1. Soldier Dolls Punk Doll
2. Soldier Dolls Punk Song
3. Soldier Dolls Punk Band
4. Soldier Dolls Punk Costumes

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Toy Dolls are an English punk rock band formed in 1979. Departing from the angry lyrics and music often associated with punk rock, the Toy Dolls worked within the aesthetics of punk to express a sense of fun, with songs such as 'Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead', 'My Girlfriend's Dad's a Vicar' and 'James Bond Lives Down Our Street'. There is often alliteration in their song titles (e.g. 'Peter Practice's Practice Place', 'Fisticuffs in Frederick Street', 'Neville Is a Nerd', “Quick to Quit the Quentin”). They are probably best known however for their sole UK hit, a punk-rock cover of 'Nellie the Elephant'.^[1]

Their albums usually include a cover version of a well-known hit song, usually sped up to the usual punk rock tempo. Covers have included: 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Toccata in Dm', 'No Particular Place to Go', 'Sabre Dance', 'Livin' La Vida Loca', 'Lazy Sunday', 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)', 'She's So Modern' and 'The Final Countdown'. They have also recorded parodies of popular songs, such as 'The Kids in Tyne and Wear (Kids in America)' and 'The Devil Went Down to Scunthorpe (The Devil Went Down to Georgia)'. Their albums often start with a short intro with a catchy guitar riff, and end with an outro, which is usually a slightly longer variation of the intro riff. Kazoos are also prominent in many of their songs.

Most of the band members have nicknames, and are rarely seen without their cartoonish rectangular sunglasses (although they appeared bare-eyed on the One More Megabytealbum cover).

Career[edit]

The Toy Dolls formed as a quartet featuring vocalist Pete 'Zulu' Robson; guitarist Michael Algar, also known as Olga (born 21 September 1962, South Shields, England); drummer Colin 'Mr. Scott' Scott; and bassist Phillip 'Flip' Dugdale. After just a few gigs, Zulu left to form his own band and was replaced by Paul 'Hud' Hudson on vocals for one concert. After Hud's departure, the Toy Dolls became a trio, with guitarist Olga assuming permanent vocal duties.

Scott left the band in 1980 and was replaced by Dean James for four months over the summer of 1980. James later returned to the band from 1985 to 1988 as bassist. Flip left in 1983, marking the beginning of a revolving door of drummers and bassists that would characterise the Toy Dolls line-up over the years (with Olga as the mainstay and only original member). In 1984, Zulu returned to the line-up as bassist/backing vocalist, but departed again less than a year later.

They were initially grouped with the Oi! scene, and have also been classified as punk pathetique. One reason they are associated with Oi! is that they were championed by Garry Bushell, who was very involved with Oi! bands such as Angelic Upstarts (whom The Toy Dolls later supported on their first national tour). In 1980, a Sunderland businessman financed the Toy Dolls' debut single, 'Tommy Kowey's Car' with 'She Goes To Fino's' on the B-side. The single quickly sold out its initial pressing of 500 copies, but the band could not afford to press any more, making the single a collectors' item. Around the time the band signed to Volume, Olga moved to Newton Hall, in north Durham, which led to the song 'Livin' on Newton Hall'.

For Christmas 1982, they released their punk rendition of 'Nellie the Elephant', a classic children's song, which hit No. 1 in the UK Indie Chart. In 1983, they released their debut album Dig That Groove Baby. In 1984, their re-issue of 'Nellie the Elephant' reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the chart for 14 weeks.^[2] Their 1985 album, A Far Out Disc, reached No. 71 in the UK Albums Chart.^[2]

Since then, the band has continued to release albums and to tour widely, mainly across continental Europe, South America and Japan. After a gap of 14 years since their last gig in Britain, 2007 saw a string of UK dates taking in cities from Glasgow to London, including a 'homecoming' for a show at Durham University.

The band released a best of album, Ten Years of Toys. 1993 saw the popular live song 'I'm a Telly Addict' on the album Absurd-Ditties. In 1997 the band released One More Megabyte, which featured references to computers, mainly in the lyrics of its title track, and in tracks like the outro track. A popular cover of Ricky Martin's 'Livin' La Vida Loca' made its way onto Anniversary Anthems in 2000. The band's 2004 album Our Last Album? fooled fans in the anticipation up to its release that it was the band's last album. The outro track on the album stated that it was not.

To celebrate the band's 25th anniversary in 2004, the official biography, The Toy Dolls: From Fulwell to Fukuoka, was published by Ardra Press.

In 2006, The Toy Dolls contributed their cover version of 'Toccata in Dm' to the album project Artists for Charity – Guitarists 4 the Kids, produced by Slang Productions to assist World Vision Canada in helping underprivileged kids in need.^[3]

For their 30th anniversary in October 2009 the band received congratulatory messages from a selection of musicians including Baz Warne from The Stranglers, TV Smith from The Adverts Jake Burns Stiff Little Fingers & NOFX manager Kent Jamieson.^[4]

The Toy Dolls live shows consist of synchronized choreography, timed moves, dances and jumps and spinning guitars.^[5]

The band's song 'Nellie the Elephant' was used by Tesco in their toy advertisement in October 2014.

The Album After the Last One was released in 2012. The band has been on a 'The Tour After The Last One' and started a range of Toy Dolls-themed real ales under the label 'The Beer After The Last One'.^[6]

In 2018, the band played one show in Montebello, Quebec for the city's annual Rockfest music festival, marking the first time in the band's 38-year history that they played a show in Canada.

Members[edit]

As of 2007, the band has had 14 different drummers and 12 different bassists. Olga is the only remaining original member of the band. After Olga, drummer Martin Yule had the longest tenure in the band (1987–2000). Yule currently owns a shop in Sunderland called 'Hotrats.' Former drummer Dave 'the Nut' Nuttall owns Jalapeño Drums (a custom drum company based in Lancaster, Lancashire). The current lead singer/guitarist with The StranglersBaz Warne also had a stint with the band. Olga has played bass on tours with the US punk band The Dickies, and also with The Adicts. Gary Dunn, former bassist of The Toy Dolls (1997–1999), teaches music at City of Sunderland College, and former drummer Trevor 'The Frog' Brewis, teaches music at Middlesbrough College, though Olga moved away from the north east of England a number of years ago, and now lives in London.

It has become a tradition to give a special nickname to every Toy Dolls member.

Current members[edit]

• Michael 'Olga' Algar – lead vocals, guitar
• Duncan 'The Amazing Mr. Duncan' Redmonds – drums, vocals
• Tom 'Tommy Goober' Blyth – bass, vocals

Toy Dolls alumni[edit]

• Peter 'Pete Zulu' Robson – bass, guitar
• Phillip 'Flip' Dugdale – bass
• Colin 'Mr. Scott' Scott – drums
• Paul 'Hud' Hudson – vocals
• Dean 'Dean James' Robson – drums 1980, bass guitar 1985/88
• Trevor 'Trevor The Frog' Brewis – drums
• Graham 'Teddy Toy Doll' Edmundson – drums
• Robert 'Happy Bob' Kent – drums
• Steve 'Rubiboy' Mallinson- bass
• Frederick 'Freddie Hotrock' Robertson – bass
• Nick Buck – drums
• Barry 'Bonny Baz' Warne – bass
• Alan 'Dirty Dicka' Nixon – drums
• Malcolm 'Dicky' Dick – drums
• Paul 'Little Paul' Smith – drums
• Ernest 'Ernie' Algar – bass
• Kevin 'Canny Kev' Scott – drums
• Martin 'Marty' Yule – drums
• John 'K'Cee' Casey – bass
• Richard 'Dicky Hammond' Hammond – bass
• Gary 'Gary Fun' Dunn – bass
• Suba – drums
• Michael 'Reb' Rebbig – bass
• David 'Dave the Nut' Nuttall – drums

Timeline[edit]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Live albums[edit]

Singles and EPs[edit]

• 1980: 'Tommy Kowey's Car'
• 1981: Toy Dolls EP ('Tommy Koway's Car' [new version], 'She's a Worky Ticket', 'Everybody Jitterbug, 'Teenager in Love' (excerpt), 'I've Got Asthma')
• 1981: 'Everybody Jitterbug'
• 1982: 'Nellie the Elephant' – identical to the version on their first album Dig That Groove Baby
• 1983: 'Cheerio & Toodle Pip'
• 1983: 'Alfie from the Bronx'
• 1984: 'We're Mad' / 'Deirdre's a Slag' (nb. 12-inch version was a triple A-side with 'Rupert the Bear')
• 1984: 'Nellie the Elephant' (re-recording) – No. 4 UK (14 weeks in chart)^[7]; No. 39 Germany (8 weeks in chart)^[8]; No. 97 in Australia.^[9] No. 1 UK Independent Singles Chart (7 weeks at No.1)^{[10][circular reference]}
• 1985: 'She Goes to Finos' / 'Spiders in the Dressing Room' ' – No. 93 UK (2 weeks in chart)^[7]
• 1985: 'James Bond Lives Down Our Street'
• 1986: 'Geordie's Gone to Jail'
• 1987: 'Wipe Out (Live)'
• 1990: 'Turtle Crazy'
• 1995: 'Lazy Sunday Afternoon'
• 2000: 'Livin' la Vida Loca'

References[edit]

Soldier Dolls Punk Doll

1. ^Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 466. ISBN1-85227-969-9.
2. ^ ^abRoberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 563. ISBN1-904994-10-5.
3. ^'Slang Productions – Guitarists 4 the Kids'. Slangproductions.com. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
4. ^'The Toy Dolls Official Website'. Thetoydolls.com. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
5. ^'YouTube'. Retrieved 28 January 2014 – via YouTube.
6. ^'The Toy Dolls Official Website'. Thetoydolls.com. Retrieved 28 November 2014.
7. ^ ^ab'nellie the elephant | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company'. Officialcharts.com.
8. ^'germancharts.de - Toy Dolls - Nellie The Elephant'. Germancharts.de.
9. ^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 311. ISBN0-646-11917-6.
10. ^List of UK Independent Singles Chart number ones of the 1980s

External links[edit]

Mydolls is an American punk band from Houston, Texas, United States, consisting of Linda Younger on guitar and vocals, Dianna Ray on bass and vocals, Trish Herrera on guitar and vocals, and George Reyes on drums and vocals that were active from 1978–1986, then from 2008 until the present.

Formation[edit]

Mydolls formed in 1978 in Houston, Texas. Dianna Ray and Trish Herrera began writing songs together. Dianna and Trish were then joined by Linda (Bond) Younger. After several attempts working with various auditioning drummers, Trish's cousin, George (Jorge) Reyes, joined the band, and the post-punk sound took shape as the band remained inspired by punk ranging from the 1960s-1970s, including Iggy Pop, Magazine, Television, Red Crayola, Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, NY Dolls, and other disruptive bands.^[1] Trish and Linda tended to play their guitars in a very unconventional way. Linda would sometimes play the top three strings, while Trish played the bottom three, making the sound textured.^[2] Meanwhile, Jorge Reyes percussive style de-emphasized a hi-hat based rock’n’roll meter in favor of a syncopated, Latin-flavored approach that concentrated on rhythmic tom tom usage rather than basic back-beats. The vocals, were mainly shared by Trish and Linda, with Dianna adding chanting and George singing back-up vocals on a few songs while playing drums. Since the band pre-dated punk as a strict genre, the band wasn't aware of making 'mistakes,' since no musical box constricted them. Only later, they felt, did punk begin to form uniforms and formulas.^[3]

Early years[edit]

Mydolls traveled to London, England after the release of their first 45, In Technicolor (CIA, 1980) and were greeted by Mayo Thompson of the Red Crayola and workers at Rough Trade Records. While in London Mydolls went to BBC Radio to meet John Peel and were invited to do an on-air interview with him. In 1984, Mydolls traveled to New York City to attend the U.S. premiere of Wim Wenders' movie, Paris, Texas at the N.Y. Film Festival and played the after-party at the Danceteria.^[4] Mydolls appear in the movie in the bar scene, shot in Port Arthur, Texas, with Nastassja Kinski and Harry Dean Stanton, whom Herrera met personally in Telluride, Colorado.^[5] The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival.^[6] Locally, Mydolls played in Houston at dance studios, outsider art environments such as Studio One, Farrell Dyde Dance Studio, art galleries, and The Museum of Fine Arts. They also played at more traditional music venues such as the Ale-house, Caribana, Rock Island, Numbers, Omni, Cabaret Voltaire, Rudyards, and Rockefellers. They found themselves sharing the bill with local luminaries Really Red, The Hates, Wild Bores, Culturcide, Introverts, Plastic idols, Recipients, Party Owls, Degenerates, Anarchitex, and Naked Amerika as well as traveling acts such as Minor Threat, Poison 13, Big Boys, Ragged Bags, The Cramps, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Stickmen with Rayguns. In 1985, Mydolls played a farewell gig at the Orange Show.

Tours[edit]

Mydolls' tours took them to college towns and small alternative venues. In 1983, they completed a Midwest tour dubbed 'The Dead Armadillo Tour' which included shows in Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, and Michigan^[7] and a 1984 Midwest/East Coast jaunt, dubbed the 'Go to Fish Tour,' stopping in New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky.^[8]

Mydolls' devoted sound engineer, Phil Davis, lovingly referred to as 'Feedback Phil', was the original sound man for Paradise Island / Rock Island, a seminal first wave punk club in Houston. Phil traveled with Mydolls in order to ensure high-quality mixes at clubs. Selections from the board mixes recorded in Newport, Kentucky at the Jockey Club and at JB's in Kent, Ohio were included on the 12' EP Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick.

Reformation[edit]

Kathy Johnston, Dianna Ray's wife, played guitar with Mydolls at their farewell show in 1985. She later collaborated with Dianna and Trish in the bands World War I (Women with Instruments), Black Dresses and They Should Have Been Blondes. Johnston continued to play live with Mydolls after their reformation in 2008. She died in 2011 of MDS, a rare blood cancer.

In 2007, A World of Her Own, the Mydolls' complete anthology CD, was released by Grand Theft Audio. The set includes 2 CDs and a 24-page booklet of song lyrics, photos, flyers, and liner notes. In November 2008 Mydolls reformed to play at the 'Noise and Smoke Festival' in Houston, Texas.

2011-Present[edit]

In January 2011, Mydolls were featured in the book Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generations^[9] (Univ. Press of Mississippi). They are featured in an extensive interview in the January 2013 issue of the long-time punk fanzine Maximumrocknroll.^[10]

November 2012 saw them play at the wildly successful Island Reunion^[11] show celebrating the birthplace of punk rock in Houston.

In August 2013, Mydolls were selected as one of only ten Houston artists to be inaugural inductees into the newly established Houston Music Hall of Fame along with Geto Boys, Gene Watson and ZZ Top^[12]

In October 2013, Mydolls played at MEOW CON in Austin, along with featured guest Suzi Quatro.

In Summer 2014, Mydolls played at Numbers Night Club in Houston, for the infamous street skate punk group, the Urban Animals reunion party.^[13]

In the Spring of 2015, Mydolls played the North Texas music festival Denton 35 along with the English rock band The Zombies.^[14]

In the Fall of 2015, Mydolls released a new eight song CD It's Too Hot for Revolution.^[15] Later in the same year, Mydolls traveled to California and played at the 'Fabulosa Festival' in Yosemite,^[16] then traveled to Oakland, California, to open for The Avengers at Leo's Club.^[17]

Mydolls continues to play national and statewide shows on a regular basis.

Since its inception in 2010, Trish Herrera and Dianna Ray have also played in the post-punk band, No Love Less, with drummer David Ensminger.

Members[edit]

• Trish Herrera, vocals and guitar, 1978–present
• Linda Younger, guitar and vocals, 1978–present
• Dianna Ray, bass and vocals, 1978–present
• George Reyes, Drums, 1978–present

Participating members[edit]

• Kathy Johnston, guitar and percussion
• Caroline Hall, keyboard
• Peter Jennings, vocals
• Ralph Armin Kaethner, saxophone
• Gina Sonderegger, drums
• Caroline Hall, keyboard
• Dan Workman, guitar
• Marian Luntz, flute
• David Ensminger, drums
• Andrew Bradley, recording engineer
• Phil Davis, sound engineer

Discography[edit]

Singles and EPs[edit]

• 'Nova Grows Up' / 'Therapist', CIA Records 45 rpm 7'
• 'Exorcist' / 'Imposter', CIA Records 45 rpm 7'
• Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick, CIA Records 45 rpm 12'

Albums[edit]

• A World of Her Own, Grand Theft Audio, CD, 2007
• It's Too Hot for Revolution, Betsey, 8 song CD, also available as a digital download, 2015

Compilations[edit]

Soldier Dolls Punk Song

• 'Soldiers of Pure War' appears on Cottage Cheese From the Lips of Death compilation, Ward-9, 1983
• 'Savage Song' appears on Sub Pop 7 compilation cassette, Sub Pop, 1983
• 'Savage Song' also appears on The Dog That Wouldn’t Die compilation cassette, CIA Records, 1986

References[edit]

1. ^Velazco, Fernando. 'Fernando Velazco Speaks With Trish Herrera of Mydolls'. Punk Globe. Punk Globe. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
2. ^'Mydolls'. Last.fm. CBS Interactive Music Group. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
3. ^Walker, Lance Scott. 'Doll Parts: Mydolls'. Houston Press. Houston Press, LP. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
4. ^Kaye, Steve. 'Mydolls Interview'. Task. Kill From the Heart. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
5. ^'Houston's Mydolls Get a Break'. Dallas Observer. 10 January 1985. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
6. ^'Awards for Paris, TX'. IMDb.com. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
7. ^'1983 Mydolls Midwest Tour Calendar'. Midwest Indie, Punk, and Hardcore Archive!. midwestpunk.wordpress.com. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
8. ^'Mydolls Ephemera No. 68'. Mydolls, Texas Punk. mydolls1978.wordpress.com. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
9. ^'Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generation'. Upress.state.ms.us. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
10. ^'Maximum Rocknroll'. Maximum Rocknroll. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
11. ^Gray, Chris. 'Island Reunion'. Houston Press. Houston Press, LP. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
12. ^William Michael Smith (2013-07-31). 'Ten the Hard Way: Introducing the Houston Music Hall of Fame'. Houston Press. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
13. ^'Urban Animals 35th Reunion'. Facebook.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
14. ^[1]^{[dead link]}
15. ^'Its Too Hot For Revolution'. Mydollsmusic.com. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
16. ^Fabulosa, 2015 Performers 'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2015-10-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
17. ^San Francisco Events 'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-10-21.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Soldier Dolls Punk Band

External links[edit]

Soldier Dolls Punk Costumes