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| Sheep Farming in Barnet | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 1979 (EP) December 1979 (LP) | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Studio | Chappell Studios, London, Spaceward Studios, Cambridge | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 21:11 (EP) 40:30 (LP) | |||
| Label | Safari | |||
| Producer |
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| Toyah chronology | ||||
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| EP cover | ||||
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| Singles from Sheep Farming in Barnet | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Record Mirror |   [1] |
Sheep Farming in Barnet is the debut studio album by the English new wave band Toyah,fronted by Toyah Willcox,released in 1979 by Safari Records.
The album was produced by Steve James and future band member Keith Hale. The album's title refers to an actual sheep farm (College Farm) located in the Finchley area of North London. Toyah said:"I just thought the title of the album should be something that doesn't tie [it] down to a particular style or a particular time. I wanted the title to be obscure. (...) It was an enigmatic name". [2]
The album cover was designed by Bill Smith and features a photo of Toyah Willcox at the RAF Fylingdales radar station near Whitby in Yorkshire,in front of the three radomes,with her head posing as the fourth one. To take the picture at a right angle,they had to break into the high security site which was part of the early warning system. The crew got arrested by the guards and escorted off the site. [3] [4] The back cover featured quotations from the book The Prophecies of Nostradamus ,which Toyah had read and was hugely inspired by,and information about vivisection,which she is strongly against. [2] [5]
Sheep Farming in Barnet was originally released in the UK in summer 1979 as a 6-track extended EP,dubbed an 'Alternative Play' record (AP) by Safari Records,and reached number 2 on the UK Independent Singles Chart. It was expanded into a full-length album by EMI Electrola for the German market at the end of 1979,adding five new tracks,including the previously released single "Victims of the Riddle". The importation of the disc was so widespread that Safari decided to cash in and follow suit,and the LP was eventually released in the UK in March 1980,where it would become the band's first number 1 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. "Neon Womb" and "Computer" were released as exclusive singles respectively in Germany and Yugoslavia.
The album was later reissued on CD,cassette and red vinyl by Great Expectations in 1990,and again on CD by Safari themselves in 2002,digitally remastered with two bonus tracks and coupled with the band's second album, The Blue Meaning . In December 2020,Cherry Red Records released the album in an expanded deluxe edition,consisting of 2 CDs with rarities and previously unreleased bonus material,and a DVD including an interview,new live performances and archive footage,as well as on a white vinyl. Following the re-release,Sheep Farming in Barnet charted on the UK Albums Chart for the first time and re-entered the Independent Albums Chart. It also reached number 52 on the UK Physical Albums Chart. [6]
The lyrics to the opening track,"Neon Womb",were inspired by Toyah's daily early morning journeys on the London Underground,when she would often be the only passenger on the tube train,thus feeling like in a "neon womb". The song also refers to the singer's unresolved relationship with her mother. [2] The track "Computer" was inspired by computer programming which was a new profession at that time,and Toyah's fascination by the idea of using binary code to create a new,digital world and storing information there indefinitely. [7] "Waiting" was written after reading the prophecies of Nostradamus. [2]
"Our Movie" was inspired by a weekend spent with friends in a cottage in Buckinghamshire and their walks in the fields. [2] "Danced" is as much "about the second coming of Christ" [8] as about "the return of an alien that can travel through time dimensions". [9] "Race Through Space" was inspired by predictions for the future,possible technological advancements and space exploration,and is about "imagining what it would be like if we were actually able to regularly go into space,use space,decide to spend part of our lives in space". [2]
All songs by Toyah Willcox,Joel Bogen and Peter Bush,except where indicated.
The EP version of "Danced" has an edited intro;this edited version does not appear on any other release.
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| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Independent Singles [10] (EP version) | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums [10] (LP version) | 1 |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company) [11] | 99 |
| UK Independent Albums [12] | 14 |
Toyah Ann Willcox is an English singer, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, she has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays and 10 feature films, and voiced and presented numerous television shows.
Toyah was an English new wave band fronted by namesake 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.
The Blue Meaning is the second studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1980 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 40 on the UK Albums Chart.
Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! is a live album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1980 by Safari Records.
Warrior Rock: Toyah on Tour is a live album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1982 by Safari Records.
Love Is the Law is the fifth studio album by British new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1983 by Safari Records. It reached number 28 in the UK Albums Chart and included the Top 40 hit single "Rebel Run". It was the last album to be released by the band before singer Willcox embarked on a solo career and retained 'Toyah' as her stage name.
Mayhem is a compilation album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1985 by Safari Records.
Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! is a greatest hits compilation album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1984 by K-tel. The album is also known as Toyah! Toyah! Toyah! All the Hits by including the cover slogan to differentiate it from the earlier live album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!.
"Victims of the Riddle" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as the band's debut single in 1979 by Safari Records. The song later featured on the band's album Sheep Farming in Barnet.
"Bird in Flight" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1980 by Safari Records.
"Ieya" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox. It was first released as a single in 1980 by Safari Records to promote the album The Blue Meaning. It was re-recorded and re-issued in 1982, and met with minor chart success in the UK.
"Danced" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox. It first appeared on the band's 1979 LP Sheep Farming in Barnet, and a live version of the song was subsequently released as a single in 1980 by Safari Records to promote the concert album Toyah! Toyah! Toyah!.
Four from Toyah is the second EP by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1981 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 5 in the UK Singles Chart on the back of its lead track, "It's a Mystery".
"Thunder in the Mountains" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1981 by Safari Records. It was one of Toyah's biggest hits, reaching number 4 in the UK chart.
Four More from Toyah is the third EP by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1981 by Safari Records. It reached the Top 20 in the UK and Ireland.
"Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1982 by Safari Records. It was a Top 40 chart success in the UK and Ireland.
"The Vow" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox. It was released in 1983 to promote the album Love Is the Law.
The Acoustic Album is a studio album by the British singer Toyah Willcox, released in 1996. It is a collection of acoustic re-recordings of songs from her back catalogue.
Keith Hale is an English songwriter, composer, record producer, performer and music teacher, most notable for his work with Toyah Willcox, Hawkwind and Ginger Baker.
"It's a Mystery" is a song by English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1981 by Safari Records. The song was a hit in the UK where it peaked in the Top 5 in the charts as the lead track on the EP Four from Toyah.
