Westworld (British band)

Westworld
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

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".

History

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

Studio albums

Where the Action Is / Rockulator (1987)
Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll (1988)
Movers and Shakers (1991)
Sick Cool (2018)

Compilation albums

Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll (1997)

Singles

"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

Title	Release	Soundtrack
"Ba-Na-Na-Bam-Boo"	1987	Planes, Trains and Automobiles
"So Long Cowboy"	1991	Point Break

References

^ ^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.

External links

[AMG-1] "Biography by John Bush". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 December 2008.

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-2] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 597. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[Shag-3] Sleevenotes, Shag Times, KLF Communications, KLF DLP3, 1988.

[4] Entry for 'Sick Cool' in 'cdbaby.com' (2018). https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/westworld15

[aus-5] 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.

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