The Toy Dolls — The Albums 1983-1987

When one  considers 80's British Punk music, you often think of spiky angry- focused in on the government, the establishment, or big business. Sunderland based Toys Dolls where one of the first bands to focus in more humorous &  comic lyrical themes. Which was backed by the bands often speedy, tuneful, and playful punk sound that brought together elements of pop punk, Oi, & guitar-based pop indie. Here we have a five-CD box set- bringing together all of the band's output between the years 1983 & 1987- taking four studio albums, and a disc of rarer B sides/ alternative track versions.

The release comes in a shiny flip side box- with each of the five CD’s coming in their own mini slip sleeve, which recreate the original album sleeve artwork. You also get a colorful twenty-page inlay booklet- this takes in single  & label artwork, and promotional pictures- through there is any in-depth write-up about The Toy Dolls, instead we just very get fleeting notes about the band's discography in the 1980’s.

The sets first disc takes in the bands 1983 debut album Dig That Groove Baby. And this offers up a  total runtime of thirty four minutes, and  fourteen short, buoyant, and bright slices of punk fun. From the album s first moments & the jaunting  guitar instrumental of “Theme Tune” you know you in for something a lot more playful & joy ribbed than the often grey anger of most of punks output in the early 80’s. As the album goes on we go from the chugging  & jigging football chanting vocals of "Spiders In The Dressing Room". Onto the nursery Rhymes meets speeding pop-punk of "Nellie The Elephant". Through to gunning indie guitar pop meets punk ‘n’ roll tunefulness of “Worse Things Happen At Sea”. Onto the comedic chug & dart of “Fiery Jack”- with buoyant & speedy helium-fueled lead vocals, and chanting amassed backing vocals. All in Dig That Groove Baby is a great speedy & joyful debut album, which nicely sets the bands sound in place.

Moving onto the second CD and we have the band follow-up album 1985’s A Far Out Disc. This album comes in at a slightly longer thirty eight minutes, and offers up another sixteen tracks. And really as one would hope it sees the band refining & sculpturing their fun & speedy songcraft, with more tuneful hooks, chant-along chorus, playful sound effects, and comedic song introductions. Also with this album we get the introduction of more local references & stories in & around Sunderland/ Tyne & Wear- which adds a nice distinctively regional feel to the tracks. Sound wise you get a blend of tuneful & mostly speedy punk, with the occasional flecks of rock ‘n’ rock & more melodic metal touches.  Added to this we a get a great comic book cover, which looks like it’s escaped from the pages of cheeky British comic Viz. All in all A Far Out Disc  is a worthy & enjoyable second release from the band.

Disc three takes in the bands third album 1986’s Idle Gossip, and to my ears, this is the least enjoyable of the four albums here, which is kind of odd, as it’s seen by some fans as their best work. The track listing takes in another twelve tracks, and really the bands sound is becoming more speedy & manic- with lead singers vocals becoming annoying helium-fueled( and at  times sound like they’ve been artificially speed-up), and the layers of football chanting vocals. Most of the tracks here feel tune-less & muddled blurs, and the production of the album feels rather bland & airless- really lacking both depth & punch. I found one or two tracks passable here, and some of the time changes where quite interesting- but mostly it was just annoying & hyperactive, much like a being in an over grounded pub during a football game stuck next to a cheerful & chirpy drunk that just won’t shut-up- all making the albums thirty eight minute runtime a real chore to get through.

The fourth disc is taken up Bare Faced Cheek, and this originally back in 1987. The album takes in twelve tracks, and for the most part, I found it a great return to form from The Toy Dolls. The tracks here seem less muddled & more focused on their construction, also the lead vocals speedy high-ness is turned down, as is the football chanted chorus/ backing vocals. Next, the songs are a lot more memorable & funny in their outlook. Highlights includes the single “Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead”- with its blend punching chugging & jigging guitar work. To the cheeky & bopping “Howza Bout Kiss Baby”- with its comedy effect edged chorus. Or the 80’s slightly metallic punk-pop of “Nowt Can Compare To Sunderland Finefare”…who’d have thought a song about a 1980's British supermarket could sound so great. 

The final disc in the set is entitled Rare Dolls- and this takes in twenty tracks, and just over an hour playtime. As its title suggests this is the rare/B side disc- there are some interesting moments here, and in particular these come from the B sides. Though there are a few version of the same song, and as one would expect with a compilation disc it lacks flow & continuity. So it’s really a one or two play disc.

The Toy Dolls are certainly an important & distinctively buoyant part of punk rock history, and it’s great to get all their 80’s album in one place. On the whole, I was fairly impressed with this reissue box set, though it would have been nice if the booklet had some short-of-write up about the band, the albums production, and the general impact & influence the band had on the genre.