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
'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