Dreamchild was the sixth solo album released by Toyah Willcox

Toyah Willcox

Toyah Ann Willcox is an English actress and singer. In a career spanning more than thirty years Toyah has had 13 top 40 singles, released 22 studio albums, written two books, appeared in over forty stage plays and ten feature films, as well as voicing and presenting numerous television shows...

 since leaving Toyah

Toyah (band)

Toyah is the name of the band fronted by Toyah Willcox between 1977 and 1983. The only other consistent band member throughout this period was Joel Bogen, Willcox's principal co-writer and guitarist.-Background :...

, and was released in 1994 via Cryptic Records in Germany. It is the album with the least amount of input from Toyah herself, as almost every track was composed by Mike Bennett, with Toyah contributing lyrics to only one track. The dance nature of the album also contrasts with the rest of her catalogue, making it Toyah appear more of a guest vocalist than the leading artist on her own album.

Track listing

1. "Now And Then" (Bennett) – 4.41
2. "Let Me Go" (Bennett) – 4.56
3. "World Of Tension" (Bennett) – 4.23
4. "Out Of The Blue" (Bennett) – 5.51
5. "Unkind" (Bennett) – 4.48
6. "Dreamchild" (Bennett) – 6.22
7. "Lost And Found" (Bennett) – 4.44
8. "Over You" (Bennett, Tacye) – 5.18
9. "I Don't Know" (Bennett, Willcox, Mex, Tacye) – 5.16
10. "Disappear (Bennett, Moran, Tayce) – 2.42
11. "Tone Poem (Bennett, Moran) – 7.10
12. "Now And Then (Extended X-Rated Mix) – 7.59

Phoenix [1997 reissue]

In 1997, the album was reissued by Receiver Records as Phoenix, featuring an additional track of the same name taken from the otherwise unreleased "Eternity (Madhatter)" sessions, and radically different artwork. However, it was missing the complete lyrics included in the original issue.

The sleeve notes in this reissue included the following explanation behind the origins of the album...

"Toyah's highly distinctive delivery gives the 'Phoenix' album the feel of a metaphysical journey which at times goes into a hauntingly infectious trance. This is particularly effective on the tracks "Let Me Go" and "I Don't Know", where Toyah's understated vocals evoke moody and surreal imagery.
The album was predominantly written by acclaimed producer Mike Bennett whose credits for labels such as BMG, Trojan, Radikal and Creation Records include The Fall, BMX Bandits

BMX Bandits (band)

BMX Bandits are a Scottish 1960s-influenced guitar pop band who have been making music from 1986 to the present day. They have shared members with other Bellshill bands Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons....

, Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...

, Sweet, Tacye, Kim Fowley, King Tubby

King Tubby

King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...

 and Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
On the tracks "Now And Then", "Disappear" and "Unkind" Toyah sounds extremely mischievous against an aggressive backdrop of Hardbeat loops giving an effective contrast to the Latin flavour of "World Of Tension" or the tranquil moods of ambient tracks such as "Lost And Found", "Over You" and the brilliant "Phoenix".
This album is a musical excursion for Toyah who has always resisted the lure of the corporate machin in favour of taking risks and crossing musical boundaries."

Track listing

1. "Now And Then" (Bennett) – 4.41
2. "Let Me Go" (Bennett) – 4.56
3. "World Of Tension" (Bennett) – 4.23
4. "Out Of The Blue" (Bennett) – 5.51
5. "Unkind" (Bennett) – 4.48
6. "Dreamchild" (Bennett) – 6.22
7. "Lost And Found" (Bennett) – 4.44
8. "Over You" (Bennett, Tacye) – 5.18
9. "I Don't Know" (Bennett, Willcox, Mex, Tacye) – 5.16
10. "Disappear (Bennett, Moran, Tayce) – 2.42
11. "Phoenix (Bennett, Tayce, Skeat) – 8.26
12. "Tone Poem (Bennett, Moran) – 7.10
13. "Now And Then (Extended X-Rated Mix) – 7.59

Dreamchild [2010 reissue]

'Dreamchild' was re-issued in the UK with an alternative cover and extra tracks by cherry red records in July 2010. In 1992, Toyah began preparing a musical which was to be titled Cindy X, and for which several songs were written and recorded. When the Cindy X project was abandoned, the songs were changed and revamped for inclusion in the original Dreamchild album; the added tracks include the original Cindy X versions of the songs. Also included as a bonus track is an outtake from the unreleased "Eternity (Madhatter)" sessions.

Track listing

1. "Tone Poem" (Bennett, Moran) – 7.10
2. "Now And Then" (Bennett) – 4.40
3. "Let Me Go" (Bennett) – 4.57
4. "World Of Tension" (Bennett) – 4.23
5. "Out Of The Blue" (Edited; Bennett) – 4.49
6. "Unkind" (Bennett) – 4.48
7. "Dreamchild" (Bennett) – 6.22
8. "Lost And Found" (Bennett) – 4.44
9. "Over You" (Bennett, Tacye) – 5.18
10. "I Don't Know" (Bennett, Willcox, Mex, Tacye) – 5.17
11. "Disappear" (Bennett, Moran, Tayce) – 2.42
12. "Open The Skies" (Bonus Track; Bennet) – 4.20
13. "Another Way" (Alternate version of World Of Tension; Bennet) – 4.37
14. "Over You" (Cindy X Version) – 3.57
15. "Let Me Go" (Cindy X Version) – 4.48
16. "Lost and Found" (Cindy X Version) – 5.08

Personnel

• Toyah Willcox - lead vocals
• Paul Moran - keyboards, brass, programming and arrangements
• Tayce - additional vocals and samples
• Jay Stapley - guitars on 'Unkind' and 'Disappear'
• Paul Mex - keyboards and programming on 'Over You' and 'I Don't Know'
• Bob Skeat - bass
• Martin Keating - additional programming
• Angus Wallace - additional programming
• Warren Bassett - additional programming

Production

• Producer:Paul Moran and Tayce for Hyper V - 'Over You' & 'I Don't Know', produced by Paul Mex