# The Golden Age of Wireless - Thomas Dolby

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 24, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576 "2013-09-24T13:04:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![AnthonyElite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/1 "2013-09-24T13:04:28Z")

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Has anyone ever heard this incredible album by this artist? I know he hasn’t done much - which is a shame- but this album truly is a jewel.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhF9llgeKg&list=PL910DD8F2C4D71165](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhF9llgeKg&list=PL910DD8F2C4D71165)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Golden\_Age\_of\_Wireless](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_of_Wireless)

The album could be about a lot of things, but I see it as being about communication itself - its complexity, degredation, and how communication without some sort of relationship becomes utterly meaningless.

This has always been an Autumn album in my life. I remember when I was a kid I would dig this album out of my father’s rack, put the speakers to the windows and blast it all out the windows while I went crazy outside.

I’ve talked to some pretty big audiophiles and none of them have heard this album.

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### Author: ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/2 "2013-09-24T13:31:34Z")

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Yup, great album. I bought it on vinyl when it came out in 1982 and I used to listen to it a lot until I accidentally left in behind in a move. Dolby unfortunately is largely remembered for “She Blinded Me With Science” which is a goofy novelty song. But _The Golden Age of Wireless_ had some beautiful songs with real emotional depth. It really should be better known.

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### Author: ![tullsterx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tullsterx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tullsterx)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/3 "2013-09-24T13:51:32Z")

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Oh, yeah. Probably somewhere in my top 20 or so albums. That album drips with melancholy and longing. I got the cassette when it came out in the 80’s and several years ago bought the CD. I think the CD’s in my car right now. I was listening to it some time ago. If all you know about Thomas Dolby is “She Blinded Me with Science” then you don’t know Thomas Dolby.

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### Author: ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/4 "2013-09-24T13:53:37Z")

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Fantastic album. “Flying North,” stands out for me, but the whole album is great. Owned it on vinyl until I did the Great Vinyl Purge to Digital.

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### Author: ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/5 "2013-09-24T14:03:42Z")

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One of the few commercial albums I actually owned. As a kid, I got most of my music off the Top 40 stations and had to deal with disk jockeys at the start and finish of all my music. I wore out the casette as a freshman in college. It must have been the 1983 US release since it had “One of our Submarines.” I later got the CD of “Retrospectacle” which contained most of this album.

ETA, now I’m listening to it on my PC at work. I imagine Mr. Dolby would be gratified to see his work being enjoyed in the new media-less music paradigm.

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### Author: ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/6 "2013-09-24T14:16:43Z")

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Yup excellent album.

I also liked the obscure [Bruce Woolley And The Camera Club – English Garden (1999, CD)\<!-- --\> - Discogs](http://www.discogs.com/Bruce-Woolley-And-The-Camera-Club-English-Garden/release/1389466) which Dolby played keyboards on, but it isn’t up to his solo stuff.

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### Author: ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/7 "2013-09-24T14:39:53Z")

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> [@AnthonyElite](#):
>
> I know he hasn’t done much - which is a shame

From the standpoint of releasing pop albums, this statement is true. However, he moved away from focusing on that in the early 90s, and was one of the pioneers in developing digital music formats (particularly for mobile phones). He’s also been the music director for the TED Conference for the past 12 years. It looks like he’s a busy, and very successful, guy, even if he rarely releases his own music any more.

> **[Thomas Dolby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Dolby)**
>
> Thomas Morgan Robertson (born 14 October 1958), known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher.
> Dolby came to prominence in the 1980s, releasing hit singles including "She Blinded Me with Science" (1982) and "Hyperactive!" (1984). He has also worked as a producer and as a session musician.
> In the 1990s, Dolby founded Beatnik, a Silicon Valley software company whose technology was used to play internet audio and later ringtones, most...

(Oh, and I agree, Golden Age of Wireless is a fab album. 🙂 )

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### Author: ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/8 "2013-09-24T14:50:56Z")

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> [@AnthonyElite](#):
>
> Has anyone ever heard this incredible album by this artist? I know he hasn’t done much - which is a shame- but this album truly is a jewel.

I have the first UK release on vinyl, the first US release on CD and the second US release on CD. I used to have the first UK release on cassette as well, but it broke long ago.

Aye, it’s a truly great album.

Am I the only Doper who saw his first (awesome) US tour in support of his 2nd album, _The Flat Earth_?

BTW, [Mr. Dolby is touring right now](http://www.thomasdolby.com/tour/).

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### Author: ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/9 "2013-09-24T14:54:02Z")

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> [@AnthonyElite](#):
>
> Has anyone ever heard this incredible album by this artist? I know he hasn’t done much - which is a shame- but this album truly is a jewel.
> 
> [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhF9llgeKg&list=PL910DD8F2C4D71165](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUhF9llgeKg&list=PL910DD8F2C4D71165)
> 
> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Golden\_Age\_of\_Wireless](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_of_Wireless)
> 
> The album could be about a lot of things, but I see it as being about communication itself - its complexity, degredation, and how communication without some sort of relationship becomes utterly meaningless.
> 
> This has always been an Autumn album in my life. I remember when I was a kid I would dig this album out of my father’s rack, put the speakers to the windows and blast it all out the windows while I went crazy outside.
> 
> I’ve talked to some pretty big audiophiles and none of them have heard this album.

This was one of my favorite albums in college - I have it on vinyl from those days, as well as on CD. The next album “The Flat Earth” while not as good as “Wireless” still has a great sound.

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### Author: ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/10 "2013-09-24T16:40:27Z")

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My fav Thomas Dolby album is “Astronauts & Heretics”.

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### Author: ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/11 "2013-09-24T16:55:11Z")

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A masterpiece of an album, Dolby has . _One of our Submarines_ is one of my favorite songs of any artist, incredible synth chords booming from that one.

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### Author: ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/12 "2013-09-24T19:20:08Z")

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> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> My fav Thomas Dolby album is “Astronauts & Heretics”.

Seconded. From 1992, sounding absolutely nothing like his early work. [I Love You, Goodbye](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7bwWAVVCWg) is one of the songs in my pantheon.

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### Author: ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/13 "2013-09-24T21:35:10Z")

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> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#):
>
> Seconded. From 1992, sounding absolutely nothing like his early work. [I Love You, Goodbye](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7bwWAVVCWg) is one of the songs in my pantheon.

“I Love You Goodbye” is a stunning requiem. My favorite TD song by far.

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### Author: ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/14 "2013-09-24T22:11:05Z")

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> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> “I Love You Goodbye” is a stunning requiem. My favorite TD song by far.

I’ll have to get that album.

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### Author: ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2013, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/15 "2013-09-24T22:36:57Z")

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I did not like much music from the 80’s, but I really liked Thomas Dolby’s “The Golden Age of Wireless.”

Which reminds me of something I’ve wondered for years: my brother and I both had copies of this album, with different versions of the song “Radio Silence”.

[This is the version that was on my copy of the album.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgYSqwsWwsE)  
[This is the version that was on my brother’s copy of the album.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj_yFpL6uoE)

Anybody know the story behind the two different versions?

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### Author: ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/16 "2013-09-25T02:09:48Z")

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Great album. My favorite track is “Europa And The Pirate Twins”. Hauntingly beautiful, and the lyrics make me melancholy.

Dolby was on Marc Maron’s [WTF podcast](http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_397_marshall_crenshaw_thomas_dolby) a few months. Really an interesting guy all around.

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### Author: ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/17 "2013-09-25T03:54:03Z")

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> [@Anamorphic](#):
>
> Great album. My favorite track is “Europa And The Pirate Twins”. Hauntingly beautiful, and the lyrics make me melancholy.

Loved this album, though like **Bricker** I purged it with most of the rest of my vinyl. “Europa” in particular was a favorite…years later when I heard Fountain of Wayne’s “Hackensack” it struck me as a kind of modern update to it.

Ta republique.

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### Author: ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/18 "2013-09-25T03:57:36Z")

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I don’t really have much to add to what’s already been said except to agree that “One of Our Submarines” and “Europa and The Pirate Twins” are both great songs.

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### Author: ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2013, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/19 "2013-09-25T04:32:13Z")

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> [@Shoeless](#):
>
> I did not like much music from the 80’s, but I really liked Thomas Dolby’s “The Golden Age of Wireless.”
> 
> Which reminds me of something I’ve wondered for years: my brother and I both had copies of this album, with different versions of the song “Radio Silence”.
> 
> [This is the version that was on my copy of the album.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgYSqwsWwsE)  
> [This is the version that was on my brother’s copy of the album.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj_yFpL6uoE)
> 
> Anybody know the story behind the two different versions?

I do. I have both versions.

The version that your brother has is the original version.

When the album was released in the US, the record company swapped out the original version of the song for one with guitars, prolly hoping to score radio airplay. This track had been the B-side of the single version of _Radio Silence_ in the UK, IIRC. They also struck an instrumental called _The Wreck of the Fairchild_, replacing it with _Leipzig_ and _Urges_ (I think they were the A- and B- side of a single release, but I can’t remember which was which). They also used the edited version of _Airwaves_ instead of the UK album version. Oh, and they changed the cover art from the pulp magazine version to a picture of Dolby from a play, which was first used as the cover to the single release of _Europa and the Pirate Twins_.

Your brother most likely bought his copy of the album in 1982 or 1983. If it’s the second song on the album, after opener _She Blinded Me With Science_, he bought it in 1983. If it’s like the 7th song, and the album opens with _Europa and the Pirate Twins_, he bought it in 1982.

You most likely bought your copy of the album after 1984 and _Radio Silence_ is the 2nd song, right after _Science_.

The TL;DR version is that there were a number of different versions of the album in both the UK and the US, which is I why I own multiple copies. If you want all the different versions of these songs plus the stuff that was omitted from certain releases, Dolby released a wicked cool omnibus remastered edition in 2009. It’s generally only available in the US as an import, but with teh intertubez that’s not nearly as big a deal as it used to be.

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### Author: ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)
#### Post date: [September 25, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-golden-age-of-wireless-thomas-dolby/669576/20 "2013-09-25T11:27:19Z")

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IIRC both of our albums had the same cover art (the pulp magazine cover) and same track listing, just different versions of Radio Silence (track #2). I can’t say when my brother bought his copy but I’m thinking I bought mine around summer of 1983.

And now that you mention it, I do remember seeing/ hearing the version with Leipzig and Urges. I had forgotten about that one!

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