Level 42 started life on the Isle Of Wight, Though their membership has fluctuated throughout the years, the original and perhaps best-known lineup consisted of Mark King aka “Thunderthumbs” (vocals & bass), Mike Lindup (vocals & keyboards) and brothers Boon Gould (guitar) and Phil Gould (drums). After the success of the Running In The Family album, Phil & Boon left the band, citing musical differences & nervous exhaustion as their respective reasons. They were replaced by Gary Husband on drums and former Go West & Kate Bush guitarist, Alan Murphy. At the end of the 80s, Mark King was recognized as one of the best bass players in the world having pioneered the ‘slap and pull’ technique, treating the bass as a percussion instrument. His style and virtuosity still are hugely influential, considering he also sang while he played very difficult basslines. King and Lindup continued under the Level 42 name, picking up new musicians along the way (including Gary Husband and the late Alan Murphy, who passed away after suffering from an AIDS related illness in October 1989) from the late 1980s through to 1994, when Forever Now became their last commercially-released album. King continued to perform with an new lineup under the Level 42 name until recently. He and Lindup again joined forces in the autumn of 2006 to release their first album in over a decade called Retroglide. |
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