Guana Batz
The Guana Batz were part of a British wave of psychobilly that sprang up in the early '80s, around the same time that bands like the Cramps were gaining underground prominence in America, and more straightforward rockabilly revivalists like the Stray Cats and the Polecats were hitting the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. The group was formed in the English town of Feltham, in Middlesex, in 1983, with a lineup featuring vocalist Pip Hancox, guitarist Stuart Osbourne, bassist Mick White (also of the similar Meteors), and drummer Dave Turner; White, an electric bassist, was soon replaced by stand-up acoustic player Sam Sardi. Playing hopped-up rockabilly with the speed and aggression of punk rock, the Guana Batz fit nicely into the British psychobilly scene epitomized by the Meteors, the Stingrays, the Caravans, and other bands who played at the good-naturedly rough Klub Foot in London. As such, the Batz landed a deal relatively quickly, releasing their debut EP, You're So Fine, on Big Beat Records by the end of 1983. An appearance on the Stompin' at the Klub Foot compilation netted them a better deal with ABC/ID, which released their full-length debut, Held Down...At Last! (aka Held Down to Vinyl...At Last!), in 1985. A follow-up, Loan Sharks, appeared a year later, and proved an even bigger underground hit (at least in the U.K.) than its predecessor. Live in London (recorded at the Klub Foot) followed in 1987, and Rough Edges continued the group's annual release schedule in 1988. Following that album, drummer Turner was replaced by Johnny Bowler, who debuted on 1990's Electra Glide in Blue (recorded for new label World Service). While the band continued to tour the U.K. and Europe (with new bassist Mark Pennington), their initial recording career ended there, and they disbanded during the '90s. Hancox and Bowler both moved to California, where they settled and started families. The Guana Batz reunited in late 1998, however, and recorded the all-covers album Undercover the following year. The compilation Can't Take the Pressure was released in 2000, with a competing best-of, The Very Best of the Guana Batz, appearing in 2001.
© Steve Huey /TiVo
Similar artists
Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
Powder Keg
Rockabilly - Released by Cherry Red Records on Feb 21, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Loan Sharks
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on Sep 24, 1986
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Original Albums and Peel Sessions Collection
Rock - Released by Cherry Red Records on Sep 29, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Held Down….At Last!
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on Jan 1, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Rock - Released by Cherry Red Records on Oct 25, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Electra Glide in Blue
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Jan 1, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Guana Batz 1985-1990
Punk / New Wave - Released by Cherry Red Records on Sep 24, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of the Guana Batz
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Nov 16, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Stomping at the Klub Foot: Live Over London (Live)
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live over London (Live)
Rockabilly - Released by Cherry Red Records on Jun 3, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Electra Glide in Blue
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Rough Edges
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Release the Batz: The Best of Guana Batz
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Aug 23, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Rough Edges
Punk / New Wave - Released by Anagram on Jan 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
B Side Blues
Rockabilly - Released by Cherry Red Records on Jan 12, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo