In the interview, Dolby shares some fantastic stories, like this one:

I remember word going around that the UK branch of the Musician’s Union was going to vote on a motion to ban synthesizers. A friend of mine from a band called Landscape told me this, and said we had to get some people down there because they were actually going to put it to the vote. The motion that was on the table was that synthesizers would be banned altogether, because they were taking work away from musicians. So ten of us went down there, one row of about 30, 40 people, and the rest of the people were like, out of work flugelhorn players, people who occasionally did West End musicals, and they were all half asleep. Each of the ten of us in turn got up and spoke very passionately and very articulately about how we felt it was progress and it was a good thing, and ultimately would lead to more work for musicians. Then it went to the vote and it got voted in! The British Musician’s Union had banned synthesizers! I think it was only afterwards that the executive manager of the Musician’s Union realised how impossible it would be to implement, so it was sort of swept under the carpet and we never heard about it again.

The new Collectors Editions are released on CD and as digital downloads. They feature special bonus tracks, personal sleeve notes, live recordings, original demos, and rare video footage from the period. Dolby oversaw the Abbey Road remastering sessions himself, and sorted through studio outtakes and cassette tapes to put together definitive versions of these LPs.

Both The Golden Age Of Wireless and The Flat Earth achieved Gold status in the USA and yielded Top 20 singles around the world. GAOW was released in several formats due to the success of the breakthrough songs She Blinded Me With Science and One Of Our Submarines, which were not on the original LP but were added by Capitol Records following Dolby’s sudden emergence in 1982 as a star of the nascent MTV. The re-released GAOW combines all variations of the album, and is accompanied by a DVD of the full-length 1983 live concert performance Live Wireless, originally available only on laser disc.

In a recent edition of Wired magazine, JJ Abrams said: “Dolby’s ‘The Golden Age of Wireless’ remains one of the greatest albums ever recorded. And his follow-up records were a brilliant mix of heart, soul, and electronics. He’s a genius.”

Dolby’s sophomore album The Flat Earth originally featured only seven songs. The Collector’s Edition  is enhanced by five additional tracks, including the previously unreleased Marseille and a pair of Dolby songs written for films. Owners of the Collectors Editions will have access to a special area of the ThomasDolby.com web site to download free additional rare songs, lyrics and other goodies.

The full track listing follows:

The Golden Age of Wireless (Collector’s Edition)

• Flying North
• Commercial Breakup
• Europa And The Pirate Twins
• Windpower
• Wreck of the Fairchild
• Airwaves
• Radio Silence
• Cloudburst At Shingle Street
• Bonus Tracks:
• One of Our Submarines
• She Blinded Me With Science
• Urges
• Leipzig
• Urban Tribal
• Therapy Growth
• Sale of the Century
• Pedestrian Walkway
• New Toy
• Jungle Line
• Samson and Delilah

The Flat Earth (Collector’s Edition)

• Dissidents
• The Flat Earth
• Screen Kiss
• White City
• Mulu The Rain Forest
• I Scare Myself
• Hyperactive!
• Bonus Tracks:
• Puppet Theatre
• Field Work
• Don’t Turn Away
• The Devil Is An Englishman
• Marseille

It was released in the UK on May 18th 2009 and is available worldwide as an import.

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)

About Thomas Dolby

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 synthesizer, 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.

Violinist Natalie MacMaster and TED Musical Director Thomas Dolby play Dolby’s original song Blue Is a River in this ethereal duet — with a little dancing.

About Natalie MacMaster

Natalie MacMaster is a star of Cape Breton fiddling, a Canadian tradition with Scottish roots. Her energetic style and virtuoso talent has brought her star billing on the international folk circuit. Full bio and more links

About Thomas Dolby

TED Music Director Thomas Dolby has spent his career at the intersection of music and technology.

This video features Thomas Dolby’s take on the Muse Research Receptor 2 Pro and the Receptor 2 Pro Max. 

According to Muse:

These new models of Receptor are faster, smarter, and better in all respects than the previous generation. They feature entirely new computational engines including incredibly fast dual-core processors that offer twice the power of the previous generation, new SATA-2 storage systems that offer three times more disc bandwidth, 10 times the networking speed, and 50% more memory that is twice as fast as before.

His spring touring ensemble will feature real-time looping on a computer laptop, along with a three-piece horn section (the Jazz Mafia Horns) comprising some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s finest young jazz soloists: Adam Theis on trombone, Rich Armstrong on trumpet, and Ron Cohen on tenor sax.

The March Tour:

Sat. March 10 – SANTA CRUZ, CA – Kuumbwa PM (2 shows)
Sun. March 11 – REDWOOD CITY, CA – Little Fox Theater
Mon. March 12 – SACRAMENTO, CA – Harlows
Thurs. March 15 – AUSTIN, TX (SXSW) – Elysium
Sun. March 18 – DALLAS, TX – RockHouse Live
Thurs. March 22 – FAIRFAX, CA (Bay Area) – 19 Broadway

Dolby feels that time has put his influence into perspective. “Though people tend to associate me with the ‘80s, I feel my roots are really in the late ‘70s and the electronic underground in London. Bands like Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and Clock DVA were playing small clubs around Europe in parallel to the punk movement, and many remained anonymous, only a few making it into the mainstream pop limelight during the ‘80s — Soft Cell, Human League and Ultravox. There were so few of us doing it back then that it’s no surprise we get cited as influences when modern electronica acts are interviewed, but the legacy of that period is clearly very important.”

“In some ways all that chart success was orthogonal to what I was really trying to do, which was develop the textures and rhythms of electronic music into a palette that a genuine songwriter could build stories upon. I hope that the DVD and CD helped re-establish my credentials as an artist before I move into the next chapter. I have new songs ready to start work on as soon as I’ve closed the loop and reconnected with the core fan base,” he says.

The Sole Inhabitant is Dolby’s first consumer product since 1992’s Gate to the Mind’s Eye, an audio disc complemented by a laser disc with accompanying animation. In that time, he hasn’t approached a single record company, determined instead to harness the technology and distribution options available to indie artists today.

The audio CD was recorded live at Martyrs in Chicago, while the DVD was filmed at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA. Dolby felt these were two of his best concerts of the year. The DVD features a sit-down interview/chat in which Dolby discusses his past and present careers and the stories behind the songs. The first batch of copies was autographed by Dolby.

Fall 2006 tour dates received high praise from critics, who also applauded The Sole Inhabitant.

Atlanta’s Creative Loafing wrote: “Dolby plans to release new music over the coming years, which bodes well since these 20-plus-year-old tunes on The Sole Inhabitant are still exciting, slightly puzzling and — more than anything — compositionally sound with the times. Fly-by-night electronica producers had better watch their backs and start elevating their knob twiddles in order to compete with such a charismatic artist.”

Dolby’s solo set features him onstage with a bank of computers, a collection of vintage oscilloscopes and signal generators, a military headcam and antique radio operator earphones strapped to his head. Live visuals performed by renowned video artist Johnny DeKam allow the audience to experience the world through Dolby’s eyes. He is accompanied by the jazz Mafia Horns. Audiences may be surprised at first to hear a darker side of Dolby, but of course he plays the hits as well.

Dolby has announced a fall U.S. tour (co-billed with fellow electronic pioneer BT) and a live retrospective CD and DVD. Both are titled The Sole Inhabitant and will be issued independently on November 21 on Dolby’s own label and web site, and via CD Baby and iTunes. The album contains live versions of classic songs including “She Blinded Me With Science,” one of the very first MTV-driven hits, and “Hyperactive,” as well as a chance to revisit great songs from the era that weren’t seen on MTV. It’s important, after all, to remember that his pop fame during the “Science” era was the exception, not the rule. “I’ve had people come up to me after the shows and say ‘oh I really like the new ones’… [but] I’m not playing any new ones!” he says.

“In some ways all that chart success was orthogonal to what I was really trying to do, which was develop the textures and rhythms of electronic music into a palette that a genuine songwriter could build stories upon. I’d like the DVD and CD to re-establish my credentials as an artist before I move into the next chapter. I have new songs ready to start work on as soon as I’ve closed the loop and reconnected with the core fan base,” he says.

‘An Evening With BT and Thomas Dolby’ is a special North American concert series this November and December. BT will perform music from his newest release, This Binary Universe, a groundbreaking two-disc CD /DVD that fuses seven unique tracks composed in 5.1-channel surround sound with stunning animations by some of today’s finest computer artists and animators in a set that will include two other notable musicians, Ben Grossman and Scott Pagano. BT recently performed this show at the Hollywood Bowl. Conversely, Dolby will perform an intriguing blend of today’s state of the art computer music with vintage 1940s oscilloscopes and ex-Royal Navy field test equipment. The pair plan to jam together for encore numbers.

Dolby feels that time has put his influence into perspective. “Though people tend to associate me with the ‘80s, I feel my roots are really in the late ‘70s and the electronic underground in London. Bands like Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and Clock DVA were playing small clubs around Europe in parallel to the punk movement, and many remained anonymous, only a few making it into the mainstream pop limelight during the ‘80s – Soft Cell, Human League and Ultravox. There were so few of us doing it back then that it’s no surprise we get cited as influences when modern electronica acts are interviewed, but the legacy of that period is clearly very important.”

The Sole Inhabitant is Dolby’s first consumer product since 1992’s Gate to the Mind’s Eye, an audio disc complemented by a laser disc with accompanying animation. In that time, he hasn’t approached a single record company, determined instead to harness the technology and distribution options available to indie artists today.

The audio CD was recorded live at Martyrs in Chicago, while the DVD was filmed at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA. Dolby felt these were two of his best concerts of the year. Added to the DVD will be a sit-down interview/chat in which Dolby discusses his past and present careers and the stories behind the songs. The first batch of copies will be autographed by Dolby.

Dolby has always maintained a loyal core of fans who were galvanized by tour dates earlier this year. Dolby intends to involve his fans in the birthing of the record, blogging frequently at his web site http://www.thomasdolby.com and posting reviews from shows along the tour route.

Early 2006 tour dates received high praise from critics. The Chicago Tribune wrote, “The audience seemed mesmerized by Dolby’s compositional and musical dexterity…Far from coming off as strictly a nostalgia act, the evening unfolded as a celebration of his past accomplishments and a harbinger for his future as a revitalized performer.” The Orange County Register added, “Most people’s knowledge of Dolby begins and ends with ‘She Blinded Me With Science,’ a sly slice of synth-funk from a superior album (The Golden Age of Wireless) whose variety and depth went far beyond its artificial surface. Indeed, for those who sought him out — certainly for scores of electronica acts who routinely cite him as an influence — Dolby was one-of-a-kind, a do-it-yourself electro wizard whose work conjured warmth and soul from machines whose output in other hands was pure digital chill.” The Washington Post summed it up: “When he whooshed into ‘Europa and the Pirate Twins,’ Dolby sounded startlingly relevant, no easy trick for a talented artist whose entire career is usually unfairly surmised in a single, shouted phrase.”

Dolby’s solo set features him onstage with a bank of high-tech computers, a collection of vintage oscilloscopes and signal generators, a military headcam and antique radio operator earphones strapped to his head. Live visuals performed by renowned video artist Johnny DeKam allow the audience to experience the world through Dolby’s eyes. Audiences may be surprised at first to hear a darker side of Dolby, but of course he plays the hits as well.

The tour is still in the booking stages, but many dates have been announced:

Thomas Dolby dates:

• October 28 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Cow Palace
• November 15 CERRITOS, CA Cerritos Center

‘An Evening With BT and Thomas Dolby’ dates

• November 28 SAN DIEGO, CA (SOLANA BEACH) Belly Up
• November 29 ANAHEIM, CA House of Blues
• November 30 TUCSON, AZ Rialto Theatre
• December 1 ALBUQUERQUE, NM El Ray Theatre
• December 2 ASPEN, CO Belly UP
• December 3 DENVER,CO Gothic Theatre
• December 6 AUSTIN, TX Elysium
• December 7 DALLAS, TX Granada Theatre
• December 8 HOUSTON, TX Warehouse Live
• December 11 NEW ORLEANS, LA HOB
• December 15 FT. LAUDERDALE, FL Revolution
• December 16 ORLANDO, FL House of Blues
• December 17 TAMPA, FL State Theatre
• December 19 NORFOLK, VA The Norva
• December 20 BALTIMORE, MD Recher Theatre
• December 21 PHILADELPHIA, PA World Cafe Live
• December 22 NEW YORK, NY TBA