Listen to this important message from Toyah and then head over to Super Deluxe Edition to read about all about the new 2CD deluxe edition of In the Court of the Crimson Queen. Signed copies available!
Toyah to release In The Court Of The Crimson Queen new studio album in April
Toyah will release a revelatory and accomplished new studio reworking of her album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen on 12 April 2019. Written and arranged by Toyah Willcox and Simon Darlow, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen which has been newly recorded and mastered is released as a double CD package and digital. This release which further cements Toyah’s status as an iconic name of British rock and pop features five additional new tracks.
In The Court Of The Crimson Queen sees Toyah continuing to hold court with a set of beautifully crafted songs, thought provoking lyrics and a rally cry to forever living life out loud, proud and heard. The album’s 15 tracks explore life, love, empowerment and wonderment.
Several of the album’s songs have been previewed live in recent Toyah concert tours or featured on (now deleted) fan-only releases. Toyah and Simon Darlow have been developing new songs and perfecting this body of work which is now reimagined as a double album. In The Court Of The Crimson Queen presents a collection of finely honed songcraft, killer hooks and two lifetimes of performing, writing and producing music.
• Continue reading at Music News.
In The Court Of The Crimson Queen
2 Disc (Signed Booklet Edition)
Released: 12th April 2019 | Label: Edsel
This Exclusive Version contains a limited edition signed booklet. A re-imagining of Toyah’s 2008 album release, with four brand new songs: ‘Dance In The Hurricane’, ‘Telepathic Lover’, ‘Who Let The Beast Out’ and ‘Our Hearts Still Beat’. Toyah and producer/co-writer Simon Darlow (one-time member of the Buggles, co-writer of Grace Jones “Slave to the Rhythm”) have remixed and added instrumentation to all the existing songs. With a new running order across two CDs, all these mixes appear for the first time. This release features stunning new artwork across the digipak and the 24 page booklet.
• Click here to pre-order at Amazon. This signed edition is an Amazon Exclusive.
Be loud, be heard, be proud she said… Toyah tweeted earlier today: “Can’t wait to add DANCE IN THE HURRICANE to the set for the first time in April on the Scottish Tour. This new song opens the vinyl edition of CRIMSON QUEEN for @RSDUK #RSD” – Click here for tickets to Thunder In The Highlands. (Photos/Artwork © Official Toyah)
The MP3/Download/Digital version of the forthcoming release of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen is currently one of Amazon UK’s Top Pre-Orders…
In The Court Of The Crimson Queen was complimented in Super Deluxe Edition‘s Record Store Day 2019 Preview feature, published earlier today:
It’s that time of year again. Next month music fans will congregate in queues, early in the morning, outside of independent record shops, with their dog-eared lists in hand, hoping to secure one of the many special releases that are created for Record Store Day.
Other fans may stay at home and wander in to town later in the day to ‘see what’s left’, while some will do the early shift, only to rush home after making their purchases to get ’em up on eBay as quickly as possible! Hey, nobody said it was perfect, but this year’s selection looks the best in quite a while, so enjoy SDE’s preview of RSD ’19; our pick of the best of the special releases….
Toyah /
In The Court of the Crimson Queen
(Purple Vinyl)
Toyah‘s 2008 album is really rather good and with her songwriting partner and producer Simon Darlow she has remixed it and added new instrumentation to the songs. It also features a new track ‘Dance in the Hurricane.’
• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition.
The 12th annual Record Store Day Event takes place on the 13th April and we have announced our releases which are:
A re-imagining of Toyah’s 2008 album release, ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’. Toyah and producer/co-writer Simon Darlow have remixed and added instrumentation to all the songs. These mixes appear for the first time on vinyl, and this release will also have completely new artwork. Pressed on Translucent Purple 180g vinyl and limited to 1500 copies.
• Continue reading at Demon Music Group.
More news to come in the coming days…. #Toyah #CrimsonQueen
The Official Toyah LP Countdown concludes today with a special announcement about In The Court Of The Crimson Queen – great news on a limited edition vinyl album, with amazing new artwork and photos, to be released for RSD, Record Store Day 2019.
REIMAGINED CRIMSON QUEEN VINYL FOR RECORD STORE DAY
On Sat 13 April, Toyah will release a special re-imagining of In The Court OF The Crimson Queen on Demon Records for Record Store Day UK #RSD. The 11-track LP features brand new opening track Dance In The Hurricane and completely new artwork. Toyah and producer/co-writer Simon Darlow have remixed all tracks and added new instrumentation to all of the songs. These mixes appear for the first time on vinyl, pressed on Translucent Purple 180g Vinyl and limited to just 1500 copies!
• Further info, and larger versions of the new In The Court Of The Crimson Queen vinyl artwork photos, at the Official Toyah Instagram and Facebook pages. See also toyahwillcox.com.
It’s the penultimate day of the 40th Music Anniversary Official Toyah LP Countdown. Over the last few days there have been entries for Kiss Of Reality, Take The Leap!, Dreamchild, 90s Compilations, Velvet Lined Shell, We Are The Humans, This Fragile Moment, Sugar Rush and Strange Tales. Check in tomorrow for the final entrie(s)… See our previous posts about the countdown here and here. Click below to visit the Official Toyah Instagram.
A rare photo of Toyah with, German band, Kiss Of Reality was posted by Official Toyah at their current Toyah LP Countdown feature. Toyah collaborated with KOR in 1993 on an album that is one of a number of lesser-known treasures included in Toyah’s magnificent 40-year discography:
The Toyah LP Countdown touches 1993 and the third entry for a side project from the core albums released under the ‘Toyah’ artist name. The band Kiss Of Reality consisted of David Pittaway, Volker Rehn & Jörg Schwickerath. David had previously toured across the world with Robert Fripp and The League of Crafty Guitarists in the late 80s/early 90s.
Toyah asked German progressive rock trio Kiss Of Reality if she could write lyrics to some of their music and collaborate with them in 1992. After laying down some demos Toyah recorded six tracks for the album in early 1993. The CD was only released in Germany by M+D Records and is very sought after by fans. Toyah features on six of the eleven tracks, for which she also wrote lyrics…
• Continue reading at The Official Toyah Instagram. (Photo © David Pittaway)
It’s a double-whammy anniversary/birthday celebration today for two of Toyah’s legendary career landmarks! Sheep Farming in Barnet (the album rather than the AP) was released on this day in 1980, and Toyah played At The Rainbow on The College Tour this very evening in 1981…
The Official Toyah 40th Music Anniversary feature on social media continues with entries for Love Is The Law, Toyah Toyah Toyah – All The Hits, Mayhem, Minx, The Lady Or The Tiger, Desire, Prostitute, Ophelia’s Shadow, Kneeling At The Shrine… with more still to come. See our first post about the countdown here. Click below to visit the Official Toyah Instagram.
Toyah’s debut live release was the Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! album issued on Safari Records in November 1980.
Recorded at a concert on 17th June 1980 – on the Ieya UK Tour – at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton, the concert was also filmed by ATV as part of the documentary TOYAH, which aired in the UK in December of that year.
A single was also released from the album, Danced (Live), backed with Neon Womb (Live). This was Toyah’s sole live single release.
Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! was released on CD in 1990 by the Great Expectations label (along with coloured vinyl and cassette) and a new remastered reissue Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (Special Edition) CD was released in October 2006 on Cherry Red Records.
• See further info on Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! at Toyah’s Official Instagram and the album’s Wikipedia page.
It’s the 1981 Gallery! It’s Anthem, it’s I Want To Be Free, it’s Thunder In The Mountains, it’s At The Rainbow, it’s Good Morning Universe, it’s the College Tour, it’s The Old Grey Whistle Test, and yes… It’s A Mystery!
Following The Resurrection Tour (1979), Sheep Farming In Barnet Tour (1979) and Bird In Flight Tour (1980) Toyah again hit the road, for the fourth time in just 18 months, for the Ieya Tour in the Spring and early Summer of 1980. The tour promoted the new album The Blue Meaning.
The band line-up was Toyah (Vocals), Joel Bogen (Guitar), Charlie Francis (Bass Guitar), Steve Bray (Drums), Pete Bush (Keyboards).
The Ieya Tour began at Tiffany’s, Glasgow on 25th May and culminated at Wolverhampton’s Lafayette Club on 17th June. A gig that was filmed and recorded for inclusion in the ATV documentary TOYAH, and the related live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!
The tour was an eventful one, with tales of water-pistol fights, Toyah injuring her ankle at Ruffles, Aberdeen, and even fans helping build the stage for the date at Bristol’s Factory. The largest gig of the month-long tour was at The Lyceum, London.
Bird in Flight, Ieya, The Blue Meaning, Sugar & Spice, The Old Grey Whistle Test, The Ieya Tour, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!, ATV documentary… 1980 was a great Toyah year! Visit the 1980 Gallery by clicking below.
Toyah’s debut studio album, The Blue Meaning, was released in June 1980. There has always been a degree of confusion regarding this as Sheep Farming In Barnet was, obviously, released first but that album is a compilation. Not that these details matter as both albums are incredible, accomplished collections of recordings.
The Blue Meaning was recorded during April 1980 at Parkgate Studios in Battle, East Sussex and mixed at Marquee Studios, London: The band line-up was Toyah Willcox – Verbals & Unusual Sounds, Joel Bogen – Guitar, Pete Bush – Keyboards, Trumpet, Charlie Francis – Bass Guitar, Steve Bray – Drums. All songs were written by the Toyah band, and the album was produced by Steve James and Toyah. James also engineered and mixed the album with Perry Morgan as Assistant Engineer.
The album was released while the band travelled the UK on the Ieya Tour. Promotion for The Blue Meaning was “multi-media”, an idea that was a fairly new concept in 1980 but something Toyah was interested in and had mentioned previously in interviews.
Aside from the month-long UK tour there were television appearances by Toyah and the band – mostly regional – including Granada Reports in the North West, and Straight Talk in the Midlands. Press ads ran in most of the major music press and Toyah was interviewed by NME, Sounds, Zig Zag, Record Mirror, Time Out, Fab and Smash Hits. Some of these also reviewed the album.
An innovative and interesting aspect of the promotion for The Blue Meaning was a series of in-store appearances at various Woolworth stores, with Toyah meeting fans and signing the album and single(s).
The Blue Meaning was first released on CD in 1990 by the Great Expectations label, along with a cassette and coloured vinyl. There was also a 2CD set in 2002 by Safari Records (with bonus songs and new sleeve notes) which saw the album coupled with Sheep Farming In Barnet.
The Blue Meaning peaked at number 40 on the UK Album chart upon its release and in retrospect is viewed as a crucial part of Toyah’s mighty 40-year discography. A pop-punk-gothy mix of mayhem, magic and magnificent music. A classic!
• See further info on The Blue Meaning at Toyah’s Official Instagram and the album’s Wikipedia page.
A great new Official Toyah 40th Music Anniversary feature on social media, with entries so far for Sheep Farming in Barnet, The Blue Meaning, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!, Anthem, The Changeling, and Warrior Rock – Toyah On Tour… with lots more still to come!
