One record at a time: 246. Level 42 - Running In The Family

"Running in the Family" finds the band at the height of their popularity, but it also proved to be the final straw for the original line up. It seemed that the pressure of producing commercially appealing material and the musical direction this took the band in was too much for brothers Phil and Boon who left once the record was released. 

My own relationship with this record began in 1987 when I saw the band promoting the title track on the children's TV programme "Saturday Morning Superstore". From this moment I took an interest in Level 42 but didn't get around to buying this album until I had a CD player in 1989. In fact, the first version of the album I bought was the Platinum Edition which featured remixes of the singles alongside the standard album tracks. Whilst I now see this version of the album as a cynical marketing ploy, at the time I thought it as a cool alternative with some good Shep Pettibone remixes. I bought a copy of the original UK LP from eBay in 2017 but, as it has a few starches, I bought another a couple of years ago. 

Things kick off with the big hit single "Lessons In Love" which probably doesn't need any introduction to anyone who was alive in the eighties. I like lots of the details in this song such as the arpeggiated FM synths (Yamaha DX7 and TX816), Mark's chugging bassline and Boon's brilliant guitar solo. The second track is another great (if less successful) single "Children Say". As usual there is some really great synth work contained in this song but it compliments the traditional instruments so well it can be hard to discern. The title track is probably the most 'pop' thing the band have ever recorded and, despite the rather outdated horn sounds, is still a favourite with many today. Personally I like the song and am always happy to hear it, but I wouldn't put it amongst the bands best efforts. Another single "It's Over" finishes the fist side of the disc with its distinctive DX7 type sounds and vocal harmonies. Whenever I listen to the lyrics on this song I always think the guy singing it must be a real bastard.

The singles continue on the b-side with my favourite track on the album "To Be With You". This is a much underappreciated song and has a lot to recommend it. The next two tracks "Two Solitudes" and "Fashion Fever" are very much album filler but there are still some exceptional performances from the band contained within them. I'm not a big fan of the penultimate track "Sleepwalkers" as the bass is too prominent for me (imagine such a thing in  a Level 42 song!) and it is far too long at over six minutes in length. Despite the relatively mediocre ending, there is so much hit material on this record that it can only be considered a resounding success. 4/5