| Anthem | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1981 | |||
| Studio | Marquee Studios,London | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 41:42 (original release) 64:23 (1999 CD re-release) | |||
| Label | Safari | |||
| Producer | Nick Tauber | |||
| Toyah chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Anthem | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Melody Maker | (favourable)[1] |
Anthem is the third studio album by the Englishnew wave bandToyah, fronted byToyah Willcox, released in 1981 bySafari Records. It was the band's most successful album, reaching number two in theUK Albums Chart and featuring the top-ten singles "It's a Mystery" and "I Want to Be Free". The album wascertified gold in 1981 for selling more than 100,000 copies in the UK.
Anthem was the band's first full-length album recorded with the new lineup which consisted of Willcox,Joel Bogen,Phil Spalding,Nigel Glockler andAdrian Lee. The material was recorded at theMarquee Studios inLondon and produced byNick Tauber.
The album cover features a painting by Steve Weston which presents Toyah as a femalefairy with wings, carrying the head of adecapitated malehumanoid, withpyramids and smoke in the background. The singer explained that it refers to the theme of strength and domination, and that it was inspired byscience fiction works of such authors asJ. R. R. Tolkien andPhilip K. Dick.[2] Original vinyl issues of the album came complete with a colour insert featuring photographs of the band wrapped inbandages, with various exposed body parts sprayed gold, andEgyptian themed drawings across the lyrics pages. A picture disc variation, featuring the album's front and back artwork and no sleeve, was also issued at the time.
The lyrics of "I Want to Be Free" originated from Toyah's frustration as adyslectic teenager during her school years.[3] The singer explained that it "resonated how I felt about school years which was still very strongly with me even when I was 22".[4] She further explained that the song is "about seeing the individual, it's about hearing and understanding the individual, not wiping them away from a future just because they can't add up or don't write particularly well. Also, it's about us having the choice".[3]
The song "Elocution Lesson" is based on actualelocution lessons that the singer took during her school years.[2] In relation to "Jungles of Jupiter", Toyah said: "I am absolutely convinced that at some point there was life, as we know it here, onJupiter. (...) I believe that it's a living planet".[5] She explained that "Masai Boy" refers to the ritual of theMaasai people when "a boy becomes a man" and that it is about "love and respect for the Maasai warriors". She described "Marionette" as "aGame of Thrones version of an anti-Thatcher song", adding that it is "about being played by a politician. We are the puppets, we're being played by themarionette".[6]
The album was released in May 1981, preceded by the single "I Want to Be Free" earlier that month. "It's a Mystery", which in the UK had been available only as the 7-inch EPFour from Toyah, was released as a separate single to promoteAnthem abroad. Toyah embarked on a UK tour in May and June 1981 in support of the album.[7]Anthem entered theUK Albums Chart at number 3, eventually peaking at number 2 and spending forty-six consecutive weeks in the chart. The album wascertified gold for selling more than 100,000 units in the UK.[8] It was also a modest chart success in Scandinavia, reaching theTop 40 in Norway and Finland.Anthem remains Toyah's most commercially successful album to date.
Anthem was released in CD format in 1985, adding the three remainingFour from Toyah songs and the non-album single "Thunder in the Mountains" as bonus tracks. It was then re-issued in 1999, again with theFour from Toyah material, B-sides of the single "I Want to Be Free" and its music video, and "For You", a song from theAnthem recording sessions which did not make it onto the original album. It was released on a promotional single given away free withFlexipop magazine in late 1981, together with "Sphinx", also from the sessions forAnthem. The popularity of "Sphinx" meant it found its way onto the 1984 compilationToyah! Toyah! Toyah!, the 1998 compilationThe Best of Toyah: Proud, Loud & Heard as well as the 2002 re-release ofThe Blue Meaning as a bonus track.
In September 2022, the album was re-released byCherry Red Records, adding two bonus discs of rare and previously unreleased material, and a DVD with live performances and music videos.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] | 68 |
| Finnish Albums[10] | 30 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[11] | 20 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[12] | 2 |
| UK Independent Albums[13] | 2 |
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums[14] | 6 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[15] | 33 |
| UK Vinyl Albums[16] | 6 |
| UK Independent Albums[17] | 1 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[8] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
