The Singular Thomas Dolby [CD+DVD]

The first track I ever heard from Mr Dolby was "Windpower" on Top of The Pops, with all the foppish hair, big glasses and a lot running around (Thomas, not me!). I was hooked and rushed out to buy "The Golden Age Of Wireless" on cassette, which was the original UK track-listing without "Science", but with the moody "Fairchild" (the version soon to be reissued as a remastered collector's edition). It took a few listens but the variety of musical styles and clever lyrics/melodies weaved their way into my head very effectively. "Flat Earth" was also really good, although a move towards something more funky and, dare I say it, mainstream. After quite a gap "Buick" appeared, and apart from "Pulp Culture" (which I loved and still do) it was a wee bit too American for my taste, with all the flashy band members etc. However "Astronauts" seemed more of a singular affair, including some good singles the classic album tracks "Cruel" and "Neon Sisters" (which is very dark and a bit of a slow-burner).

So another singles collection appears on the shelves, but this time remastered with Mr Dolby 'in attendance'. Checkig out his website I think he is pretty happy with the mastering, but I am slightly surprised at his choice of cover artwork - quirky, to say the least!

Inside the box are two discs that immediately justify their existance though. The earlier material in particular is so bright and clear after mastering, yet the sound is consistent throughout all the material. This is almost a definitive singles collection (no "Get Out Of My Mix", thank goodness) complete with the classic too-good-to-be-a b-side "Submarines" and his collaboration with R Sakamoto "Field Work". Then we have nearly every track on the DVD, most of the videos having been cleaned up pretty well considering the age of the earliest ones, plus 2 extended version videos and the raunchier "Hot Sauce" (the one with the original scenes rather than the inserted picture of the Queen Mum). The bonuses don't add a great deal to the set, but it's nice to have them all there. Again, great sound quality and no synching problems (unlike the recent Ultravox "Best Of" DVD, which still slips a bit in places).

The concert "Sole Inhabitant" DVD/CD recently released generally is also a must-have for any fan, as Thomas goes back to his electronic roots, but on-stage, with some interesting dialogue and insights into his tracks. Roll on the remasters of "Wireless" and "Flat Earth", and some new material maybe!?

It's been a revelation listening back to music from the early eighties [ with recent excellent reissues from Ultravox, and O.M.D.],with the realisation at how fresh and inventive some of this pop music was.Thomas Dolby fits very neatly into this catagory, and this compilation does nothing but enhance his reputation as a quirky, clever, and witty artist who helped make the early eighties pop landscape a riot of colour.

From the witty and haunting "Windpower"[ now how many songs are both witty AND haunting?], to the barmy, She Blinded Me With Science and Hyperactive, Thomas Dolby arguably peaked too early with his brand of hook laden techno pop, but his willingness to experiment, and his ear for an off beat melody never deserted him fully as the latter tracks like Airhead testify, and his deserved reputation as a producer and musical fixer [witness Foreigner's Waiting For a Girl Like You as proof of Dolby's wide ranging talent], continues to this day.

In a bid to shift extra units, EMI have thoughtfully added a dvd of Thomas Dolby's Videos to this set, and very welcome it is too.With the memorable appearance of Dr Magnus Pike in She Blinded Me With Science, and the charmingly cheesy special effects on Hyperactive, this dvd is a lot of fun[ although top of the Pops appearances would have been welcome, but you cant have everything!].

With the release of The Singular Thomas Dolby, a fine career in eighties pop has been neatly collected together in a very worthwhile package.Recommended.

At the third attempt, EMI get Thomas Dolby's singles history right in a superb double disc retrospective that blows Retrospectacle and Hyperactive! away. All the single (7" vinyl or CD) versions are now available on CD for the first time, but improved sonically so that we can at last hear these how Thomas (and on 2 tracks Tim Friese-Green) heard them in the recording studio. Old songs like Urges, Europa and Windpower breathe in this remastering, and the single remixes of My Brain Is Like A Sieve and Hot Sauce have never sounded better either. The bonus is the DVD disc of all the single videos available for viewing (Brain didn't get a video treatment, Windpower video has been saved for the Wireless re-issue). Hopefully the reissue program cover Aliens and Astronauts to ensure we hear Thomas as he would have wanted us to. The best reissue of 2009 so far.