"Ship of Fools" by World Party

Welcome back, Dialophiles! Put on your captain’s hats, and hoist the anchor. We’re preparing to set sail with Karl Wallinger and World Party aboard his “Ship of Fools”!

“We’re setting sail to the place on the map, from which no one has ever returned...”

World Party began purely as a solo project for Wallinger, formerly of the UK-based alternative-pop group The Waterboys, which were best known here in the states for their poetic 1985 track “The Whole of the Moon”.

Kurt draws clear inspiration from the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Motown, and elements of all of these inspirations can be clearly heard in this track. For example… the “woo-who-who” backing harmonies in the chorus are reminiscent of Motown vocal groups like The Supremes, and the Temptations in particular.

“Torn by the promise of the women and the lace… and the gold and the cotton and pearls…”

Peaking in 1987 at US #5 hot mainstream rock, and settling at #27 on the Hot 100, “Ship…” was the most successful single extracted from World Party’s debut ’86 LP Private Revolution. While the album featured assistance from some prominent session musicians, including Waterboys member Anthony Thistlethwaite, and vocalist Sinead O’Connor, the overwhelming bulk of the work was written, performed, and arranged by Kurt himself, a true musical genius in every sense of the word. Later World Party LPs added permanent members to the band such as ex-Icicle Works drummer Chris Sharrock of the 1984 new wave classic “Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)”, but World Party as a whole always remained Wallinger’s outlet for his clever, inspired pop songcraft.

“Listen baby, you will pay tomorrow… you’re gonna pay tomorrow… you will pay tomorrow.”

Throughout the years since it’s initial release, I’ve heard “Ship…” used several times to illustrate dissatisfaction with which ever political party happened to be in power at the time, usually in response to an unpopular or controversial government action. Given that its sarcastic lyrics do not align itself with one side or the other, it is the perfect song to punctuate criticism of any political action, and group. Essentially Kurt is commenting that the policies of government often create more problems than they are intended to solve… hence, not wanting to sail on the ship of fools.

So, whether Kurt personally wants to or not, we here at the Dial invite all of our loyal Dialophiles to take a sail on this Ship of Fools, and apply its commentary however you see fit.

“Save me... save me from tomorrow. I don’t want to sail with this ship of fools...”

"Almost Over You" by Sheena Easton

HowYOUdoin, Dialophiles?

As we happily celebrate Valentines’ Day with our sweeties this weekend, we must remember and extend kindness and happy vibes to those who have recently lost a love, and haven’t yet made peace with that loss. If this describes you, you may feel that nobody understand what you are going through. However, we here at the Dial have it on good authority that Miss Sheena Easton understands your burden… so for all you lonely hearts out there… we offer her 1983 hit “Almost Over You”.

“I saw an old friend of ours today… she asked about you, I didn’t quite know what to say…”

A beautiful piano driven ballad, “Almost…” possesses a mature and classy sound, expertly detailing the pain of heartache due to an unfaithful partner, without crossing the line into “schmaltzy” territory. Even as a kid, I appreciated the lilting melody and harmony of this hit, which is no real surprise, given that Mom raised me on soft rock masters like The Carpenters and Barry Manilow. Her record collection allowed me to recognize and appreciate well-written and orchestrated pop ballads, and Sheena’s forgotten hit certainly fits that description.

A smash hit on the Adult Contemporary charts, where it placed at #4, “Almost...” had less of an impact on the Top 40, where it settled for a rather “meh” #25. Easton’s Best Kept Secret LP, from which “Almost” was extracted, did produce a big hit in the disco-influenced “Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair)”, a #9 Hot 100 smash.

“You’re such a sly one with your cold, cold heart… maybe leaving came easy, but it tore me apart…”

Easton enjoys the impressive distinction of being the first artist to earn top 5 singles on five different Billboard charts consecutively, those being the pop/hot 100, adult contemporary, country, dance, and R&B charts. She even, (and rather infamously), earned a slot on Tipper Gore and the PRC’s “Filthy Fifteen” list with her Prince-authored “Sugar Walls”. If that’s not a diverse range, I don’t know what is.

Although I never truly forgot this lovely track, it was made top of mind a few years ago when some friends informed me how petite Sheena throws an arcade game off a balcony in the video for this very song!  Being a huge fan of the 1980s arcade scene, and having never seen the video back in the day, (I didn’t have cable until the early 90s), I knew I had to watch this clip immediately.

Sure enough, as Sheena sings her heart out, in what is presumably her ex-boyfriend’s home, she passes by and interacts with two (now classic) arcade games, Defender, and Sinistar. The implication is that her man was too busy playing the games to spend time with her, thus provoking the ballad.

The Sinistar machine seen here is the real deal, a brand spanking-new 1983 release from Williams Electronics. However, the Defender machine, also by Williams, the very one heaved by Sheena “She Hulk” Easton over the side, is NOT an actual Defender machine, but most likely a prop cabinet created for the express purpose of destruction. Notice it is never seen actually powered on (unlike the Sinistar), and probably is just a wooden shell with no monitor or guts. (this would certainly make it easier to heave over a railing…)

“I can forgive you and soon I’ll forget all my shattered dreams… although you left me with nothing to show, full of misery…”

As much as I love this song, the video’s interpretation that Sheena lost her guy not to another woman, but to an arcade game, is unmistakably camp, and immediately pushes the video into WTF territory, not fitting the serious emotion of the song itself.

Are we supposed to interpret coming back around, after painting the town, to mean the guy was out racking up high scores? I always thought that meant he was romancing other ladies… (there’s an easy joke about “scoring” here, but I will exercise good judgment…)

Also, if Sinistar was the game that was put between himself and Sheena (as the guy’s reflection in its video screen would seem to indicate), why did she send the helpless Defender machine to the great arcade in the sky? This has to be the most egregious display of violence against an arcade cabinet in a music video since Tom Petty knocked over Astro Invader in his “You Got Lucky” video.

Bizarre video aside… Easton really sells this one, portraying an emotional wreck trying to get over the guy that neglected her. When she sings the final chorus repetition, I get goose bumps, every time.

So take a moment to listen to Sheena’s overlooked hit this Valentine’s Day, and see if you too catch those same goose bumps that we do here at the Dial, whether your weekend is filled with romance and roses or catching up on DVDs on your couch solo.

“Now I’m almost over you… I’ve almost shook these blues… So when you come back around, after painting the town, you’ll see I’m almost over you.”

"Wrap It Up" by The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Yeah, that’s right, Dialophiles… tonight the Dial beams an overlooked gem from the Texas blues rock genre right to your speakers. Get ready to rock and maybe boogie a little too, with The Fabulous Thunderbirds and “Wrap It Up”!

“I’ve been watching you for days now baby… I just love your sexy ways now baby…”

A cover of an obscure 1968 B-side by soul legends Sam & Dave, and penned by R&B icons Isaac Hayes and David Porter, the T’birds remake went on to peak at US #50. The second single pulled from their blockbuster 1986 Tuff Enuff LP, “Wrap It Up” followed on the heels of their biggest hit, the US #10 title track.

The song’s memorable lyrics portray a man’s jubilant declaration of passion for his woman, as if he has found a perfect item in a department store after shopping all day. Now that’s he’s found her love after searching for so long, he tells his lady… just like he might tell a salesperson after finding that unique gift… “Wrap it up, I’ll take it.”

“Well no more will I shop around now baby… I know I got the best thing in town now baby…”

Hailing from Austin, Texas, the group, at the time of the Tuff Enuff LP, comprised of lead vocalist Kim Wilson, Jimmie Vaughan on guitar (yep, Stevie Ray’s brother), Preston Hubbard on bass, and drummer Fran Cristina.

The awesomely fun music video features many bodacious beauties, receiving the flirtatious advances of Wilson and the guys, and subsequently playing hard to get, or at least displaying apathy to their romantic intentions. However, while watching the last thirty seconds of the video again, it occurs to me that when the lovelies lip sync to Kim’s repeated “Wrap… wrap… wrap-wrap-wrap-wrap it up” adlib, they may be invoking a strong double meaning to the title phrase. As the girls pull the guys behind closed doors, and invite them into showers and so on… perhaps the song carries a safe sex message?

This makes perfect sense given the growing climate of sexual responsibility in the 1980s, even though I suspect that interpretation wasn’t intended or probably didn’t exist at all when Mssrs Hayes and Porter authored the tune 18 years prior.

“You’ve got tricks you ain’t never used… give it, give it, to me, it won’t be abused.”

So do yourself a favor, and check out this tasty jam from one of the leading blues-rock outfits of the '80s. I guarantee you’ll be humming it for days afterwards… and with a groove this sweet, it’s completely understandable!

“Wrap it up… I’ll take it. Wrap it up… I’ll take it.”