Super Deep Dive: Thomas Dolby's The Golden Age of Wireless

Some people don’t care for his presence on Joni Mitchell’s “Dog Eat Dog” album.
I am not one of those people.

 

Thanks for the superb and informative post. A top ten album for me. I too have all of the records pictured in the op's post. The UK vinyl has a fantastic inner sleeve with great photos relating to the songs. I got my mint UK autographed by TDMR ten years or so ago in Detroit. A friend won a draw to meet him backstage and I told him that his records were as important and meaningful as Dylan, Velvet Underground, Bowie etc were to others. I remember walking at night near the woods with my now departed friends (I was told the other day it's been twenty years, and this was ten years prior) carrying a ghetto blaster playing One of our Submarines. A high school friend in small town Ontario had a Thomas Dolby shirt, Dolby did make a bit of a splash in thew 80's.

I have a hard time deciding which I like more his first or second. Most times I think I like Flat Earth a little more, it's an even more adventurous and ambitious record with perhaps better songwriting. Whit City is one of the weaker moments. I have an interesting copy of The Flat Earth. It has a hype stick on it which reads "Special Limited Edition High Grade Vinyl" the sticker also says it's a promotional copy. The vinyl is transparent "Super Vinyl".

Hope to buy a reasonably priced Astronauts and Heretics in the future as that record will na=ver be reissued again.

Sure most know of Thomas's production on the Prefab Sprout records. This is a wonderful track that sounds like a lost Dolby gem.

 

Mine has the short version so thanks for the matrix info!

 

Wow. I had no idea this album had been re-sequenced so many times.

My favorite Dolby track is "One Of Our Submarines"... and favorite version is from Blinded By Science EP -- the first place I heard it. . For me, THAT'S the version.

 

Worse than a needle in a haystack, as that's the only way to find it.

 

I was at a party where Joni was present. I had a chance to ask her if she enjoyed working with Thomas and if she'd do anything else with him. Her reply was a terse "No."

 

Was he hitting on her the whole time?

 

Hell, maybe she thought I was hitting on her. While I recognize her brilliance as an artist, at the time I was a bigger fan of Thomas Dolby than I was a Joni fan. I had my one chance to speak to her, and that was the best I could do under the circumstances (wasted)

 

Wireless is a classic of the era. I don't love every single track, but were I to pick my favourites from the various versions, it'd be easy to compile a solid LP. Fascinating history. I always preferred the guitar version of Radio Silence. And my custom line-up would have to include the superb "Urges"/"Leipzig" single. So many gems - Science, Europa, Airwaves...

I actually went through a period of loving The Flat Earth when it came out, but I don't listen to it much anymore. After that, I enjoyed "May the Cube Be With You" but pretty much lost interest after that.

 

Buick has a couple good tunes, perhaps a little too funky for me- but really enjoyed his Astronauts album.
There's a Dolby album for everyone

 

Perfect question to ask!
Better than anything I could come up with, but then again being at a party I would probably of been too wasted to even approach her

 

I quit smoking 35 years ago but I’d ask her if she had a cigarette to spare, just for the chance to have a smoke with her.

 

Great post, nice to see Thomas Dolby and his best album mentioned.

Anyone want to do a track by track breakdown, or album by album thread,
we could use one of those. I only like his first album, the second ones ok,
and the rest are of various quality.

But he has a lot of great side projects, and soundtracks to discover.
And as mentioned, worked with a lot of other great artists.

I've seen him live twice, and both were great experiences.

Here's another article on him and the album:
35 Years Ago: Thomas Dolby (Eventually) Breaks Through With ‘The Golden Age of Wireless’

later
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WOW...just Wow! What an amazing job you have done with this info about TMDR's greatest album. A great read about one of my all-time fav albums. The Flat Earth is also a masterpiece which is the equal of TGAOW in my opinion...those 2009 CD remasters were superb (just great to finally have the bonus tracks too)

 

I highly recommend the book The Speed of Sound, fascinating stories about his career and then his involvement in early Silicon Valley

 

Best album is Astronauts & Heretics. Truly remarkable that one.

 

I have one on vinyl, mint condition. It's not for sale.

 

i don't recommend it if you want to learn about his music.

he name drops a lot of people, and its mostly gossipy stories about affairs and other things.

he barely goes into details about the music, how it was developed or written or recorded.
------

it is great for people that like technology, and want to learn about his business
ideas, and other involvement.

later
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here's a podcast that covers all the information, and
gives samples of the music, and detaisl:

NOTE : NSFW, and some immature and childish behavior in it

thomas dolby | THE PODS & SODS NETWORK

Moronophonics 05 | Thomas Dolby / The Golden Age Of Wireless
Posted by Pods & Sods on 2016-11-12
Posted in: 1982, craig's sidecasts, ian zapczynski, moronophonics, thomas dolby, track by track.


MORONOPHONICS
Ian Zapczynski & Craig Smith
episode 05: Ian’s choice
Thomas Dolby / The Golden Age Of Wireless
1982

later
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The Flat Earth isn't bad. I have always loved "Hyperactive!" (Which reminds me. What the hell happened to the original video? Seems to be lost to history.)

Personally, I prefer the UK versions of The Golden Age Of Wireless. I can do without "Leipzig", "Urges", and the guitar version of "Radio Silence".

 

Nevermind. It's reappeared. Weird.

 

"One-hit wonder" (with 'She Blinded Me With Science')?! That's what happens when you're only born in 1983 -- you weren't around to see how massive the far-superior EATPT was!

Much as I like TMSR, 'Golden Age of Wireless' is that rarity -- the album trumped by its sampler ('Wireless Wonders': Thomas Dolby - Wireless Wonders ) by leaving all the weaker, poppy tracks off in favour of Dolby's sweeping and atmospheric tracks.

 

I enjoy the vast majority of his output and own all of it (including all the later CD singles for the b-sides and radio edits), that doesn't change the fact that for the majority of the public, "Blinded..." is the only song they know (as unfortunate as that is).

 

Those old cd singles are great Alan especially the Astronaut ones and Sieve, love the instrumental

 

I love Thomas Dolby’s first two albums

i have US, UK and Japanese copies and some 12” singles

my favorite song is screen kiss off of The Flat Earth

he took a step down from the incredible melodies after that