Toyah’s Second album The Blue Meaning is being reissued and includes 27 remastered bonus tracks including single mixes, live tracks, rarities and unheard demos
Cherry Red Records has just announced the release date of the newly remastered and expanded release of Toyah’s 1980 album The Blue Meaning – the second in a reissue programme of Toyah’s entire Safari Records catalogue.
Produced by Steve James with arrangements by Steve James and Toyah the band (Joel Bogen, Pete Bush, Toyah Willcox, Steve Bray and Charlie Francis), the album reached number 1 on the UK Independent Album Chart and charted in the main UK Top 40 album chart in June 1980.
The album Includes the early original version of It’s A Mystery by Blood Donor feat Toyah Willcox, the song the ‘new’ line-up of Toyah ‘the band’ went on to record and enjoy their first hit single with it in 1981.
The album also features the ultimate fan favourite ‘Ieya’ considered a signature song by the band, ‘Blue Meanings’, ‘Mummies’ and the psychedelic ‘Spaced Walking’ for which Toyah’s vocals were recorded after inhaling helium.
The Blue Meaning is being released in two formats
2CD+1DVD digipak with a fully illustrated 24-page booklet containing a brand new introductory note from Toyah, plus rare and unseen imagery including album cover outtakes taken at Wykehurst Place, a gothic revival mansion in Bolney, Sussex.
This expanded edition features 27 remastered bonus tracks including single mixes, live tracks, rarities and unheard demos. Amongst the 20 previously unreleased tracks are the final recordings made by this band line-up including ‘Silence Won’t Do’ and ‘Jack & Jill’, (as seen being recorded on the 1980 ITV documentary “Toyah”).
The sleevenotes by Toyah’s archivist Craig Astley with input from Toyah Willcox and Joel Bogen chronicles the creation of the album and reveals the recording origins of the bonus material.
The DVD contains three brand new features with Toyah Willcox; an interview about the album/period, a track-by-track album commentary plus an exclusive acoustic three-song session of songs from the era – all filmed October 2020.
The DVD also includes rare archive BBC TV performances of ‘Mummies’ and ‘Danced’ from Friday Night, Saturday Morning (November 1980) available on DVD for the first time ever.
The second option is the vinyl LP in a strictly limited edition neon pink coloured vinyl echoing Toyah’s hair colour from the back sleeve and the colourful glow surrounding the gothic mansion, Wykehurst Place in Sussex on the LP’s front cover artwork.
The Blue Meaning is released 28 May 2021
Need more Toyah? Check Out The Socials
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