World Party Goodbye Jumbo LP

World Party's second studio album, Goodbye Jumbo is also probably their most famous and beloved. Originally released in 1990, the album received widespread critical acclaim and reached #73 in US and #36 in the UK. The lead single, "Way Down Now," reached #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

This excellent follow-up album from World Party is much tighter than the debut. Dealing with issues from the environment ('Take It Up,' 'Put the Message in the Box') to relationship woes ('And I Fell Back Alone'), these tracks manage to maintain a hopeful, positive mood without becoming trivial. In these songs, Wallinger has developed his own distinct style. A great album, worth checking out just for the uptempo groove of 'Way Down Now.'

With the catalog for his brilliant pop project World Party in his control, Karl Wallinger has been steadily re-releasing the various albums he released under that name on wax. That welcome turn of events has finally resulted in a re-release of the group's masterwork Goodbye Jumbo. Released in 1990, the album was a lush, thoughtful expression of fear for the state of the planet and its inhabitants leavened by moments of awestruck wonder at the beauty and bounty surrounding us all. The new master of this work - as well as the vinyl, sleeve and insert - is much thicker than the original release. Wallinger's command of the stereo field (just listen to how he splits up the vocals and instruments in 'Way Down Now' to create a dense fog of jangle pop) comes into tighter focus and the volume boost makes the messages of the songs feel more insistent and energizing.