dolby remaster tracklists JUST RELEASED

[bruiser]

[b]"Golden Age of Wireless"[/b]
01 Flying North
02 Commercial Breakup
03 Weightless
04 Europa And The Pirate Twins
05 Windpower
06 The Wreck Of The Fairchild
07 Airwaves
08 Radio Silence
09 Cloudburst At Shingle Street
10 One of Our Submarines (Bonus track)
11 She Blinded Me With Science (Bonus track)
12 Radio Silence (guitar version, Bonus track)
13 Urges (Bonus track)
14 Leipzig (Bonus track)
15 Urban Tribal (Bonus track)
16 Therapy/Growth (demo, Bonus track)
17 Airwaves (demo, Bonus track)
18 Sale Of The Century (demo, Bonus track)
19 Pedestrian Walkway (demo, Bonus track)

(dvd is the "live wireless" video)

[b]"The Flat Earth"[/b]
01 Dissidents
02 The Flat Earth
03 Screen Kiss
04 White City
05 Mulu The Rain Forest
06 I Scare Myself
07 Hyperactive!
08 Get Out Of My Mix (edit) (as Dolby's Cube)
09 Puppet Theatre
10 Dissidents (The Search For Truth Part 1)
11 Field Work (London Mix)
12 Don't Turn Away (from the film 'Howard The Duck')
13 The Devil Is An Englishman (from the film 'Gothic')
14 I Scare Myself (Live on tour, 1984)
15 Marseille (Live on tour, 1984)

... and i'm hoping there are even more goodies released via his website, as he has stated.

[mojowkn]

....and in tonight's email: Here's the latest exciting news on the Thomas Dolby front.....
1. WIRED PODCAST

Wired Playlist Podcast
Thomas is Guest DJ on the latest Wired Playlist Podcast from Wired Magazine. Broadcasting from the wind-powered wheelhouse studio on his converted 1930s lifeboat, Thomas introduces a few favourite songs from his iPod, as well as providing a sneak preview of three stunning works-in-progress from his next solo album. And get this... he even lets slip the album's title!

2.PRESS RELEASE

'THE SINGULAR THOMAS DOLBY'

This 2-disc CD and DVD (PAL) collection features all Thomas' singles and videos. It is released in the UK on May 18th 2009 and is available worldwide as an import.

Thomas Dolby became one of the most recognizable figures of the synth-pop movement of early-’80s new wave. Dolby successfully harnessed the power of synthesizers and samplers, to make catchy pop and light electro-funk. 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.

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. With the latter song still part of Thomas’s live shows today, even at this stage (1981), his song-writing prowess was well advanced.

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”. 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. 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. Dolby’s own Uncle had been the subject of “One of Our Submarines”.

“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. Incidentally, the video included here is a rare treat for fans – a seldom seen cut from his 1983 concert, “Live Wireless”. 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. “She Blinded Me With Science” captured a Zeitgeist with its warm yet spooky synthesisers and intervention from eccentric pop-scientist Magnus Pyke. The single went Top 5 on the Billboard charts. 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. “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.

Whilst the epic “Dissidents” felt most at home as a 12”, the edit included here captures the spirit of the track – revisiting Dolby’s love of cold war espionage, and at the other end of the spectrum, the haunting Dan Hicks’ ballad “I Scare Myself” is turned into a piano-led affair with a sexy, sultry video. The latter is a solo embodiment of the shimmering, breathy sound that would form the heart of the Prefab Sprout sound he was integral to creating - production values which he has said he ranks amongst his personal career highs.

A year later, Thomas can be seen at the Grammys performing alongside Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Howard Jones - showing him not only to be at the height of his powers, but integrating perfectly into the Americas. However, at the same time, a very different collaboration was released. “Fieldwork”, was recorded with Yellow Magic Orchestra founder Ryuchi Sakamoto and accompanied by a high-concept short film, included on the (PAL) DVD in its single, and long-form versions.

In between working on several successful movie soundtracks, providing keyboards for Malcolm McClaren and Joan Armatrading, playing synth for Bowie at Live Aid, and producing albums for luminaries such as Prefab Sprout and Joni Mitchell, Dolby finally moved to America, where amongst his first endeavours was “Dolby’s Cube”, a project alongside funk legend George Clinton. This sci-fi saga of an alien peddling designer drugs is a pop masterpiece – complete with suitably silly visual version.

It was to be 2 years before another TD-LP – 1988’s “Aliens Ate My Buick”. It represented a huge departure. With his new backing band, the Bay Area based “Lost Toy People”, and a brand new sound, influenced in no small part by his work with Clinton, lead single “Airhead” was a funk-fuelled tribute to…. well, it kind of explains itself. “Hot Sauce” and “My Brain Is Like A Sieve” bring in elements of Salsa and Reggae respectively, the latter presented here in its radically different single mix.

Four years passed. Dolby was now heavily involved with the high tech industry, and was already becoming a renowned executive. His company Beatnik Inc. invented the first polyphonic synthesiser that could run natively on a mobile phone, and would go on to play a huge part in the advent of the multi-billion dollar ringtone industry. But he hadn’t turned his back on his music. And, despite his increased involvement in computer music during his day job, “Astronauts & Heretics” was his most organic to date. Lead single “Close But No Cigar” included guitars from Eddie Van Halen, featured soccer in the video, and became a Top 30 hit in his home country after being championed by an up-and-coming DJ named Chris Evans; perhaps the ultimate testament to his twin identities as an Englishman in America. “I Love You Goodbye” and “Silk Pyjamas” revealed heavy Cajun influences. Both videos, hitherto hard to find, and untouched even by the hand of You Tube, are included on this compilation, a treat for fans who haven’t seen them for years, if at all.

As Thomas’s involvement with internet music increased, the conventional music scene was left behind, save for a bit of soundtrack work from time to time. Though he has said on more than one occasion, the musical drought was not intended, it was a full 15 years before any suggestions of a new artist album began to surface. In the meantime, the music industry had changed beyond recognition, with ever more ways to access music in a variety of contexts and formats, a change that he had himself been in no small part responsible for, during his self-imposed exile. But that’s another story. Thomas is now back in Britain, with a wife and family who were mere twinkles in the Dolby eye at the time of “Urges”, and is hard at work in his own studio with many of his original collaborators. He’s back behind his synthesiser, and is playing live again, with a new album on the way. This return to his roots marks the end of a symbolic chapter of a remarkable music journey. What better time then, to sit back and listen as it unfolds before our ears, and for the first time in many years, our eyes – a living history of one of the great, but often unsung heroes of British (and American) music.

MICK HOUGHTON/BRASSNECK PUBLICITY +44 020 7254 1112 / Brassneckpr@aol.com

CD
1-Urges (3.41)
2-Leipzig (3.52)
3-Europa And The Pirate Twins (3.19)
4-Airwaves (3.45)
5-Radio Silence (3.50)
6-Windpower (3.53)
7-She Blinded Me With Science (3.40)
8-One Of Our Submarines Is Missing (5.12)
9-Hyperactive (4.12)
10-Dissidents (edit) (3.52)
11-I Scare Myself (edit) (4.59)
12-Fieldwork (London Mix) (4.04) with Ryuichi Sakamoto
13-May The Cube Be With You (3.50)
14-Airhead (3.43)
15-Hot Sauce (3.18)
16-My Brain Is Like A Sieve (3.58)(Bill Bottrell single remix)
17-Close But No Cigar (4.08)
18-Silk Pyjamas (3.04)
19-I Love You Goodbye (4.34)
DVD
1- Europa & the Pirate Twins
2-Airwaves
3-Radio Silence
4-Windpower (Live)
5-She Blinded Me With Science (3.43)
6-One of Our Submarines Is Missing (Live)
7-Hyperactive
8-Dissidents
9-I Scare Myself
10-Fieldwork (with Ryuichi Sakamoto)
with Ryuichi Sakamoto 11-May The Cube Be With You
12-Airhead
13-Hot Sauce
14-Close But No Cigar
15-Silk Pyjamas
16-I Love You Goodbye
Bonus tracks
17-Hyperactive (12” version)
18-Fieldwork (12” version) with Ryuichi Sakamoto
19-Hot Sauce (saucy version)
3. 'THE GOLDEN AGE OF WIRELESS' AND 'THE FLAT EARTH' re-releases

Thomas' classic first and second solo albums will be re-released this Summer by EMI. Thomas meticulously supervised the 2009 remastering of the audio, and selected several 'bonus tracks' from each era that fans may be missing on CD--for example, the earliest version of 'Airwaves' from the compilation 'From Brussels With Love', and the previously unreleased live track 'Marseilles.' TGOW includes a DVD of 'Live Wireless', an entire concert from the early 80s only available up to now on laser disk. The album booklets will include Thomas' personal sleeve notes and recollections about each song. In addition, lyrics and a few extra bonus recordings will be available on his web site.

4. THE 'NEW-NEW' ALBUM

Thomas is hard at work on his 1930s lifeboat 'The Nutmeg of Consolation' recording tracks for a brand new studio project, slated for release within the next year. This may be the world's first entirely renewable energy-powered album, thanks to the wind turbine and solar panels on the Nutmeg's roof. As usual, a galaxy of stars are helping him out: guests so far announced include former cohorts Matthew Seligman and Kevin Armstrong; Robert Wyatt's former drummer Liam Genocky; guitarist Neil McColl; Thomas' East Anglian neighbour Imogen Heap; and iconic guitar hero Mark Knopfler!



###

[Lerxst]

Great news. Thanks for the info, guys. I'll definitely be getting these. [:D]

[bruiser]

news about his new album: the songs will be released as a series of digital ep's, and then all will be compiled on a cd. the new songs are great, and all over the map. "toad lickers" is a bluegrass stomp with some "i love you goodbye" accordian, "oceanea" could come from the well of "screen kiss" and "budapest by blimp," and "to the lifeboats" is remniscent of "i scare myself." BUT TOTALLY NEW. interesting stuff! already chopped 'em out and stuck them in the ipod.

[tenohtwo]

Huge fan, just tons of good Dolby news these days. Doesn't sound like he'll be touring any time soon, I'm glad I caught his show back in '06. I am buying all of these new releases, the Wireless CD/DVD line-up is just amazing.

Something that always bugged me about his singles collection Retrospectacle (and now Singular) is the inclusion of "Close But No Cigar", one of the weakest songs in his catalogue. It's too bad he never released "I Live In A Suitcase" as a single, arguably the best song on Astronauts & Heretics, and easily a much stronger inclusion for a best of/singles comp. Ah well, small gripe.

1002

[bruiser]

[quote][i]Originally posted by tenohtwo[/i]
<br>
Something that always bugged me about his singles collection Retrospectacle (and now Singular) is the inclusion of "Close But No Cigar", one of the weakest songs in his catalogue. It's too bad he never released "I Live In A Suitcase" as a single, arguably the best song on Astronauts & Heretics, and easily a much stronger inclusion for a best of/singles comp. Ah well, small gripe.
[/quote]

i agree with you about "cigar"- but as it actually did fairly well as a single in the uk, i understand the inclusion. it always felt a bit "slight" to me though... i think it was played on an episode of 90210 stateside too! ha! as the years have passed i have certainly warmed up to it, it used to be a song i always skipped to get to "neon sisters" and "beauty of a dream."

"i live in a suitcase" is the masterpiece of the album i think- i agree about best song. it feels a bit dour for a single, but stranger things have happened. i always thought "cruel" could have been a cool single/video too...

[clarence]

since the hits cd/dvd package has the edit versions of she blinded me with science and one of our submarines, anyone know if the versions listed on the golden age of wireless as bonus tracks will be the 12" mixes. would hope so as it would be redundant to put the same mixes on both and also to deprive fans of the mixes on the reissue seems like a complete rip-off. i've got the 12x12 comp, but i don't recall it being remastered.

[tenohtwo]

[quote][i]Originally posted by bruiser[/i]
<br>as the years have passed i have certainly warmed up to it, it used to be a song i always skipped to get to "neon sisters" and "beauty of a dream."

"i live in a suitcase" is the masterpiece of the album i think- i agree about best song. it feels a bit dour for a single, but stranger things have happened. i always thought "cruel" could have been a cool single/video too...
[/quote]

Neon Sisters is AWESOME..albeit, a very tragic subject. That song, Suitcase, and I Love You Goodbye (killer piano by Hornsby) are my favorites on the album.

1002

[Surly]

[quote][i]Originally posted by clarence[/i]
<br>since the hits cd/dvd package has the edit versions of she blinded me with science and one of our submarines, anyone know if the versions listed on the golden age of wireless as bonus tracks will be the 12" mixes. would hope so as it would be redundant to put the same mixes on both and also to deprive fans of the mixes on the reissue seems like a complete rip-off. i've got the 12x12 comp, but i don't recall it being remastered.
[/quote]

He has said on his blog that he didn't want to include the 12" mixes because they're already on CD and were often just cut up in the studio by others to extend the song. He doesn't seem to be a fan of them.

"Words like conviction can turn into a sentence"

[moni]

He is kind of contradicting himself about the 12 inch mixes when you look at the second disc of The Flat Earth when Dissidents: The Search For The Truth (Part 1)is on there. I feel it won't be the 12 inch mixes on GAOW of She Blinded Me With Science and One Of Our Submarines and that it will the edits. So i would advise anybody who hasn't already got it to get the 12x12 Original Remixes album. I hope Aliens and Astronauts get the same treatment back on the subject of 12 inch mixes i would love to have all the mixes of Airhead that only appeared on vinyl but that's highly unlikely i know. Going back to another point raised here i really like Close But No Cigar a far better single than Silk Pyjamas ever was.

[Spudboy]

I swear that "Eastern Bloc (A Sequel To Europa & The Pirate Twins 1981)" was released as a single, because when I lived in Chicago around 1992 it received a lot of airplay on the radio.... Maybe some local DJ's were just Dolby fans!

Still looking for my girl with auburn hair and tawny eyes...

[bruiser]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Spudboy[/i]
<br>I swear that "Eastern Bloc (A Sequel To Europa & The Pirate Twins 1981)" was released as a single, because when I lived in Chicago around 1992 it received a lot of airplay on the radio.... Maybe some local DJ's were just Dolby fans!

Still looking for my girl with auburn hair and tawny eyes...
[/quote]

not a SINGLE single, but a promo single: i remember lots of airplay on the alternative station too- and there was a "remix" of it i heard once or twice too on the radio- so i think it was dj discretion, and that's why we heard it.

and as for "search for the truth" on "flat earth": dolby has said that he thinks it is the only 12" someone did of his stuff that took the song in an interesting direction- and that's why it is on there. i think it improves on it, myself.

the "submarines" and "science" will be the album edits i assume, as they came on later editions of the album- i LOVE that the cd has the original tracklist, with the side 2 stuff segueing into each other... drool...

[tenohtwo]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Spudboy[/i]
<br>I swear that "Eastern Bloc (A Sequel To Europa & The Pirate Twins 1981)" was released as a single, because when I lived in Chicago around 1992 it received a lot of airplay on the radio.... Maybe some local DJ's were just Dolby fans![/quote]

KUKQ in Phoenix had Eastern Bloc in its regular rotation, too. I always thought it was the first single from Astronauts, though I only ever saw those 2-part Silk Pyjamas discs in the stores.

1002

[Spudboy]

I find it odd that "The Devil is an Englishman" is included as a bonus track. I love and covet my "Gothic" soundtrack CD. Even though it is split into just two tracks, my first Sony CD player back in 1987 could read the index points between "songs" and allow me to skip from track to track to track.

Still looking for my girl with auburn hair and tawny eyes...

[bruiser]

[quote][i]Originally posted by Spudboy[/i]
<br>I find it odd that "The Devil is an Englishman" is included as a bonus track. I love and covet my "Gothic" soundtrack CD. Even though it is split into just two tracks, my first Sony CD player back in 1987 could read the index points between "songs" and allow me to skip from track to track to track.

Still looking for my girl with auburn hair and tawny eyes...
[/quote]

your gothic cd is hard to find for anyone that hasn't stumbled across it used or in a cut-out bin- i think mr. dolby stuck it on for those who haven't heard it- and while it might sit better on an "aliens" re-issue (as it forms the basis for "budapest by blimp") who knows if that will ever come out? i think he was smart to put that and "don't turn away" on there. megafans have them, but they are really rare to those coming new to the music.