Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

Tonight’s London gig will open with, the wonderful, Angel & Me…

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 has a successful go at covering Martha & The Muffins classic. Released in 1987 this was off the album “Desire” and see’s her go for a more mainstream sound. Mike Hedges gives it enough weird synth sound and the vocal delivery is spot on. The track is remixed by English electro-dance duo, The Quick and it polishes up the original really well. B-side, “Plenty,” was written by Toyah even has a Motown feel to it with a horn section and a guitar solo, weird!

• Continue reading at My Vinyl Dreams.

This year is the 30th anniversary of the release of the Toyah & Fripp spoken word album collaboration The Lady Or The Tiger. Featuring two stories by Frank R Stockton, read by Toyah, accompanied by Robert Fripp’s guitar soundscapes (some call it “Frippertronics”). Watch Robert Fripp and the League of Crafty Guitarists on VH-1’s New Visions from 1988, with a mention for The Lady Or The Tiger included, by clicking below.

Songs from In The Court Of The Crimson Queen and Anthem will be included in the new musical Crime & Punishment. Toyah revealed further info on this in her most recent blog:

“Even though it hasn’t been officially announced yet I think it is safe to confirm that Simon Darlow and myself are over the moon that many of the songs from IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON QUEEN are about to be used in a theatre production of Dostoevsky’s CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, a steam punk version/rock musical of the novel which opens on the 30th August at the Scoop Theatre in London. It will run until the 25th Sept.

It is a free event, it is an open-air amphitheatre by the River Thames, but it will be on a first come, first served basis. It is going to be busy. They expect 40,000 people will see it as the event has been full to capacity in the past. It is part of the London Festival’s Russian Season.

Simon and I are writing three new songs for the piece. The writer/director Phil Willmott is also using some songs off ANTHEM.”

• Further info at toyahwillcox.com and freeopenairtheatre.org.

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.

35 years ago tonight Toyah kicked off a UK Tour at Derby in support of the album Anthem – Click below to view a larger version of the gig poster at The Official Toyah Facebook.

This week (and a bit of next) we are counting down to Toyah’s birthday by revisiting past birthday updates (as you do!).

May 2003 was an exciting month for Toyah fans. Not only did Toyah turn 45 but there was the not insignificant matter of the release of a brand new album. Toyah’s first all-new studio album in nine years and also of the new Millennium:

“Velvet Lined Shell (catalogue number VSR001) is released on Toyah’s own, newly formed, record label, Vertical Species. The CD artwork is dark and dramatic, similar to the actual music. Toyah has cited Mogwai, PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Marilyn Manson and Elbow (among others) as her influences while recording these new songs.”

• Revisit May 2003 here. Further info on Velvet Lined Shell at The Official Toyah Discography.

It’s only once every four years so it would be rude not to wish you a Happy (Take The) Leap! Day.

On this day – February 22 – in 1980, Toyah’s Sheep Farming in Barnet album was released. It began life as six-track EP (or AP – Alternate Play – as Safari Records called it), in August the previous year, but was expanded to full album status by Safari.

Two great photos of Toyah: 1. A highly rare photo from 1980 during The Blue Meaning era, which has just recently surfaced, and 2. A photo Toyah tweeted this evening as she prepared to attend Quadrophenia: The Immersive Experience 2016 at the Eventim Apollo – formerly the Hammersmith Odeon. (Thanks to Paul Lomas for photo 1 | Photo 2 © Toyah Willcox)

More festive stocking filler goodies courtesy of toyahwillcox.com – Download the booklet for the digital issue of Toyah’s 1988 album, Prostitute.

Another great stocking filler courtesy of toyahwillcox.com – Download the booklet for the digital issue of Toyah’s 1987 album, Desire – Gorgeous!!!

Another stocking filler courtesy of toyahwillcox.com – Download the booklet for the digital issue of Toyah’s 1991 album, Ophelia’s Shadow – It’s the album’s 25th Anniversary in 2016 too!

2015 was/is the 30th anniversary of the release of two, starkly different, Toyah albums: The big-budget, major label, studio album Minx, which Dreamscape celebrated/posted about sporadically this year; and the, final 80s release on indie label Safari, compilation album Mayhem (“A Special Collector’s Edition Album Of Rare and Archive Recordings”).

Mayhem was also released on expanded CD in 2005 and digitally in 2013. Somewhat ironically in this 30th anniversary year the “multi-media” warehouse which the album was named after, “Mayhem” in Battersea, London began to be demolished. Visit the album page at The Official Toyah Discography, and download the album/buy the CD by clicking on the Mayhem feature from Issue 17 of Dreamscape’s Toyah Fanzine.

In October 1983, Toyah’s album Love is The Law was released. It was issued on CD in 2005 and made available digitally for the first time ever in 2013 – thanks to toyahwillcox.com – to mark its 30th anniversary. The release was accompanied by a new digital booklet. You can now view/download the booklet at The Official Toyah website. Click on the original 1983 Japanese Love Is The Law press advert – colourised by Dreamscape – below to visit the album page.

• Browse Dreamscape’s recent Love Is The Law archive of posts here. View the related post at Instagram. The album is available to buy at iTunes and Amazon.

As has been posted about a fair bit recently… Toyah’s three quite different and, more than quite, brilliant albums: Desire – originally released in 1987, Prostitute – originally released in 1988, and Ophelia’s Shadow – originally released in 1991, were made available digitally, for the first time, earlier this month. There’s been a lot of related promotion…

Desire: Read Toyah’s Letter, first published in Tellurian One (Spring 1987); View info on Tenterhooks, Echo Beach (Acoustic) and Desirable; Visit the album page at toyahwillcox.com; Read a full transcript of Chris Limb’s 1987 interview with Toyah; Listen to the album at Spotify; Buy at Amazon or iTunes; Browse Dreamscape’s Desire news…

Prostitute: Read Toyah’s Letter (Summer 1988); Visit the album page at toyahwillcox.com; Read a reflection by Craig Astley; Listen to the album at Spotify; Buy at Amazon or iTunes; Browse Dreamscape’s Prostitute news…

Ophelia’s Shadow: Read Toyah’s Letter (Summer 1990); Visit the album page at toyahwillcox.com; Listen to the album at Spotify; Buy at Amazon or iTunes; Browse Dreamscape’s Ophelia’s Shadow news… 

Explore Toyah’s Instagram for rarities related to all three albums (Thanks to Breaking Through).

Desire, Toyah’s second solo album, originally released in 1987 was issued digitally at the beginning of October.

As well as a new digital booklet to accompany the release a plethora of Desire-related extras have been made available by toyahwillcox.com to complement the album.

TENTERHOOKS | AN AUDIO SLEEVENOTE To accompany the recent digital release of Toyah’s 1987 album Desire comes an exclusive audio sleevenote. (Concept: Craig Astley | Execution: Chris Limb | Based on an original Toyah interview conducted and recorded by Chris Limb in London, 1987).

ECHO BEACH [ACOUSTIC] A previously unreleased and unavailable acoustic take on Echo Beach. Recorded live in 2014.

DESIRABLE EP compiling Echo Beach & Moonlight Dancing B-Sides in new sonically refreshed transfers. Tracklist: 1. Echo Beach (Surf Mix); 2. Plenty; 3. Sun Up; 4. Re-Entry Into Dance.

• Click on each of the covers below to download/stream the Desire goodies. (Thanks to Breaking Through)

More great news! Prostitute is currently in the Top 100 Alternative Chart at iTunes.

Desire has already charted earlier this week in the iTunes Rock Top 100, as well as at Amazon.

• Click for Desire, Prostitute and Ophelia’s Shadow at Amazon.

Desire | Prostitute | Ophelia’s Shadow | Digital releases available now.

Great news! Desire was placing at number 59 on the iTunes Rock Chart today. The album was released digitally on Friday, along with Prostitute and Ophelia’s Shadow.

These three albums are currently Toyah’s biggest sellers at iTunes. See the news posts below for further info on the releases, plus links to iTunes and more details at toyahwillcox.com.

**Update** Desire has also charted at Amazon.