* Only available on the CD release

Reviews

"A MAN so large, he barely fits his circumstances." Eccch! If ever any of my groovie collegues required an excuse to justify their loathing of Level 42, they'd need only to point to that line, part of the lyric to the "Running In The Family" single, to prove their point. Whatever happened to the days when you count on Level 42 to come up with cheery, workaday couplets based on the subject of lust-crazed nudility, as embodied in this bit from "Living It Up": "There's a girl over there making eyes at me/And her hair, long and black, is a sight to see"? The bulk of their audience will surely have trouble relating to the group's new, existentialist bent. Luckily, though, the music itself is comfortingly familiar, percolating whitefunk sound and all. Don;t interpret that as a putdown - Level 42 do brilliant singles, songs that are infectious from the first instant you hear them on Simon Bates. The songwriting team of Mark King and Phil Gould come up with the goods just as consistently as pop's more fashionable partnerships. They've done it again with this album, and although "Running In The Family" will be mercilessly reviled by snot-nosed young critics and "discerning" rock fans, Tracy and Wayne won't care. Neither do I. Caroline Sullivan, Sounds - 1987. "Lessons In Love" was fresh, infectious and melodic; in short, a fine little record. So was it a fluke or were they just gunning for a pop hit? Whatever the reason, don't go looking for more of the same here. Level 42 singles are bouncy, fun things these days, but album time means cutting out the girly bits and getting down to some serious stuff. Which means slotting securely into that old muso groove and singing like you've got a clothes peg on your nose. Hence the crassness of 'Fashion Fever' and the bass-bumping tedium of the rest. Given the choice, I'd settle for Curiosity Killed The Cat any time. Stuart Bailie, Record Mirror - 1987. Level 42 are a musician's band. Watched with great admiration and jealousy by their peers, they've churned out a steady flow of near-hits over the past several years - but they've never quite attained the name-band status they clearly strive for. And the workmanlike predictability of Running In The Family is unlikely to broaden their appeal. Okay, so they're a highly-polished clean-cut band whose mums and aunties must be very proud of them, Mark King is cute, he has a certain cheeky chappy charm and he's a fine musician who can knock out the odd memorable song, while the rest of the boys make pleasant background noises. In Short, they're NICE. There's nothing on this album that's remotely fresh or threatens to be exciting or different; no ground-breaking musical departures or, God forbid, experimentation. One again Level 42 play it safe, that familiar bass line id thumped out, those carefully-thought out falsetto harmonies make an unwelcome return and Mark King's distinctive Americanese monotone unfinchingly dominates the whole show. The album is a producer's dream, and technically it's as near perfect as you're going to get. It's clear, uncluttered, has subtleties aplenty, will make a superb CD abd sounds so sterile you could probably perform major surgery on it. Running In The Family is a great party album, but if you're seriously thinking of sitting down and listening to the LP, forget it. 45%, Curtis Hutchinson, LM Magazine - April 1987 (Issue 3) I haven't been particulary impressed by previous Level 42 albums - but I like this new LP a hell of a lot. The standard is high from the first track (Lessons In Love) through to the finish; the title track is my favourite. 80%, Mike Dunn, LM Magazine - April 1987 (Issue 3) Tight, concise, beautifully constructed, well-produced and brilliantly recorded, this is an impressive LP from King and co. Of course Running In The Family dosen't break any new ground - why should it when Level 42 have found a winning formula? The title track and Lessons In Love singles are typical of the album's material. Particularly recommended for yuppies with impressive CDs. 75%, Paul Strange, LM Magazine - April 1987 (Issue 3)