Bob Andrews (Generation X)
Encyclopedia
Bob "Derwood" Andrews is an English
guitarist
, and former member of the punk rock
band
, Generation X
.
His guitar playing in the English punk band Generation X
is at par with some of the guitar greats of all time. At the age of 17, he was one of the few guitarists in punk that would wail his Strat solos over the frantic music that Generation X and the movement was known for.
left Gen X for fame and fortune in the States, Derwood and drummer Mark Laff quitted to form the cult band Empire along with bassist Simon Bernal. At the age of 21, Derwood was writing and singing along with honing his skills on guitar. Empire was short lived, only releasing one album Expensive Sound and one single, Hot Seat. The trio
undertook four gigs
, before Bernal left. After many replacements and more gigs, they then morphed into New Empire with Babel Wallace taking over on vocals, Mike Gregovich on bass and Crispin Taylor as drummer. This outfit released only a white label 12 inch, but toured a lot in UK (supporting artists like John Miles
and Roman Holliday
) and later in Spain, where the band enjoyed an unexpected degree of success. New Empire disbanded in early 1984.
Today they are regarded as the grandfathers of emo
and one of the most influential post-punk bands.
Always pushing the boundaries of music genres, Derwood kept Elizabeth as singer and moved on to form the very eclectic band Moondogg in 1994.
. In 2006, Andrews and Laff re-recorded Hot Seat as Empire. In 2011 Andrews reformed Empire again with vocalist Babel Wallace and drummer Jerry Judd for the recording of a song called Bed Head, soon to be appearing on the upcoming Babel Wallace solo compilation Good Things Can Happen.
solo record, Imagination Camouflage.
Andrews has played guitar for many people including a long stint with one of his heroes, Swamp Dogg.
Tone Poet is his latest CD and only solo album. It features his trademark guitar style along with songs from all traveled paths, even some punk banjo picking. He has just completed an autobiography on the life of a rock'n'roll musician titled Loud Guitarist.
Andrews' song catalogue has been covered
by diverse artists
such as U.S. Bombs
and L.A. Guns
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, and former member of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
.
His guitar playing in the English punk band Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
is at par with some of the guitar greats of all time. At the age of 17, he was one of the few guitarists in punk that would wail his Strat solos over the frantic music that Generation X and the movement was known for.
Empire
Before Billy IdolBilly Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
left Gen X for fame and fortune in the States, Derwood and drummer Mark Laff quitted to form the cult band Empire along with bassist Simon Bernal. At the age of 21, Derwood was writing and singing along with honing his skills on guitar. Empire was short lived, only releasing one album Expensive Sound and one single, Hot Seat. The trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
undertook four gigs
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
, before Bernal left. After many replacements and more gigs, they then morphed into New Empire with Babel Wallace taking over on vocals, Mike Gregovich on bass and Crispin Taylor as drummer. This outfit released only a white label 12 inch, but toured a lot in UK (supporting artists like John Miles
John Miles (musician)
John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...
and Roman Holliday
Roman Holliday
Roman Holliday was a 1980s British band, whose style of music was a mixture of swing and pop. They are best known in the UK for their hit single, "Don't Try To Stop It", which reached number 14 in the UK Singles Chart in the summer of 1983...
) and later in Spain, where the band enjoyed an unexpected degree of success. New Empire disbanded in early 1984.
Today they are regarded as the grandfathers of emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
and one of the most influential post-punk bands.
Westworld and Moondogg
After some time, in 1986 Derwood had moved on to his next incarnation as leader and guitarist in the British "beatbox rock'n'roll" band Westworld. Having finally found the perfect singer in Elizabeth Westwood, they achieved many hits throughout Europe and released three albums.Always pushing the boundaries of music genres, Derwood kept Elizabeth as singer and moved on to form the very eclectic band Moondogg in 1994.
Speedtwinn
In 1998 Andrews and former Twenty Flight Rockers vocalist Gary Twinn formed Speedtwinn along with Mario Barmosca and Dale Daniel. They released an album in 2003, California, right after Andrews had left the band.Reunions
1993 saw a Generation X reunion for one night only at the Astoria Theatre in London, during Billy Idol's No Religion Tour in support of the album CyberpunkCyberpunk (album)
Cyberpunk is a concept album by English rock musician Billy Idol, released in 1993 by Chrysalis Records. Inspired by his personal interest in technology and his first attempts to use computers in the creation of his music, Idol based the album on the cyberdelic subculture of the late 80s and early...
. In 2006, Andrews and Laff re-recorded Hot Seat as Empire. In 2011 Andrews reformed Empire again with vocalist Babel Wallace and drummer Jerry Judd for the recording of a song called Bed Head, soon to be appearing on the upcoming Babel Wallace solo compilation Good Things Can Happen.
Other works
In 1980, before forming Empire, Andrews and Mark Laff recorded on the first Jimmy PurseyJimmy Pursey
Jimmy Pursey is an English singer and record producer. He was the founder and frontman of the English punk rock band, Sham 69 from 1976 to 1980, and from 1986 to 2006.-Biography:...
solo record, Imagination Camouflage.
Andrews has played guitar for many people including a long stint with one of his heroes, Swamp Dogg.
Tone Poet is his latest CD and only solo album. It features his trademark guitar style along with songs from all traveled paths, even some punk banjo picking. He has just completed an autobiography on the life of a rock'n'roll musician titled Loud Guitarist.
Andrews' song catalogue has been covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by diverse artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
such as U.S. Bombs
U.S. Bombs
U.S. Bombs are an American punk rock band, formed in 1993 in Orange County, CA. U.S. Bombs consist of vocalist Duane Peters, guitarists Kerry Martinez and Jonny "Two Bags" Wickersham, bass guitarist Wade Walston and drummer Chip Hanna. Vocalist Duane Peters is a legendary professional...
and L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns
L.A. Guns is the name of a hard rock group formed in Los Angeles, California, of which two rival incarnations currently exist due to numerous line-up changes. The first incarnation of the group was formed, by Tracii Guns, in 1983 but disbanded in 1985 following its merger with fellow Los Angeles...
.
Generation X
- 1978 - Generation XGeneration X (album)-Personnel:* Billy Idol − vocals* Tony James − bass* Bob "Derwood" Andrews − guitar* Mark Laff − drums...
UK #29 - 1979 - Valley of the DollsValley of the Dolls (album)Valley of the Dolls was Generation X's 1979 second album and was produced by Ian Hunter. The album contained the UK hit singles: "King Rocker", which reached No. 11 in the charts in January 1979, the title track "Valley of the Dolls", which made No. 23 in April of the same year and "Friday's...
UK #51 - 1979 - Sweet RevengeSweet Revenge (Generation X album)Sweet Revenge is an album by Generation X. It was recorded in 1979 just before band members Bob "Derwood" Andrews and Mark Laff left the group and the bulk was subsequently re-recorded for the Kiss Me Deadly album. It was not until 1998 that the Sweet Revenge sessions were released, as K.M.D. -...
(unreleased until 1998, reissued in 2003 as a second disc for the Anthology.)
Empire
- 1981 - Expensive Sound (Dinosaur Discs; American reissue in 1986 by Highway 61 Records)
- 2003 - Expensive Sound (Poorly Packaged Products Records, also featuring 7 previously unreleased songs and 4 live cuts)
- 2009/2011 - Volume II - Expansive Sound (Poorly Packaged Products Records; the never issued before New Empire tracks, plus covers and live cuts from 1983–84)
- 2011 - Babel Wallace solo compilation Good Things Can Happen (Poorly Packaged Products Records; featuring 3 New Empire tracks and the reunion song "Bed Head")
Westworld
- 1987 - Where the Action Is UK #49
- 1987 - Rockulator (US release of Where The Action Is with different track listing and artwork and some new mixes).
- 1988 - Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll (Not released in the UK)
- 1991 - Movers and Shakers (Not released in the UK)
- 1997 - Beatbox Rock 'N' Roll (Compilation albumCompilation albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, not to be confused with the same-titled second album)
Moondogg
- 1996 - Fat Lot Of Good
- 2001 - God's Wallop
- 2004 - All The Love In The World
External links
- Moondogg official site
- Derwood Info page with discography and song player.