Dreamscape | The Toyah Willcox Fansite

A comprehensive review of Sheep Farming In Barnet, by Spectrum Culture. The album was released on 140g black vinyl on 16th June.

Toyah: Sheep Farming in Barnet

Toyah Willcox is much beloved in the UK as a broadcaster/national treasure, a standing which has only been reinforced by her YouTube videos with husband Robert Fripp. Back in the early ‘80s, she and her self-titled band were genuine pop stars too, scoring three Top 10 singles, plus another 10 or so that charted. And yet, though she’s been famous for the past 40 years and has never gone away, her music isn’t much considered compared to many of her post-punk/new wave/new romantic peers. By the time the Toyah’s debut, Sheep Farming in Barnet – initially an EP, and then extended into an album for its European release – came out in 1979, Willcox was already a familiar face and well-known personality on the punk scene and had appeared in a high-profile acting role in Derek Jarman’s 1978 film Jubilee, so there was an element of skepticism in the critical response to the album. But like Jubilee itself, Sheep Farming… is definitively an artifact of its time, and as interesting as it is typical.

The sound of Toyah in 1979 was definitely new wave, but it was a colorful, flamboyant and theatrical new wave, rather than the chilly, bleak and wiry post-punk of peers like the Cure or Wire. At times – also typical of the period – there’s a noticeable Roxy Music and Bowie influence and the band (Toyah, plus guitarist Joel Bogen, Peter Bush and Keith Hale on synths, bass player Mark Henry and drummer Steve Bray – were accomplished enough musicians to stray far outside of the standard three-chord punk template for the majority of the album’s tracks.

• Continue reading at Spectrum Culture. Browse Dreamscape’s Sheep farming In Barnet news archive.

The Changeling Toyah At Home announcement on Saturday 1 July

You’ll want to be “sitting comfortably” when you tune in to Toyah At Home at 11am on Saturday 1 July 2023.

It’s a special episode as Toyah will be announcing details of the much-anticipated reissue of the classic 1982 album “The Changeling” on Cherry Red Records. The Changeling can be pre-ordered from 10am on Monday 3 July 2023.

For collectors it’s worth marking your calendar now to secure limited edition exclusives from Cherry Red’s webshop!

• Continue reading at toyahwillcox.com. (Image © Toyah Willcox/Cherry Red)

This is incredibly exciting… New visuals and audio from Brave New World/The Changeling… one of the most iconic songs/albums of modern music, with visuals that still look ahead of time, some 41 years later!

See footage/Listen to unheard audio by clicking below – Watch Toyah announce the reissue this Saturday on Toyah At Home at You Tube and/or Facebook.

A specially filmed acoustic performance of the song Computer from the album Sheep Farming In Barnet, to celebrate its 2020 remaster being released on black vinyl last Friday. Order now at Cherry Red.

There’s new songs every Saturday morning uploaded to the Toyah channel in the 11am Toyah At Home slot. Remember to catch a new monthly Toyah At Home special at 11am on the first Saturday of each month.

Live At Drury Lane, the sixth album of Cherry Red’s Toyah reissue schedule, entered numerous album charts, compiled by Official Charts, on Friday 19th May.

Album Sales at #9. At #5 in the Independent chart. At #9 in the Physical chart. At #11 in the Scottish Album chart. At #11 in the Vinyl chart. At #38 in the Record Store chart.

Great Official Charts stats for yet another Toyah release.

A special edit of vintage performance clips of the song Blue Meanings from the album The Blue Meaning, released on LP vinyl and 2CD+DVD by Cherry Red.

There’s new songs every Saturday morning uploaded to the Toyah channel in the 11am Toyah At Home slot. Remember to catch a new monthly Toyah At Home special at 11am on the first Saturday of each month.

A specially filmed acoustic performance of the song Obsolete from the album Anthem.

There’s new songs every Saturday morning uploaded to the Toyah channel in the 11am Toyah At Home slot. Remember to catch a new monthly Toyah At Home special at 11am on the first Saturday of each month.

A vintage concert performance of the song We Are live at Drury Lane, filmed in 1981. This track is from the forthcoming live 2LP and CD+DVD “Live At Drury Lane”, released on 12 May by Cherry Red.

There’s new songs every Saturday morning uploaded to the Toyah channel in the 11am Toyah At Home slot. Remember to catch a new monthly Toyah At Home special at 11am on the first Saturday of each month.

A new taster of the remastered Toyah Live At Drury Lane is out now… the mighty “We Are”!

• Stream/download now by clicking below. Pre-order LADL on CD+DVD or 2LP vinyl at Cherry Red.

A vintage television clip of the song “Jungles Of Jupiter” live at Drury Lane, filmed in 1981. This track is from the forthcoming live 2LP and CD+DVD “Live At Drury Lane”, released on 12 May by Cherry Red.

There’s new songs every Saturday morning uploaded to the Toyah channel in the 11am Toyah At Home slot. Remember to catch a new monthly Toyah At Home special at 11am on the first Saturday of each month.

Toyah’s debut album Sheep Farming In Barnet is now available to pre-order on black vinyl in its 2020 remaster, out 16 June. Pre-order from from Cherry Red by clicking below.

Released digitally this Friday (14 April), the first taster of the newly remastered Live At Drury Lane live album. Catch Jungles Of Jupiter on streaming and digital download, ahead of the 12 May release of the full legendary Christmas Eve ‘81 concert.

Meanwhile pre-order the live album on CD+DVD or 2LP vinyl at Cherry Red by clicking below.

A vintage television clip of the song “Danced”, filmed in 1979., from the album Sheep Farming In Barnet.

There’s new songs every Saturday morning uploaded to the Toyah channel in the 11am ‘Toyah At Home’ slot. Remember to catch a new monthly Toyah At Home special at 11am on the first Saturday of each month.

Toyah’s album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen | Rhythm Deluxe Edition is out now to stream, download or buy on CD or translucent 2LP red vinyl. Order here.

Toyah celebrated the song Dance In The Hurricane in Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch, which premiered yesterday at You Tube and Facebook.  (Photos © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah’s message – and unboxing – for the Rhythm Deluxe Edition of the Crimson Queen album, out Friday 10th February on Demon Music on 2LP red vinyl and CD and featuring Robert Fripp on 4 tracks including Slave To The Rhythm. Pre-order the album. Click below to watch Toyah’s CQ message.

Latex Messiah (Posh Redux) featuring Robert Fripp was released today digitally. Taken from the upcoming Deluxe Edition of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, which is released – on CD and translucent red double vinyl – on 10th February.

Toyah introduces the new version on Toyah At Home tomorrow at 11am. Latex Messiah gets some utterly eyepopping new Latex visuals courtesy of Toyah & Robert in this week’s Sunday Lunch! Airing at midday on Sunday (15th January).

• Stream or download Latex Messiah by clicking below.

Phil Marriott spoke with Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler about his time with Toyah in 1981, a hugely successful time for Toyah and her band, during which they released the No.2 album Anthem and hits such as ‘It’s A Mystery’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’.

Coming this Friday! Toyah’s new digital single Sensational (Posh Redux) featuring Robert Fripp.

Produced by Simon Darlow, the single is a follow-up to Slave To The Rhythm and previews the forthcoming Rhythm Deluxe Edition of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen.

Following Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (May 2022, #72) and Anthem (September 2022, #33), Toyah secures a third Top 100 album in 2022 on The Official Charts today, with Live At The Rainbow entering at #100. Not only that, though, Live At The Rainbow places very well in various other Official Chart album countdowns today.

Album Chart #100
Independent Chart #7
Sales Chart #24
Physical Chart #22
Scottish Chart #34

Live At The Rainbow also charted at #36 in the Official Chart Album Update (aka Midweeks) earlier this week.

• Chart Stats: Toyah has now had seven albums on the Official Charts in the past four consecutive years: In The Court Of The Crimson Queen (2019) #74, Sheep Farming In Barnet (2020) #99, The Blue Meaning (2021) #59, Posh Pop (2021) #22, Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! (2022) #72, Anthem (2022) #33, Live At The Rainbow (2022) #100.

NB. As well as those album stats, the two box sets, Toyah Solo (March 2020), and The Humans: Noise In Your Head (July 2020), both entered a number of the Official Charts, including Sales and Independent.

• More Toyah Chart News: Browse Dreamscape’s Official Charts archive…  Download/Stream or buy the vinyl or CD/DVD of Live At The Rainbow.

Four More From Toyah is reissued on Special Neon Violet Vinyl by Cherry Red Records on Friday 9th December 2022.

PRE-ORDER NOW

Limited quantity of limited edition postcard available from Cherry Red Records whilst stocks last. (NB. These sold out almost immediately)

The release expands the 1981 EP ‘Four More From Toyah’ into an eight- track mini-LP, compiled by Craig Astley and newly remastered from the original master tapes.
Originally released in late November 1981 and lead by the track ‘Good Morning Universe’, the EP was the fourth top 20 charting single for the band in that year, following the ‘Four From Toyah’ EP (lead by ‘It’s A Mystery’), ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’.

The EP was the first material to be studio-recorded since the departure of drummer Nigel Glockler who was replaced by Simon Phillips. This EP contains eight tracks recorded by the line- up of Toyah Willcox (vocals), Joel Bogen (guitarist, co-writer and co-founder of the Toyah band), Adrian Lee (keyboards), Phil Spalding (bass) and the newly recruited Simon Phillips (drums).

Side A contains all four of the tracks from the original EP.

Side B opens with the previously unreleased, studio recorded tour intro track ‘Go Berserk’, including new vocals and snatches of lyrics from ‘Neon Womb’ and ‘Urban Tribesmen’ plus new dialogue that leads to a chilling crescendo. ‘Go Berserk’ was played before the band walked on stage on the European Tour of winter 1981. It is swiftly followed by the newly remastered ‘Stand Proud’ which often featured as the first song played live (directly after Go Berserk had finished). The track originally appeared on a flexi-disc with initial copies of the ‘Four More From Toyah’ EP.

The third track is ‘Clapham Junction’, an out-take that began in the session for the single ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, was finished with new drum parts from Simon Phillips and vocals/ lyrics from Toyah.

The final track is the last session recorded by this line-up and hails from February 1982. This previously unreleased re-recording of the hit single ‘I Want To Be Free’ was produced by Steve Lillywhite in the Roundhouse Studios and went on to be used as the basis of the band’s television performance on the British Rock & Pop Awards when Toyah was awarded Best Female Singer in early 1982. This track has not previously been released.

All eight tracks are remastered by Nick Watson at Fluid Mastering and approved by Joel Bogen. The sleeve contains an out-take of the EP photography from the Safari archives plus full lyrics on a newly designed inner bag. Initial quantities come with an exclusive postcard.

• Pre-Order Four More From Toyah on Neon Violet Vinyl at Cherry Red (The limited edition with postcard sold out almost immediately!). Read the press release – and see the full tracklist, which includes two previously unreleases tracks – at toyahwillcox.com.

Following last year’s Brave New World bauble, here’s new Anthem and Thunder In The Mountains inspired baubles for Christmas 2022.