The Lee Mack Show: BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Tuesday 1st August: 10.30pm
Toyah Willcox. Series 1, episode 6. Comedy sketches and music, with regulars Angela McHale and Steve Brown and guest Toyah Willcox. First aired in 2005.
(This show includes Toyah performing a stonkingly good version of Sweet Child O’ Mine).
Beyond Awesome! It’s a summer of The Changeling – recalling a similar summer back in 1982, but bringing one of Toyah’s most iconic eras, and studio albums, bang up to date. The remastered and expanded album is reissued on three wonderful formats at the end of Summer 2023 – on 29th September.
• See all editions and comprehensive contents by clicking below. Pre-order The Changeling, on 2CD+DVD, neon pink 12″ vinyl LP, Super Deluxe Limited box set, at Cherry Red.
Premiering 6pm on Tuesday 18 July, this exclusive interview excerpt (from the DVD of the 2CD+DVD) sees Toyah reflecting on the experience of making The Changeling, and using digital recording equipment for the first time. (Image © Cherry Red/Toyah Willcox)
Official Toyah are getting set for a summer of music and a trip back to 1982 with The Changeling Resurrection. Each Tuesday they’re counting down to the remastered, deluxe releases of Toyah’s classic 1982 album The Changeling, released 29 September on Cherry Red.
Today’s Saturday Song is a vintage 1982 performance of the classic single Brave New World, live in Germany. Check back on Tuesdays and Saturdays here and across Toyah’s socials for more Changeling-themed surprises.
• Pre-order The Changeling Super Deluxe Box Set & other formats.
Britain’s Favourite 80s Songs: Channel 5: Friday 28th July: 10pm
1988. Series 1, episode 9. Jenny Powell narrates this look back at 1988, when Bros, Belinda Carlisle and Bomb the Bass were riding high in the charts, and Kylie Minogue went from soap icon to pop star. Toyah Willcox, Paul Gambaccini, Cheryl Baker and Sam Fox add their thoughts on the year when Fairground Attraction had a Perfect hit, the Hollies were back in the charts, and Yazz and the Plastic Population breathed new life into 1980 song The Only Way Is Up.
Dreamscape celebrated the 30th Anniversary of The Changeling, in 2012, with a website!
The Official Charts website has had a major revamp/makeover recently. You can now browse Toyah’s chart history across numerous charts, rather than just the previously available Singles and Albums. Almost every album, box set and vinyl Toyah release over the past six years has entered numerous charts compiled by Official Charts. See all of these as well as Toyah’s “classic” chart entries by clicking below.
1982 album remastered and expanded
Cherry Red continue to work through Toyah’s Safari Records output and, in September, will reissue the band’s 1982 album, The Changeling, across a number of formats.
The album was produced by Steve Lillywhite and featured just the one single, ‘Brave New World’, which peaked at No 21 in the UK. The album has been newly remastered for this archive release.
Like Anthem, The Changeling is being made available as a big super deluxe edition box set, in addition to a 2CD+DVD package and a coloured vinyl LP version.
The 2CD+DVD version probably offers the best bang for your buck, with a whopping 31 bonus tracks including work-in-progress mixes, instrumental outtakes and demos. 20 of these are previously unreleased and three are new-to-CD. The NTSC, region-free DVD offers a 2023 interview with Toyah Willcox and her track-by-track commentary along with loads of TV appearances from back in the day.
• Continue reading at Super Deluxe Edition.
Toyah’s blog for July is available to read at toyahwillcox.com.
The forthcoming Deluxe Box Set of The Changeling includes CDs, DVD, bonus CD, splatter vinyl, book, postcards, print and this gorgeous 12″ Picture Disc, featuring Changeling and Brave New World imagery – another first for The Changeling.
• Pre-order The Changeling in three formats – 2CD+DVD, 12″ neon pink vinyl, Deluxe Box Set – at Cherry Red.
Toyah Tuesday: Official Toyah are getting set for a summer of music and a trip back to 1982 with The Changeling Resurrection. Each Tuesday they’re counting down to the remastered, deluxe releases of Toyah’s classic 1982 album The Changeling, released 29 September on Cherry Red.
First up it’s a vintage 1982 interview from Get Set For Summer. This interview accompanied three live performances of songs from the then as yet unreleased Changeling album with the newly formed 1982 tour band.
Check back on Tuesdays and Saturdays here and across Toyah’s socials for more Changeling-themed surprises.
• Pre-order The Changeling Super Deluxe Box Set & other formats.
Punk princess Toyah was left singing along with the crowd when the sound failed at Kent gig
The star was playing Sittingbourne’s Party In The Park in Kent with her guitarist husband Robert Fripp
Punk princess Toyah was left singing along with the crowd when the sound failed at her latest gig. The 65-year-old singer, fresh from appearing at the Isle of Wight and Glastonbury festivals, is now on a summer tour and was playing Sittingbourne’s Party In The Park in Kent with her guitarist husband Robert Fripp, 77, and their band on Saturday (July 1).
But halfway through their final song – a version of David Bowie’s Heroes which Fripp had originally played on – the PA cut out. Undeterred, Toyah and the band carried on although no one could hear them except for the beat of the drum. But it didn’t stop the 2,200-strong from singing along, too.
• Continue reading at Kent Live.
Toyah’s legendary Live At Drury Lane concert, which aired on Christmas Eve 1981 as The Old Grey Whistle Test‘s annual concert, is now available to watch at BBC iPlayer – after being repeated for the first time by BBC Four last Friday.
Something I’d thought about doing for years, and had a spare weekend so I went ahead with “The Toyah In Glasgow Gig History Tour Of Toyah Tours”. A snappy title. See the full set at Instagram. Coincidentally, one of the venues I forgot to include: The Pavilion Theatre is mentioned in this radio clip from BBC Stereo Underground.
Quadrophenia: BBC2: Saturday 22nd July: 10.50pm
The Who wrote and produced this energetic story of a young man disillusioned with his life in 1960s London. Phil Daniels excels as the alienated anti-hero Jimmy Cooper. Director: Franc Roddam. Starring: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Toyah Willcox, Philip Davis, Mark Wingett, Sting, and Ray Winstone.
The Changeling reissue is released on Neon Pink-Coloured LP, 2CD+DVD Expanded Edition and a Super Deluxe Edition Box Set.
Produced by the acclaimed Steve Lillywhite, the album features a line-up of Toyah Willcox (vocals), Joel Bogen (guitar), the late Phil Spalding (bass) and the revered Simon Phillips (drums). The album also features guest synthesizers/keyboards from Andy Clark (David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), member of Be Bop Deluxe) and Simon Darlow. The brass section from Haircut 100 also feature on Street Creature. The album peaked at no.6 in UK Top 40 Album Chart in June 1982.
All formats presents the album in a new remaster by Nick Watson from the original mastertapes, approved by Joel Bogen, and further endorsed by Steve Lillywhite.
For the tenth release of the Toyah Safari catalogue on Cherry Red, Toyah’s archivist Craig Astley has dug the deepest yet to expand the album with a thrilling treasure trove of previously unheard bonus tracks, previously unseen footage and unseen, thought-lost, imagery.
The limited edition Super Deluxe Edition box set is the ultimate celebration of the hit album and brings together:
The expanded deluxe & remastered 2CD+DVD with an exclusive outtake front cover and alternate images inside (than the standalone 2CD+DVD)
• A BONUS CD of a further 18 previously unreleased and remastered tracks
• THE CHANGELING album on 12” PICTURE DISC LP – first ever picture disc version with rare outtake artwork
• THE CHANGELING|WORKS IN PROGRESS on 12” Pink/Blue Splatter Coloured Vinyl LP
• 44-PAGE BOOK of Changeling anecdotes, lyrics & poetry by Toyah Willcox with rare & unseen imagery
• 12” x 12” ARTWORK PRINT
• 4 COLOUR POSTCARDS
STRICTLY LIMITED Whilst stocks last!
The first 500 orders of the Super Deluxe Edition of The Changeling from Cherry Red Records website will EXCLUSIVELY include a CD single of Brave New World.
This exclusive 6-track CD single comes in a full colour wallet with a colour picture CD disc artwork with 6 remastered tracks that appear only on the CD single.
• This includes the Single Version of Brave New World and an unheard Work in Progress Instrumental version.
• A previously unreleased Full Length Version presents the full unadulterated, unsegued and unedited track for the first time.
• The single Ieya 1982 rounds-off the CD single. Released as the follow-up to Brave New World, the re-recording was Simon Phillips’ final studio recording with the band.
• Full release info and tracklist at toyahwillcox.com. Pre-order The Changeling from Cherry Red Records.
The Changeling reissue is released on Neon Pink-Coloured LP, 2CD+DVD Expanded Edition and a Super Deluxe Edition Box Set.
The Changeling will also be available on strictly limited edition Neon Pink coloured vinyl, reflecting the striking colour of Toyah’s ethereal hair from the back cover and Brave New World video. The vinyl is the original 10-track album running order in its new 2023 remaster by Nick Watson.
A new colour inner bag design features rare imagery plus an additional 4-page facsimile of the LP’s original insert contains the lyrics to all 10 songs on the album plus additional poetry by Toyah Willcox.
An exclusive colour postcard of an unseen Toyah image is available while stocks last exclusively from Cherry Red.
• Full release info and tracklist at toyahwillcox.com. Pre-order The Changeling from Cherry Red Records.
The Changeling reissue is released on Neon Pink-Coloured LP, 2CD+DVD Expanded Edition and a Super Deluxe Edition Box Set.
The 2CD+DVD features 31 bonus tracks are distributed across the two audio discs, including 20 previously unreleased tracks, and a further three previously unavailable on any CD.
An exclusive colour postcard of an unseen Toyah image is available while stocks last exclusively from Cherry Red. The image is different to the LP postcard.
CD1 includes two finished outtakes from the album sessions, B-Side Warrior Rock and the unused Paradise Child. The long-sought after re-recording of Dawn Chorus, previously only available on a BBC television appearance makes its CD debut.
The eight remastered tracks that featured on Cherry Red’s expanded vinyl release of EP Four More From Toyah also make their CD debut. This includes the previously unreleased tour intro Go Berserk and a re-recording of I Want To Be Free, a try-out for the digital recording equipment subsequently used for The Changeling.
CD2 contains 20 previously unheard tracks, an alternate run-through of the full album sequence all in revealing ‘work in progress’ variations courtesy of archive mastertapes and Joel Bogen’s cassette archive. These includes significantly alternate vocals on Brave New World, Creepy Room and Castaways, the latter with an entirely different lyric. Many tracks feature placeholder keyboards from Joel Bogen before Andy Clark and Simon Darlow joined the album sessions. A completely unused instrumental outtake also appears.
Joel Bogen’s previously unheard home Portastudio demos that include Phil Spalding on bass show the embryos that the songs on The Changeling and Four More From Toyah developed from.
In the 24-page booklet Toyah Willcox provides a brand-new introduction alongside a special dedication to the late Phil Spalding by Toyah band co-founder/guitarist Joel Bogen. Plus an extensive sleevenote from Craig Astley.
• Full release info and tracklist at toyahwillcox.com. Pre-order The Changeling from Cherry Red Records.
Britain’s Favourite 80s Songs: Channel 5: Friday 14th July: 10pm
1987. Series 1, Episode 8. Simon Bates narrates this look back at 1987, when George Michael, Madonna, and Pet Shop Boys stormed the Top 40. Series regulars Toyah Willcox, Paul Gambaccini and Jenny Powell are joined by Carol Decker, who reflects on the era that her band, T’Pau, finally made their breakthrough. It was also a time when Rick Astley, the Firm, Mel & Kim, and Bruce Willis had their share of chart success.
Congratulations to Toyah, Alan Sawyers, Craig Astley and Cherry Red – Last year’s fabulous Anthem Box Set WON the category of Best Mixed Media Package at the Making Vinyl Awards 2023.
• Visit the Making Vinyl 2023 Awards website. See Toyah announce this in bonus Toyah At Home footage by clicking below. (Screenshot of Toyah with the Anthem Deluxe Box Set when the release was announced last year © Toyah Willcox)
