| Go West | |
|---|---|
Richard Drummie and Peter Cox in 1985 |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Sophisti-pop, Dance, Blue-eyed soul |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Chrysalis EMI |
| Associated acts | Level 42 |
| Website | Go West.org |
| Members | |
| Peter Cox Richard Drummie |
|
Go West is an English pop duo, formed in 1982 by lead vocalist and drummer Peter Cox (born 17 November 1955, Kingston, Surrey, England); and guitarist and vocalist Richard Drummie (born 20 March 1959, Twickenham, Middlesex, England). While they have had many successful singles in their native United Kingdom, they are generally best known in the United States for their hits "King of Wishful Thinking" and "Faithful".
On 16 October 2009, Cox was announced as the new lead singer with Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
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Go West had a publishing deal and possessed a portastudio, but lacked a band or recording company. Cox and Drummie decided, with support from John Glover, their manager, to find a musical producer, and record just two of their songs. The tracks "We Close Our Eyes" and "Call Me" found Go West landing a recording contract with Chrysalis Records. Upon confirmation of the Chrysalis deal, they recruited British guitarist Alan Murphy, whose contributions became a key ingredient in shaping the band's musical identity.
The band's debut single, "We Close Our Eyes", was released in 1985 and reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart, #5 on the US Dance Club Play Chart and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video for the song, directed by Godley & Creme, became an early favourite on MTV. They were voted the "Best Newcomers" at the 1986 Brit Awards. The song was part of the soundtrack for the Italian low-budget horror film Dèmoni, also known as Demons. The single would prove to be their highest placed UK single, and only appearance in the UK Top Ten.
The band's eponymous debut album was released in 1985. It included "We Close Our Eyes" and "Call Me" as well as "Don't Look Down", which served as the prequel to what would be the band's first Top 40 hit in the US. The album itself was not only successful in the UK but also moderately so in the US. Bangs and Crashes, an album of remixes, b-sides and live tracks, was released in 1986, and included the track "One Way Street" which was part of the Rocky IV soundtrack.
In 1987, the band released the proper follow-up to their debut, Dancing on the Couch, which made the UK Top 20. Although several singles were released from the album, its success paled in comparison to the first album, particularly in the US. Ironically, it did yield the band's first American Top 40 hit with the single "Don't Look Down - The Sequel", a continuation of the track "Don't Look Down" from the debut album. However, "Don't Look Down (The Sequel)" was not included on UK versions of the CD, which instead included the track "Let's Build A Boat".
In 1990, Go West scored a Top 10 US hit with "King of Wishful Thinking" from the movie, Pretty Woman. The track was written by Cox and Drummie in collaboration with Martin Page. In 1991, the song received an ASCAP award for being one of the most played songs in America the previous year.
In 1992, the band released the Indian Summer album, which included "Faithful", another hit in the US, peaking at #14, and also a UK hit, peaking at #13. This track later received airplay recognition awards in the US in both 1992 and 1993.
In 1997, Cox took a break from Go West to release his self-titled debut solo album. He has gone on to release several more solo albums into the 2000s. His most recent album, Motor City Music was released in 2006.
Cox and Drummie appeared on Jim'll Fix It: Strikes Again in 2007, to re-create a popular 'fix-it' from 1986; in the original show, a fifteen-year girl had sung "We Close Our Eyes" with the band as a back-up singer.[1]
Their new album 3D will be a three part album of EPs, the first of which was released on 29 March 2010.[2]
| Year | Title | UK[3] | US | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Go West | 8 | 60 | Chrysalis Records |
| 1986 | Bangs and Crashes | - | - | Chrysalis Records |
| 1987 | Dancing on the Couch | 19 | 172 | Chrysalis Records |
| 1992 | Indian Summer | 13 | 154 | Chrysalis Records |
| 2008 | futurenow | - | - | Blueprint Records |
| 2010 | 3D | - | - | Townsend Records |
| Year | Title | UK[3] | NZ | US | US dance | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | "We Close Our Eyes" | 5 | 1 | 41 | 5 | Go West |
| "Call Me" | 12 | 2 | 54 | 25 | ||
| 1985 | "Goodbye Girl" | 25 | 15 | - | - | |
| "Eye to Eye" | - | - | 73 | 32 | ||
| "Don't Look Down" | 13 | 10 | - | - | ||
| 1986 | "One Way Street" | - | - | - | - | Bangs and Crashes |
| "True Colours" | 48 | - | - | - | Dancing on the Couch | |
| 1987 | "I Want to Hear It from You" | 43 | - | - | - | |
| "Don't Look Down - The Sequel" | - | - | 39 | - | ||
| "From Baltimore To Paris" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1987 | "The King Is Dead" | 67 | - | - | - | |
| "Let's Build A Boat" | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1990 | "King of Wishful Thinking" | 18 | 4 | 8 | - | Pretty Woman Soundtrack / Indian Summer |
| 1992 | "Faithful" | 13 | 12 | 14 | - | Indian Summer |
| "What You Won't Do for Love" | 15 | - | 55 | - | ||
| 1993 | "Still in Love" | 43 | - | - | - | |
| "Tracks of My Tears" | 16 | - | - | - | Aces and Kings - The Best of Go West | |
| "We Close Our Eyes" (remix) | 40 | - | - | - |