World Party: Karl Wallinger (vocals, guitar); Chris Whitten, Guy Chambers, Steve Wickham.
Personnel: Sin?ad O'Connor, Sophia Ramos (vocals, background vocals); Jerod (acoustic guitar); Jeff Trot (acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar); Jeff Trott (electric guitar, 12-string guitar, slide guitar); Steve Wickham (violin); Guy Chambers (piano, harmonium, synthesizer, guitar synthesizer, drums, sampler); Chris Whitten (drums); Roy J. Morgan (tambourine).
Recording information: Seaview Studios, London, England; The Old Rectory, Bedfordshire, England.
Editor: Tim Young .
Photographer: Steve Wallace .
This is a fine album that paradoxically owes much of its originality to its up-front eclecticism. Karl Wallinger's undoubted talent and experience (musical director of The Rocky Horror Show, ex-Waterboys) are applied to create a powerful tribute to his '60s influences. The opening "Is It Too Late" is reminiscent of Them's "Baby Please Don't Go," and is followed by "Way Down Now," complete with "Sympathy For The Devil"-style "woo-woos." It is difficult to keep track of all the styles cleverly woven into the fabric, but the Beatles abound--Wallinger even had his studio built to reproduce the Abbey Road sound for the equally strong follow-up, BANG!