Produced by the legendary Steve Lillywhite, The Changeling was Toyah’s follow-up album to the critically acclaimed Anthem. Although it has a similarly powerful and strident sound , the band’s writing took a darker, almost gothic direction.
- Tracks such as “The Packt” and “Brave New World” take a rather dystopian although still hopeful view of the future, a theme which largely pervades the whole album. The solitary single lifted from the album was Brave new World in June 1982 and featured a striking video of Toyah on horseback at Battersea Power Station. The image of Toyah with bright pink air and birds painted on her face and shoulders has become synonymous with her and regarded a classic iconic look from 1980s pop videos and magazines.
- The Changeling was not released on CD until 1999, although this long-awaited release did at least include six bonus tracks, four of which were previously unavailable on CD, and an enhanced video for “Thunder in the Mountains”. On the CD reissue, the ending of ‘Angel & Me’ has been edited. After the song has faded out, the original vinyl version featured an echoed drum roll that resembled the sound of a door being locked – this was absent on the CD.
- A completed out-take from the sessions for The Changeling named ‘Warrior Rock’ appeared as the B-side of the LP’s only single release ‘Brave New World’ and on the later CD reissue. Another out-take entitled ‘Paradise Child’, later surfaced on the Safari Records collectors album ‘Mayhem’.
