The Toy Dolls

The Singles 2-CD set

(Cherry Red)

From their 1979 founding until today England's gaudy Toy Dolls have eagerly donned the jester's cap and carried on like nimrods, both physically and lyrically. (They put show-business tradition into Punk.) But their legions of fans know that window-dressing is but one defining factor. The trio's musical aptitude lends substance to the presentation, for beneath the harlequin mask lurks chainsaw potency  the equal of any spiky peers.

Recommended, disc one: "Tommy Kowey's Car," "She Goes To Finos," "Teenager In Love"/"I've Got Asthma," "Nellie The Elephant," "H.O!," "We're Mad," "Fisticuffs In Frederick Street"

Recommended, disc two: "James Bond (Lives Down Our Street), "Geordie's Gone To Jail," "Lazy Sunday Afternoon," "Sod the Neighbours," "Cloughy Is a Bootboy!," "Her With a Hoover," "Alec's Back"

Video: live 1984 (23:53)

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Cherry Red