Thomas Dolby Albums (8)
'The Sole Inhabitant Live Concert CD'
Release Date 11/21/2006
Tracks 11
Label Lost Toy People
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What The Critics Say
A darling of early MTV (it seemed like you couldn't escape the channel's nonstop airing of his humorous "She Blinded Me with Science" clip circa 1982), Thomas Dolby subsequently carved a niche for himself, despite never replicating his initial commercial success. Originally issued as a limited-edition, home-packaged, signed and numbered release (of which only 1,000 were pressed), Dolby's 2003 effort, Forty, was later issued as a more readily available import. Recorded live over a pair of performances in California, this seven-track set shows that Dolby still has a knack for quirky performances -- even 20 years after he first burst onto the new wave scene. Although the aforementioned "She Blinded Me with Science" is nowhere to be found here, several other of Dolby's all-time favorites are, including the moderate MTV hit "Hyperactive," the Danny Elfman-esque "The Ability to Swing," and "One of Our Submarines." While hardcore fanatics will welcome just about any release that has the Thomas Dolby name stamped on it, it's obvious that admirers would have much preferred receiving an all-new studio album (of which Dolby hasn't issued since 1994) than a live set. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'The Gate to the Mind's Eye'
Release Date 10/25/1994
Tracks 9
Label Giant
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What The Critics Say
Soundtrack work suits Thomas Dolby, who here turns in a variety of musical settings for a computer animation video that include everything from moody electronic instrumentals and dance tracks to a '30s pop pastiche complete with horn section ("Nuvague"). Five of the nine tracks have vocals, two of which are contributed by Dr. Fiorella Terenzi. Dolby himself sings, raps, and even murmurs Napoleon's words of love to Josephine. As a nonvisual listening experience, it all seems scattered, but The Gate to the Mind's Eye demonstrates Dolby's continuing inventiveness. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A greatly matured Thomas Dolby highlights his melodic tendencies on Astronauts & Heretics. Containing more personal moments enhanced by his love for technology, such tracks as "Cruel," which features a stunning Eddi Reader, and "Eastern Bloc (the sequel)" help listeners connect with bits of the past forwarded into the future. "Eastern Bloc (the sequel)" even takes its rhythmic sense from the old Johnny Otis tune, "Willie and the Hand Jive," before it comes into its own. "Silk Pajamas" has a unique pastiche of sound to it and also a very memorable tune to go along. While nothing here appeared to catch fire with the public at the time, Astronauts & Heretics is still a fine testament to Dolby's continuing maturity. Time sometimes must catch up to foresighted performers. Astronauts & Heretics is just such a case. ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide
'Aliens Ate My Buick'
Release Date 1/1/1988
Tracks 8
Label EMI-Manhattan
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What The Critics Say
Thomas Dolby didn't do his career much good by waiting four years between album releases. Pop music trends shifted away from the quirky synth-pop Dolby had pioneered in 1983-1984, and though he employed a heavy funk beat aimed at the discos and even covered a George Clinton song, Dolby seemed less a true dancefloor king than a commentator on the same, especially in such songs as the (non-charting) single "Airhead," "Pulp Culture," and "The Ability to Swing." Dolby's flirtation with film had also added an eclecticism to his style that embraced '40s jazz vocalese ("The Key to Her Ferrari") and European balladeering ("Budapest By Blimp"). As ever, Dolby was a man of many ideas, but on Aliens Ate My Buick they failed to add up to a coherent statement. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Exceptionally mature for a sophomore release, The Flat Earth holds up considerably well since its 1984 release. This staying power belongs to a fantastic ensemble of supporting players as much as to Dolby's songwriting and crisp production. "Dissidents" steps in cautiously and conjures images of blacklisted authors and ugly snow, gray from oppression. Here and elsewhere, Matthew Seligman's bass is a welcome addition -- throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track, "The Flat Earth," is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm guitar. "Screen Kiss" has a similarly ethereal quality, and the lyrics are lush with imagery, if occasionally cryptic. "White City"'s drug reference and chugging groove is as murky as it is energizing, so new wavers might find themselves frowning a bit on the dancefloor. Then there is "Mulu the Rain Forest," a globally minded curiosity of foreboding and disorienting samples that certainly feels a long way off from Golden Age of Wireless. Dolby gets points for shrugging off any obligation to formula, but this voodoo spell has an adverse effect on the rest of the album. What follows is certainly a graceful recovery -- his rendition of 1967's "I Scare Myself" is a balmy jazz club cocktail -- faithfully nostalgic, right down to a bittersweet trombone solo from Peter Thomas. "Hyperactive" is, and always was, one part bizarre to two parts infectious. Guest vocalist Adele Bertei fuels the fire to what was already destined to be a memorable diversion, beyond the reach of Top 40. Thomas Dolby's work on The Flat Earth harkens back to a time when songs mattered more than the video, even as MTV was discovering its strength. Last time the songwriter blinded us with science; this time it's musicianship. ~ Glenn Swan, All Music Guide
'The Golden Age of Wireless'
Release Date 1/1/1982
Tracks 10
Label Capitol
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What The Critics Say
Talk to anyone who was the right age in the early '80s for both pop radio and the dawn of MTV and "She Blinded Me With Science" will inevitably come up. The most famous song from the reissued version of the album, it's a defiantly quirky, strange number that mixes its pop hooks with unusual keyboard melodies pitched very low and a recurrent spoken-word interjection ("Science!") from guest vocalist/video star Magnus Pike. To Dolby's credit, the rest of the album isn't simply that song over and over again, making Golden Age of Wireless an intriguing and often very entertaining curio from the glory days of synth-pop. Part of the album's overall appeal is the range of participating musicians, no doubt thanks in part to Dolby's own considerable range of musical work elsewhere. "She Blinded Me With Science" itself features Kevin Armstrong on guitar, Matthew Seligman on bass, megaproducer Robert "Mutt" Lange on backing vocals, and co-production with Tim Friese-Greene. Elsewhere, Andy Partridge contributes harmonica, Mute Records founding genius Daniel Miller adds keyboards, and Lene Lovich adds some vocals of her own. The overall result is still first and foremost Dolby's, with echoes of David Bowie's and Bryan Ferry's elegantly wasted late-'70s personae setting the stage. If anything, Golden Age of Wireless is the friendlier, peppier flip side of fellow Bowie obsessive Gary Numan's work, where the melancholy is gentle instead of harrowing. Dolby's melodies are sprightly without being annoyingly perky, his singing warm, and his overall performance a pleasant gem. Especially fine numbers include the amusing romp "Europa and the Pirate Twins" and the nostalgia-touched, just-mysterious-enough "One of Our Submarines." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
