If you didn’t like at least one Level 42 song in the 80s, you didn’t like music. Sure, the band’s ludicrous image and lowest-common-denominator fanbase made them easy to mock, but their grasp of a funk groove and a singalong melody placed them near the top of the nation’s most popular exports in that benighted decade.
This 4-CD box – two greatest hits, a rarities collection and a newly-recorded acoustic album, plus notes by EWF bassist Verdine White and others – pays deserved tribute to the band’s unique sound. Level 42 were unusual at the time because they were basically a rhythm section plus synth washes, and thus didn’t sound particularly powerful: their music relied on its angularity and catchiness rather than presence. Without the benefit of a modern-day remix, therefore, you’ll need to turn the volume up to get the full benefit of big hits such as Hot Water, Something About You and so on. Rare and previously-unheard tunes vary from the worthy (Spirit Groove, Paris 91 Medley) to the throwaway (Dave Allen At Large) but the acoustic reworkings add real value. Despite its lame title, Living It Up is thoroughly decent, and some years overdue.
