Anthem Toyah

‘Anthem’ was a big commercial success, reaching number two in the UK Top 40 album chart in May 1981. It spent 46 weeks on the album chart and was awarded a Gold album sales certification. The album followed two Top Ten hit singles, ‘It’s A Mystery’ (#4) and ‘I Want To Be Free’ (#8) both of which feature on ‘Anthem’ entering the public mainstream through radio play and appearances on BBC’s legendary weekly music TV programme Top Of The Pops. ‘It’s A Mystery’ and ‘I Want To Be Free’ have become iconic and well-loved hit singles of the 1980s.

Curated and compiled by Craig Astley, Toyah’s official archivist, the super deluxe edition of Anthem comes in a 12”x12” outsize box with lift off lid and includes:

Expanded 2CD+DVD presenting the full album complemented by 25 bonus tracks. Among these is the standalone hit single ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, associated B-sides and rarities plus 15 previously unreleased tracks. The bonus material includes a six-song live session recorded on 1 April, 1981 at BBC’s Paris Theatre in London which is released commercially for the first time ever plus ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, the third Top Ten single of 1981 by the ‘Anthem’ Toyah line-up along with a previously unreleased unfaded version of the flexi-disc track ‘For You’.

The accompanying DVD (NTSC/Region Free) presents a fascinating new in-depth interview with Toyah about the creation of the album plus a track-by-track commentary and exclusive renditions of three ‘Anthem’ songs, plus for the first time ever classic footage of Toyah’s 1981 BBC performances of ‘It’s A Mystery’, ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ and four different appearances on the legendary Top Of The Pops alongside performances originally broadcast on Something Else, Cheggers Plays Pop and Multi-Coloured Swap Shop plus the classic promo videos for ‘I Want To Be Free’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, both directed by Godley & Creme.

And exclusive to this boxset:
Bonus CD - More Rare & Archive Material containing a further 20 previously unreleased tracks from the archives, newly unearthed and remastered, including the special re-recording of ‘It’s A Mystery’ used for lip-synching appearances on Top Of The Pops and alternate vocal versions of ‘Revelations’, ‘It’s A Mystery’, ‘War Boys’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’; a breathtaking acoustic recording of ‘I Am’ that offers a glimpse into the album recording sessions; plus rough mixes of several album tracks alongside previously unheard instrumental out-takes ‘Japan’, ‘Dropped Earring’ and the earliest incarnation of ‘Clapham Junction’.

Album Picture Disc: ‘Anthem’ presented on a 12” picture disc featuring the iconic original album front cover.

Standalone hit single ‘Thunder In The Mountains’ expanded into a 12” splatter-coloured vinyl mini-album bringing together the single, its B-sides and four previously unreleased instrumental versions with a newly designed inner bag featuring previously unseen images and full lyrics. The yellow and red coloured splatter vinyl echoes the iconic sunflower hair that Toyah sports on the legendary front cover shot.

A 7” orange-coloured vinyl EP celebrating the non-LP tracks ‘Sphinx’ and ‘For You’, recorded during the ‘Anthem’ sessions and previously issued as a flexi-disc with the magazine Flexipop, marking the first time these songs have been pressed on regular vinyl, the EP features a full colour sleeve and instrumental versions of both tracks.

A 44-page perfect bound book containing stunning rare and unseen colour images from the Safari archives alongside anecdotes and insights from Toyah Willcox about the 11 songs on ‘Anthem’ and ‘Thunder In The Mountains’, plus lyrics for the full album and its associated B-sides.

A 12x12-inch print of the album cover illustration signed by Toyah Willcox.

Four exclusive colour postcards celebrating the Four From Toyah photography.