Toyah’s ‘The Changeling’ places at #100 in the Slicing Up Eyeballs Top 100 Albums Of 1982 poll, published today. This is the third consecutive appearance for Toyah albums; ‘Sheep Farming in Barnet’ was at #92 in the 1980 poll and ‘Anthem’ at #65 in the 1981 poll. I’m sure most of us are of the opinion that these great albums should be much higher but it’s good to see them being included. Voting in the 1983 poll opens next week.
Praying to the silent man…
‘Rebel Run’, released in September 1983, was Toyah’s 13th single in the UK. It’s fitting that the song is celebrating it’s 30th anniversary in 2013.
This was one of only two singles to be released by Toyah in 1983 and was the debut from the album ‘Love Is The Law’. It was written by Toyah and Simon Darlow and reached number 24 in the UK Top 40.
Toyah made a memorable video for the single and promoted it with numerous appearances and interviews on shows including TVAM’s Summer Run, Hold Tight, The Saturday Show, Saturday Superstore, and German TV show Jugendabend. The video was also played on Top Of The Pops.
Toyah said of the imagery: “This is the Rebel Run look. I was into armour. A friend, Simon, made a bronze headdress based on the skeletal structure of American football players.”
• Download ‘Rebel Run’ at iTunes, view the promo video, and the airing on Top Of The Pops. Watch Toyah perform the single on Hold Tight and Saturday Superstore. Listen to the song live at Hammersmith Odeon on the ‘Rebel Run’ Tour in December 1983. Andromeda Rising covered the song in 2005. Listen to their version here.
• Heaven Is An Incubator: Found Vinyl: Toyah – Love Is The Law: Up first is the 1983 album “Love Is the Law,” from English performer Toyah. Look at that album cover. Seriously, look at it. It’s got a bunch of fencers and a girl that looks like an extra from the 80’s movie “Solarbabies.”
• Weston, Worle & Somerset Mercury 24: Toyah Willcox causes mayhem in Hormonal Housewives: Toyah Willcox and Julie Coombe are back on stage causing mayhem as the irrepressible Hormonal Housewives.
• Justin Moorhouse: Toyah’s recent interview, which aired on BBC Radio Manchester, is now available to listen to at Audio Boo.
• Staffs Live: Hormonal Housewives returning to Lichfield: The Hormonal Housewives are returning to the Lichfield Garrick. Their new show, starring Toyah Willcox alongside Julie Coombe, will take a look at what really makes the modern housewife tick.
The 2013 edition of Toyah’s most recent studio album, In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, is available to buy online from Burning Shed. Originally released in September 2008, the new version includes an extra song, ’21st Century Supersister’, revised cover art and changes to the images included in the CD booklet. Click below to buy.
The last remaining stock of The Changeling Resurrection II Tour t-shirts are also now on sale online from the Toyah shop at Burning Shed alongside some Sugar Rush/The Humans t-shirts. These limited edition t-shirts will not be re-printed and are all signed by Toyah too. Copies of The Humans album Sugar Rush and the collaboration album This Fragile Moment is also available at the Burning Shed Toyah store.
A selection of rare photos, none of which were subsequently used, from the ‘Anthem’ album photo sessions in early 1981. These great shots were taken by photographer Jay Myrdal. Click below to view larger versions. (Thanks to Andi | All photos © Jay Myrdal)
Vote for your top albums of 1982 in the third Slicing Up Eyeballs poll. ‘The Changeling’ is included as an option. Voting closes on 26th April and the results will be announced at the beginning of May. Click below to participate in the poll.
The results of the Slicing Up Eyeballs‘ 1981 Albums Poll was announced at the beginning of the month – ‘Anthem’ placed at number 65!! Click below to view the Top 100.
Happy Easter! It’s the end of March, and by this time in 1983 Trafford Tanzi was in residence at The Mermaid Theatre in London with Toyah in the lead role. She was also just about to start recording the album ‘Love Is The Law’. Dreamscape is Remembering 1983 all this year… here is the full set of LITL imaginary singles. Please click below to zoom.
A short teaser of Weekend Guitar Trio’s forthcoming live album with Toyah Willcox and Jan Bang. Recorded at Kings Place, London on 26 February 2011.
1. Let’s Make A Bomb
2. Don’t Even Try
3. Break The Mould
4. Toyah Bang
5. How A Group Is Born
6. Boredom Is A Killer
Toyah co-wrote all six of the songs. Listen to the preview at You Tube or Soundcloud.
In the Court of the Crimson Queen was Toyah’s fifteenth solo studio album
Originally released in 2008, the album title (referencing King Crimson’s debut album) was suggested by producer/co-author Simon Darlow and was endorsed by Crimso head honcho (and Toyah’s husband) Robert Fripp. “At last my husband’s done something for my career!” Toyah commented.
A powerful Bowie-esque Art Rock statement, the album was New York Good Times ‘Album Of The Year’.
This is the 2013 reissue with bonus track, 21st Century Supersister. Preorder now for 1st April shipping date
1. Sensational, 2. Latex Messiah (Viva La Rebel In You), 3. Heal Ourselves, 4. Lesser God, 5. Angel In You, 6. Love Crazy, 7. Bad Man, 8. Hyperventilate, 9. Come, 10. Legacy. Bonus Track: 11. 21st Century Supersister
Toyah: Lead Vocals, Simon Darlow: Instruments, Backing Vocals, Production, Mix. Arranged and written by Toyah/Darlow. (Thanks to Brian Marsh)
There’s just two days to go until voting in the Slicing Up Eyeballs Best Albums Of 1981 poll closes. If you haven’t already voted please visit and add your voice to the sound of the crowd… (PS. Toyah’s 1981 masterpiece ‘Anthem’ is included as a choice)
The second poll of Slicing Up Eyeballs’ Best of the ’80s albums is now open: Part 2: Vote for your top albums of 1981. There are 125 albums to choose from, and this time a Toyah album is included: ‘Anthem’ of course.
Slicing Up Eyeballs say: Our year-long Best of the ’80s feature continues this month as we turn to 1981, and once again ask Slicing Up Eyeballs’ readers to weigh in on their favorite albums of that year in our ongoing quest to rank the releases of each year of the decade over the course of 2013, concluding, come December, with a poll to determine the best of the ’80s.
It’s a simple process: We’ve assembled a list of 125 albums released in 1981, and you’re welcome to vote for up to 10 of them — or write in any title(s) you wish that we didn’t include.
Voting will be open through 5 p.m. EDT March 22, and results will be posted the first week of April — at which time we’ll launch the 1982 poll and take it from there.
The revised cover art for the 2013 reprint of Toyah’s ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’ album. The Official Toyah website will be announcing details on how to order the CD soon.
As the label on the cover of the re-print of ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’, included in the first Breaking Through newsletter a couple of weeks ago, suggested ‘Sensational’ by Toyah is played (not performed) in Hormonal Housewives.
The tour continues tonight at Southport Theatre and tomorrow at the Victoria Theatre, Halifax.
Great news! ‘Sheep Farming in Barnet’ is included in Slicing Up Eyeballs‘ Top 100 Albums Of 1980 poll, announced online yesterday. The respected and influential music website – named after a lyric in the song ‘Debaser’ by the amazing PIXIES – is running a year-long “Best of the 80s” feature – an ambitious, year-by-year poll to determine just what were the best albums of each year of the 1980s.
‘Sheep Farming in Barnet’ places at #92 and is in the company of some truly incredible albums. Slicing Up Eyeballs’ poll for 1981 opens next week – Surely ‘Anthem’, with some support from Toyah’s online fans, will also figure?
• Coincidentally, I put together a ‘Sheep Farming in Barnet’ image earlier this week before I knew about the Slicing Up Eyeballs poll, Click above to view a larger version.
The album art and tracklist for the forthcoming Weekend Guitar Trio/Toyah/Jan Bang CD ‘Live At Kings Place’ was revealed yesterday by toyahwillcox.com. The six-track album is due to be released in April 2013.
The album tracklist is: 1. Let’s Make A Bomb, 2. Don’t Even Try, 3. Break The Mould, 4. Toyah Bang, 5. How A Group Is Born, 6. Boredom Is A Killer.
All six tracks feature writing credits for Toyah.
• Visit Weekend Guitar Trio’s website and Facebook page to stay updated.
Over a decade ago Dreamscape reported that Toyah was regularly appearing in Eastenders.
Eagle-eyed viewers of one of Britain’s favourite (and most depressing!) soaps spotted the classic Quadrophenia poster showing up regularly onscreen on Billy Mitchell’s wall.
In January 2012 Damon King sent us photos of the Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (K-Tel) album he had spotted on one of the market stalls and now, the ultimate… one of the greatest live albums… Warrior Rock hits Elstree/Walford!!! Click on the photos to zoom. (Thanks again to Damon and also to Larwi)
There will be a series of live dates this autumn to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the album Love Is The Law. Last year there was a voting element to the autumn tour. For the moment whilst the tour is in planning stages toyahwillcox.com wonder which songs you are most wanting to hear on this autumn tour from the period in question. There’s a rare wild card bonus track too. Take part in the survey and select the two songs you want to hear the most. After that it’s up to Toyah and the band to see what works best. Vote online by clicking below.
• View a larger version of the Dreamscape LITL creation above here.
Another report on the recent news about Simon Darlow. This one from Record Of The Day.
The article mentions Toyah, ‘Sensational’, and ‘In The Court Of The Crimson Queen’: You can currently hear Simon’s music on every X Factor show and the Weight Watchers TV advert with Patsy Kensit featuring ‘Sensational’ from his recent album with Toyah Willcox, ‘In the Court of the Crimson Queen’.
• Read other reports on Simon being named Chairman of U.K. Rights Org BASCA at Billboard and Complete Music Update.
Another two “new” Tom Leon Toyah tracks/mixes were uploaded to house-mixes.com over the weekend: Pop Star – A Dream Within A Dream (Tom Leon Full Vocal Ultra Long Version 2013), and mARTian cowBOY (Tom Leon Extended Version 2013).
As with Tom’s other mixes, these are unofficial and for “private and promotional use only”. Great use of Andrew’s Toyah art too ;)
• View all of our news posts on Tom Leon and his Toyah remixes here (I’ve updated the links and all are now working again). Visit Tom’s Official Website.
A third remix of a classic Toyah song, this time ‘Jungles of Jupiter’ from Anthem, has been made available by Tom Leon.
First it was “Awake’n Dreams: Alan Parsons Project vs Toyah Willcox” (using ‘Pop Star’), then “Let Me Go (Here It Comes Again 2012 Remix)”, and now TOM LEON brings us “Jungles Of Jupiter (Tom Leon and Toyah: Sad Android Extended Version)”.
Completely unofficial and, as with Tom’s previous mixes for “private and promotional use only”, it’s interesting to hear Toyah’s songs being experimented with. Not everyone will approve, as these are of course regarded as classics, but Tom doesn’t do anything too drastic with them!
The track is also included on the album ‘Quantam Sequences 2013’
• Listen to ‘Jungles Of Jupiter (Tom Leon and Toyah: Sad Android Extended Version)’ here. View more details about Tom’s album here.
• View info on the previous Toyah remixes by Tom Leon in our past news posts.
