Five superb bands that should have been so much bigger than they were

World Party

This was a group, technically, but in practice was led and driven primarily by Karl Wallinger. He left The Waterboys back in 1986 to set up World Party, bringing in a wide range of additional musicians as and when needed. Their biggest hit was “Ship Of Fools” in 1986, taken from their debut album Private Revolution. 

The single had modest success in the UK reaching number 42 in the charts and scored reasonably well elsewhere too. Including a number 27 slot in the US. They (or he) released five studio albums between 1987 and 2000. They charted around the world as befitting the band’s name. Bang reached the second spot in the UK, best position in the US was that early album Private Revolution at number 39. Total sales for all albums were only around 160,000 though. 

Wallinger had developed his musical skills to enable him to play most instruments, to cover synth and the production desk too. That led to him being very much a one-man band for the debut album. It’s not easy to pin down a style for their music, at times they were folky and funky, rocky and indie, and a little bit country too. He was a superb songwriter too and really should and could have made a much bigger impact. Sadly Wallinger passed away earlier this year. 

Little Feat

Lowell George was the main driving force behind Little Feat. They were probably the most commercially successful of the five bands here, and they are still going, though with a changed lineup. George’s death in 1979, soon after he initially disbanded Little Feat, was a major and obvious factor.

One of the reasons the band should have been bigger and achieved more commercial success is the legacy they left behind. So many top bands have covered their music over the years. All the way from Nazareth to Robert Palmer or Phish to Linda Ronstadt to name drop just a diverse handful. The band had a country rock feel to their music but dipped into blues and rock and roll heavily at times too. 

Record sales of over three million denotes a pretty good band. Top seller was their fabulous live album Waiting For Columbus recorded at shows in London and Washington in 1977. It picked up sales of over one million copies. If you know them already, then you know how good they were at their peak. If you don't know them, chances are you know their music via other artists. Either way give them a listen, start with that live album for a great snapshot. 

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