Toyah & Cherry Red Records are delighted announce the long-awaited newly remastered and expanded release of Toyah’s debut album “Sheep Farming In Barnet” which kickstarts a reissue programme of Toyah’s entire Safari Records catalogue.
Sheep Farming In Barnet will be reissued on 4 December 2020 as a limited edition white vinyl LP and expanded 2CD+DVD package.
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Limited quantities of both formats come with a different design postcard signed by Toyah.
Produced by Steve James and Keith Hale (Blood Donor), the album reached number 1 on the UK Independent Albums in February 1980 and celebrates its fortieth anniversary in 2020.
The album has been remastered from the original mastertapes and the 2CD+DVD package includes 30 bonus tracks including 20 that are previously unreleased.
> The 7” single ‘Victims Of The Riddle’ (1979) was Toyah’s very first release and is included here. This was followed up by 6-track mini-album “Sheep Farming In Barnet” that contained three tracks per-side on a 33 1/3 playing 7” vinyl. This mini-album was then expanded to a full length 11-track album (originally for the German market) in early 1980 by adding the ‘Victims’ 7” A-Side/B-Sides and some further tracks also recorded at Chappell Studios, London.
> This album contains the fan favourites ‘Race Through Space’, ‘Neon Womb’ and ‘Danced’, all of which went on to become signature songs for the band. Non-album Double A-Side single ‘Bird In Flight’/’Tribal Look’ produced by The Boys’ lead singer Matt Dangerfield is also included.
> 2CD+DVD digipack with a fully illustrated 24-page booklet containing a brand new introductory note from Toyah plus rare and unseen imagery including album cover shots taken at RAF Fylingdales Early Warning site, Yorkshire.
> The album has been remastered by Nick Watson from the original mastertapes with mastering approved by Joel Bogen.
> The expanded 2CD+DVD edition, compiled by Craig Astley, features 30 bonus tracks and is made up of non-album singles, rarities and demos. Amongst the 20 previously unreleased tracks are versions originally recorded for Shoestring, the original improvisation vocal that became Victims of The Riddle and the band’s first ever pre-signing 1978 demos.
> Includes a sleevenote by Toyah’s archivist Craig Astley, researched with input from co-writer/guitarist Joel Bogen, chronicles the creation of the album, musician line-ups and reveals the recording origins of the album and bonus material for the first time.
> The package includes a DVD (NTSC/Region Free) containing two brand new features with Toyah Willcox; ‘The Story Behind The Album’ is an in-depth interview about the album/period, a Track-by-Track Album Commentary interview plus an exclusive acoustic three-song session of songs from the era – all filmed August 2020.
> The DVD also includes rare archive TV footage available on DVD for the first time ever including a 1979 interview/performance clips of Race Through Space filmed at Toyah’s Battersea warehouse ‘Mayhem’ for broadcast on What’s On (ITV Midlands-only region) and two songs, Danced, Indecision, filmed February 1980 for BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test.
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The track list is as below (CD1 1-11 are on the vinyl LP only)
CD1: SHEEP FARMNG IN BARNET
1. Neon Womb
2. Indecision
3. Waiting
4. Computer
5. Victims Of The Riddle
6. Elusive Stranger
7. Our Movie
8. Danced
9. Last Goodbye
10. Victims Of The Riddle
(Vivisection)
11. Race Through Space
Bonus Tracks
12. Gaoler
13. Bird In Flight
14. Tribal Look
15. Love Me
(Dangerfield Session)*
16. Tribal Look
(Alternate Mix)*
17. Our Movie
(Shoestring Version)*
18. Waiting
(Shoestring Version)*
19. Neon Womb
(Shoestring Version)*
20. Danced
(Shoestring Version)*
CD2: RARE & ARCHIVE MATERIAL
Spaceward Studios Demos May 1978
1. Computers (Demo)*
2. Little Boy (Demo)*
3. Close Encounters (Demo)*
4. Watch Me Sane (Demo)*
Spaceward Studios Demos Dec 1978
5. Jailer (Demo)*
6. Race Through Space (Demo) *
7. Elusive Stranger (Demo)*
8. Problem Child (Demo)
9. Israel (Demo)
10. Christmas Carol (Demo)
Chappell Studios May-June 1979
11. Race Through Space
(Alternate Mix)*
12. Neon Womb (No Saxophone)*
13. Our Movie (Alternate Mix)*
14. Waiting (Alternate Vocal Mix)*
15. Indecision (Alternate Vocal Mix)*
16. Computer (Alternate Vocal Mix)*
17. Vivisection (Improvisation)*
Rollerball Rehearsal Studios Oct 1979
18. Love Me (Demo)
19. Tribal Look (Demo)
20. Guilty (Demo)
21. Three-Sided Face (Demo)
* Previously unreleased
DVD: RARE & ARCHIVE FOOTAGE
1. The Story Behind The Album: 2020 Interview
2. Track-By-Track Album Commentary: 2020 Interview
3. Neon Womb: Acoustic Session 2020
4. Computer: Acoustic Session 2020
5. Bird In Flight: Acoustic Session 2020
6. Race Through Space: What’s On 12/04/1979
7. Toyah Interview: What’s On 19/04/1979
8. Danced: The Old Grey Whistle Test 04/03/1980
9. Indecision: The Old Grey Whistle Test 04/03/1980