World Machine

Description

In 1985, Level 42 bassist and singer Mark King, keyboardist/singer Mike Lindup, guitarist Boon Gould, drummer/lyricist Phil Gould, and studio-only keyboardist Wally Badarou were on the verge of breaking through. After a series of well-received albums, such as their pioneering 1981 jazz-funk debut or Ken Scott-produced True Colours, the band decided, rather than working on material by jamming, to sit down and write some songs for their next album. By producing themselves, with the help of engineer Julian Mendelsohn, this new approach meant that World Machine was the commercial quantum leap they had dreamed of. And most of that was due to the album's imposing lead single, the pop-funk of "Something About You." With its expensive video showing the band styled for the 80s, it ignited radio, becoming a Top 10 hit and charting worldwide, notably in the United States. After the tender ballad "Leaving Me Now," then the bouncing funk of the album's title track as singles, the album's success was guaranteed; it reached number 3 on the UK charts and spent 72 weeks on the podium.