Westworld was a British pop rock/rockabilly band of the late 1980s, best known for its 1987 UK Top 20 hit single, "Sonic Boom Boy".
Westworld | |
|---|---|
| Genres | Pop rock, rockabilly |
| Years active | 1986–1994 |
| Labels | RCA Records |
| Past members | Bob "Derwood" Andrews Elizabeth Westwood Gary "Gaz" Young Tracey "T.J." O'Conner Nick Burton |
History edit
Named after the sci-fi film Westworld, it was 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 left the band and was replaced by 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.
A retrospective LP, entitled Sick Cool, containing material from the band recorded in the period 1992-1994 period was commercially released in 2018 in the United States.[4]
Discography edit
Studio albums edit
- Where the Action Is / Rockulator (1987)
- Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll (1988)
- Movers and Shakers (1991)
Compilation albums edit
- Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll (1997)
- Sick Cool (2018)
Singles edit
- "Sonic Boom Boy" (1987) UK #11, AUS #27[5]
- "Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo" (1987) UK #37, AUS #79[5]
- "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]
Soundtrack appearances edit
Title |
Release | Soundtrack |
|---|---|---|
| "Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo" | 1987 | Planes, Trains and Automobiles |
| "So Long Cowboy" | 1991 | Point Break |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Biography by John Bush". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 597. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Sleevenotes, Shag Times, KLF Communications, KLF DLP3, 1988.
- ^ Entry for 'Sick Cool' in 'cdbaby.com' (2018). https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/westworld15
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 335. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.