Scientific Upgrade, 5 out of 5 Stars
If you're reading this, you probably know that "The Golden Age Of Wireless" was an amazing moment in the budding synthesizer new wave explosion. As anyone into the instrument could have told you at the time, Thomas Dolby was not just an incredible synth player; he had an amazing sense of keyboard construction and compositional skills. His credits before his solo career included Lena Lovich, Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club and (gasp) Foreigner! (Those are his keyboard washes that grace their classic "Foreigner 4" and the hit "Waiting For a Girl Like You.") So it wasn't like Dolby's debut came without a pedigree.
But the original "The Golden Age Of Wireless" album came with completely different cover art, different running order, a much better mix of "Radio Silence" and two other songs, "Urges" and "Leipzig." To this day, I'd been fascinated by both versions of the album and CD, and I kept wondering why, in this age when everything is being remastered, remixed and re-issued, this classic album hadn't been mined for the deluxe treatment? Finally, I get (most of) my wish.
The "guitar mix" of "Radio Science" is back as a bonus track. "Leipzig" and "Urges" have returned from oblivion (or "Retrospectacle"). Another lesser known instrumental, "The Wreck of The Fairchild," is now back on the CD. The remastering is nothing short of incredible, highlighting Dolby's arrangements and the wide-screen depth to his production. There's 4 new bonus demos to add to the running time, although I would have preferred the extended versions from the "She Blinded Me With Science" EP of the "Science," single, "Windpower," "Flying North" and "Submarines." Add Dolby's track by track notations for yet another reason to get this.
The bonus DVD is a curio, a concert film from 1983 of Dolby live with little vignettes interspersed. The real treat is Lene Lovich dropping in to perform "New Toy," but I doubt I'll be re-watching this often. If you want the videos of the singles, they can be found on the recently issued The Singular Thomas Dolby.
2 comments:
Great post Tim. I have always been fond of Europa And The Pirate Twins. Good to see that his first release has received a decent reissue package.
The Second - The Flat earth - is just as good.
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