THOMAS DOLBY "THE FLAT EARTH" POLL

those two songs on Flat Earth are probably his best but Golden Age of Wireless is still my go-to. I remember hearing the ending part of "Windpower" for the first time and thinking "shit, another one-hit wonder whose entire catalogue I need to explore"

Appreciate how "She Blinded Me with Science" might have led to uninformed dismissal, yet he continued to mix in the oddball songs: Hyperactive!, Airhead, The Toad Lickers, etc. I wonder if his output would have been different with wider appreciation? He seems like he's happily marched to his own interests, and it wouldn't have mattered.

"flying north" is my go-to dolby, the only one of his i've heard that reaches the swoonworthiness of his buddy paddy mcaloon's songs

i appreciate "swoon-worthy" isn't always or even usually what he's going for, but still

What do you think of "Budapest by Blimp"? That's definitely Sprout-tinged.

oh btw anyone who loves "Screen Kiss" should at least check out "17 Hills" on his latest album

What do you think of "Budapest by Blimp"? That's definitely Sprout-tinged.

― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Friday, April 16, 2021 11:20 AM (thirty-seven minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

oh yeah, definitely has echoes but the vibe is slightly undermined by the slap bass lol

What do you think of "Budapest by Blimp"? That's definitely Sprout-tinged.

the crowd singalong section always sends shivers all over.
absolutely love this song.

Budapest By Blimp fucking rules including the slap bass

oh btw anyone who loves "Screen Kiss" should at least check out "17 Hills" on his latest album

Thanks for this - Spotifying _Map of the Floating City_ now, and enjoying it after a few years of not playing it.

xp i dig the slap bass, was specifically saying that those kinds of dancefloor-friendly touches are part of what distinguishes him from mcaloon

i am so used to the proper version of this so had a definite raised eyebrows moment when this remix was included on the recent(ish!) compilation.
had never heard of this remix being available, but i love it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VnGCkF7YPk

Love this track, although it’s nearly 30 years later feels like it would fit right in to The Flat Earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7STUTxwdC5A

Wrong album, I know, but man I had such a crush on Adele Bertei after seeing this go out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAEiCA8dN_8

yeah, thats a really good track.
did you get the 25+ minute megamix of the Oceana stuff with remixes etc, 'Return To Oceana' ?
he announced it via the forum/website as part of a big online treasure hunt thing.
its rather lovely.

xpost.

No, will need to see if it’s on YouTube.

"Hyperactive" always reminds me of this song, in retrospect the similarities were definitely intentional. it even uses some of the same sounds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LBUEYGfisQ

His book ‘Speed of Sound’ is a good read, not least his encounter with Michael Jackson. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/inside-michael-jacksons-mansion-thomas-dolby-recalls-surreal-visit-192458/

And of course, Dolby specifically wrote 'Hyperactive' to order for Jackson, sent him a demo, and then never heard anything back. He presumably brought Adele Bertei in on his own version to provide the MJ vocal stylings that he had heard in his imagination.

I listened to this for the first time only a couple months ago. The first three tracks on this are so great that the second half can't help but pale. I also don't get the inclusion of "Hyperactive" at the end, it clashes with the vibe of the album imo