Staring at the Sun is the first Level 42 album not to feature brothers
Phil Gould and
Boon Gould, although Boon did write the lyrics to six of the songs. They were replaced by British guitarist
Alan Murphy, who had collaborated with
Go West and singer
Kate Bush, and drummer
Gary Husband, who had been a member of the band
Morrissey–Mullen. This would be the only full-length Level 42 album on which Murphy would appear, as he died only a year after its release from complications related to
HIV/AIDS, mere weeks before the release of the band's
Level Best compilation, which featured his last contributions to the band on the new single "
Take Care of Yourself". ==Commercial performance==