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Westworld (British band)

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Westworld
GenresElectronic rock, pop rock, rock
Years active1986–1992
LabelsRCA Records
MembersBob "Derwood" Andrews
Elizabeth Westwood
Gary "Gaz" Young
Tracey "T.J." O'Conner
Past membersNick Burton

Template:Distinguish2 Westworld were a British three-then-four-piece electronic rock band active in the late 1980s. They are best known for their 1987 UK Top 20 hit single, "Sonic Boom Boy".

Career

Named after the sci-fi film Westworld, they were formed in 1986 by former Generation X guitarist Bob "Derwood" Andrews and American vocalist Elizabeth Westwood.[1] The line up was completed by drummer Nick Burton.[1] Before the recording and release of their third and final album, Burton split and was replaced with Gary "Gaz" Young and Tracey "T.J." O'Conner, making them a quartet.

Visually the band were styled in a way reminiscent of comic book art and musically they were a blend of classic 1950s rock and roll, glam and punk, updated with beatboxes and sequencer. They had an early success with their debut single "Sonic Boom Boy", which reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1987,[2] and was used in Sony's advertisements.[1] They had one more Top 40 hit, "Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo" which reached #37 in May the same year.[1] They released three albums before moving to the Arizona desert in the US in 1992 to form the band Moondogg.

Although not successful in the US, their song "Painkiller" reached #17 on the San Francisco modern rock station Live-105's (KITS) "Top 105.3 Songs of 1988".

The JAMs' "Whitney Joins the JAMs", a house mash-up single, was built around samples of Whitney Houston, Isaac Hayes, Lalo Schifrin's Mission: Impossible theme tune, and (according to later sleevenotes), Westworld.[3]

Westworld's track, "Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo", appeared on the soundtrack to the 1987 film, Planes, Trains & Automobiles; whilst another of their songs, "So Long Cowboy", was on the soundtrack to the 1991 movie Point Break.

Discography

Albums

  • Where the Action Is - (1987) - UK #49
  • Rockulator - (1987) US release of Where The Action Is with different track listing and artwork and some new mixes.
  • Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll - (1988) Not released in the UK
  • Movers and Shakers - (1991) Not released in the UK
  • Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll - (1997) Compilation album, not to be confused with the same-titled second album.

[2]

Singles

  • "Sonic Boom Boy" - (1987) - UK #11
  • "Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo" - (1987) - UK #37
  • "Where the Action Is" - (1987) - UK #54
  • "Silvermac" - (1987) - UK #42
  • "Everything Good is Bad" - (1988) - UK #72
  • "Dance On" - (1989)
  • "Do No Wrong" - (1991)
  • "Lipsyncher" - (1992)

[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Biography by John Bush". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 597. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  3. ^ Sleevenotes, Shag Times, KLF Communications, KLF DLP3, 1988.
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