Popdose - Latest Comments in Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Madelyn — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 22:23:51 -0000

As a 12 year old, cutting my teeth on "new wave" in the swampy plains of south central Louisiana, had someone told me that my idol, Thomas Dolby, would eventually record a song in which he mentions (and mispronounces) Opelousas, a stone's throw away, I would have probably fainted. (Had someone told me he was going to do a zydeco-flavored song, I might have been offended to the core of my being, but I learned to like Cajun and Zydeco in the intervening years, so that by the time I Love You Goodbye crossed my ears, I found it charming, not horrifying!)

I truly adore Thomas Dolby's music, especially the sci-fi new wave of his early work. In the years when every single pop song was another love / breakup song, to my geeky, weird ears, his music (and that of my other idol, Peter Schilling) was a breath of fresh - or at least machine-scrubbed, recirculated by the space-ship - air. My friends thought I was weird, although it was only the tip of the iceberg.

I'm so glad he's still at it.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

tdolbyfan — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:52:10 -0000

I love everything released by Thomas Dolby. I can think of a million reasons to love his stuff. Anyways, his career involved at least 3 bands. Bruce Woolley + The Camera Club, The Fall Out Club., and Low Noise. All great songs.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

DolbysCube — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:02:29 -0000

Excellent article! Great to see all of this Dolby positivity. I have been a fan since 'that song' was released. A good friend of mine loaned me a copy of The Flat Earth in high school. Dolby became my musical hero for many years. His music has always resonated in a special way. It is sad that so few people are aware of his stuff. Extremely underrated. I love that he also delved into funk with George Clinton and the Lost Toy People. I met TMDR at the Cleveland Undercurrents Music Conference in 1992. For some reason, that Spanky's gig sounds vaguely familiar. May the Cube be with You!!!

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Philomath — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:48:07 -0000

Dolby was truly ahead of his time. I remember in 1984 right after "Science" became a huge hit, he was on the TV show Solid Gold. I think everyone was expecting to hear "Science" but instead he unveiled "I Scare Myself." The look on Dionne Warwick's face was priceless, and the rest of the crowd apparently agreed. That was the beginning of his decline in the U.S., but I still bought his albums and remained a loyal fan.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Buster — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:49:59 -0000

Wow, Someone who thinks like I do. Mr. Dolby was and is a Musical Genius, to say the least. That is maybe why for me the earth is flat.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Rob — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:13:02 -0000

Hi - I may be a stranger in these parts, but I couldn't agree more.

TD is a bit of an idol of mine, musically speaking.

I can't believe that no-one has mentioned The Neon Sisters ... a sad epitaph to the mighty drums of Budgie, and TheWhite City...

Glad that I Love You Goodbye and Howard have been mentioned.

I MUST check out Synth Jam...

Thanks.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

kar — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:41:49 -0000

I agree with you all. "I Love You Goodbye" is amazing. So lush a sound. I still play it regularly. I also adored the title track of "Flat Earth." That simple, simple refrain, "Hold me, baby" won't go away.

One of my all-time favorites would be from his first album, "All of Our Submarines." I remember calling up the radio station for it years ago when the Kursk sunk. Added a poignancy that you wouldn't expect to the lyrics.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

destiny clontz — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:24:52 -0000

I think that The Flat Earth is one of the best produced albums of the eighties. Most records that were produced mainly with the Fairlight sound so dated and and generic today. But listen to Screen Kiss and and Flat Earth, the sound is so incredibly multi layered and transparent.
I often play the title track in my car and everybody who hears it for the first time asks immediately what it is.

During the last years he was actually composing ringtones professionally.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

xolondon — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:10:20 -0000

I LOVE his song I Love You Goodbye from his Astronauts CD and am glad to see others picked up on that one.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Pete — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 15:08:58 -0000

Thanks for this post John, and for the b-side I didn't know about. I just recently began to appreciate the "Wireless" album as a whole (I know the singles), and this post is gonna make me pay more attention to the rest of his catalog.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

WHarrisBullzEye — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:38:19 -0000

Nice piece. I've seen Dolby twice in recent years - once at the Rams Head, once at the NorVa (opening for BT!) - and he put on a great show both times. Mind you, it was probably because they were almost identical, but, still, good times both times.

I talked to him last year when Prefab Sprout's "Steve McQueen" got the Legacy reissue, if anyone wants to check it out:

http://www.bullz-eye.com/mu...

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

kmbone — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:51:29 -0000

Maybe Aliens Ate My Buick isn't the strongest Dolby album, but it's the source of my favorite Dolby song, "The Ability to Swing." ("I Love You Goodbye" is second.)

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Beau — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:39:42 -0000

"Hyperactive" rules.

And I'm amazed at the entrepreneurial career Dolby has carved out for himself. Rare to find a guy who walks so convincingly in the geek world and the funk world at the same time.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Elaine — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:28:00 -0000

...which led to what has become affectionately known by 80's computery geeky pop music fans the world over as the 1985 Grammy telecast SYNTH JAM!

http://matrixsynth.blogspot...

Thomas Dolby, Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones and Stevie Wonder get their geek on.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

DwDunphy — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:20:19 -0000

Both Dolby and Howard Jones were synth techs for Steve Wonder waaaay back in what the Germans refer to as Der Day.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

360Sound — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:11:23 -0000

You get so many bonus points for your choice in the contest..Funny.. I heard "Europa And The Pirate Twins" this weekend while shopping in IKEA. Somehow, it was the perfect soundtrack as I looked for a throw rug.. You touched on so many great tracks here - "Airwaves" was the track that got me way back when (the long version on the EP), and the rest of 'Wireless' - is flawless. Nice to see props for "Dissidents", too! And, don't forget the work that he did with Joni Mitchell, writing and producing a chunk of her album 'Dog Eat Dog'...

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

JohnHughes — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:45:02 -0000

I made a special effort to include at least one rarity - glad it's appreciated!

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Matt Keeley — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:40:59 -0000

Thomas Dolby is AMAZING. I actually am kinda shocked you didn't mention "I Love You Goodbye", one of the best songs ANYONE's ever written. But, hey, "Puppet Theater" is one of the few Dolby songs I didn't have, so I can't complain! Thanks for giving the man credit where it's long overdue.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Rebecca — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:36:13 -0000

I second the love for Dolby's blog-itude. If he and Nik Kershaw had been playing the same week I saw Howard Jones and Tim Finn, I would've been in songwriter heaven on earth.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

DwDunphy — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 19:21:27 -0000

So glad you put up "Airwaves", possibly the worst case of an overlooked track. Pretty, pretty.

I will say that you neglected Dolby's contributions to the Howard The Duck soundtrack... I'm JUST saying...

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Jim — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:58:38 -0000

Awesome. I got Wireless out of the library on a whim back in high school (this would be 1996), and it blew me away. Then I bought Retrospectacle and was even more floored.

Haven't bought any of his other work, though. I keep hoping for an expanded reissue of Wireless and Flat Earth. Still, it's hard to keep passing up A & H for $5...

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

wendy — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:58:35 -0000

I'm partial to his cover of "I Scare Myself" which is really beautiful.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

Stevec — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 18:33:12 -0000

Ha!

I can only imagine how the audience took that one!

Love love love LOVE that song.

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

ldp — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:52:29 -0000

Absolutely right about Golden Age and Dolby! Shame that he continues to be seen as though through a peep hole. He was much more interesting than that one song. His music and scope, expansive. "One of Our Submarines is Missing" "I Scare Myself" ... all good stuff.

FWIW ... Dolby could always be seen at MacWorld Expo. (I stopped attending, but I doubt he did.) He was very involved with Beatnik

http://www.beatnik.com/comp...

Anyone else think we need lipsynching video to judge for ourselves??!? :D

Re: Why You Should Like… Thomas Dolby

DavidMedsker — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 16:24:03 -0000

I love Astronauts and Heretics. Great, great album. Did you see him when he toured a couple of years ago? Great show. He even played "Budapest by Blimp."