Another Level

Level 42 were one of the defining bands of 80s pop, with their slick jazz-funk sound and high-class musicianship. With a new album in the shops, Ian Peel spoke to band members past and present about the key records that have shaped their 25-year story.

Sandstorm (Elite DAZZ 4) 1980
It all started with this 12” white label promo, released on a small independent label run by Andy Sojka. His own band, Powerline, was on the A-side, and his new discoveries, Level 42, were on the flip.

Phil Gould was there from the start – as drummer, songwriter and, for a split second, lead singer. ‘We began by jamming together on Monday evenings at the Guildhall School of Music,’ he recalls. ‘Most of the early tunes were instrumentals written by Mark King [bass/vocals] or Mike Lindup [keyboards], such as Theme To Margaret or Sandstorm. The first real song came about after a meeting with Andy Soijka. He really liked a riff Mark had, which was loosely inspired by I Thought It Was You by Herbie Hancock. He asked us if we could put a top line and lyrics to it, which Mark and Boon [Phil’s brother, guitarist and Level 42 lyricist] duly did. The song was called Love Meeting Love.’

Love Meeting Love (Elite DAZZ 5) 1980
The four-man formation that was in place for these early recordings was to hold firm for the next 10 years. But there was one more character about to appear – the guru-like synth player Wally Badarou. Though he’s never appeared on stage with the band, the French keyboard man has been an integral part of …

by Ian Peel
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