World Party was the longtime musical project of Welsh-born musician and songwriter Karl Wallinger. A prodigiously talented multi-instrumentalist with a fondness for writing thoughtful, Beatlesque pop, Wallinger released five World Party albums, garnering critical acclaim and yielding a small clutch of hits without ever really lodging himself firmly into the mainstream. Before breaking through with 1986's "Ship of Fools," he served as a member of the Waterboys, contributing heavily to their 1985 album This Is the Sea.