Westworld: Sonic Boom Boy

Westworld were a band I found out about in school, a random lad enthused about this single and at the weekend I went and bought it and fell in love with it. The strange thing was when on Monday I sat behind him in French I think and told him about what a fantastic single it was he just looked blankly at me making me think I had dreamed the whole episode. But his loss really was my gain and Westworld despite only charting with 4 singles have become a major part of my record collection and if this catches on I will write more about them. But Sonic Boom Boy was the start.

I have the single twice, my version from school and also one from a record fare in Liverpool Uni student union. This was purchased because it was signed by all 3 members of the band (as shown in the photo) Bob Derwood Andrews (from Generation X) Elizabeth Westwood (fabulous American voice and pretended to be Elvis on the cover of Silver Mac) and the other one. These record fairs were another great way to miss lectures and to thumb through hundreds of tapes 7's and albums for that missing Sigue Sigue Sputnik promo.

I always wondered why Derwood had signed the single 'Wiggle Derwood' . Was this a second Nickname, or something that related to a discussion with the fan he had signed the record for. In the early days of the Internet I got the chance to find out as I briefly sent emails back and forth with him. Whilst I did find out some interesting facts about where to go in LA on holiday I was disappointed to find out that he had no idea why he signed it thus and so the mystery will remain. I was also left missing an answer to why Andrews, Westwood and the other one were credit on the KLF album with a writing credit. As was he! That comment shows how anoraky I was about Westworld and I seem to remember writing to Q with an article to put in the where are they now bit. (the answer being in the US writing and recording as Moondogg).

The third Sonic Boom Boy format I got was again from a record fair. A hand made promo sprayed by the band. One of 500 and Ebay provided a second one of these 500 I hope the other 498 don't turn up because after a pint or two I will purchase them I know I will. This was a nice one to get - record fare at the NEC - as being hand sprayed I now owned something I imagined the band had been creative with in their own homes.

and the music........ it was like nothing else in the charts and for me is pretty timeless borrowing from the past and infusing with the cutting edge (for the time), so now that would mean borrowing from the past and a bit more of the later past. A nice line in samples which every now and then I will come across in a film and it will throw me back to my school days. It was nice to hear it used for a Sony Centres advert recently as it had me bouncing up and down with my little boy in the front room.

The A side, with possibly Hi Tech or low budget video, really bounced along and Mark Radcliffe said he had a soft spot for it on his Radio Show when played

The B sides that came with this were an interesting mix:

On the 12' was Bubble Bo Duddley a tribute to Bo Diddley and then a rap done by Elizabeth impossible Mission

The promo edition that was hawked round record companies included this remix, Sonic Boom Beat with a lot of additional samples - ahh, the joys of 12' remixes