- Audio CD (12 Jan 1993)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Polydor
- ASIN: B000001FLW
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Audio Cassette
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
14,653 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
- #33 in Music > Jazz > Fusion & Jazz Funk
Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Lessons In Love |
| 2. Children Say |
| 3. Running In The Family |
| 4. It's Over |
| 5. To Be With You Again |
| 6. Two Solitudes |
| 7. Fashion Fever |
| 8. The Sleepwalkers |
| 9. Freedom Someday |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I was a bit surprised at the other reveiw here, stating that this was Level 42 at their best.
I disagree. Its certainly Level 42 at their most succesful, and at their peak of their fame, but in reality, Running In The Family, was a concerted effort to build on what had gone before and commercialise it in order to crank out as many hit singles as possible.
Level 42 had acheived limited single chart success from their first album, and had had at least one top thirty hit from each successive album, but it wasn't until Something About You, Leaving me Now and the excellent World Machine album that contained them, that top ten hits came.
'Family' was a result of that success, where the sound of Something About You was deliberately used as a basis for an all out assault on the charts in order to push Level 42 to higher popularity, probably driven by record company impetus.
It worked.
Five big hit singles, but the result?
The band split up the year after, when Phil and Boon couldn't stand the new high profile and bailed out.
Level 42 were never the same again; the sound changed with next years Staring At The Sun, and went on to change in future years, with the rather patchy Guaranteed.
Running In The Family contains some formulaic pop then, but done in a Level 42 kind of way, which makes it listenable. It doesn't match their earlier work in terms of musicianship, as the players are 'doing their pop thing' and they are clearly not being stretched.
Mark King's bass is hardly heard, almost no slaps etc. There is more guitar work from Boon than before which is great, butthe result is a polished slice of pop, no more, no less.
Some of the old Level 42 surfaces on the tracks 'Sleepwalkers', the best thing on the album, and Fashion Fever comes a close second, with its funky groove.
But Level 42 at its height?
No.
If you want to hear this band at its peak, buy True Colours, where the range and style of the songs is wide, and the lyrics are thought provoking.
World machine is also a good buy, although this was the start of the change to commercialism, there are still 'old Level 42' vibes throughout.
I remember 1987 well, when many of the hard core old skool Level 42 fans abandoned Level 42 because they had 'sold out' and moved away from their sound.
It hardly seems to matter now; Level 42 are back with us with a new album, which is excellent, and their live gigs continue to be great, but this album is an inoffensive enough listen, and will make you want to hear more, but Level 42 are much much more than Running In the Family.
I disagree. Its certainly Level 42 at their most succesful, and at their peak of their fame, but in reality, Running In The Family, was a concerted effort to build on what had gone before and commercialise it in order to crank out as many hit singles as possible.
Level 42 had acheived limited single chart success from their first album, and had had at least one top thirty hit from each successive album, but it wasn't until Something About You, Leaving me Now and the excellent World Machine album that contained them, that top ten hits came.
'Family' was a result of that success, where the sound of Something About You was deliberately used as a basis for an all out assault on the charts in order to push Level 42 to higher popularity, probably driven by record company impetus.
It worked.
Five big hit singles, but the result?
The band split up the year after, when Phil and Boon couldn't stand the new high profile and bailed out.
Level 42 were never the same again; the sound changed with next years Staring At The Sun, and went on to change in future years, with the rather patchy Guaranteed.
Running In The Family contains some formulaic pop then, but done in a Level 42 kind of way, which makes it listenable. It doesn't match their earlier work in terms of musicianship, as the players are 'doing their pop thing' and they are clearly not being stretched.
Mark King's bass is hardly heard, almost no slaps etc. There is more guitar work from Boon than before which is great, butthe result is a polished slice of pop, no more, no less.
Some of the old Level 42 surfaces on the tracks 'Sleepwalkers', the best thing on the album, and Fashion Fever comes a close second, with its funky groove.
But Level 42 at its height?
No.
If you want to hear this band at its peak, buy True Colours, where the range and style of the songs is wide, and the lyrics are thought provoking.
World machine is also a good buy, although this was the start of the change to commercialism, there are still 'old Level 42' vibes throughout.
I remember 1987 well, when many of the hard core old skool Level 42 fans abandoned Level 42 because they had 'sold out' and moved away from their sound.
It hardly seems to matter now; Level 42 are back with us with a new album, which is excellent, and their live gigs continue to be great, but this album is an inoffensive enough listen, and will make you want to hear more, but Level 42 are much much more than Running In the Family.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If you never heard of them before, this is maybe the one to have if you listen like a casual pop radio listener, and may help you to discover their big pop arrangement works coming from the funk (even if this last part nearly disappeared on this one).
In another case I wouldn't suggest this one for people who seek for something special from Level 42, there I would rather link them to their first album or "Pursuit of accidents" so much different.
However all the musicianship they showed us before and mastered so well they just calmed down, to present the ideal balance to make pop hits like "something about you" on World Machine, or particulary "Lessons in love" on this album - the perfect one accompanied to a video clip, a really good made pop song but so far from the infectious bass groove from "Love Games" in 1981, who sounded really more like a crossrange from weather report, stanley clarke, Shakatak to George Duke.
Something anyway remains in this whole album, even if I never liked the title "running in the family" so much, then more "Children say" was more appealing to me, a song with a strong duality were you can appreciate the performance of the two lead singers, from the famous Mark King to the excellent and underrated Mike Lindup,
here the change of rythmical between verse and chorus is significant, followed with more subtle harmonies moves than it seems to appear. Excellent slow ballad called "It's Over" it's a broken love story, but it looks like there own band story ...
and as usual some hidden gems inside, check "freedom Someday", "The Sleepwalkers" the beautiful "Two Solitudes" by Mike or even the powerful "Fashion Fever". A really valuable album to have in a proper collection, when jazz-funk became mainstream eighties pop, the quality stays.
This album was the last from the legendary first line-up, that didn't really came back together after, the end of the big rising Level 42 chapter.
In another case I wouldn't suggest this one for people who seek for something special from Level 42, there I would rather link them to their first album or "Pursuit of accidents" so much different.
However all the musicianship they showed us before and mastered so well they just calmed down, to present the ideal balance to make pop hits like "something about you" on World Machine, or particulary "Lessons in love" on this album - the perfect one accompanied to a video clip, a really good made pop song but so far from the infectious bass groove from "Love Games" in 1981, who sounded really more like a crossrange from weather report, stanley clarke, Shakatak to George Duke.
Something anyway remains in this whole album, even if I never liked the title "running in the family" so much, then more "Children say" was more appealing to me, a song with a strong duality were you can appreciate the performance of the two lead singers, from the famous Mark King to the excellent and underrated Mike Lindup,
here the change of rythmical between verse and chorus is significant, followed with more subtle harmonies moves than it seems to appear. Excellent slow ballad called "It's Over" it's a broken love story, but it looks like there own band story ...
and as usual some hidden gems inside, check "freedom Someday", "The Sleepwalkers" the beautiful "Two Solitudes" by Mike or even the powerful "Fashion Fever". A really valuable album to have in a proper collection, when jazz-funk became mainstream eighties pop, the quality stays.
This album was the last from the legendary first line-up, that didn't really came back together after, the end of the big rising Level 42 chapter.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Here we are Level 42 at the height of their fame and boy wasn't they lapping up the recognition they so longed for. Nice little melodies with huge hit's coming out right left and centre especially the infamous Lessons In Love which was rushed out on the back of the success of the world Machine Album but sadly it took up to nearly another year for the release of the album Running In The Family. Although it does contain some good catchy tunes that Level 42 are able to produce, it for me lacks the slap that we have all come to love from Mr Thunderthumbs himself Mr Mark King. The Funk had gone and in came the pop songs that the mighty Polydore record company enforce them to do to keep up with the times. Had Level 42 sold out to fame, the answer is in the album and although Mike Lindup contiues with his fasle seto abilities for each chorus line it does not bring out the same inspiring vocals from pervious songs of yesteryears such as the enchanting Last Chance, Something About You or Turn It On and Wings Of Love and it never seem to let up either with the following albums which is a shame cos Level 42 was at their very best from the time of their creation right up to World Machine, the rest was the total destruction of a muched loved Jazz-Funk band. If you want the real Level 42 buy and listen to the earlier Stuff if you are not really that bothered then go and but them anyway and Running In The Family.Like i said it does contain some real catchy tunes hence the 4 stars but just don't expect some funky slappy catchy tunes.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Bring back the oldies!!
Hey guys-want a trip down memory lane-just ease into yesterday with this mellow, melodic and hypnotic album. Read more
Published 3 months ago by artyjan
Platinum Edition is the Best
I loved this back then and still do now. It evokes all those wonderful times when you could really dance to the music and sing along with the lyrics that meant something to... Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by Susan Jones
pepe
gracias de verdad, este disco lo compre en 1989 en vinil, que aun conservo en buen estado
Published on 16 Sep 2009 by Jose Queb Balan
excellent melodic pop
This album was bound to get mixed reviews, as it is clearly a more pop orientated approach and a chance to reach the heights of success with the formula, which started on world... Read more
Published on 14 April 2009 by D. Moses
Level 42's Commercial Best
This package was originally released in 1987, and was clearly designed to build upon the commercial success enjoyed by Level 42 with the release of the 'Running in the Family'... Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2008 by Music Lover
Level 42 at their absolute peak. It does not get any better!
Level 42 were at their peak in the mid 1980's and this is their very best music. With the possible exception of World Machine, this is definitely their best material.
Published on 25 Nov 1999
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