Toronto - Girls Night Out

Well that didn't take long. I had mentioned didn't have the last Toronto album* when I was writing about the band's previous album Get It On Credit, (posted September 17, 2025) and sure enough when I was rummaging through the discount bins at Krazy Bobs there it was ... along with a baker's dozen other albums that came with me.

I know there was one more album under the Toronto banner,  Assault & Flattery that was attributed Holly Woods & Toronto. Aside from Holly Woods, keyboardist Scott Kreyer was the only other member as Sheron Alton and Brian Allen were no longer in the band, so for me Girl's Night Out is the last album by the classic line up that dropped an album a year from 1980 to 1983. A blip on the radar but they left an indelible mark on Canadian rock.

I know I've taken some pot shots at the band in the past and have been lukewarm to their albums as a whole. They always had a great single, and while I'd enjoy the albums they just never seemed to resonate. I had expected more of the same with Girls Night Out. The title track was great, but had no idea what was really in store with the album. This was more or less new to me.

I did not expect this one to click. Boy did it ever. The album leads off with the title track, and frankly I more or less figured the band had delivered their money shot and would promptly roll over and go to sleep. I didn't think they'd keep dropping one great track after another throughout side one. 

I wonder if Price or Sinead heard "I'm Ready to Make Up" as "Nothing Compares 2 U" is eerily similar. I know overall the songs aren't that close, but man both songs start off with the same cadence. Who knows, maybe it's just me ... 

Exhibit A: Toronto 

It's been three long days and three long nights
I'm gettin' too lonely to face one more
I'm so sorry that we had that fight
I'm asking you only to open the door

Exhibit B: Prince 

It's been seven hours and fifteen days
Since you took your love away
I go out every night and sleep all day
Since you took your love away

The first side was really good. I mean it was really good.

Side two starts off with "All Night Love Affair" which was a serviceable song, but it felt more like the Toronto I liked to take pot shots at ... thankfully they got back on track with the next one and didn't look back. Musically this was still ballsy guitar rock fronted by a truly gifted vocalist in Holly Wood, but they were incorporating elements of new wave and when they got the pieces in the right order they were really onto something. 

Girls Night Out, like Toronto's previous three records would go platinum (100,000) in Canada, and setting aside my pithy comments about the albums being meh at times the Toronto got better with each release. At time it seemed inconceivable that this was the end of the line.

They went out on top.

*I suppose one could argue that Assault & Flattery that was attributed to Holly Woods & Toronto was their last album, but by '84 both Sheron and Brian were gone and the only remaining member was keyboard player Scott Kreyer to represent Toronto. It may be a good album, but I don't consider it canon.