Toyah Sheep Farming In Barnet + The Blue Meaning 2LP 1980 New Wave rare Aust NM

	A$		45
	$		30

Toyah Sheep Farming In Barnet + The Blue Meaning 2LP 1980 New Wave Oz NM

Original Australian pressing on Safari in gatefold sleeve.

Toyah was an English new wave band fronted by Toyah Willcox between 1977 and 1983. The only other consistent band member throughout this period was Joel Bogen, Willcox's principal co-writer and guitarist.

In June 1977, the band played their first gig without a name or a bass player. After several line-up changes, they spent a brief period under the name Ninth Illusion, without recording any music. In the beginning of 1978 they met again and the idea of Toyah the band was born. Joel auditioned several musicians and chose Pete Bush (keyboards), Dave Robin (drums), and Windy Miller (bass), quartet quickly taking their name from their unusual vocalist and figurehead. Toyah debuted in Barnet's, Duke Of Lancaster on 27 June, and gave three more concerts in London. On 13 July the band performed at Young Vic Festival. The band began to record early demos in Willcox's converted warehouse called Mayhem – which comprised offices, recording and rehearsal rooms for many young bands on the London scene of the time.

Early demos recorded during 1978 included songs called "Mother", "Hunger Hill", "Eyes", "Computers", "Gaoler", "Waiting", "Danced", "Neon Womb", "Problem Child", "Little Boy" and "Israel", several of which would make it onto the band's early releases, and several others would emerge on the later rarities compilation Mayhem in 1985. And then the contract came. In 1980 she remembered:

    "Two years ago we did a gig at the theatre called the ICA theatre and we got amazing reviews for it. The week the reviews came out we had a phone call from Germany and at the time I was making Quadrophenia, I had to rush down to London, do a quick rehearsal for this record company called Safari. They asked us to sign there and then. It meant we could become professional, we'd have regular money coming in, we could do more concerts and things. I wasn't excited because I was worried about record companies being a bit tough and things like that. So now we've had two years experience, we know our capabilities. We know where we want to go and it’s all thanks to Safari allowing us to grow within our own time."

In July 1979, Safari released the band's debut single "Victims of the Riddle", described by the NME as "a remarkably listenable slice of paranoia and macabre". It featured alongside Toyah Willcox, Joel Bogen and Peter Bush, Mark Henry (bass guitar) and Steve Bray (drums). "Once we were signed I really loved every moment of what happened. We were making a demo virtually once a month, we had to continually produce music, and that was great, because it gave the band focus, it made us feel really good, it put on a retainer 30 quid a week so we felt as if we were employed…", Toyah remembered. The band's next release was an extended 33?rpm EP marketed as an "Alternate Play" record by their label Safari Records, entitled Sheep Farming In Barnet, which came out in August 1979 as a six track EP and a full album. The band followed this up with another non-album single, "Bird in Flight / Tribal Look", and their full-length album The Blue Meaning (1980) (No. 40 UK Albums Chart) which one reviewer described as "Patti Smith on speed", another – as "Patti Smith off speed".

Tracklist:

               Sheep Farming In Barnet

A1         Neon Womb   4:22

A2         Indecision       2:47

A3         Waiting             3:16

A4         Computer         3:06

A5         Victims Of The Riddle              3:38

A6         Elusive Stranger          4:51

B1         Our Movie        3:04

B2         Danced              5:13

B3         Last Goodbye                3:01

B4         Victims Of The Riddle (Vivisection)               3:57

B5         Race Through Space

               The Blue Meaning

C1          Ieya      8:19

C2          Spaced Walking           2:19

C3          Ghosts               3:21

C4          Mummies         2:56

C5          Blue Meanings              5:04

D1         Tiger Tiger      3:12

D2         Visions              4:08

D3         Insects               2:50

D4         Love Me            3:02

D5         She       6:09

CONDITION:

SLEEVE: EX+ minor ring wear front & back

RECORDS: NM