Diesel Park West

The British pop band Diesel Park West was formed in Leicester, England in 1987 by singer/guitarist John Butler, guitarists Rick Willson and Rich Barton, bassist Geoff Beavan and drummer Dave Anderson. Upon signing to the EMI subsidiary Food Records, the quintet debuted with the single 'When the Hoodoo Comes; " a solid year of touring and songwriting followed, as they issued a series of subsequent singles -- including "Jackie's Still Sad," "All the Myths on Sunday," and "Like Princes Do" -- before finally releasing their first LP, Shakespeare, Alabama, in 1989. Despite good critical notices, the album did not fare well; an appearance on the 1989 Food Christmas EP, wherein the band covered Jesus Jones' "Info Freako," brought them greater exposure, but Diesel Park West soon turned away from both live appearances and studio recording to continue to hone their compositional skills. In their absence from the limelight, Food issued 1990's Flipped, a stop-gap collection of B-sides and outtakes; finally, the all-new Decency appeared in 1991, but again no commercial success ensued. For the follow-up, Food requested an all-covers LP, although only a series of EPs, each highlighted by a rendition of the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," ever materialized. Diesel Park West soon parted ways with the label, resurfacing on Demon in 1993 with the stripped-down Diesel Park West vs. the Corporate Waltz. After another label change -- this time to Permanent -- as well as the replacement of Beavan with bassist Ian Michie, the band released Freakgame in 1995. The comprehensive package Left Hand Band: The Very Best of Diesel Park West surfaced in 1997, and the fresh Hip Replacement followed in 2001. ~ Jason Ankeny