Anthem (Toyah album)



Anthem is a 1981 album by Toyah. It was the band's most successful album, reaching number 2 in the UK Album Chart and featuring the Top 10 singles "It's a Mystery" and "I Want to Be Free".

Original vinyl issues of the album came complete with a colour insert featuring photographs of the band wrapped in bandages, with various exposed body parts sprayed gold, and Egyptian themed drawings across the lyrics pages. A picture disc variation, featuring the albums front and back artwork and no sleeve, was also issued at the time.

Original LP
Side One Side Two
 * 1) "I Want to Be Free" (Willcox, Bogen)
 * 2) "Obsolete" (Willcox, Bogen, Glockler)
 * 3) "Pop Star" (Willcox, Lee, Glockler)
 * 4) "Elocution Lesson" (Willcox, Bogen)
 * 5) "Jungles of Jupiter" (Willcox, Bogen, Spalding)
 * 6) "I Am" (Willcox, Bogen)
 * 1) "It's a Mystery" (Keith Hale)
 * 2) "Masai Boy" (Willcox, Lee, Willcox)
 * 3) "Marionette" (Willcox, Bogen)
 * 4) "Demolition Men" (Willcox, Lee)
 * 5) "We Are" (Willcox, Bogen)

Original CD bonus tracks
"Revelations" (Bogen, Willcox) "War Boys" (Willcox) "Angels & Demons" (Willcox, Hale) "Thunder In The Mountains" (Willcox, Lee, Glockler) 

1999 CD bonus tracks
"Walkie Talkie" (Willcox, Bogen) "Alien" (Willcox, Bogen, Glockler) "Revelations" (Willcox, Bogen) "For You" (Willcox, Bogen)</li> "War Boys" (Willcox)</li> "Angels & Demons" (Willcox, Hale)</li> "I Want To Be Free" (video) (Willcox, Bogen)</li> </ol>

Toyah's comments on songs

 * Pop Star. "Of all the songs, 'Blue Meanings' and 'Pop Star' are the most exciting to sing because they are both stunning and haven't aged, so when I sing them today I experience them today. I really enjoy them and they make my hair stand on end. 'Pop Star' is hard to sing because I need complete silence to perform it and that isn't going to happen, but practice on stage will help my confidence with the timing... It is thrilling that a 30 year old song can hold me spellbound and I can be very proud of it." (2011)
 * It's A Mystery. "'It's A Mystery' was never a favourite of mine but it has given me 30 years in the business, on many levels, as a singer, actress and writer. If I'd just stuck with the indie sound I'd probably never have surfaced above cult popularity. Street cred always sounds nice but in practice it doesn't open the doors my name opens today, and has done for the past 30 years." (2011)

Personnel

 * Toyah Willcox - vocals
 * Joel Bogen - guitar
 * Nigel Glockler - drums
 * Phil Spalding - bass
 * Adrian Lee - keyboards

Production

 * Producer: Nick Tauber
 * Arrangements: Toyah Willcox
 * Engineer: Phil Harding