The five-disc World Party box set announced last month will be released April 10 and comprised entirely of previously unreleased material: 70 never-before-heard tracks including new songs finished as recently as 2011 plus an “unheard history of rare studio gems, live sessions, concert recordings, radio interviews, covers, demos and B-sides.”

Dubbed Arkeology, the box set spans 25 years, and is packaged in what’s being called an “Any Year Diary,” 142-page day calendar designed for fans’ personal use. It includes rare photos, clips of news articles and World Party memorabilia and personal notes and commentary on the recordings from bandleader Karl Wallinger.

“The reason it’s all inside an any-year diary,” Wallinger says in a news release announcing the project, “is because I just got so sick of the CD packaging. I’m glad the whole CD format is dying, but I really didn’t want to put something out that was only digital.”

Among the new songs on Arkeology: “Waiting Such a Long Time” (2008), “Everybody’s Falling in Love” (2011) and “Photograph,” the latter described as a “sprawling piano anthem” recorded over 17 years (1994 to 2011). Other artifacts include demos recorded as early as 1985, “a pitch-shifted, effects-heavy rendition” of “What is Love All About” (from 1993’s Bang!) and live versions of familiar hits such as “Ship of Fools” recorded in Boulder, Colo., in 1998, and fan favorites including “Love Street” (from 1990′s Goodbye Jumbo) recorded at 2006’s Bonnaroo Festival.



Tracklist: World Party, Arkeology

DISC 1
1. “Waiting Such A Long Time”
2. “Nothing Lasts Forever”
3. “Everybody’s Falling In Love”
4. “Where Are You Going When You Go”
5. “Photograph”
6. “Everybody Dance Now”
7. “Closer Still”
8. “I Want To Be Free”
9. “I’m Only Dozing”
10. “No More Crying”
11. Interview/”Sweet Soul Dream” (Live Radio)

DISC 2
1. “Lucille”
2. “The Good Old Human Race”
3. “Put the Message in the Box” (Live)
4. “Trouble Down Here”
5. “Basically”
6. “Silly Song”
7. “Man We Was Lonely”
8. “She’s The One” (Live)
9. “Ship of Fools”
10. “Mystery Girl”
11. “This is Your World Speaking”
12. “All The Love That’s Wasted”
13. “Lost in Infinity”
14. “New Light”

DISC 3
1. “Words”
2. “Dear Prudence”
3. “Call Me Up” (Live Radio)
4. “Like A Rolling Stone”
5. “Sooner Or Later”
6. “Love Street”
7. “Time On My Hands”
8. “Who Are You”
9. “Sweetheart Like You”
10. “Another World”
11. “You’re Beautiful, But Get Out of My Life”
12. “Living Like The Animals”
13. “Stand” (Live)
14. “Thank You World” (Original Jam)

DISC 4
1. “Break Me Again”
2. “Baby” (Demo)
3. “Ship Of Fools”
4. “Put The Message In The Box”
5. “When Did You Leave Heaven”
6. “Nature Girl”
7. “It’s A Pity You Don’t Let Go”
8. “My Pretty One”
9. “De Ho De Hay”
10. “We Are The Ones”
11. “World Groove”/”Mind Guerilla”
12. “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”
13. “Kuwait City”
14. “Do What I Want”
15. “All We Need Is Everything”
16. “Outro”

DISC 5
1. “Mystery Girl” (Early Version)
2. “What Is Love All About” (Outtake)
3. “I Hope it All Works Out For You”
4. “And God Said” (Long version)
5. “It Ain’t Gonna Work”
6. “Another One”
7. “I Am Me”
8. “It’s Gonna Be Alright”
9. “In Another World”
10. “Thank You World”
11. “Cry Baby Cry”
12. “Temple Of Love”
13. “Fixing A Hole”
14. “Way Down Now” (Live)

I don't like this quote from Wallinger:

“The reason it’s all inside an any-year diary,” Wallinger says in a news release announcing the project, “is because I just got so sick of the CD packaging. I’m glad the whole CD format is dying, but I really didn’t want to put something out that was only digital.”

He has his right to his feelings, but why he would be "glad" the CD is "dying" I'd love to know. Then he puts out a 5 CD box set!

Always love to hear "Ship Of Fools" on XM Radio's First Wave.

I wish they would put out a 2-cd greatest hits. That's about where I am with them. They have some amazing songs: "Ship of Fools," "Sooner or Later," "Message in a Box," and the brilliant "Is It Like Today?" But the albums feel a little spotty to me, and maybe the songs get a little too similar after awhile.

I feel like his other band, The Waterboys, reached much, much greater heights (This is the Sea, Fisherman's Blues), although probably also much greater lows (the more recent stuff).

If I can afford one boxset (World Party, The Kinks Mono, Roxy Music) it's probably going to end up being Roxy Music.

I, for one, am thrilled to see this set.