The Changeling was Toyah

Toyah (band)

Toyah is the name of the band fronted by 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.-Background :...

's follow-up album to the critically acclaimed Anthem. Although it has a similar overall 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 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 the video for "Thunder In The Mountains".

Original vinyl issues of the album came complete with a lyric insert, the background of which featured drawings of circuit boards. Around the lyrics of each song were sections of poetry written by Toyah Willcox, which were not included on the album.

The album was released internationally and sold particularly well in the UK (#6) and Norway (#22).

Background

"Changeling wasn't easy to make, in fact it was the unhappiest of all the album experiences, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good album. Not everything has to come effortlessly for it to be right", Toyah said in 2011.

Original LP

1. "Creepy Room" (Willcox/Bogen)
2. "Street Creature" (Willcox/Bogen)
3. "Castaways" (Willcox/Bogen)
4. "The Druids" (Willcox/Bogen)
5. "Angel & Me" (Willcox/Bogen)
6. "The Packt" (Willcox/Bogen)
7. "Life In The Trees" (Willcox/Bogen)
8. "Dawn Chorus" (Willcox/Bogen/Spalding)
9. "Run Wild, Run Free" (Willcox/Bogen)
10. "Brave New World" (Willcox/Bogen)

1999 CD bonus tracks

11. "Warrior Rock" (Willcox/Bogen/Spalding)


12. "Thunder In The Mountains" (Willcox/Lee/Glockler)


13. "Voodoo Doll" (Willcox/Bogen/Spalding)


14. "Good Morning Universe" (Willcox/Bogen)


15. "In The Fairground" (Willcox/Bogen)


16. "Ieya 1982" (Willcox/Bogen/Bush)


17. "Thunder In The Mountains" (video) (Willcox/Lee/Glockler)

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.

Comments on songs

• Brave New World. "'Brave New World', to me, is a sad love song, because I wrote most of it in Bristol last year after a tremendous row with my boyfriend. But I could never do a love song true to myself, because that's being selfish. I prefer what I call open lyrics, so that the kids can fit their own feelings to them... And so 'Brave New World' is a love song, because I think everyone goes through the phase when they think no one in the world knows how hurt they are - experiencing a loneliness that no one knows, but everyone knows it", Toyah said in the Sounds interview, 1982.
• Angel And Me. The song ("Why do you always cry when you come to see me? / I always die to see you smile") had some autobiographical connotations. "The person she's talking to is her mum, when I was in hospital and my mum visited me, she'd always start crying, so it comes from that", Toyah explained when asked who the song was about. "I am now [close to my mother], I didn't use to be. I always loved her very much, but she had a weird way of loving me back. I can never remember kissing and cuddling mummy and daddy when I was small. But I love them both, my father is one of my heroes", she added, speaking to Sounds.

Personnel

• Phil Spalding
  Phil Spalding
  Philip Spalding also known as Phil Spalding, is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars...
  
   - bass, vocals
• Simon Phillips
  Simon Phillips
  Simon Phillips is an English jazz, pop and rock drummer.-Career:Phillips began to play professionally at the age of twelve in his father's Dixieland band for four years. He was then offered the chance to play in the musical Jesus Christ Superstar...
  
   - drums and percussion
• Joel Bogen
  Joel Bogen
  Joel Bogen is an English rock and punk guitarist. He worked with Toyah Willcox from the late 1970s to 1983 as the guitar player in her eponymous band and was the co-writer on nearly all of the material they recorded. Bogen also produced Heaven, the 1997 debut album of neo soul artist Jai, for M&G...
  
   - guitar, additional keyboards, vocal
• Toyah Willcox
  Toyah Willcox
  Toyah Ann Willcox is an English actress and singer. In a career spanning more than thirty years Toyah has had 13 top 40 singles, released 22 studio albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films, as well as voicing and presenting numerous television shows...
  
   - vocals & noises
• Andy Clark
  Andy Clark (musician)
  Andrew Clark is an English rock composer and performer who is best known for his work on keyboards and synthesizer in the 1970s, playing and recording alongside Mick Hutchinson, in Clark Hutchinson, alongside Jeff Beck with his involvement in Upp and on the album Wired, and alongside guitarist...
  
   - keyboards
• Simon Darlow - additional keyboards
• Nigel Bennett - backing vocals
• Neil Hutchinson - brass
• Vince Sullavan - brass
• Dave Lord - brass

Production

• Producer: Steve Lillywhite
  Steve Lillywhite
  Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
  
  
• Engineer: Mark Darnley
• Assistant engineer: Neil Hutchinson, Ashley Howe