Toyah’s 1983 studio album Love Is The Law was the final album for the Safari Records label. A new remastered edition is released by Cherry Red Records on Friday 8 November 2024. This follows the acclaimed and enthusiastically received series of remastered LP releases of four studio albums and four live albums that chronicle the band’s recording history from 1979-1983.
Reaching no.28 in the UK album charts in November 1983, the album saw Toyah, Joel Bogen and Simon Darlow write and record the album whilst Toyah appeared as the lead in the successful theatre production of Trafford Tanzi at the Mermaid Theatre.
Previewed by the single Rebel Run, the album also includes fan favourites Dreamscape, Martian Cowboy and one of Toyah’s long-term personal favourites, I Explode. The title track features a group of fans singing on the song’s chorus after being invited into the Marquee Studios, Soho one evening in August 1983. Side Two’s final track The Vow was issued as a second single in December 1983.
Alongside Toyah and Joel Bogen (co-writer/guitars), Simon Darlow played keyboards on the album. Phil Spalding contributed bass to several tracks on the album whilst guests included bassist Brad Lang (The Lexicon of Love) and Andy Duncan (Wham!’s Fantastic album) on drums/percussion.
Following the acclaimed reissue Toyah series, thie release features the album remastered from the original mastertapes by Nick Watson, overseen by Joel Bogen.
Whilst the Transparent Red Vinyl LP carries the original album track list, the 2CD+DVD set is expanded to include:
- The album’s three associated B-Sides
- An Extended mix of lead single Rebel Run, prepared in 1983 but vaulted until 2024.
- An Alternate version of Love Is The Law which features a variant chorus structure and lyrics.
- The standalone 1982 single Ieya, a re-recorded version featuring Simon Phillips (drums).
- The standalone 1982 single Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard) and its B-Side Laughing With The Fools. These are joined by an unfinished outtake from the same session entitled City People which includes a Toyah vocal.
- The classic 1982 cover of the seasonal Greg Lake classic I Believe In Father Christmas, originally recorded for inclusion on the ITV special Pop Goes Christmas.
- CD2 features 20 previously unreleased tracks including instrumental mixes of all 10 album tracks plus alternate mixes of I Explode, The Vow, Rebel Run and Martian Cowboy, the latter featuring a stunning unheard outro.
- A very rare previously unreleased home demo of the B-Side Haunted is included recorded at Toyah’s temporary home studio featuring alternate lyrics.
- An even earlier rough version of the album title track entitled Viva Riot before lyric/song re-writing
- The DVD features two newly filmed 2024 interviews with Toyah Willcox reflecting on making the LP. These specially edited docu-features include extensive photographs from the Mermaid Theatre fan gatherings and several private studio session photos to bring the “Summer of ’83” story back to life once again.
- Eight archive BBC television appearances include performances of Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard), Good Morning Universe, Rebel Run and The Vow.
- An introductory note by Toyah Willcox is included the booklet alongside rare and unseen images plus sleevenotes by Craig Astley who curated the set.
- The LP and 2CD+DVD artwork feature newly scanned archive negatives from the album photo shoot to both refresh the visuals with an alternate front cover and achieve a higher quality print finish, since the exact LP shot negatives are missing.
- Initial quantities of both the LP and the 2CD+DVD ordered direct from Cherry Red Records come with an exclusive colour postcard of a previously unseen shot of Toyah, a different design for each format.
