Fact #126402

The magpie genius of former Waterboy Karl Wallinger peaked with this masterpiece, swimming with single-minded shark-like elegance in merging streams of pop, rock, soul, dance and folk. Like World Party’s debut album, Private Revolution, this was effectively a Wallinger solo project, aided and abetted by Guy Chambers, Sinead O’Connor and sundry session players. Although it peaked at a lowly No36, Goodbye Jumbo established Wallinger as a craftsman to be reckoned with, able to transform his socio-eco-political agenda into distinctive, intelligent, hook-filled rock that stole shamelessly from Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Beatles, Stones, Prince and more without ever compromising its own identity. She’s The One (later a massive hit for Robbie Williams) may be his best-known composition, but this entire album captivates from start to finish and then demands instant replays.
Johnny Black