“Hyperactive!” –the result of a bizarre evening spent at Michael Jackson’s house - bore the most fruit, repeating the success of “….Science” in Britain, scoring Thomas his first UK Top 20 hit. Following on from this success was going to be no mean feat, and when “The Flat Earth” was released in 1984, its sophisticated sound was a battle cry to any doubters, combining Dolby’s signature keyboards into a more organic, layered sound. The single went Top 5 on the Billboard charts. “She Blinded Me With Science” captured a Zeitgeist with its warm yet spooky synthesisers and intervention from eccentric pop-scientist Magnus Pyke. But it was a song that didn’t even appear on original pressings of the album that both summed up Dolby’s personification in this era, and captured the hearts of the notoriously fickle American market. Incidentally, the video included here is a rare treat for fans – a seldom seen cut from his 1983 concert, “Live Wireless”. “Windpower” gave Thomas his first UK Top 40 hit, and consequent Top of the Pops appearance, with a song that pre-empts our need and preoccupation with Tipping Points and alternative energy sources, and lyrics that resonate even more today than they did then. Dolby’s own Uncle had been the subject of “One of Our Submarines”. By this point, he had carved a niche for himself as a quintessentially British mad professor type – preoccupied with diodes and oscilloscopes – but also continuing (particularly in his videos) the themes of cold-war oppression and paranoia. From here, of course, we meet “Europa and The Pirate Twins”, a semi-autobiographical romp about a French love affair as well as “Airwaves” (presented here in its edited single form) and “Radio Silence” (which features Lovich) songs which fit the Dolby Modus Operandi perfectly.
Thomas dolby radio silence full#
Having broken away from touring with Lene Lovich, for whom he had written hit single “New Toy”, and with some money behind him from playing synthesiser for Foreigner and Def Leppard, Dolby set about turning some of his crackly demos into full recordings which became “The Golden Age of Wireless”. With the latter song still part of Thomas’s live shows today, even at this stage (1981), his song-writing prowess was well advanced.
There could be little to suggest this transatlantic future in debut single “Urges”, which along with flipside “Leipzig” was co-produced by that most peculiarly English of gents, XTC mainstay Andy Partridge.
Following the (1984) single “Hyperactive,” he put his own career on hold to some extent, as he began producing more frequently, including albums by Prefab Sprout and Joni Mitchell, working with funk maestro George Clinton, as well as exploring new synthesizer and computer technology but continuing to record into the ’90s. Dolby successfully harnessed the power of synthesizers and samplers, to make catchy pop and light electro-funk. Thomas Dolby became one of the most recognizable figures of the synth-pop movement of early-’80s new wave. It was released in the UK on May 18th 2009 and is available worldwide as an import.Ĩ-One Of Our Submarines Is Missing (5.12)ġ2-Fieldwork (London Mix) (4.04) with Ryuichi Sakamotoġ6-My Brain Is Like A Sieve (3.58) (Bill Bottrell single remix)Ħ-One of Our Submarines Is Missing (Live)ġ0-Fieldwork (with Ryuichi Sakamoto) with Ryuichi Sakamotoġ8-Fieldwork (12” version) with Ryuichi Sakamoto
The Singular Thomas Dolby is a new 2-disc CD and DVD collection, featuring all of Thomas Dolby’s singles and videos, including She Blinded Me With Science, Radio Silence, Hyperactive and I Scare Myself.
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