Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Her best studio album by far, 12 May 2005
The album opens with the amazing "Broken Diamonds" which shows both ends of Toyah's vocal range, the beautifully high to the energetically low. This is followed b the hit single "Rebel Run" which emphasises just how energetic both Toyah and her band were in those days. This is followed by "Dreamscape" "Time Is Ours" and "Love is the law" which are fine examples of beautfully sung new wave eighties music and really do touch you when you listen to them. "Martian Cowboy" and "The Vow" show Toyah's ability to slow down and sound both thoughtfull and genuine.This album, coplete with high standard bonus tracks, proves that Toyah was the head of her game at the time, both on stage and in the studio. This CD fully deserves five stars and, indeed, your listening time. Buy it-you won't be dissapointed. Dean
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Safari album finally on CD, 31 May 2005
Finally, Love Is The Law is released on CD! Toyah's last studio album for the Safari label in 1983, this is arguably her most cohesive album. Recorded amid a mass of other projects, the sound, lyrical content and production of Love Is The Law holds together better than bigger hits Anthem & The Changeling which, whilst pulling together collections of similarly themed songs, didn't quite feel as rounded. In contrast to Anthem's sci-fi tinged mysticism and The Changeling's earthy fantasy elements Love Is The Law takes you off into a future of space travel and other worlds which conjure up images akin to mid-80s films such as Robot Jocks and Crash & Burn. It isn't surprising that following this album, Toyah would record a song for and cameo in the film Lorca and the Outlaws. Opening track Broken Diamonds stomps its way in before introducing warm synthesizers for the second half of the song and is followed by album highlight I Explode, instantly memorable and one of Toyah's best singles-that-never-were. Rebel Of Love and the single Rebel Run follow (I've never been partial to the latter, but admit it deserves its place here) before the excellent Martian Cowboy. Toyah doesn't often do a love ballad but here she does and she does it well. The weird opening to Dreamscape gives way to a rather average song which is the album's only low point, but the rest of the album doesn't disappoint. The title track (featuring fans who had camped outside the studio) is Toyah at her most positive and is as catchy and anthemic as I Want To Be Free. The closing track The Vow (her last single for the label) is arguably her best recording, it being an acoustic ballad with melancholy guitars and a beautiful chorus. Completing this release is the 1982 single Be Proud Be Loud (Be Heard) plus respective b-sides. These only add to the album, continuing the same flavours and themes. Of particular note is Haunted, previously only available on the b-side to The Vow and is a perfect example of how much Toyah had developed since the early days of anthemic, boistrous tracks such as Neon Womb & I Want To Be Free. Mention has also to be made of Alan Robinson's very informative sleeve notes and the collection of fascinating promo art & photos that accompany them. Her best Safari album, Love Is The Law is up there beside Prostitute & Ophelia's Shadow as Toyah at her best. This release is the last of her album back catalogue to be issued on CD and has been a long time coming, but finally it's arrived and far from disappoints.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The third in the trilogy. Toyah's undeserved commercial decline, 23 Sep 2006
After Toyah's 1981 album, 'Anthem', made her a household name in the UK, she returned with a bold and exciting album 'The Changeling'. Though it charted in the UK Top 10, and the one single released from the album achieved a modest chart placing, the tide was turning for Toyah's brief taste of commercial fame. 1983 saw the release of the final album with long time collaborator Joel Bogen, resulting in the excellent album 'Love Is The Law'. Sadly, the public interest was dwindling, and the album soon faded into obscurity, though remained a fan favorite over the years. The reason for the relative commercial failure certainly had nothing to do with quality of song writing. If anything, 'Love Is The Law' was more pop than 'The Changeling', and maybe even 'Anthem'.
There were two singles released from 'Love Is The Law'. The first was the very poppy and keyboard-heavy "Rebel Run". Though the song achieved a modest chart placing, I view it as the weakest song on the album. The far superior follow up single, "The Vow", is a beautiful ballad that had "hit" written all over it, though it only managed a brief, low chart placing.
The rest of the album continues with a combination of pop, "Time is ours", ballads, "Martian Cowboy", and gothic influence, "Rebel of love" and "I Explode", all succeeding very well.
Fans petitioned for a long time to get Connoisseur Collection, then reverting back to the original name, Safari, to release 'Love Is The Law' on CD. Safari did not see the demand, and felt their reissue sales of 'Anthem' and 'The Changeling' were not enough to warrant this reissue. Thankfully, Edsel came in to fill that void by licensing 'Love Is The Law' for release.
In keeping with the spirit of the previous reissues, 'Love Is The Law' contains 5 bonus tracks from period single A and B sides, all of which are great songs.
The CD was drawn completely from master tapes, though a couple of minor glitches are present. The first is that "I Explode" and "Rebel of love" are supposed to cut together, though on the CD "I Explode" ends abruptly with a nasty click, followed by a couple seconds of silence before "Rebel of love". Also, there is a minor bit of sound cut from the beginning of "Time is ours". Lastly, the first five songs seem to have excessive tape hiss and a bit too much treble. Again, these are very minor issues with an otherwise very satisfying release.
The CD booklet contains all of the lyrics and lots or rare period photos, as well as detailed liner notes - some supplied by Toyah herself.
'Love Is The Law' was the end of Toyah's partnership with co-writer Joel Bogen. Unfortunately, it spelled the end of the best of her music. While Toyah has managed to create some amazing material over the years with other collaborators, no particular album ever satisfied to the same level as the Safari-era recordings. Toyah without Joel is like Siouxsie without Severin - only half as good.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
