What was the last album you listened to?

Artist: Thomas Dolby
Album: The Golden Age of Wireless
Genre: Synthpop and New Wave
Year: 1982
Standout tracks: Flying North, Commercial Breakup, Europa & The Pirate Twins, Windpower, Airwaves, Radio Silence, Cloudburst At Shingle Street, One of Our Submarines (Is Missing) and She Blinded Me with Science

Having just successfully re-visited my three Heaven 17 records, I will continue on with my little musical journey within the british synthpop scene of the late 70s and early 1980s and now I have finally reached one of my all time favorite artists Thomas Dolby!

As he could not afford to start working on his debut album right away, Thomas had to be patient and instead rely on his skills as an talented session musician and one who soon would become a popular man to turn to when in need of that certain extra electronic sound or melody.
Not long after, he landed a job as an backup musician for the popular new wave star Lene Lovich but it was his ability as an songwriter which showcased that he had far more to offer than just playing the keyboards, as he would end up writing the song New Toy (1981) for Lene.

From there on he decided to leave the new wave scenery for a while and instead take a little break to go travel across the Atlantic ocean towards a music genre known as arena rock, and where his next gig was to work on the album 4 (1981) by the rock band Foreigner.
Foreigner wanted to hit it big this time and had brought with them producer Robert Mutt Lange along with a large group of guest musicians, and where a young Thomas Dolby were now given more freedom to show off his skills.
Thomas would play an important part upon the albums change of musical style and where his melodic and floating synthesizers would be included on some of the albums biggest hits such as Urgent. However, his most prominent moment arrived when he wrote the beautiful opening synth theme to the 1980s classic pop ballad, Waiting for a Girl Like You.

Robert Mutt Lange and Dolby would continue to work with each other a few years later on, this time on Def Leppard's classic 1983 album Pyromania where Thomas went under the stage name of Booker T. Boffin.

Having saved up enough money from his time as an session musician, Thomas moved on quickly by writing down a contract with EMI records, which allowed him the chance of hiring producer Tim Friese-Greene along with a small arsenal of very talented people such as Kevin Armstrong, Matthew Seligman, Lene Lovich, Bruce Wooley, Andy Partridge, John Mutt Lange, Daniel Miller and Akiko Yano (just to name a few) in order to get started on his debut album, The Golden Age of Wireless (1982):

01. Flying North - A great, upbeat and very melodic album opener which grabs a hold of the listener right from the start. Always loved the drums and guitar sounds on this song.     

02. Commercial Breakup - Is a far more funkier/groovier number and which features some terrific bass work. A great feel-good song, which always brings a huge smile upon my face, no matter how many times I have heard it.

03. Weightless - While this one may lack some the more melodic approach of the first two songs, Weightless instead brings with it a more atmospheric tone which I think suits it very well. 

04. Europa and the Pirate Twins - Without a doubt the most upbeat and catchy number from the album, and where XTC frontman Andy Partridge appears along with his harmonica. Classic Dolby song, which had deserved to have become a much bigger hit.  

05. Windpower - "Switch off the mind and let the heart decide who you were meant to be" I have always thought of this as one of the more underrated songs Dolby ever wrote. A solid number which features lots of great little musical surprises along the way. 

06. The Wreck of the Fairchild - Opens up with what I think is people speaking in italian while the song almost turns into an upbeat "reggae" themed instrumental before finally erupting into an very catchy and piano driven melody. 

07. Airwaves - Might just be one of the most beautiful and finest songs Dolby wrote.
A stunning number which for me stands out as the best track on the record. 

08. Radio Silence - Is one of the more pop driven cuts and where Akiko Yano is helping out on the guest vocals. I also like the original and more guitar dominated version but this is certainly not a bad one either. Somehow, I used to think it was Lene Lovich who provided with the vocal part, but I guess not.

09. Cloudburst at Shingle Street - Is the original UK versions album closer, and is a terrific way of finishing it with, but I am gonna go ahead and include two more numbers that is probably the most famous songs from the US release after this one.

10. One of Our Submarines (Is Missing) - I think this song is based upon Dolby having lost one of his family members during the second World War while serving in the british Marine: 

"And I can trace my history
 Down one generation to my home
 In one of our submarines"

Anyway, a spectacular piece of early 80s synthpop of its absolute finest quality. 

11. She Blinded Me with Science - Probably his most famous song ever, and the first one I heard of his back in the early 00s when the music video was included on a DVD compilation called Best of 1980s New Wave Volume 1, and felt that this was my kind of synthpop music. Catchy as hell, a little "quirky" but one which I have yet to get tired off.
Of course, it might help that it did not end up becoming the theme song of the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, if that had happened I might have gotten a little fed up with it after a while.

Okay, so I did "cheat" a little this time, as neither one of my CD copies (one being the US 1982 CD release) the other is my fantastic 2009 remastered CD copy which also comes with lots of bonus features and even better, the whole 1983 performance Live Wireless on CD 2, which for me is the one I have been listening to as of lately. 
If I had taken away One of Our Submarines and She Blinded Me with Science then the 9 track original UK album would not fall too far behind but with them included the rating end up going almost to 11.

Anyway, I am always amazed at how little credit Thomas Dolby seems to get as an muscian and songwriter when music magazines or TV documentaries (specially british ones) are doing their very own take on the british synthpop scene of the 80s. 
I know, Dolby arrived a little later on than artists like Gary Numan and The Human League as I think around 82 and 83 the synthpop scene was now onto the second or third "wave" and usually that means the acts coming in "too late" is often treated more harshly than the earlier ones.
Still, many of the songs from The Golden Age of Wireless were actually written back in the late 70s but instead Dolby had to wait a few years before finally getting the opportunity to record them in a studio. 

I think Thomas did fit in more well in america where his sound and image seemed to hit it off better than in his own homeland.
He had a sound which was more "lively" and pop-dominated than the more chilling and "dramatic" british synthpop.
Still it is kind of sad seeing him get from time to time "brushed off" as some random "one-hit wonder" when he had so much more than just that one song, and if anybody like She Blinded Me with Science, they really should do themselves a big favor and go out and pick up his debut album, as that is surely one of the best british albums of the early 1980s and where there are songs far superior to that hit single.  

10/10