Toyah: 40 years on, a celebration of her groundbreaking album Anthem

The album was certified gold and next week we can expect a deluxe box set with all you ever wanted to hear.

Looking ever youthful and cheeky as ever during lockdown in 2020 started a Sunday Lunch session of covers live from her kitchen along with her 74-year-old husband Robert Fripp.

He is an amazing guitarist and best known for his work with the prog rock band, King Crimson. Together they would take on short versions of Teenage Kicks, My Generation, Breaking The Law & Toxic, once a week at noon with elaborate costume and make up.

This won them new fans who may have missed the duo’s chart success days.

This new remastered set will satisfy both though and comes as a 2CD + DVD set, LP in gold vinyl and Super Deluxe Set of 3CD, DVD, 2 LP + 7” single.

A 24-page booklet offers unseen images, classic studio photos from that time plus a newly penned introduction by Toyah herself.

The project was produced by Toyah’s archivist Craig Astley who has now produced new sleeve notes and alongside the full original album comes 25 bonus tracks. Extras include an unreleased six song session from 1981 recorded at the BBC Paris Studio along with seven unheard instrumental tracks recorded at Marquee Studios.

The DVD, however, unearths some gold with footage of Toyah’s four appearances on Top Of The Pops with It’s A Mystery, I Want To Be Free and Thunder In The Mountains plus the rare spots on Something Else, Cheggers Plays Pop and Multi Colour Swap Shop plus the pop videos directed by Godley & Crème.

Newly filmed for this release Toyah herself is interviewed about the creation of the album along with a track-by-track commentary.

The Anthem album reached No 2 on its original release spending 46 weeks on the album chart in total and with this issue an English tour kicks off this month too and joins Television and Billy Idol in Glasgow at the Ovo hydro on October 21.

Meanwhile her single Slave To The Rhythm released last month precedes her new album Court Of The Crimson Queen but that is not due until February 2023.