This is a track off an obscure 12″ released in 1990, 5 tracks inspired by house music and the warehouse party scene, made by Matt Gray under the name Westworld (a name already in use in the 80s by the Sonic Boom Boy band). Dreamworld opened side AA and is simplicity itself- a rising and falling synth sound, washes of strings, some percussion and then a thumping kick drum, an Italo-house sequenced bassline and a piano riff to raise arms in the air. The sort of track that makes complete strangers hug each other ask the key questions- what’s your name? and where are you from? and what are you on?
Last month Gerd Janson released a re-edit of The Slam, a track from the A side of the original 12″- sirens, cowbells Mantronix style, wailing vox and a rolling piano riff, out now on vinyl should you wish for a fuller, deeper audio experience.
Westworld crossed Eddie Cochran with beatboxes and had a few chart hits in 1987, the best known being Sonic Boom Boy. This one, with a slowed down Bo Diddley riff and a cracking vocal from Elizabeth, only reached number 47 but was just as good. I picked the 12″ up recently, in pristine condition, in a charity shop for 50p- both a bargain and a charity shop classic.
And doing the promotional rounds on Pebble Mill At OneĀ here. Is it just me or have Youtube changed the embedding thing? Can’t get it to work. Never mind- you can click. It seems bizarre now that bands would travel to Birmingham or wherever Pebble Mill was for a two minute slot at lunchtime, mime their way through their latest offering in between a few light items and some news, for the benefit of… who? Pensioners, the unemployed, students and some stay-at-home parents ( I resisted typing housewives there although in 1987 it was probably fairly accurate) . Who of these was going to rush out to buy Silvermac? The pluggers must have worked all the way through lunch to get the Pebble Mill slot as well.
Westworld’s Sonic Boom Boy was in the music round of the pub quiz recently and sent at least two of us on a discussion of the dress sense and attractiveness of singer Elizabeth Westwood (and the merits of the song). Westworld mixed up 50s rockabilly and comics with beatboxes and sequenced stuff, not too far from early BAD, just a bit poppier. Westworld also had in their ranks Derwood, a former member of Generation X making a bid for pop glory. This was the remix from the B-side of the 12″ single-
A genuine hit single (number 11 in 1987), this was the TOTP appearance-
Without getting all TV talking head clipshow about it, our kids just don’t have the benefit of seeing bands play Top Of The Pops, watching the good stuff shine amid all the shite.
Bagging Area 