Released: January 22, 2021
Rating: ***
Pop-rock supergroup World Goes Round got together in 1989 and hit the studio to record an album that was long believed to be lost in the vaults of music history…
With a line-up comprising Frank Musker (co-lead vocals), Elizabeth Lamers (co-lead vocals), Jeff Hull (keyboards/drums/bass guitar) and Marty Walsh (guitar), the LP was sure to be a hit, but fell to the wayside amid the change in musical landscape brought about by the 1990s.
Flash forward three decades, however, and the self-titled EP is getting another shot in the limelight after after one of the band members found an old cassette of the recordings and approached their original producer, Prince and Billy Idol collaborator and Grammy Award-winning Tommy Vicari, to revitalise the tracks for a long-awaited release.
The end result – a project spanning more than 30 years – doesn’t disappoint, with the tracks navigating a musical journey back to a decade characterised by it’s superb music; influences of which are notable from the get-go.
Opener Rebel Heart packs an immediate punch, with the split lead vocals throughout the record referencing the best of Fleetwood Mac and keyboard flourishes reminiscent of their ‘87 album Tango in the Night.
It’s one of a number of reference points throughout the work – Please Please is reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror, while third track, the funky Great Talker, wouldn’t sound out of place on Chaka Khan’s seminal ‘84 releaseI Feel For You.
In fact, Khan is one of many collaborators who have worked with the members of World Goes Round, along with Linda Ronstadt, Donna Summer, Sheena Easton… and even Bucks Fizz!
Despite being rooted in the ‘80s, however, the themes of the lyrics still speak to the modern-day listener.
Put It On The Line, dedicated to all the everyday heroes who put themselves on the line, is especially poignant amid the current pandemic: “Can’t stop now / Not if you wanted to / Can’t go back / To the way things once were.”
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Meanwhile, Round The World voices a deep desire to escape and looks forward to a time when we can finally travel again.
At 10 tracks, the album is a short glimpse of what could have been had World Goes Round taken off back in the day and, based on the variety on offer, it’s hard to believe the record was allowed to sit gathering dust for all these years.
The material is strong and, while it might not be packed with standout singles and sing-a-long anthems, World Goes Round is consistent and compels you to return beyond the first listen, offering new surprises each time.
Part of us wishes we’d been able to enjoy the album sooner but, with solid tunes, catchy hooks and an ‘80s essence that proves irresistible, perhaps it arrived just at the right time for us to surrender to the nostalgia.
World Goes Round is available on Viper Records now.
