Diesel Park West
Encyclopedia
Diesel Park West are an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 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...

 from Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Formed in 1981, they have released ten album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

s to date, plus six singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 that have appeared in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

.

Original line-up

  • John Butler (vocals, guitar, born 17 April 1954)
  • Rick Willson (guitar, vocals, born 1 December 1959)
  • Geoff Beavan (bass, born 24 January 1953)
  • David 'Moth' Smith (drums, born 23 July 1951).

The early years, 1981-1987

The band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 was originally formed in 1980 as The Filberts (after local football team, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

's former Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...

 ground), although they would also occasionally appear as The Psychedelic Filberts. Their main influences come from the West Coast sound of 1960s bands such as Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...

, Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...

 and Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...

. The main creative force in the band is Butler, who writes nearly all the band's material. Butler and Moth (who had also drummed for local Leicester band, Gypsy) had previously played together in a short-lived band called The Flicks, releasing one album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 in 1979 called Go For The Effect. Three Psychedelic Filberts tracks were released - a cover
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...

 of The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...

' "Lady Friend" on the Obscure Independent Classics Volume 2 album; a cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

' "Rain
Rain (The Beatles song)
"Rain" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first released in June 1966 as the B-side of the "Paperback Writer" single...

" which was included on Yeah Yeah Noh
Yeah Yeah Noh
Yeah Yeah Noh were a post-punk group formed in Leicester, England in 1984. They released two albums and five singles while still together, and have had two compilation albums issued since they split in 1986.-Biography:...

's final release, the Temple Of Convenience EP; and "Atlantis 1968", which appeared on the He Didn't Even Draw A Fish On My Shower Curtain compilation album
Compilation album
A 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...

.

Butler was a mainstay of the Leicester music scene for many years, and had toured the America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 with the Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...

 offshoots, Widowmaker.

After recruiting Willson (formerly of the heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 band, Brooklyn) and Beavan (formerly of Agony Bag), the band started a long period of writing and recording in their Barkby Road studios. During this time they amassed an amount of songs, honing their skills and trying to get record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

 attention.

The band released a one-off single as The Come On called "Guitar Party", but it was several years before they got a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

. On Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...

 1987, when Butler received a call from David Balfe
David Balfe
David Balfe is most notable for playing keyboards with The Teardrop Explodes, founding the Zoo and Food record labels, signing Blur and for being the subject of their number one hit - "Country House".-Biography:...

 from the small independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

, Food Records
Food Records
Food Records was a record label set up in 1984 by David Balfe, who later took on Andy Ross as his partner. Originally formed as an independent record label with distribution going through Rough Trade Distribution, Food licenced acts to the Polygram offshoot London and Warner's WEA Records, before...

, leading to the band's signing by the label. Balfe was not happy with the band's name and told them to change it. Eventually they came up with Diesel Park West.

August 1987 saw the release of band's debut single, "When the Hoodoo Comes". It began to get airplay on late night radio shows and word of mouth about the band started to spread, and the Food label was acquired by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

. Mick Salisbury joined the band at around this time as third guitarist.

Major record label years, 1988-1992

With a big label now behind the band, they went into Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....

 in January 1988 to start work on their debut album. With Chris Kimsey
Chris Kimsey
Christopher Kenneth Kimsey is a record producer, mixer and musician most famous for having co-produced The Rolling Stones' Undercover and Steel Wheels albums...

 of The Rolling Stones fame producing, the sessions were completed, and in May 1988, Salisbury was replaced by Rich Barton (born July 1957).

Their second single, "Jackie's Still Sad" was released in October 1988, dealing with the life of Jackie Onassis, and although it failed to chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

, it gained a number of positive reviews, including 'single of the week' in Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...

. The album, Shakespeare Alabama, was released on 30 January 1989, and was well received in the music press
Music journalism
Music journalism is criticism and reportage about music. It began in the eighteenth century as comment on what is now thought of as 'classical music'. This aspect of music journalism, today often referred to as music criticism , comprises the study, discussion, evaluation, and interpretation of...

, but the album only reached #55 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

. To coincide with the album release, the band supported Big Country
Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife in 1981. They were most popular in the early to mid-1980s, but they still release material for a cult following...

 on tour, and then followed that up with a headlining tour of their own.

It was around this time that the baggy
Baggy
Baggy was a British dance-oriented music genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.The scene was heavily influenced by Madchester, although it was not geographically confined to Manchester. Many Madchester bands could also be described as Baggy, and vice versa...

 scene took hold, and The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses
The Stone Roses are an English alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement that was active during the late 1980s and early 1990s...

 took the media's attention, and Disel Park West, despite sharing the same influences were perceived as out of step with the times.

After the release of a reworked "When the Hoodoo Comes" in August 1989, the band fell quiet. Although their cover version of Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for...

' "Info Freako" on The Food Christmas various artists EP gave them a taste of Top 30 chart success in November 1989, it would be over a year after The Hoodoo EP before their release - an album of b-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

, covers and outtakes, entitled Flipped.

During this time Smith departed the band, and they eventually went to record their second album without a full time drummer. In September 1990, they went to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 to work with Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham
Laurie Latham is a British rock producer who worked with Glenn Tilbrook, Paul Young and others.He has produced albums by Echo & the Bunnymen, Squeeze and Slapp Happy.-Career:...

, using a drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...

 on many tracks. Recording was finished in early 1991, but the lead single, "Fall to Love", was not released until September, reaching #48 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1992. Their album, Decency, was released on 3 February 1992, and peaked at #57 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

. On the supporting tour, Dave Anderson (born 27 April 1967), joined the band on drums.

In September 1992, a cover of the Beach Boys, "God Only Knows
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. It is the eighth track on the group's 11th studio album, Pet Sounds , and one of their most widely recognized songs. "God Only Knows" was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher and lead vocal by Carl...

" was released as a single in various formats, each with a number of other cover versions including Moby Grape
Moby Grape
Moby Grape is an American rock group from the 1960s, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting and that collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz together with rock and psychedelic music...

’s "Bitter Wind", The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by George Harrison, first recorded by The Beatles in 1968 for their eponymous double album...

", The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...

’ "Tumbling Dice
Tumbling Dice
"Tumbling Dice" is a rock song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for The Rolling Stones' 1972 double album Exile on Main St., and was the album's first single. The single peaked at #7 on the US charts and #5 in the UK....

" and Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for...

’ "Info Freako".

Having acquired Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...

, EMI went through a clean up of their roster and the Diesels found themselves without a label.

Independent years, 1993-1995

They were picked up by Demon Records. The Diesels recorded their third album, Diesel Park West vs. the Corporate Waltz. Its accompanying singles, "Six Days to JuJu" and "The Cat’s Still Scratching" failed to make an impact on the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

. Diesel Park West were dropped by their label, but the independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

, Permanent Records stepped in and, in 1995, they released FreakGene, their fourth album. Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...

 later recorded a cover of "I See No Ships" from the album. Geoff Beavan had left the band prior to recording this album and was replaced by Ian Michie. The band left Permanent Records after the album's release, and after a farewell concert in Leicester, they split up.

Split, solo and re-formation, 1997-present

EMI released a best of in 1997 called Left Hand Band (Butler, Willson and Michie all being left-handed).

Butler signed to Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...

 for a solo deal. His album, The Loyal Serpent, was released on 3 November 1997 and gained a four star review in Q magazine. Although it was a solo album, his former band mates all played on part of the recording.

In 1998, Diesel Park West returned with a new album, HIPReplacement, comprising songs recorded before the band split. They also released a bonus CD, made up of the Shakespeare Alabama demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...

. The band reformed and toured. During 1999 the band played one off gigs in Leicester and London, showcasing some new material and playing Shakespeare Alabama, but Smith left the band again. In 2000, the band signed to Hypertension Records and their next album, Thought For Food was released in August.

In early 2001, Butler unveiled his second solo album, Worthless Bastard Rock. To complete their deal with Thunderbird Records, a compilation of the demos from Shakespeare Alabama and Decency called King of Ghosts was released in 2002. Shakespeare Alabama was reissued in August 2006. A DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 of the Diesels in concert over the years was released in April 2007, called Damned Anthems.

The Diesel's next album, Blood And Grace, was released in June 2007, preceded by the single "There's A Grace" on their own Danville Records label. This is the first time that the band had recorded a new record since The Corporate Waltz. The follow-up single "Personal Lives" came out in August. Rob Morris (ex Crazyhead
Crazyhead
Crazyhead are an English garage punk band from Leicester, England. Though lumped in with the largely media-created grebo scene, they were more influenced by the garage rock of the late 1960s, as well as bands like The Ramones, The Stooges and Captain Beefheart...

) joined on drums. "There's a Grace" received radio airplay and Janice Long
Janice Long
Janice Long is an English radio broadcaster currently working on BBC Radio 2. Her show is on Sunday to Thursday nights from midnight to 02:00. She is the older sister of TV and radio personality Keith Chegwin.-Early career:...

 invited them onto her BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

 show for a session.

The Diesel's teamed up with Chris Kimsey again to record for a new album called Do Come In, Excuse The Mess due for release in late 2011.

Albums

  • Shakespeare Alabama (January 1989) UK
    UK Albums Chart
    The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

     #55
  • Flipped (b-sides
    A-side and B-side
    A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

    , out-takes etc., August 1990)
  • Decency (February 1992) UK #57
  • Diesel Park West vs. The Corporate Waltz (June 1993)
  • FreakGene (May 1995)
  • Left Hand Band (Best of, February 1997)
  • HIPReplacement (September 1998)
  • Thought for Food (August 2000)
  • King of Ghosts (demos, March 2002)
  • Blood and Grace (2007)
  • Do Come In Excuse The Mess (2011)

Singles

  • "When The Hoodoo Comes" (1987)
  • "Jackie's Still Sad" (1988)
  • "All the Myths on Sunday" (1989) UK
    UK Singles Chart
    The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

     #66
  • "Like Princes Do" (1989) UK #58
  • The Hoodoo EP (1989) UK #62
  • "Fall to Love" (1992) UK #48
  • "Boy on Top of the News" (1992) UK #58
  • "God Only Knows" (1992) UK #57
  • "Six Days to JuJu" (1993)
  • "The Cat's Still Scratching" (1993)
  • "The Natural Things" (withdrawn, 1995)
  • "Love It" (1998)
  • "There's A Grace" (2007)
  • "Personal Lives" (2007)

Compilation contributions

  • More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album
    More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album
    More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album is a 1999 tribute album completed shortly before and released shortly after the death of Moby Grape founding member Skip Spence. The album contains cover versions by various artists of Spence's music from his Oar album, released in 1969, presented in...

    (Birdman Records
    Birdman Records
    Birdman Records is an independent record label based in South San Francisco, founded by former Warner Bros. Records A&R vice-president David Katznelson.-History:...

    , 1999)

External links

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