Victims Of The Riddle was a debut single from the post-punk band Toyah, fronted by Toyah Willcox. It was released on July 27, 1979.^[1] The single and its B-side, "Victims of the Riddle (Vivisection)" were featured on the LP version of Sheep Farming In Barnet, which was itself an extended reissue of the band's next single. They also featured on the 2005 compilation album The Safari Singles Collection Part 1: 1979-1981.

History

"Victims of the Riddle" was considered by some as being a very brave single choice, especially as a debut. "'Victims Of The Riddle' was mainly my choice because I wanted to be as weird and far away from the mainstream as possible. In fact, being weird was my priority. If I was to go back in time I'd have made the first single 'Neon Womb'", Toyah remarked in 2011.^[2]

There was, apparently, some friction within the band as to the authorship. In 1980, speaking to ZigZag fanzine, Toyah said:

In 2011, speaking of the old songs she cherry-picked for her 30th Anniversary concert tour, Toyah commented:

Controversy

The single courted controversy due to its intentionally disturbing front cover image — a photograph of one of the mummies of Guanajuato in Mexico (from a book by Ray Bradbury entitled The Mummies of Guanajuato), holding a note which asked "Is there a heaven? Is there a hell? Do both exist? Who can tell?". This was drawn over the original inscription, which bore the name of the actual mummy — Magdalena Aguilar, and her date of burial which was the 8th of September, 1897. Her mummified body was exhumed on the 27 December 1909.

Critical reception

In April 1979 New Musical Express wrote: "Toyah's backdrop is a quirky maze of fixing electronic and electric sounds, an intelligent sub-disco underlay. Toyah herself screeches and howls and makes the simple art of reviewing something of an endurance test. Angry and powerful, that's what it is, riotously and genuinely performed. But painful and disappointing too, after all the pre-release build up... Is there a heaven?/Is there a hell?/Do both exist?/Who can tell?" runs the deep intellect on the sleeve front. Theatrical froth".^[4]

Track listing

7" Vinyl

A: Victims of the Riddle [Willcox/Hale/James/Bogen/Bush]
B: Victims of the Riddle (Vivisection) [Willcox/Hale/James/Bogen/Bush]

Catalogue Number: SAFE 15. Produced by Steve James/Keith Hales. Published by Sweet 'n' Sour Songs/MCPS.

Side A ran at 45RPM, while the lengthier Side B ran at 33RPM.

Personnel

Toyah Willcox - vocals
Joel Bogen - guitar
Mark Henry - bass
Steve Bray - drums
Peter Bush - keyboards

References

^ "Victims of the Riddle". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
^ ^a ^b "Toyah Talks Music". FSF-A Interview. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
^ Autumn 1980. "Toyah interview". ZigZag. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
^ "Victims Of A Riddle". NME. Retrieved 2011-01-01.

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