Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

As previously reported, Toyah has recorded a brand new version of America For Beginners for the soundtrack album for forthcoming movie 1985. The track is released digitally today via Bandcamp with pre-orders open for the soundtrack CD.

America For Beginners (Nocturne Blue Redux) is available as a separate digital track and on a  soundtrack album release, 1985: Music from & inspired by the motion picture featuring new Original Music & Additional Score by Dutch Rall.

Toyah recorded brand new vocals for the track recorded at The Old Smithy Recording Studios, UK whilst Bass, Synths, Guitars, Electronics, additional voices are handled by the track’s producer Dutch Rall in Oak Cliff, Texas.

The album also features new music by Ramsey, Nocturne Blue, Moushumi, and more with original score by Curtis Heath and Dutch Rall. This includes a stunning cover version of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill featuring King Crimson’s Tony Levin.

• You can pre-order a limited edition CD version and preview full tracks now at Bandcamp. (News Source: Breaking Through – Official Toyah Mailing List)

• America For Beginners 2018: Toyah tweeted: “Just heard 1st mix for AMERICA FOR BEGINNERS for the soundtrack album of @1985thefilm ….WOW! It’s totally different and very 1985!” – Continue reading…

• BBC Scotland: Barmy Aunt Boomerang: Richard Madden is currently earning fulsome praise for his portrayal of Sergeant David Budd in BBC Oneʼs Bodyguard, but itʼs far from the first time heʼs been on our screens. Back in 1999, 13-year-old Richard starred in Barmy Aunt Boomerang as Sebastian, a boy whose life is thrown into chaos by the arrival of his ghostly aunt, played by Toyah Willcox – Continue reading at BBC Scotland…

• Live 2018: Toyah still has Acoustic, Up Close & Personal gigs in Huddersfield, Evesham and two nights at Trading Boundaries in Sheffield Green, an Electric gig in Bedford PLUS those four #Toyah60/40 Years of Music concerts – More info/Ticket links here…

• Outside Org: Thousands of party goers join Rewind Festival’s sold out 10th Birthday celebrations in Henley-On-Thames: The blissful weekend was compered by Toyah Willcox and The Doctor of Doctor & The Medics with DJ Massaoke keeping the tunes and sing-alongs going strong between the main stage performances, getting everyone hyped with some of the biggest 80s hits – Continue reading…

• God’s Jukebox: Brave New World: Can’t have #HairWeek without Toyah. This was the lead single from her 4th album, The Changeling. The video was directed by David Mallet, who directed the Ashes to Ashes video for Bowie – Continue reading/watching…

Toyah has recorded a new version of the song America For Beginners, which was originally a track on her 1985 album Minx. The song was written by Steve Skaith and Mike Jones of the band Latin Quarter. Toyah has recorded the 2018 version for inclusion in the forthcoming 1985 The Film.

Taking a trip through the Dreamscape Archives… a rare interview uploaded to You Tube in 2011 (by sph476) with Toyah, looking utterly Minxtastic, from 1985.

Snow, snow and, yup, more snow! Brrrr!! Welcome to March in the UK…

Toyah’s fantastic poptastic 1985 single Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) is included on, the just released, 100 Hits – The Best Eighties Album.

The collection is available on 5CD set or MP3 download.

CD3: Kim Wilde – Kids In America, Adam & The Ants – Stand And Deliver, Aneka – Japanese Boy, King – Love & Pride, Howard Jones – New Song, Altered Images – Happy Birthday, The Bangles – Walk Like an Egyptian, Men Without Hats – Safety Dance, Haircut 100 – Love Plus One, Bow Wow Wow – I Want Cand, Fiction Factory – (Feels Like) Heaven, The Lotus Eaters – The First Picture of You, Spandau Ballet – Fight for Ourselves, H2O – Dream to Sleep, The Psychedelic Furs – Pretty in Pink, Toyah – Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), Big Audio Dynamite – E=MC2, Haysi Fantayzee – John Wayne Is Big Leggy, Bill Wyman – (Si Si) Je Suis Un Rock Star, Matthew Wilder – Break My Stride.

The extended version of Toyah’s debut solo single, released in 1985, Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), is included on the forthcoming 3CD Twelve Inch Eighties: Digging Your Scene box set.

The 30-song collection will also be available digitally via iTunes and other online music retailers.

Twelve Inch Eighties is the successful 3CD range by Crimson Productions, compiling extended alternate mixes of some of the biggest hit singles of the 80s. Each themed release is housed in a sleek 3CD digipak with abstract imagery representative of early dance label releases. These carefully selected titles across the range bring together the finest eighties pop, dance and disco, amongst other genres, in all their full 12” single glory.

Digging Your Scene is a collection of classic 12” remixes straight from the edge of the 80s. Other artists on the set include Japan, Fiction Factory, Thompson Twins, Adam Ant and Altered Images.

• In May of this year the original version of Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) was also included on “100 Hits” 5CD compilation Pure 80s. (Thanks to Michael Cooney for the Twelve Inch Eighties info)

Toyah’s 1985 single Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), from her debut solo album Minx, is included on the latest “100 Hits” 5CD compilation Pure 80s.

The much loved 100 Hits range is back in a brand new sleek slim digipak housing 5 discs of your favourite songs of the 80s to enjoy featuring incredible tracks from the finest pop artists such as Wham!, Cyndi Lauper, Adam Ant and many more in this timeless collection.

Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) is song 14 on CD5. The collection is also available digitally from iTunes, Amazon.

• Further info here. Win all five of the latest “100 Hits” CDs at Classic Pop.

On 2nd September 1985, World in Action, Toyah’s third single from Minx was released. This would be the last single from the album and Toyah’s final release on Portrait/CBS Records.

World in Action was the first single of Toyah’s career that she didn’t co-write. It was also the first release since pre-Four From Toyah not to make an appearance in the UK Singles Chart. As with the previous two singles from the album, the 7” and 12” had different sleeves. The 12” sleeve is probably the best of all six of the Portrait single sleeves, featuring a stunning, Terence Donovan, photo of Toyah. This was also the only single from the Portrait trio not to have a promo video made to accompany it. B-Side song Soldier Of Fortune, Terrorist Of Love was written by Willcox/Lee. Both were produced by Christopher Neil. The 12″ included the extra “Action Mix” of WIA.

• Smash Hits: July 31 – August 13: Uploaded yesterday to Like Punk Never Happened: Smash Hits Archive – The “latest” issue of Smash Hits, 30 years on from the original day it was published – Read the issue…

• Minx at 30: The issue of Smash Hits includes the full-page advert for Minx. Toyah’s first solo album entered the UK Album Chart this very week (03.08.1985) 30 years ago. Browse all of Dreamscape’s recent Minx related posts here…

• Toyah @ Twitter: Toyah is filming a daytime drama for the BBC: “Up at 5am today filming in Birmingham BBC. daytime drama, lots of dialogue…..great character” – Follow Toyah @ Twitter…

• Derbyshire Times: Flashback fun at Clumber Park: Clumber Park hosts the sixth annual Flashback Festival next month. Saturday sees the return of all things 80s, with a line-up that will take you back to the coolest decade in pop. Sheffield band The Human League are set to headline the festival playing 80s hits such as Don’t you want me, Human and Together in Electric Dreams. Joining The Human League will be Tainted Love singer Marc Almond, Jason Donovan, 5 Star, Toyah and Flashback’s favourite compere The Doctor of Doctor & The Medics – Continue reading…

• Eastbourne Herald: August in Eastbourne: Eastbourne’s iconic Bandstand reaches peak season in August with events taking place every day. Another highlight of Airbourne weekend, ‘Toyah in Concert’ on August 14 promises a dynamic concert from the punk princess, Toyah Willcox – Continue reading…

• Minx at 30: This very weekend in 1985 Minx first entered the UK Album Chart…

This week in 1985 Soul Passing Through Soul – Toyah’s second single as a solo artist, stats fans – was in the lower reaches of the UK Singles Chart. It was written by “Willcox/St James” and taken from the album Minx, which would go on to be released at the end of July. Some (not me) say it was influenced by/is reminiscent of David Bowie’s Heroes.

Soul Passing Through Soul was released on 7″, 12″ and 7″ Picture Disc, and was accompanied by a great video, with fantastic visuals – something Toyah always was, and indeed still is, known for…

Like Punk Never Happened: Smash Hits Archive has been continuing to upload retro issues of ‘Smash Hits’ magazine 30 years to the day they were originally published in the UK.

Various “recent” issues have included Toyah – Minx and its related singles were being released around this time back in 1985.

• Smash Hits, June 19 – July 2, 1985: This issue includes a full-page advert for the single Soul Passing Through Soul. Toyah is also included in the feature – “Who Is Pop’s Mr Clever Trousers?” – Read the issue here…

• Smash Hits, June 5 – 18, 1985: Toyah is included in the feature – “Oh! You’re Not As Tall As You Are On The Telly!” – Read the issue here…

• Smash Hits, May 22 – June 4, 1985: This issue includes the feature – “Toyah: Personal File” – Toyah answers lots of slightly odd questions, such as “When was the last time you saw a spirit?“. This was Toyah’s second “Personal File” for ‘Smash Hits’, the other was in early 1983 –  Read the issue here…

• Smash Hits, May 8 – 21, 1985: This issue includes the songwords for the single Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) – Read the issue here…

• Smash Hits, April 24 – May 7, 1985: This issue includes a full-page advert for the single Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) – Read the issue here…

Celebrating the forthcoming 30th anniversary of the release of Toyah’s debut solo album MINX. View a larger version of Dreamscape’s fan art by clicking on it and another image here.

Incredible but true. Don’t Fall in Love (I Said), Toyah’s first bona fide solo single, entered the UK singles chart exactly 30 years ago tomorrow! Written by Toyah and Simon Darlow, and backed by, if truth be told, the far superior, Snow Covers The Kiss, it was taken from the album Minx, which would go on to be released in late July of 1985. Don’t Fall in Love (I Said) – A great pop single that brings back memories of happy times.

• Visit the DFIL page at Toyah’s official website, view an iconic appearance by Toyah on Formel Eins, listen to/watch Toyah performing the song live in 2014 at You Tube, view the single’s chart info at The Official Charts Company, browse some of Dreamscape’s previous posts relating to the song, and view photos from that era at our Gallery.

2015 is the 30th anniversary of Minx. One of the best songs on Toyah’s 1985 album was America For Beginners. Steve Skaith of Latin Quarter, who wrote and originally recorded the song, is just about to release a new version of the song on the album Bare Bones. More info by clicking below.

Toyah @ Twitter today: “learning ALL IN A RAGE, DONT FALL IN LOVE and SOUL PASSING THRU SOUL 2day. talk about walk down memory lane”

It has now been confirmed that songs from Minx will be included in the Songs From The Intergalactic Ranch House Autumn tour, the first time anything from the 1985 album has ever been performed live by Toyah (though for some reason I thought that ‘Don’t Fall In Love’ had been played live at some point at a PA, I’m obviously mistaken or mis-remembering). Click below for the full tour dates schedule and links to buy tickets.

Could songs from Minx be played live this Autumn for the very first time? – An excerpt from the latest Breaking Through newsletter mentions the possibility: “The autumn live dates as previously reported will focus on the Safari catalogue with some resurrected rarities putting in an appearance. There’s also a chance that one or two (maybe even three!) selections from Minx may just make a live debut too. They will be tried in rehearsal so it’s all still to play for. It would be the first time ever they’ve been performed in a Toyah set list”.

Vote for your top albums of 1985 in the sixth Slicing Up Eyeballs poll. Toyah’s first solo, and post-Safari, album ‘Minx’ is included as an option. Voting closes on 26th July and the results will be announced at the beginning of August. Click below to participate in the poll. (Thanks to Paul Johnson) 

I’ve had a few great comments about the “imaginary” single cover for Snow Covers The Kiss (a wonderful song from 1985) so I thought I’d share the “ad” for it too. Please click to zoom.

• Portrait Records: A history of the label Toyah was signed to for around 18 months in the mid-1980s has just been updated at Wikipedia: In 1985, British singer Toyah released her album Minx on the Portrait label.

• Vents Magazine: Dutch pop-rockband Chabliz, who play adventurous alternative rock, popnoir and gothicjazz, cite Toyah as one of their musical influences in a new interview at ‘Vents Magazine’.

• The Changeling Resurrection: Lots of video footage of Toyah’s gig at The Tunnels Bristol last April has been added to You Tube over the last couple of days.

• Channel 4 News: Is Punk Back From The Dead? is now available to watch at You Tube. As a new book is published featuring the origins of punk music in the lower east side of New York, Katie Razzall looks at how Punk magazine changed life in Britain.

• FM: The epsiode of FM in which Toyah makes a, very, brief appearance, but is mentioned a lot, has recently been uploaded in full at You Tube. Series One, Episode Two – System Addict: The group try to stick to some new resolutions: Dom gives up booze, Jane gives up cigarettes, and Lindsay gives up giving up on girls. Featuring a performance by The Wombats, and guest appearance by Toyah Willcox.

• Back To The 80s: The Ultimate Megamix Of The Year: A 43-minute mix which includes ‘I Want To Be Free’ (or “Upside Down”) and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and numerous other great tunes from 1981.

• Absolute 80s Radio: ‘It’s A Mystery’ has just been played this afternoon on AR. Apparently the ‘I Want To Be Free’ video is also being shown a lot on Vintage TV at the moment. (Thanks Michael)

• The Visitors: No, not ABBA’s 1981 album… The hits to Dreamscape last night and this morning have went through the roof. Always great news when the site is busy, though this time a large chuck of the visitors have arrived after searching for “wagon’s den geordie shore charlotte” or similar!!