World Party was a British musical group that began as a solo project by its founding member Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving the Waterboys. Wallinger’s debut album, Private Revolution (1986), was recorded in his own home. The track “Ship of Fools” was a minor hit in the UK, but did much better abroad. “Ship of Fools” reached No. 4 in Australia, No. 21 in New Zealand, and No. 27 in the US, in the process becoming the World Party’s only major international hit.

Between World Party's first and second albums, Wallinger aided Sinéad O'Connor in recording her 1988 debut, The Lion and the Cobra. O'Connor, then an unknown, had appeared as a guest on World Party's first album. She would go on to appear as a guest on the second LP as well.

Wallinger collaborated with fellow songwriter Guy Chambers on some of the tracks for his second album, Goodbye Jumbo (1990). Goodbye Jumbo was voted "album of the year" by Q magazine and was nominated for a Grammy Award for "best alternative music performance" in the US.

After the 1991 EP Thank You World, Wallinger recruited guitarist David Catlin-Birch and ex-Icicle Works drummer Chris Sharrock as full-fledged members for 1993's album Bang!.

In 1994, World Party recorded "When You Come Back to Me" for the Reality Bites soundtrack, influenced by David Bowie's 1975 song "Young Americans". Catlin-Birch left shortly afterwards.

Their fourth album, Egyptology (1997), written following the death of Wallinger's mother, was commercially unsuccessful, although "She's the One" won an Ivor Novello Award when subsequently recorded by Robbie Williams. Sharrock left the group after the recording of this album, leaving Wallinger on his own. Wallinger took a three-year break from World Party, before the release of Dumbing Up in 2000. However, in February 2001 he suffered an aneurysm that left him unable to speak.

After a five-year rehabilitation, in 2006 Wallinger re-emerged onto the scene, playing his first live show in a decade at the South by Southwest festival in Texas, US. World Party has not toured, released new material, or updated their website since the end of their 2015 North American tour.

Wallinger cites influences such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Beach Boys, Junior Walker, Neil Young and Prince. He sings and plays most of the instruments himself, using multi-tracking to create the studio sound. Lyrically, many of his songs feature thoughtful and occasionally political sentiments.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Party

https://bigtakeover.com/interviews/InterviewKarlWallingerofWorldParty

https://worldparty.net/news/