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Check out WORLD PARTY's playlist!

Four years ago, Karl Wallinger's World Party fell apart. He had terminated his long deal with Chrysalis Records, his manager and mentor, Steve Fargnoli, died of cancer; and then Karl had an aneurysm. It seemed like Karl Wallinger's 20 year-old ship of fools was scuppered, taking with it one of Britain's finest musical treasures. Now, despite feeling like his head's been sawn in half, (which, incidentally, it has) Wallinger and World Party are back on the campaign trail.

Luckily for us, Karl’s campaign trail included a playlist for ARTISTdirect! Check it out:

1. "Everyday” and "That’ll Be The Day” - Buddy Holly
“I mean as a kid this stuff was put on the family record player on a Sunday morning and turned up LOUD He just had that thing. Conveying a spectacular simple idea in about 2 minutes. It was all so un-professional So home spun but was so right. Great melodies and a great band.”

2. "Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks
“The swinging London scene was best described by this one. It’s more like a completely true historical document. Truer than any theories of "intelligent design"....”

3. “Love Me Do" - The Beatles
”This little known four piece achieved this perfect blend of being on the telly and the radio and managing to seem like they knew what they were doing, whilst at the same time being incredibly lucky!.........oh and weirdly incredibly unlucky...”

4. "Maybe I’m Amazed" - Paul McCartney
“Anything from this first post Beatles record. He did it all himself you know. And it was before he lost it. This album was just the best thing that I ever heard for a while. I am still doing this for a living. (Trying to anyway) Its just what I like.....great playing, writing, singing but not over produced and shoved down your throat so a load of people can make some cash.”

5. Pet Sounds - Beach Boys
“Went to see Brian perform this album in London and it was amazing. It was a great attempt to take pop to somewhere so rarified that a lot of people don't get it. Unfortunately for them, they are idiots! This is a work of a demented soul that just transcends our pathetic reality.”

6. Bob Dylan
Everything he has ever written ever and all the things he hasn't yet written. (Apart from the dodgy stuff!) “Mr Tambourine Man” is really such a fucking profound song that if that had been the only thing he'd ever done I would still want to write like him. I mean how do you pick a single track...I mean just grow up will you...”

7. "Southern Man” - Neil Young
”I mean Harvest and After The Goldrush...any track you like from these records. Harvest was the first LP I bought with my own cash. That says it all really. He said it all with simple words and beautiful melodies creating something so light and yet so heavy.”

8. "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash
“This has just got to be the best rap record ever. the lyric is just amazing and is the only rap I have ever committed to memory. Uh-uh-uh-uh-uh It makes me wonder sometimes how I keep from going under...It is truly great.”

9. " Life During Wartime " - The Talking Heads
“I was in a record store and was buying something else when I walked up to the counter this was playing and I just thought Fucking Jell this is amazing and just asked the girl to give me whatever this was as well! My ears discovered Talking Heads for me!”

10. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
“I first saw this on a heavy metal music channel about a year before it was a hit. I just thought what a shock that a heavy band had done something so original and just damn GREAT! I was amazed by how original the relationship was between the vocal line and the way the chords moved. He really was unique. I have heard no-one have such a singular style that seems so obvious and natural. It took me back to the sort of Happiness is a Warm Gun or Julia or I am The Walrus chords that John Lennon used. But it was not derived from that, it just had that kind of individuality. It is still sad to have lost such a huge talent.”

World Party’s new album, Dumbing Up is available now in the ARTISTdirect Store!!