Pile of shite this was the beginning of the end for breakbeat hardcore

Back in 1995, the breakbeat-led happy hardcore scene was still all 4-to-the-floor and towards the end of the year the kick drum was increasingly replacing the breakbeats leading us into the "stompy" era circa mid-1996 onwards.This tune (the 'Noddy & Bigears' Mix) practically changed the sound of breakbeat happy hardcore (as I knew it anyway). This was probably the only one (or few) by Hixxy & Sharkey that I do actually like though it's not ultimately in my top 10.

I totally agree with djrobovw1. It's an ongoing argument over likeability of this record but nevertheless any happy hardcore fan cannot disagree it was slightly ahead of it's time and was the catalyst for many big records to come. An unforgettable anthem in my eyes, no doubt about it.

Your quite right mate, people don't have to listen to it but as you said everyone is entitled to their opinion, you gave yours and i give mine, you got funny about it though so i backed it up. Music is subjective but this is awful, i would be too embarrassed to play this, that's not a dig but the honest truth, there is no substance to it, no depth, no meaning, it is flat in that regard, it's nice to give respect to quality music but this was no where near ahead of its time and as for the longevity...We all know the answer to that! Personally i never hear this played out anywhere and if i did i'd get my coat!!

Ouch!! I best had then just coz you said.Thing is, if people don't like it, don't listen to it.....simples.

Sorry, what did you say? i was listening to some Timeless Quality Tunes from the Reinforced Stable...I'd change that user name if i were you...It's becoming!!!

Obvioulsy entitled to your own opinion as I am myself. I hate dogs for instance, not my bag! Reinforced is a massive historic label, agreed, but a lot of people did and still do enjoy the harder 4 beat stompers which all came after this record, and I'm one of them. I'll give this a spin tonight just for you pal.

Ahead Of It's Time? Your Kidding Right? How Many Tunes From Old Are Still Played Around Today? Loads, How Much Is This Rubbish Played About Today, Zero, Timeless It Aint And Ahead Of The Game It Wasn't, Good Music Will Always Be Just That, This Is Fodder, Frisbee Material For The Dog Unlike My Prized Reinforced Tunes....

A lot of negative downplay about this tune, for me it was magic, banging and happy, it never crossed my mind as being music for kids as some comments say. its a tunes that makes you smile and feel good, if it does that then surely its good. its brilliant to mix as well. you think happy hardcore you think toytown.

What a load of TRIPE..Goodbye to the Good Old Days and Enter this RUBBISH...Rave Music for KIDS.

Deluded springs to mind as well as no musical taste!!

Bulldust - this was the start of the Happy Hardcore scene and was a historical prelude to the peak that happened in 1996. It was just the end of an era for some. Obviously for yours! The kids scene that came from no where and wiped out the old school. The kids scene that dominated the streets and the raves for years to come. Swallow that pill, you bitter old bastard ;)

All hail the Happy Hardcore anthem!There can be no other.

Good to read so many similar thought about this record as myself. I love this tune..and it still gives me chills when I play it. Now as much I like this and consider it one the best happy hardcore tracks ever laid down (Favorite mix for me is the "in ya face" version), I agree that this was a big turning point for the style. Many amazing records came after this (at least for a couple of years) but the slow descent into oblivion began here for happy hardcore. Someone does something that is amazing then its latched onto, stripped down and copied, ultimately becoming devoid of any substance. It's the same pattern we've seen many times.

This was the tune that helped get the 'Bonkers' compilation series off the ground. Hixxy & Sharkey were contacted by Lee Muspratt from their distributor Mo's Music Machine and told that React were interested in signing Toytown. Tony De Vit & Tall Paul were stated as potential remixers. Instead of signing 'Toytown' Hixxy talked them into putting together a compilation series. The tune itself was actually going to be called 'Bonkers' due to an MCing line that Sharkey used to say on the mic "This is bonkers!". However, the vocal didn't really work with the track so the vocal was dropped and the name of the tune changed to 'Toytown'.It's first release sold around 5,500 copies.

Toytown.......well, what can i say.This tune was a turning point for Happy Hardcore and a welcome one in my opinion. Its a marmite "love it or hate it track" but for me it was love it. The scene always needs a stand out ground breaking tune to alter and help shape the sounds for future upfront tracks and i'm all for that as it kept the scene healthy and interesting to us ravers (til, for me anyway, 1997 when it went all tits up :(

This is probably the track that ended Hardcore as we knew it, out went the breaks and samples and in came the bouncy monotomous beats and cheesy female vocals. I will loath this track with a passion till the day I die!

This record stands out for me due to the 2 extra runout grooves midway through the tracks each side of the vinyl.... :-) You don't get that on CD nor MP3..... The Cat number is in the 1st runout groove 1 third through the tracks.

I really don't understand why this record was/is so popular it's so annoying that everytime i hear it i want to burst out laughing. The beats are lame & the main riff is just rubbish, i think that the a side Noddy & Bigears Mix name perfectly sums up what this record is all about, trying to make happy hardcore into a style of music for little kids. I put off buying a copy for years as i hate it so much, however i finally gave in to my girl friend who likes it & brought it for her although iv only played it once since then to check the condition & now its just stored away in a cupboard destined to never be played again :) That being said the Vocal/Vinylgroover Remix is a wicked track that is all of the things that the Noddy & Bigears & In Ya Face (& any other) mixes never could or would be ie actually any good. For me this is one of (if not the worst) happy hardcore records ever made

When i first heard this way back in 1995 i was blown away by it! i had to have it on vinyl! it was one of those killer happy hardcore tunes that was rinsed til the cows came home by every happy dj in the world! but i believe there was a downfall to this tunes success, because it was played so much it eventually spawned plenty of toytown-esque tunes (especially by hixxy!) tunes like essential platinum 15 & 16 and then force and styles got on the bandwagon with funfair etc. i dug it out last year and had a play and realised in my opinion that this might of had the same effect for happy hardcore that charly by the prodigy had in the hardcore scene 3-4 years before it in that it killed it, but that is an opinion and i'm sure some people will disagree etc nevertheless it was a massive anthem that can't be discounted!

yeah mate i realise that lol using the prodigy was a poor example should of used smart e's instead lol

I understand the point you are making, and although I think Toy Town was a great fun tune, it certainly spawned a lot of rip offs/copy cat versions that coincided with the decline of the hardcore scene at the time. That, and the move away from breakbeats to a more 4x4 format, so in that sense I agree with you. I have to say though that I don't think Charly did kill the hardcore scene back in 91 / 92. This was just a propaganda story spread by the snobby and hardcore hating Mixmag magazine!

"Toytown" is usually one of the tracks that come in mind when asked about Happy Hardcore. This track was slightly ahead of its time in my humble opinion. The breaks are very memorable, as soon as your hear them, you know its Toytown. But the main thing about this is the Melody. The melody is amazing, along with the square pad. You can't help but love it, its very very happy and musically, to me it's very inspirational. This was a big step for happy hardcore. Trying something uniquely different. Unfortunately, it did get over played. The A side is my favoured out of the two. It veers towards the slightly softer and less harder of the two mixes. The B side, however geers up distorted kicks and harder synths. Overall, a memorable song which will never be forgotten in Happy Hardcore history.

When this song came out it was the defining moments in rave. This changed a whole generatoin of ravers. The intro is a fun one to mix in with heaps of little sounds that sound good to either cross over half way or all the way. The main chrous is one that brings a massive smile every time its played. The logo side is more a happyhardcore feeling track. The info side is more a bouncy techno track. This song (both mixes) has appered on countless mixes. Been played in countless at coutless parties. No oldskool happy hardcore set or collection is complete without this anthem

Defining moment, the only thing this defined was how shit music could get, this did indeed spawn a load of shitty music, truly the shittiest record out there!!