Far Out Disc, A

In 1985 the Toy Dolls followed up the success of their debut, the 100-mph Ferris wheel ride Dig That Groove Baby, with the equally kinetic A Far Out Disc. Having already established themselves as the class clowns of the European punk scene, the band upped the ante by increasing the number of skits and segues and including a frenetic cover of the surf classic "Wipe Out." Guitar hero, pixie-thin British jester, and exhausting frontman Olga leads the listener through a demented working-class Romper Room that begins and ends with the nursery rhyme instrumental "A Far Out Theme Tune." Other highlights include the Ramones-like "She Goes to Finos," which was originally released in 1979 by Olga's previous group, the Showbiz Kids, and the loony-bin anthem "We're Mad," which spent 13 weeks in the indie Top 20. A few of the instrumental segues, like "Chartbuster/Razzmatazz Outro," interfere with the flow of the record as opposed to smoothing it out, and the production is a bit muddier than the band's previous offering. While not as strong as other records in their catalog, even a weak Toy Dolls album harnesses more energy than an entire year of new releases. ~ James Christopher Monger|