Andy Pask


Andrew Howard "Andy" Pask is an English musician and composer, best known as bass player for the band Landscape, and for writing the theme to the TV show The Bill.

Early years

Andy Pask was a pupil at Haileybury College where he played cello in school orchestras and bass guitar in school bands. He began his music career as a chorister in the choir of New College, Oxford. He studied cello and double bass at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After leaving college, he went on to become a founding member of the band Landscape.

Landscape

Landscape was formed in 1974 with Richard James Burgess, Christopher Heaton, Andy Pask, Peter Thoms, and John Walters. The band built a following through live performances and touring before releasing their debut album Landscape in 1980. Their next album in 1981, From the Tea-Rooms of Mars...to the Hell-Holes of Uranus led to the Top Five U.K. hit "Einstein A-Go-Go." Their third album in 1982, Manhattan Boogie-Woogie was well received as a dance album. After release of this album, Heaton and Thoms left the band and it became the trio Landscape III. The trio disbanded in 1984.

Later career

During his time in Landscape and after the band broke up, Pask has also had a varied career in freelance live and session work, appearing on albums for a number of well-known artists, including Freddie Mercury, Sharleen Spiteri, Jimmy Sommerville, Madonna, The Pet Shop Boys, Shirley Bassey, 5-Star, Gloria Gaynor, Cliff Richard, China Crisis, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Tom Jones, Bananarama, Steve Marriot, Ronan Keating, Hue & Cry, Nana Mouskouri, Debbie Harry, Michael Ball, Elaine Paige, Tracie Bennet, New London Chorale and Zbigniew Preisner.
Pask also began writing and performing for theatre, TV and film soundtracks. He has appeared on soundtracks for, Robin Hood, How to Train Your Dragon 1 & 2,, Leap Year, Nine, the Twilight films, Shanghai Noon, Last Orders, Spy Kids, The Guru, Calendar Girls, Gosford Park, The Recruit, Little Shop of Horrors, Hugo, Hotel Transylvania, ParaNorman, The Hobbit, Seven Psychopaths, Red 2, World War Z, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, The Full Monty, Maleficent, Jupiter Ascending,,, Legend, Interstellar, Spectre, Boss Baby, and Dunkirk. As a composer, his most successful work is "Overkill", theme to the long running police series, The Bill, written with Charlie Morgan.