Toyah: Anthem 1981 (Deluxe Edition) + The Changeling 1982 (Deluxe Edition)

 

Toyah Ann Willcox was born in Birmingham, England on May 18, 1958, and trained as an actress

at the Old Rep Drama School. She was launched as an anti-establishment figure when she appeared in two cutting-edge films in the late '70s: Jubilee, the punk rock movie directed by Derek Jarman in which she played a character named Mad, and the Who's mod film version of their early-'70s rock opera album Quadrophenia, in which she played the equally bizarrely named character Monkey.
                  

She moved on to front a punk rock band named Toyah, which featured Joel Bogen on guitar, Mark

Henry on bass, Steve Bray on drums, Peter Bush on keyboards, and Toyah herself on vocals, cutting a very striking visual image at this time with bright orange hair with pink tips.
                  

         
Between 1977 and 1983, Willcox fronted the eponymous band Toyah, before embarking on a solo

career in the mid-1980s. At the Brit Awards 1982, Willcox was nominated for British Breakthrough Act, and Best Female Solo Artist. She was nominated a further two times in this category in 1983, and in 1984. Her hit singles, which she co-wrote, include "It's a Mystery", "Thunder in the Mountains" and "I Want to Be Free".
                      

In London, Willcox lived in a place called "Mayhem", a converted British Rail warehouse serving as a studio. It was here the band Toyah recorded their first demos. For the lack of proper bed she slept for a

while in a "second-hand" coffin, reportedly used by the French Red Cross to transport victims of fatal accidents. Her First album Initially released in Germany, in 1979 it was re-released as an LP, comprising the original six tracks, "Victims of the Riddle" A and B sides and three tracks that were previously unavailable on vinyl. Willcox's second album, The Blue Meaning, went to no. 40 in the UK Albums Chart in June 1980. By this time, she is reported as announcing she had severed all ties with punk aesthetics.
                

In 1986 she married guitarist Robert Fripp, formally of King Crimson, who joined her on her 1991 album Ophelia's Shadow, and she formed a new band along with her husband called Sunday All Over

the World. Forming the Humans with Bill Rieflin (R.E.M.) and Chris Wong, Toyah set to work on the group's debut album, We Are the Humans, which arrived in May of 2009. A 2019 reissue of In the Court of the Crimson Queen landed her at number 74 in the U.K. albums charts, marking her first appearance there since 1985. In the 21st century,  released a new album project, In the Court of the Crimson Queen, in the spring of 2008.
                         

TOYAH - ANTHEM 1981

                    

Anthem is a studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1981 by Safari Records. It was the band's most successful album, reaching number 2 in the UK Albums

Chart and featuring the Top 10 singles "It's a Mystery" and "I Want to Be Free". The album was certified gold in 1981 for selling more than 100,000 copies in the UK. Anthem was the band's first full-length album recorded with the new lineup which consisted of Willcox, Joel Bogen, Phil Spalding, Nigel Glockler and Adrian Lee. The material was recorded at the Marquee Studios in London and produced by Nick Tauber.
                  

The album cover features a painting by Steve Weston which presents Toyah as a female fairy with

wings, carrying the head of a decapitated male humanoid, with pyramids and smoke in the background. The singer explained that it refers to the theme of strength and domination, and that it was inspired by science fiction works of such authors as J. R. R. Tolkien and Philip K. Dick.
                     

Toyah – Anthem
Label: Cherry Red – TOYAH100
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, 2 x CD, Box Set, Limited Edition Sep 9, 2022
Country: UK
Released: 1981
Genre: New Wave, Electronic, Rock
Style: Indie Pop, Post-Punk, New Wave

CD 1.

                      

01. I Want To Be Free
02. Obsolete
03. Pop Star
04. Elocution Lesson
05. Jungles Of Jupiter
06. I Am
07. It's A Mystery (Album Mix)
08. Masai Boy
09. Marionette
10. Demolition Men
11. We Are
12. It's A Mystery (EP Version)
13. Revelations
14. War Boys
15. Angels & Demons
16. Walkie Talkie
17. Alien
18. Sphinx
19. For You (Unfaded Version)
20. I Want To Be Free (Instrumental)

Flac (24/96) Size: 1.54 GB

CD 2. RARE AND ARCHIVE MATERIAL        

              

01. Thunder In The Mountains
02. Street Addict
03. Voodoo Doll

LIVE AT PARIS THEATRE  05 - 04 - 1981        

                        

  
04. War Boys (Live At Paris Theatre London April 1981)
05. Neon Womb (Live At Paris Theatre London April 1981)
06. Danced (Live At Paris Theatre London April 1981)
07. Angels & Demons (Live At Paris Theatre London April 1981)
08. It's A Mystery (Live At Paris Theatre London April 1981)
09. Ieya (Live At Paris Theatre London April 1981)

MARQUEE STUDIOS DEC 1980 - AUG 1981        

                 

  
10. It's A Mystery (Extended Instrumental)
11. I Am (Instrumental)
12. Pop Star (Instrumental)
13. Jungles Of Jupiter (Instrumental)
14. Joel & Phil (Instrumental Outtake)
15. Turkish Delight (Instrumental Outtake)
16. Television (Instrumental Outtake)

Flac (24/96) Size: 1.65 GB

TOYAH - THE GHANGELING 1982

                                

After the amazing commercial success of the album 'Anthem' Toyah did the right thing and produced a

far less commercial set which had the immediate effect of dumping the artist out of the mainstream, almost with immediate effect. One of the most underrated releases of the eighties, this album by Toyah.
             

Over the years Toyah drifted away form her punk roots, her music becoming a kind of alternative pop

with arrangements which held elements from progressive rock and psychedelica and there's off course, the voice of Toyah Willcox, sometimes singing like a fairy, sometimes yelling like a witch, sometimes speaking like a child. Her voice (which sounds like Lene Lovitch meets Kate Bush) is a delight to listen to. Sadly therefore Toyah will be best remembered for a couple of very poppy tracks lifted from the aforementioned album.
            

This is a shame because the first two albums, 'Anthem, and this their fourth album actually offer a very

strong and quite original collection of good quality, creative indie rock tracks.
                   

Toyah – The Changeling
Label: Cherry Red – TOYAH150
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, 2 x CD, Box Set, Deluxe Edition, Limited Edition Sep 29, 2023
Country: Europe
Released: 1982
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Pop Rock
    
CD 1. THE CHANGELING            

                     

01. Creepy Room
02. Street Creature
03. Castaways
04. The Druids
05. Angel & Me
06. The Packt
07. Life In The Trees
08. Dawn Chorus
09. Run Wild, Run Free
10. Brave New World

BONUS TRACKS        

    
11. Warrior Rock
12. Paradise Child
13. Good Morning Universe
14. Urban Tribesmen
15. In The Fairground
16. The Furious Futures
17. Go Berserk (Tour Intro)
18. Stand Proud
19. Clapham Junction
20. I Want To Be Free (Roundhouse Session)
21. Dawn Chorus (6.55 Special Version)

Flac Size: 771 MB
        
CD 2. RARE & ARCHIVE MATERRIAL - ROUNDHOUSE STUDIOS / FEB - JUNE 1982        

                    

  
01. Creepy Room (Work In Progress Mix)
02. Street Creature (Work In Progress Mix)
03. Castaways (Work In Progress Mix)
04. The Druids (Work In Progress Instrumental)
05. Angel & Me (Work In Progress Mix)
06. The Packt (Work In Progress Mix)
07. Life In The Trees (Work In Progress Mix)
08. Dawn Chorus (Work In Progress Mix)
09. Run Wild, Run Free (Work In Progress Mix)
10. Brave New World (Work In Progress Mix)
11. Warrior Rock (Work In Progress Instrumental)
12. Paradise Child (Instrumental Outtake)
13. Untitled No.12 (Instrumental Outtake)

JOEL'S PORTASTUDIO DEMOS / SEPT 1981        

    
14. Chariots (Instrumental Home Demo)
15. The Pied Piper (Instrumental Home Demo)
16. Roxy One (Instrumental Home Demo)
17. Talking To Seifert (Instrumental Home Demo)
18. Piano Ballad (Instrumental Home Demo)
19. Anger (Instrumental Home Demo)
20. Bus Station For Heroes (Instrumental Home Demo)

Flac Size: 683 MB

Ulrika Spacek: The Album Paranoia 2016

 

Ulrika Spacek are an English alternative rock band, formed in 2014 and currently composed of singer-

guitarist Rhys Edwards, guitarist Adam Beach, guitarist-keyboardist Joseph Stone, bassist Syd Kemp and drummer Callum Brown. Edwards, Stone and White were previously members of Reading band Tripwires, with Williams having previously toured with the band as an additional guitarist and releasing material under the Viscous Liquid moniker.
                  

School friends Rhys Edwards, Joseph Stone, and Ben White have worked with each other in bands

since 2002. The Enigma Project was formed in Reading, Berkshire in 2002 by Edwards, Sam Pillsbury, and George Simpson with White joining soon after. Simpson was replaced in 2005 by Joseph Stone. They signed to Automator Records and released their debut single "Astronaut/Microcosm" in July 2005, plus the follow-up EP "Scenes of the 21st Century".
                   

In 2007, The Enigma Project changed its name to Tripwires and released the singles "Kings & Queens"

and "Just So You Know" the following year. The songs were picked up by national radio and championed by the likes of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq. The same year the band performed on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals. The band began work on their debut album 'Spacehopper' in August 2010, and was set for release in April 2011 via Club AC30.
                      

However, the album was scrapped and the band parted ways with the label. The band recorded a

different version of the album in New York with producer Nicolas Vernhes, and it was eventually released in June 2013 via French Kiss Records. They self-released their second album Watermelancholia via Bandcamp in May 2015. The album was recorded in London and Berlin through 2013 and 2014.
                   

Citing influences that include Sonic Youth, Deerhunter, and My Bloody Valentine, England's Ulrika

Spacek deliver spectral sonic soundscapes via a decisive triple-guitar attack. Recorded at the group's KEN studio/HQ in East London, The Album Paranoia arrived in 2016 on Tough Love Records. The band's sophomore outing, Modern English Decoration, was released the following year, with the Suggestive Listening EP appearing in 2018.
                  

                     
Ulrika Spacek lost their KEN studio space in 2019, and interband tensions ran high ahead of the

unveiling of album number three. 2023's Compact Trauma, which added psych, noise, and Krautrock elements to their sound, featured a lineup consisting of Edwards, Brown, Stone, bassist Syd Kemp, and guitarist Adam Beach.
                   

Ulrika Spacek's soundscape has drawn assorted interpretations, a cross pollination of hypnotic fuzz, with Tom Verlaine (Television) and Stephen Malkmus (Pavement) guitar idiosyncrasies and intertwining feelings of both angst and melancholia. An amalgamation of their record collection,

influences range from Krautrock to Sonic Youth and the above. Taking a DIY approach to recording the album, the two Rhys' used a drum machine on the first demos, and then brought in three skilled musicians and friends to complete the live formula and re-record the album. The live phase unified The Album Paranoia and 'Oysterland', a series of club nights curated by the band, showcasing their first live performances with art installations.
                            

From pulsating hook-intense opener "I Don't Know", to heady, sky-high "Porcelain" and "Circa 1954",

The Album Paranoia twists and turns, taking you from lo-fi haze to profound hysteria in "Beta Male" and "She's a Cult" - the lead single that reflects a "blurry time" for the band, as the track distorts from thrashing guitars to tender melodic embellishments. "Strawberry Glue" and "There's a Little Passing Cloud in You" are road-trips fueled by hallucinatory, culminating on "Airportism", a delicately beautiful OK Computer-worthy finale.
                                     

STUDIO ALBUMS

The Album Paranoia (February 2016), Tough Love Records
Modern English Decoration (June 2017), Tough Love Records
Compact Trauma (March 2023), Tough Love Records

EPs

Suggestive Listening (April 2018), Tough Love Records
                          

Ulrika Spacek – The Album Paranoia
Label: Tough Love Records – TLV086
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: Feb 5, 2016
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic, Alternative Rock, Experimental,

TRAXS

                               

01. I Don’t Know    4:35
02. Porcelain    3:58
03. Circa 1954    2:12
04. Strawberry Glue    3:32
05. Beta Male    6:20
06. NK    6:54
07. Ultra Vivid    4:14
08. She’s A Cult    4:21
09. There’s A Little Passing Cloud In You    6:55
10. Airportism    2:06

LINE - UP

Ben White
Callum Brown
Joseph Stone
Rhys Edwards
Rhys Williams

Flac Size: 271 MB

Various: The Best Prog Rock Album In The World ...Ever! (3CD) 2003 + 5 More Prog Rock Compilations By Urban Aspirines 2024

 

The sampler itself is actually not bad at all.   It has three CDs full of superb music. One of the strong points of this sampler is that it covers the majority of the different progressive rock styles.

From space rock, via art rock to symphonic prog. This is as close to an essential prog rock taster for newbeginners a sampler can get. I am pretty sure it is the best prog rock sampler on the market today.

The guys who created this compilation feel they are the owners of the ultimate taste by naming this mixture "The Best Prog Rock Album Ever" (What a pompous name!!!). There's no use to comment the songs because 90% are masterpieces.

There's no King Crimson, no Gong, no Supertramp, no Eloy, no Jane, ect. But you can't squeeze every major prog band into a 35-track compilation.  

Notable omissions include Pink Floyd (there's a bunch of EMI material on here, but Floyd may have just been too expensive to license), King Crimson (not terribly surprising, given Fripp's territoriality), Gong (the rights to Gong's music evidently being in some confusion at the time, with material showing up, licitly or not, on many different labels), Renaissance, The Nice, Strawbs...

But getting upset about that is special pleading on behalf of one's favored groups- they had limited space and budget to work with, and made the most of it.
                         

Various – The Best Prog Rock Album In The World …Ever!
Label: Virgin – VTDCD 533, EMI – VTDCD 533, Virgin – 7243 584895 2 1, EMI – 7243 584895 2 1
Series: The Best...Album In The World...Ever!
Format: 3 x CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 2003
Genre: Electronic, Jazz, Rock, Blues
Style: Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Prog Rock

CD1.

                   

01. Van Der Graaf Generator–Theme 1   3:01
Producer – John Anthony
Written-By – George Martin
02. Genesis–Dancing With The Moonlit Knight   8:07
Producer – Genesis, John Burns
Written-By – Mike Rutherford, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett, Tony Banks
03. Yes–Roundabout   8:34
Producer – Eddie Offord, Yes
Written-By –Jon Anderson, Steve Howe
04. Manfred Mann's Earth Band–Joybringer   3:25
Written-By – Slade, Holst, Mann, Rogers
05. Curved Air–Back Street Luv   3:39
Producer – Colin Caldwell, Curved Air
Written-By – Way, Eyre, Linwood
06. Hawkwind–Silver Machine   4:40
Written-By – Dave Brock, Robert Calvert
07. Jethro Tull–Locomotive Breath   4:27
Producer – Ian Anderson, Terry Ellis
Written-By – Ian Anderson
08. Focus–Hocus Pocus   6:41
Written-By – J. Akkerman, T. Van Leer
09. Emerson, Lake & Palmer–    Hoedown   3:46
Arranged By – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Written-By – Copeland
10. Atomic Rooster–Tomorrow Night   3:59
Written-By – Crane
11. Deep Purple–Child In Time   10:20
Producer – Deep Purple
Written-By – Ian Gillan, Ian Paice, Jon Lord, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover
12. Colosseum–Valentyne Suite   16:53
Written-By – Greenslade, Heckstall-Smith, Hiseman

Flac Size: 461 MB

CD 2.

                

01. Peter Gabriel – Here Comes The Flood   5:53
Written By, Producer – Peter Gabriel
02. Mike Oldfield – Tubular Bells (Part 1)   4:59
Producer – Mike Oldfield, Simon Heyworth, Tom Newman
Written By – Mike Oldfield
03. Caravan – Winter Wine   7:39   
Producer – David Hitchcock
Written-By – David Sinclair, Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlan
04. Kevin Ayers & The Whole World – May I?   4:02
Written-By – Kevin Ayers
05. Rare Bird – Sympathy   2:44
Producer – Danny Thompson, John Anthony
Written-By – Rare Bird
06. Procol Harum – A Salty Dog   4:41
Written-By – Gary Brooker, Keith Reid
07. Barclay James Harvest – Mocking Bird   6:38
Producer – Norman Smith
Written-By – John Lees, Les Holroyd, Melvyn Pritchard, Stuart Wolstenholme
08. Anthony Phillips With Mike Rutherford & Phil Collins – Which Way The Wind Blows   5:53
Instruments – Mike Rutherford
Producer – Anthony Phillips, Michael Rutherford, Simon Heyworth
Vocals – Phil Collins
Written-By – Anthony Phillips
09. Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Lucky Man   4:38
Written-By – Lake
10. Roxy Music – In Every Dream Home A Heartache   5:29
Producer – Chris Thomas, Roxy Music
Written-By – Bryan Ferry
11. Electric Light Orchestra – 10538 Overture   5:29
Written-By – Jeff Lynne
12. Hatfield And The North – Mumps   20:25
Written-By – D. Stewart

Flac Size: 454 MB

CD 3.

             

01.Frank Zappa – Peaches En Regalia   3:40
Written-By – Frank Zappa
02.Camel – Rhayader [From 'The Snow Goose']   3:06
Arranged By – David Bedford
Producer – David Hitchcock
Written-By – Andrew Latimer, Peter Bardens
03.Gentle Giant – Pantagruel's Nativity   6:53
Producer – Tony Visconti
Written-By – Derek Shulman, Kerry Minnear, Phil Shulman, Ray Shulman
04.Egg – Germ Patrol   8:33
Written-By, Producer – Egg
05.Matching Mole – O Caroline   5:08
Written-By – Sinclair, Wyatt
06.Greenslade – Bedside Manners Are Extra   6:25
Producer – Andrew McCulloch, Dave Greenslade, Dave Lawson, Tony Reeves
Written-By – D. Greenslade, D. Lawson
07. Steve Hillage – Meditation Of The Snake   3:17
Producer – Simon Heyworth, Steve Hillage
Written-By – Steve Hillage
08.Steve Hackett – Spectral Mornings   6:32
Producer – John Acock, Steve Hackett
Written-By – Steve Hackett
09.Be Bop Deluxe – Ships In The Night   3:57
Producer – Bill Nelson, John Leckie
Written-By – Bill Nelson
10.Man – Keep On Crinting   8:17
Written-By – John, Jones, Ryan, Williams
11.Van Der Graaf Generator – A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers   23:04
Producer – John Anthony
Written-By – David Jackson, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton, Peter Hammill

Flac Size: 476 MB

Many names are unfortunately missing ... So I decided to enrich the collection by adding some very important Progressive Rock bands, creating 5 more samplers trying to fill some gaps.

You can find bands as: King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Marillion, Strawbs, Porcupine Tree, The Alan Parsons Project, Eloy and many more. I hope to satisfy you.

I would like to introduce the younger visitos of this blog in a largest idea of prog Rock. So, you can find more than about 60 names in these new samplers.

You Can find, all the bands in red colour, in Urban Aspirines and you can download them. For the other bands, just wait for a future post.

 

 

Thank you. KOSTAS
                     

PROG ROCK BY URBAN ASPIRINES 1.

                    

                     
01 - Aphrodite's Child - The Four Horsemen
02 - Vangelis - We Were All Uprooted
03 - Pink Floyd - A Pillow of Winds
04 - Porcupine Tree - Radioactive Toy
05 - King Crimson - The Court of the Crimson King (including 'The Return of the Fire Witch' and 'The Dance Of The Puppets'
06 - Verbal Delirium - So Close & Yet so far Away
07 - Archive - I Will Fade
08 - Eloy - Future City
09 - Nektar - Nelly the Elephant
10 - Jane - Earth (Angel)
11 - Goblin - Profondo Rosso
12 - Carmen - Bulerias- a) Cante (Song), b) Baile (Dance), c) Reprise
13 - Gravy Train - Dedication To Sid

Flac Size: 710 MB

PROG ROCK BY URBAN ASPIRINES 2.

                 

14 - Pavlov's Dog - Song Dance
15 - Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
16 - Tai Phong - Games
17 - Gong - A Sprinkling of Clouds
18 - Ciccada - Eniania (Keepers of the Midnight Harvest)
19 - Strawbs - Hero and Heroine
20 - Rick Wakeman - Catherine Of Aragon
21 - The Alan Parsons Project - The Tell-Tale Heart
22 - The Dog That Bit People - Cover Me In Roses
23 - P.F.M - E' Festa
24 - Will-O-The Wisp - Internal Journey
25 - String Driven Thing - Travelling
26 - Hawkwind - Hassan I Sahba

Flac Size: 533 MB

PROG ROCK BY URBAN ASPIRINES 3.

                               

27 - Genesis - The Carpet Crawlers
28 - Klaatu -  Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft
29 - Locomotive - Nobody Asked You To Come
30 - Ghosts Of Jupiter - The Great Bright Horses
31 - Renaissance - Ocean Gypsy
32a - Aragorn - Land Of Mordor
32b - Aragorn - Trees And Grass
32c - Aragorn - East Of Greyhaven
32d - Aragorn - A History Book
33 - Khan - Space Shanty
34 - Quatermass - Post War Saturday Echo
35 - Utopia - Communion With The Sun
36 - Barclay James Harvest - Poor Man's Moody Blues
37 - Spooky Tooth - Here I Lived So Well
38 - Comus - Diana
39 - Methexis - Chapter 1 - The Origin Of Blame

Flac Size: 691 MB

PROG ROCK BY URBAN ASPIRINES 4.

                  

40 - The Claypool Lennon Delirium - Blood And Rockets
41 - IQ - Awake And Nervous
42 - Marillion - Script For A Jester's Tear
43 - Gryphon - The Ploughboy's Dream
44 - The Nice - Country Pie Brandenburg Concerto No.6
45 - Supertramp - Lady
46 - Rush - Making Memories
47 - Krokodil - Light Of Day
48 - Nine Stones Cold - Threads
49 - Wobbler - This Past Presence
50 - Cockney Rebel - Ritz
51 - Kansas - Lamplight Symphony (Album Version)
52 - Kraan - Jack Steam

Flac Size: 643 MB

PROG ROCK BY URBAN ASPIRINES 5.

               

53 - Soft Machine - Why Are We Sleeping
54 - Captain Beefheart -  Moonlight On Vermont
55 - The Strawbs - Ghosts
56 - Magna Carta - I Am No More
57 - Cressida -  Depression
58 - Robert Wyatt - Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road
59 - Mike Rutherford - At The End Of The Day
60 - Peter Hammill - Don't Tell Me
61 - The Flower Kings - My Cosmic Lover
62 - The Mars Volta - Eriatarka
63 - Triumvirat - Timothy
64 - Queen - I'm In Love With My car
65 - UK - In The Dead Of Night - By The Light Of Day
66 - Amon Duul - Pull Down Your Mask (Syntelman's March Of The Roaring Seventies)
67 - Beardfish - Dark Poet

Flac Size: 724 MB

Many pictures are Roger Dean paintings.