quarters of the original Level 42 line-up reunited for a private show. Phil Gould invited some musician friends to play, including his brother Boon and Mike Lindup. They jammed old jazz rock favorites like "Haunted House" and also "Something About You" and "The Sun goes down".

In the same month, Polydor re-issues all of Level 42's albums from 'THE EARLY TAPES' upto 'STARING AT THE SUN' as special 20 bit remastered double CDs each one containing rare and unreleased material from the archives. These prove a great success amongst hardcore and casual fans alike.

To cap a busy year off for the fans, Mark plays more live dates across the UK in November including 5 more at the Jazz Cafe before ending at the Ryde Theatre.

2001

As what was now becoming traditional, Mark released another live CD entitled 'LIVE ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT 2000' in early 2001 featuring live tracks recorded at the Ryde concert in November 2000. He also released the live material on a CD-ROM and DVD.

At the same time a 12" white label remix surfaced of 'STARCHILD' which was remixed by BMR. Another 12" remix of the track was released in the summer.

Mike rejoined Da Lata to play concerts throughout Europe and even Barbados in February and March.

Mark announced another UK tour in November and December in which he drafted in saxophonist Sean Freeman.

2002

The year started with the news that Mark had secured the rights to use the name Level 42 for all releases and live concerts. There was some hope amongst fans that the original line-up could be reforming but this was later dismissed.

To please the fans Mark released another live CD from the Reading concert entitled simply 'LIVE AT READING 2001'. The CD stated Level 42 on the front even though the band where none by another name when the concert was recorded! A DVD of the concert was released a month later.

Another DVD was released in March of the Mark King concert in Baden Baden from 1999. The DVD was also available to buy in the US.

Yet another 12" remix of 'STARCHILD' was released in the UK in March featuring 2 of the remixes that were featured on the second 12" released the year before. In the same month a white label promo remix of 'SOMETHING ABOUT YOU' remixed by DJ Elmo also found it's way into various dance charts and clubs.

The band played various concerts during the summer including dates in Dubai and Ascot racecourse. This was followed in the autumn by the Greatest Hits tour was which saw the band play 25 dates in the UK before going on to Holland, Germany, Switzerkand and Denmark. The tour was to promote a new Polydor compilation double CD entitled 'THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION'.

2003

The band played more summer festivals concerts in such places as Sherwood Forest and even a tour of Indonesia!

Big news hit fans as Boon announced on his website that the original four members of Level 42 had been working together on a new album. Says Boon "I have been working with Mark over the last three months towards a new Level 42 album. After a few discussions Phil and Mike are going to do it along with Wally and Julian Mendelsohn so the original team will be back in the studio over the summer. It is just a studio situation and Mark will continue to play live with his excellent band. It will be great to work with all the guys again and i am very much looking forward to it. Best, Boon"

A DVD entitled 'THE COLLECTION' surfaced in May containing all of the Polydor single videos and a compilation CD based on the same tracks as 'LEVEL BEST'.

October and November saw the band play on another huge tour of the UK, Ireland and Holland including a date at the Hammersmith Apollo which was filmed for a future DVD and live CD release.

As the tour was continuing, Mike announced on his website that after 2 years in the making, he was releasing his 'CONVERSATIONS WITH SILENCE' album on the Naim Record label.

A 12" remix of 'WORLD MACHINE' surfaced in October remixed by ElectroKingdom and featuring new vocals by Mark.

Biography by Glyn Willett.
Extracts taken from 'Level 42 The Definitive Biography' by Michael Cowton.