Thomas Dolby was always the odd man out. Odd in the sense of unusual or not fitting in, but also odd in the sense of not making a pair. Singular. Like the so-called New Romantic groups of the period, his vision of the future was inflected by a sense of the past. But where Visage, Ultravox, and Spandau Ballet espoused a moody grandeur that evoked what Bowie called the "European canon," Dolby was decidedly the English eccentric, pottering about in his shed, stringing up an aerial for his homemade crystal set. More Heath Robinson than Richard Wagner.
Dolby put the mad scientist persona to good use in "She Blinded Me With Science," an international hit in 1982, going to Number Five on the Billboard Hot 100, and soon becoming an MTV favourite. But the antic goings on of Dr Magnus Pyke and his nubile assistant, Miss Sakamoto, could not entirely obscure the hint of anxiety concerning the rise of a world given over to machines and their operators. The Golden Age Of Wireless, Dolby's debut album from the year previous, mixed slick, up-beat synthpop with deeply nostalgic tales of childhood lost, songs about fuel gauges, garden gates, and fading radio signals. It was a distinctly personal album in an era of masks and mask wearing, a quietly introspective album in an era of glitter and gold. And it was brilliant, from start to finish. Even when they repackaged it to include "She Blinded Me With Science," the novelty hit couldn't diminish the impact of these carefully crafted, emotionally precise musical miniatures.
Dolby toured The Golden Age of Wireless in 1983, and made what was then an audacious decision to release a live video tape rather than a live album. Entitled Live Wireless, this overlooked curio features Dolby as a projectionist working in an aging movie palace, projecting the performance film we are watching. All very postmodern for its time, and the soundtrack, ripped here, stands up particularly well, with several selections from both the debut album, two otherwise unrecorded tracks ("Puppet Theatre," and "Samson and Delilah"), and a guest appearance from Lene Lovich on "New Toy." Singular. And perfect.
-- Crash The Driver
Thomas Dolby - Live Wireless
01 Intro
02 Europa And The Pirate Twins
03 Windpower
04 One Of Our Submarines
05 Radio Silence
06 New Toy
07 Urban Tribal
08 Flying North
09 Jungle Line
10 Puppet Theatre
11 Samson and Delilah
12 She Blinded Me With Science
13 Airwaves
UK Video Cassette EMI Video [2042] 1983
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Really looking forward to this. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteEveryone should listen to this as a reminder of how important Dolby was for a couple of years starting 1979. Who killed the radio star? Tom did. Who gave Lovich her new toy? That's be Thomas. Even bits of Flat Earth are gorgeous, but then he went all mainstream.
ReplyDeleteTo set the record straight: "Urban Tribal" was recorded and issued as the b-side of the Low Noise single "The Jungle Line". If anyone is interested in that and other rarities, drop us some comments so we know we're appreciated.
After the "The Flat Earth," Dolby released "Aliens Ate My Buick," which was anything but mainstream. Mixing funk tracks with synth-jazz, hard-edge reggae and long ambient grooves, AAMB was a marketing department's nightmare and a whole lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteHe made a comeback a couple of years ago, performing a solo tour with rearranged versions of his old songs. It was astonishly good, and a reminder of how influential he was to a whole generation of DJs and electronic artists.
Mr. Thomas Morgan Dolby Robertson has a blog of his own (http://blog.thomasdolby.com/) which he maintains pretty regularly and is well worth the visit.
And thanks for this concert. Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteApparently, TMDR just found his master of "Urban Tribal" and is baking it as we speak!
Great find!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Les
HI RARE ITEM IM A 12"80S AND RARE STUFF COLLECTOR FROM THIS YEARS--EXISTS A VERSION OF EUROPA AND THE PIRATE TWINS NAMED PART 2 EASTERN BLOCK--? ANYBODY HAVE THIS? THANKS MY NAME IS ALVARO FROM URUGUAY SOUTH AMERICA---MRNOCHE2009@HOTMAIL.COM
ReplyDeleteHEY ANONYMOUS (WHO WRITETH IN CAPITALS!!)...
ReplyDeleteI LOVE 12" FROM THE 80S TOO BUT THE TRACK YOU'RE AFTER IS NOT AS MOUTHWATERINGLY RARE AND EARLY AS IT SOUNDS.
YOU NEED TO BUY THE ALBUM ASTRONAUTS AND HERETICS!!!
I wish someone would find and post the Bush Telegraph Demo LP (first album with Kevin Armstrong) which has the studio version of Sampson and Delilah. Thanks for this!!
ReplyDeletePuppet Theatre appears on the 1992 Silk Pyamas single and as bonus on the Flat Earth re-issue.
ReplyDelete