Thomas Dolby

THOMAS DOLBY

I want to start this blog with an overview of Thomas Dolby since he is one of my favorite recording artists. He is much more than a one hit wonder, and I wanted to offer some other reasons for people to enjoy his body of work. 

Like a lot of people, I became a fan of his after "She Blinded Me with Science" hit MTV in 1982. I continue to be a fan over 30 years later because he has continued to create great music. There are more fans out there than you might think, as evidenced by the number of players in his 2011 online Map of the Floating City game.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS (1982)
 

The Stuff You Know: "She Blinded Me with Science" came off the album "The Golden Age of Wireless", and is Thomas Dolby's signature song. The quirky music and the song's hook made it an instant hit for fans of new wave as well as regular pop music. SCIENCE!

The Stuff You May Not Know: The album had been released earlier in a couple of different versions without having the mega hit included. The songs included on the earlier versions were "Urges", "Leipzig" and "Wreck of the Fairchild". The other songs are great, mostly low key synth classics. The best, in my opinion, are "One of Our Submarines", "Airwaves", "Radio Silence" and "Europa and the Pirate Twins".

This is a must have album for any new wave or 80's music fan.The 2009 remastered version includes the album in it's original order along with "Science" and several rare demos and live versions, along with a bonus video DVD..

THE FLAT EARTH (1984)

The Stuff You Know: His next big single and video were for the song "Hyperactive" off the album "The Flat Earth". The weirdly funny video was another MTV hit. The song is similar in feel to "She Blinded Me with Science" (the video even co-starred the same Mad Scientist, Magnus Pyke) but has a much funkier beat and is more frenetic.

The Stuff You May Not Know: It took me a couple of listens to side 2 to really appreciate this album, as the style was so different from "Golden Age". Each song here is stylistically different from each other as well.

The first song, "Dissidents", starts with a funky bass beat and has a great atmosphere throughout. "The Flat Earth" and "Screen Kiss" are similar in feel. They are both introspective songs that feel very personal.

The flip side of the album has a more eclectic selection of songs including the strange, atmospheric, world music style "Mulu the Rain Forest", the futuristic "White City", the lounge jazz "I Scare Myself", and "Hyperactive" (originally written for Michael Jackson).

I didn't care for "Mulu" as much as the rest of the album, but eventually came to appreciate the dreamy quality of the song. Here is a cool video he shot for it in 2012 on Youtube.

ALIENS ATE MY BUICK (1988)

The Stuff You Know: Dolby's Third album, "Aliens Ate My Buick" features, not only some great, fun songs, but also a really cool album cover. The big hit off this album was "Airhead". The video for the song is funny and was popular on MTV for a time.

The Stuff You May Not Know: The songs are this album are generally more upbeat and danceable than the earlier work. My favorites off this album are the epic "Budapest By Blimp", "The Ability to Swing" and "My Brain is Like a Sieve". The album is a mix of upbeat ditties and deeper, low key songs, which caused it to garner mixed critical reviews.

The 2009 remastered version includes several songs from films, including one of my favorites, "Don't Turn Away",  from Howard the Duck, and the great "Field Work" with Ryuichi Salamoto.

 

 

Astronauts & Heretics (1992)

The Stuff You Know: Probably not a lot unless you are a fan.

The Stuff You May Not Know: I was really happy when this album came out since it had been four years since his last new music. While there were no huge hits off this album, the album has no songs you want to skip while listening. One of the outstanding songs is "Eastern Bloc", which is sort of a sequel to "Europa and the Pirate Twins". The song features guitar by Eddie Van Halen, who appeared in return for Dolby helping him with some electronic equipment.

There is really no reason to go over each track here. Just put it on, listen straight through and enjoy.

A Map of the Floating City (2011)

The Stuff You Know: Probably not a lot unless you are a fan.

The Stuff You May Not Know: Almost 20 years, and a career in the tech field, Dolby finally produced his fifth studio release (not including the mostly instrumental "Gate to the Mind's Eye"). This album was introduced a piece at a time. Some tracks were released as an EP, some in the online "The Floating City" online game, and the rest on the album.

His inspirations for this album were widely diverse. Including the twangy "Toad Lickers" on the same CD as a moody downbeat song like "17 Hills" may seem a little jarring at first listen...but listen again. The album is a travelogue in 3 parts which all fit together to make a cohesive story...if you listen carefully.

 A Final Word

I am glad Thomas Dolby didn't quit after "Science". His music has continued to be important to fans around the world. If you are only familiar with the hit songs, follow this link to YouTube and check out some of his other music. I guarantee you will hear something that will stick with you for years to come. Please feel free to comment and add any info I may have left out.