Karl Wallinger of World Party – highly influential and gone too soon.

Lunch with World Party today. Recorded on November 3, 1993 at Brixton Academy by the venerable BBC Radio 2.

World Party was predominantly the solo project of its sole consistent member, the songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger.

The first World Party album, Private Revolution, was recorded in a dilapidated former rectory in Woburn, which Wallinger had moved into after quitting both London and The Waterboys. Inspired by Prince, Wallinger recorded the majority of the instruments (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, samplers) by himself, as well as singing lead vocals and handling programming and production. There were guest appearances on the record by two Waterboys members, saxophonist Anthony Thistlethwaite and fiddle player Steve Wickham. To create the illusion of a full band, Wallinger credited his own instrumental parts to a variety of imaginary players with whimsical names, including “Millennium Mills”, “Rufus Dove” and “Will Towyn”. During this time, he also worked on Sinéad O’Connor‘s debut album The Lion and the Cobra,  and she in turn sang backing vocals on the song “Hawaiian Island World”  as well as appearing in the promotional video for the album’s title track.

Plans were made for touring in spring 2001, only to be cut short by Wallinger sufferering a brain aneurysm in February 2001 while cycling with his son on a Center Parcs holiday in Suffolk. He was left with damaged eyesight plus a prolonged (if temporary) inability to speak, play instruments or carry out any other musical activities.

All World Party activity was put on hold for five years while Wallinger recuperated and painstakingly learned how to play music again. During this time, he was sustained by royalties from the Williams cover of “She’s the One”. In 2012, he admitted “thank God they did record it. It kept me and the family in spaghetti when I was ill and couldn’t work.”

In late 2022 interview with The Big Takeover Wallinger claimed to be close to finishing a new album, aiming to release it in early 2023. He claimed “I’ve got twenty-odd years of material… What I’m trying to do is make everything the most contemporary version of things, rather than go back and just say, “How can I finish these songs off and put them out?” I want everything to be from around now, so that’s what I’m heading toward… I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be just like rolling the stone away from the front of the cave and coming out again into the sunlight. I’ll be so happy to have an album out.”

Karl Wallinger died on 10 March 2024 at the age of 66.

For a look back, or just a look, here is what World Party were up to in 1993. If you want to dive in for more: Waterboys/World Party (check it out)