Dreamscape – Toyah Willcox Fansite

Christmas 2016, and BBC Four aired a repeat Top Of The Pops, which was originally broadcast in October 1982 on BBC1, which included Toyah’s studio performance of the single, Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard). This website described Toyah’s performance/appearance as “iconic, classic and utterly unforgettable“.

While the retro TOTP aired, BBC Four also tweeted: “In 1982, Toyah was so famous, she even had a lion-tailed macaque named after her on Animal Magic, and appeared on the show to meet it“.

Carol Decker’s 30 Rock Chicks!: NOW 80s: Monday 5th December: 11pm
T’Pau’s Carol Decker brings a bit of Heart and Soul to a countdown of ’80s ladies who like to rock! With Joan Jett, Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar. (as well as Toyah via the Thunder In The Mountains video)

Favourite Singers With Nick Heyward: NOW 80s: Tuesday 6th December: 4pm
Mr Favourite Shirts is back on NOW 80s – this time he selects his Favourite Singers! Including some who influenced him the most such as David Byrne & XTC’s Andy Partridge.

Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Friday 9th December: 5.30am
Toyah Willcox. (Series 7, Episode 6) An insight into the making of videos by Toyah Willcox, whose hits included It’s A Mystery, Thunder in the Mountains and I Want To Be Free.

Newly remixed & remastered… Race Through Space [Live At The Rainbow] is out digitally this Friday, 4th November. Pre-save the track here.

The track is a preview of the forthcoming 2LP Vinyl and CD+DVD editions of Toyah Live At The Rainbow released 25th November on Cherry Red Records. Pre-order 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.

Earlier this year Barefoot On Mars, from the album Posh Pop, hit number one on The Heritage Chart. Following that, the single, Slave To The Rhythm, from the forthcoming ‘Rhythm Deluxe’ edition of In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, was also a Top 10 hit on The Heritage Chart, peaking at number eight in early October. Click below to see that chart. (Image © Toyah Willcox)

Toyah Thunder Mountain is a unique, official collection of 500 incredible illustrations as NFTs. Now available to purchase with Crypto currency. A collaboration with Chalkstar NFT.

• Click below for further info and a helpful how-to guide.

Who Won Wot? 1980 – 1989: NOW 80s: Friday 16th September: 12pm
From Smash Hits “Most Unwanted Person of 1980” to the Brits “Best Group” of 1989 – Mark Goodier’s 10 hour marathon of 80s award winners lasts nearly as long as the Oscars. (The first artist played from 1981 is Toyah, with the Thunder In The Mountains video. Mark said: “We begin 1981 with a 4ft 11 pop star who had the biggest hair of the entire decade, here’s the Most Fanciable (as voted by Smash Hits magazine readers) Toyah Willcox with Thunder In The Mountains“).

Toyah and, Anthem – and many other Toyah releases during the Safari Records years – producer, Nick Tauber are interviewed in The Guardian today, discussing It’s A Mystery, from the Four From Toyah EP and the, just reissued in deluxe formats, iconic/legendary/magnificent 1981 album, Anthem.

Toyah on It’s a Mystery: ‘I told Princess Margaret I was a punk rocker. She said “How ridiculous”’

‘There was a vinyl shortage when it was released. Old records had to be sent to the factory to be melted down and pressed. But soon it was selling 75,000 copies a day’

I was a cult punk singer playing sweaty little clubs and getting covered in so much gob that dry cleaners would go: “Yeuch! We’re not touching that!” Then a brilliant PR woman called Judy Totton turned everything around. She put me in every parish magazine in the country that would talk to me. I soon had all these fans who said they discovered me because their parents or grandparents had told them about this punk rocker.

I was making singles that were eight minutes long with reams of lyrics and had never had a hit. When Safari Records played my 1980 single Ieya on rotation in their office, a man apparently appeared at their door with a knife and said: “If you play that song again, I’ll kill you!” I started working with a new producer, Nick Tauber, who said I needed to simplify the message. He was completely right.

• Continue reading at The Guardian.

This Tuesday’s Anthem Countdown gifted a vintage live performance of Danced with the Anthem band from a concert in Ulster which was broadcast on BBC Northern Ireland in 1981. A version of Danced from Paris Theatre, London can be heard on CD2 of the 2CD+DVD edition of Anthem.

Cover Of The Week – Graceful Toyah And Her Rhythm Slaves

Toyah and Robert Fripp do not need an introduction whatsoever anymore, if you ask me (also if you don’t ask me). Both had/have notable successful careers and both together have their Sunday lunch on YouTube, every week for more than two years now.

About 2 months ago the lovebirds picked Grace Jones‘s giant 1985 hit Slave to the Rhythm to entertain us with it on the laziest day of the week.

Recently T & R recorded their cover of that soulful pearl, fully orchestrated, as a new Toyah single, and shared an accompanying video so you can join sexy Toyah for a little dance to this sensuous interpretation with her seductive posh pop voice as the star in the middle and the trippy guitars of King Robert and Simon Darlow on the sides, left and right. They’re rhythm slaves to Toyah.

• Continue reading at Turn Up The Volume.

The new single from Toyah, Slave To The Rhythm,  is out to download and stream now, and here is the video featuring Toyah, Simon Darlow and Robert Fripp.

Toyah unveils studio cover of Grace Jones’ ‘Slave To The Rhythm’

Toyah has released a cover of Grace Jones’ classic hit Slave To The Rhythm.

Having performed the track with husband Robert Fripp and songwriter Simon Darlow as part of ‘Toyah and Robert’s Sunday Lunch’, the punk icon has recorded a studio version. In a blog post on her website, the hitmaker explained: “Fripp, Simon Darlow and I have been in the studio putting down the main parts of my June single release Slave To The Rhythm”.

• Continue reading at Retropop.

Toyah’s new single Slave To The Rhythm feat. Robert Fripp is out now to stream/download.

A very rare performance of I Want To Be Free for last week’s Toyah Tuesday/Anthem Deluxe countdown. NB. Go here for a preview of the upcoming Toyah Tuesday premiere.

It’s Tuesday, and that means Official Toyah continue the countdown to the Remastered and Expanded editions of Toyah’s Gold-selling album Anthem – released by @Cherry Red Records on 9 September. Pre-order Gold coloured Vinyl, 2CD+DVD or Super Deluxe Box Set now at Cherry Red.

Next up, it’s a very rare performance of the iconic I Want To Be Free. So rare in fact you may never have seen Toyah in this particular outfit.

It’s Tuesday, and that means Official Toyah continues the countdown to the Remastered and Expanded editions of Toyah’s Gold-selling album Anthem – released by Cherry Red Records on 9th September.

Next up, it’s a preview of the BBC Something Else performance of Thunder In The Mountains. Recorded in Aberdeen, the performance is completely live and features Toyah on vocals alongside Joel Bogen on guitar, Adrian Lee on keyboards, Phil Spalding on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums. The full song features on the DVD inside the 2CD+DVD and Super Deluxe Edition.

Video Killed The Radio Star: Sky Arts: Thursday 7th July: 11.30am
Toyah Willcox. (Series 7, Episode 6) An insight into the making of videos by Toyah Willcox, whose hits included It’s A Mystery, Thunder in the Mountains and I Want To Be Free.

40 years ago this very week Toyah was filming the video that would accompany the release of the 1982 single, Brave New World.

In Monday’s repeat of Video Killed The Radio Star on Sky Arts, Toyah recalled filming the sea and beach scenes on 9th April 1982, as well as riding the horse for scenes filmed in London.

Brave New World was directed by David Mallet and the beach scenes were filmed in Hastings and took place incredibly early in the morning, Another location was Battersea Power Station in London later on the same day. There was also studio filming.

The song was written by Toyah and Joel Bogen and produced by Steve Lillywhite. The single was released in May 1982, the only one to be taken from the album The Changeling, and certainly had an effect on me at the time. I still remember the day I bought the single, being mesmerised by the sleeve, and Toyah’s, still stunning, imagery. I loved Brave New World then and still do now. As with Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard), it’s message and lyrics are just as relevant today. It transcends time.

This past weekend Toyah revisited her 1985 album, Minx, by exploring the second single released from it, Soul Passing Through Soul, in Toyah At Home. Here’s a bit of SPTS fan art I put together a few years ago… (While on the subject of Minx – Space Between The Sounds is still one of my favourite Toyah songs. Yup, it’s over-the-top but bloody brilliant!!)