Love Is the Law is the fifth studio album by British new wave band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox, released in 1983 by Safari Records. It reached number 28 in the UK Albums Chart and included the Top 40 hit single "Rebel Run". It was the last album to be released by the band before singer Willcox embarked on a solo career and retained 'Toyah' as her stage name.
| Love Is the Law | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 October 1983 | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Studio | Marquee Studios, London | |||
| Genre | New wave | |||
| Length | 39:33 | |||
| Label | Safari | |||
| Producer | Nick Tauber | |||
| Toyah chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Love Is the Law | ||||
Background
editWillcox said the making of the album was the happiest period of her life. She reflected that "in 1983 everything was going right. I was starring in a stage play called Trafford Tanzi, which won me especially huge critical acclaim, and I was about to star in a film, The Ebony Tower with Lord Laurence Olivier just as soon as the album was finished. Because my schedule was incredibly full, the band moved into my house in Finchley, London, where we transformed my gym into a makeshift recording studio to pre-write and programme all the material in the daytime. I'd then go to the theatre for five o'clock and meet the band at the Marquee Studios to do the main recording of the vocals after midnight. It was a killer timetable but I loved it with a passion. (...) Sometimes my head would be racing so much that the only way to get me to calm down was to give me a sleeping pill. This is not something I would readily admit, but it was the only way the producer could get me to sit long enough to finish a track and is the reason "Rebel of Love" and "Martian Cowboy" sound so relaxed for a Toyah song!"[1]
The phrase "love is the law" is from The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema, written (or received) by Aleister Crowley. "I was never a fan of what he represented, which was mainly dark, devious and debauched, but I thought the phrase 'Love Is the Law' was possibly one of the most beautiful to ever be uttered because it crosses every social and tribal divide", she said.[1] The title track features guest vocals from Toyah fans camping outside the recording studio, who were spontaneously invited in to chant "love is the law" in the song's chorus.[2] One of them inspired the ballad "Martian Cowboy".[3] "I Explode" was inspired by the idea that Crowley was so powerful as a Satanic person that he managed to explode and disappear, and is "about intense emotions that destroy the essence of who you are".[4] Cover photography was taken by John Swannell.
Release and promotion
editThe album was promoted by two singles: the uptempo "Rebel Run" which was a Top 40 hit and the ballad "The Vow" which only peaked at number 50. The album itself was moderately successful and reached number 28 in the UK Albums Chart. It was supported with the Rebel Run Tour which ran across England in November and December 1983.[5]
Love Is the Law was first released on CD in 2005 with five additional bonus tracks, including B-sides and the standalone single "Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard)".[6] In 2013, Toyah embarked on the Love Is the Law & More tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the album.[7]
In November 2024, Love Is the Law was re-issued by Cherry Red Records in an expanded 2 CD+DVD package, with previously unreleased demo versions.[8]
Track listing
editOriginal release
editAll songs by Toyah Willcox and Joel Bogen, except where indicated.
- Side one
- "Broken Diamonds" – 4:05
- "I Explode" – 4:09
- "Rebel of Love" – 3:42
- "Rebel Run" (Willcox, Simon Darlow) – 3:11
- "Martian Cowboy" (Willcox, Bogen, Darlow, Phil Spalding) – 4:40
- Side two
- "Dreamscape" – 5:04
- "Time Is Ours" – 3:38
- "Love Is the Law" (Willcox, Bogen, Darlow, Spalding) – 3:09
- "Remember" (Willcox, Bogen, Darlow) – 4:08
- "The Vow" (Willcox, Bogen, Spalding) – 3:47
- 2005 CD edition bonus tracks
- "Be Proud, Be Loud (Be Heard)" – 3:30
- "Laughing with the Fools" – 4:03
- "To the Mountains High" – 3:36
- "Baptised in Fire" (Willcox) – 2:45
- "Haunted" (Willcox, Darlow) – 3:39
2024 expanded deluxe edition
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Personnel
edit- Band members
- Toyah Willcox – vocals
- Joel Bogen – guitar
- Simon Darlow – keyboards
- Adrian Lee – keyboards on track 11 and 12
- Phil Spalding – bass on tracks 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12
- Brad Lang – bass on tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 13–15
- Andy Duncan – drums and percussion
- Additional musicians
- Preston Heyman – drums on track 11 and 12
- Denys Darlow – string arrangements and conductor on track 10
- Production
- Nick Tauber – producer
- Simon Darlow, Joel Bogen – arrangements
- Simon Hanhart, Phil Harding, Mark Wade – engineers
- Andy Lovell, Mike Higgs, Mike Duffy, Rob Waldron – assistant engineers
Charts
edit| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[9] | 28 |
| UK Independent Albums[10] | 7 |
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums[11] | 34 |
| UK Physical Albums (Official Charts Company)[12] | 18 |
| UK Vinyl Albums[13] | 32 |
| UK Independent Albums[14] | 9 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Toyah discography: Love Is the Law". www.toyahwillcox.com. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Toyah At Home: Episode #7". YouTube. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ Willcox, Toyah (2000). Living Out Loud. London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 252. ISBN 0340745703.
- ^ "Toyah At Home: Episode #5". YouTube. 18 July 2020. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "1980S GIG LIST". toyahwillcox.com. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Reissues 2005". www.toyahwillcox.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Love Is The Law & More: Tour Dates". toyah.net. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "TOYAH: LOVE IS THE LAW, 2CD/DVD EDITION". Cherry Red Records. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100: 30 October 1983 - 05 November 1983". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ "Indie Hits "T"". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 8 June 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 15/11/2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Official Physical Albums Chart on 15/11/2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart on 15/11/2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart on 15/11/2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 November 2024.