| The Blue Meaning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 1980 | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Studio | Parkgate Studios, Battle | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:19 | |||
| Label | Safari | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Toyah chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Blue Meaning | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Smash Hits | 3/10 [1] |
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.
The album was recorded at the Parkgate Studios in Battle, East Sussex and mixed at the Marquee Studios in London. The album's title comes from blue being one of Toyah's favourite colours, which the singer finds deeply spiritual, with multiple cultural associations. [2] The album cover features a photo taken by Gered Mankowitz at night in front of a Gothic mansion Wykehurst Place, located in Bolney near Brighton. [3] It pictures Toyah Willcox dressed in a maid outfit and wearing ballet shoes, tied to one of the entrance pillars. Other band members are pictured on the mansion's balconies. [4]
The only single taken from the album was "Ieya", backed with "The Helium Song", which was in fact an extended version of the album track "Spaced Walking", recorded as Toyah inhaled helium to give her vocals a 'squeaky' demeanor (she can be heard inhaling between lines). [5] [6] The album was Toyah's first entry on the national UK Albums Chart where it reached number 40. It was also the band's second number 1 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.
The Blue Meaning saw its first release on CD in 1990 on the Great Expectations label, and was reissued in a double CD package with Sheep Farming in Barnet by Safari Records in 2002. The latter release was remastered and included two bonus tracks. In May 2021, 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 pink vinyl. Following the re-release, The Blue Meaning re-entered the national UK Albums Chart as well as the Independent Albums Chart. It also reached number 1 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums and number 12 on the UK Physical Albums Chart. [7]
Willcox said that the lyrics of the opening song, "Ieya", are about "mankind meeting (...) the higher intelligence that put us here", referring to panspermia and the ancient astronauts theory, while the title itself came about by using syllables as a way of expression and the voice as an improvisational instrument. [8] "Spaced Walking" references the psychedelic music of the 1960s. Willcox reflected that "it's about opening the doors of perception. I was heavily into William Burroughs then. (...) It's about just altering reality". [6]
The song "Mummies" was inspired by the mummies of Guanajuato and Toyah's interest in the genre of horror and psychopathic thrillers. [2] Willcox explained that "Blue Meanings" is "about the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It's also possibly about a dystopian future when man has no longer got importance as individuals but is more important as groups of people without autonomy. So it's about that bleakness. It's about being bred for a reason, so churning children in and out of factories purely for economic reasons. [9] (...) [It] is just about the industrialization of the human race". [10]
Referring to "Insects", Willcox said: "whenever I walked by the audience there would be hands clambering all over my body and I just thought 'Urgh – insects, insects!'. But on stage I go to the audience and just let them rip me to pieces. (...) They want to grab my body and do vulgar things. They want to fantasize about me which is fine because that's what my music is, it's pure fantasy". [11] The subject also inspired the lyrics to "Love Me" which Toyah said is about "accepting abuse and also controlling someone via their abuse. (...) I was touched so much, physically touched by the audience" [2] as well as her inability to have close relationships at that time due to shyness and distrust. [8] She said: "It's kind of a question, 'Do you love me? Is this love?', (...) exploring what is love and what expresses love". [2]
The closing track, "She", was influenced by the Danse Macabre motive and Toyah's bad memories from her school days when she was mocked for her speech impediment and how she looked. "The anger [in the song] is a back-reference to the misappropriation of behaviour that I experienced in the education system, at school. I was touched too much, I was pushed too much, I was chastised too much, I was mocked too much", Willcox reflected in 2020. [12]
|
|
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company) [13] | 40 |
| UK Independent Albums [14] | 1 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums [15] | 16 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company) [16] | 59 |
| UK Vinyl Albums [17] | 14 |
| UK Independent Albums [18] | 4 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums [19] | 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.
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.
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.
The Changeling is a studio album by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1982 by Safari Records. The album peaked at number 6 in the UK where it was certified silver for sales exceeding 60,000 copies. It included the Top 40 single "Brave New World".
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.
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.
"Brave New World" is a song by the English new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released as a single in 1982 by Safari Records. It promoted Toyah's 1982 studio album The Changeling and was a Top 40 chart success in the UK.
"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.
"Rebel Run" 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 and was a Top 30 chart success in the UK.
Looking Back is a studio album by the British singer Toyah Willcox, released in 1995. It is a collection of re-recordings of songs from her back catalogue, mostly classic hits from the Toyah band repertoire. The material was originally conceived as part of a double album Toyah Classics slated for release in March 1995. The two sets would eventually be released individually, with Looking Back as an 'electric' accompaniment to The Acoustic Album, released the following year. The album has never been re-released digitally.
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.
"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.
