World Party's Over

[Antepli Ejderha]

Karl Wallinger has passed away at the age of 66.

https://sterlewine.substack.com/ on his collaboration with Mike Scott and what he's probably best known for, the Waterboys.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...is%20publicist and the same writer's obituary

[ad hoc]

Just saw this news. I think he was brilliant, both as part of the Waterboys but latterly with World Party, his own project. Goodbye Jumbo is one of my favourite albums. His most famous song is probably She's the One, but that's because Robbie Williams covered it.

One of the best songs ever written about St Mirren

[Antepli Ejderha]

https://twitter.com/MickPuck/status/1767271794950455606?t=LbQZ3YFU6KFr5K3bLAgT0w&s=19

For some reason I thought the two had fallen out badly.

[Antepli Ejderha]

This is such a beautifully crafted pop song.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Alternative thread title could be "Put the Messenger in a Box"

[Auntie Beryl]

Not sure the rift between Wallinger and Mike Scott ever did heal - there was a bells-and-whistles Waterboys box set recently concerning the This Is The Sea era: demos, works in progress, etc. In interview Scott mentioned that almost everything in existence from that period was in the box - apart from the demos had Wallinger kept hold of and wouldn't clear for release.

She's The One may have not been World Party's best work, nor Robbie Williams's version particularly admired by Wallinger at the time, but he'd been clearsighted of late about it paying his substantial medical bills and allowing time for his recovery following on from the 2001 brain aneurysm.

(That song reached Williams via his writing partner and former WP member Guy Chambers. Pete Frame could've done a decent Family Tree centred on World Party, with roots and branches panning out to include The Waterboys, Icicle Works, The Bootleg Beatles, Oasis (and spin-offs), Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Flight Of The Conchords, The La's, Lightning Seeds...)

Wallinger was a very gifted harmonist and songwriter, and an underrated studio musician - he didn't really have much use for other band members outside of touring and promotion, which is why they tended to drift off after a while. RIP.

Top five!

1. Is It Like Today?
2. Ship Of Fools
3. Way Down Now
4. Sooner Or Later
5. Put The Message In The Box

[Sits]

Devastating. I played Goodbye Jumbo a huge amount in the 90s and have continued revisiting. Bang! was a decent follow-up too.

I’ve always loved the opening lines of this song:

I got an extra glimpse of the world today
Staring at my breakfast, when I thought I heard it say
”Fighting is no good, success an empty lie
The treasure hunt is lonely, until you realise
We came to take it up”

[hobbes]

I loved Goodbye Jumbo back in the day.
And I had no idea he was in the Waterboys. The things that pass you by completely.

[WOM]

So weird. Two or three days ago, First Wave on Sirius played Ship of Fools and I had a long rant in my head about how fucking boring a song it is, yet they play it over Way Down Now or Message In The Box, which I could listen to any old time quite happily. It's odd when a relatively unremarkable song becomes the crowd favourite (see Mirror In The Bathroom).

[HeavyDracula]

The World Party version of "She's the One" was the first dance at our wedding, and Goodbye Jumbo is a masterpiece. RIP indeed.

[Satchmo Distel]

Had a great late career as a Swedish copper.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

There's a sliding doors moment around if Wallinger had stayed with Mike Scott - The Waterboys "project" would probably have taken a much more obviously commercial route than Scott took it down in the wake of Wallinger splitting away - on it's own terms Fisherman's Blues was a hugely successful album, but you could easily imagine the two of them carving out a lot of chart hits between them, if they had so desired.

[MsD]

I love The Waterboys and Ship of Fools (I have the 12”) was on constant rotation in my flat for a while. Bloody love that song.
RIP.

[Richeyedwards]

All Come True I really liked. RIP.

[Antepli Ejderha]

All Come True I really liked. RIP.

Welcome to the board, just seen your doubled your total posts today.