Customer Reviews

12 X 12

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Only disappointment for me was the EDIT of the near 11 minute Kevorkian mix of Airhead, which is only 7 minutes here! Listening to his stuff chronologically, his early stuff is by far his most "new wave" sounding--although, at this point "blinded me" is a bit too commercial sounding due to its popularity. Track times:

1. europa (4:02)
2. windpower (5:51)
3. flying north (5:36)
4. she blinded me (5:09)
5. one of our submarines (7:14)
6. get out of mix (8:00)
7. hyperactive (5:05)
8. dissidents (7:17)
9. may the cube be with you (6:49)
10. airhead (7:05)
11. hot sauce (7:00)
12. my brain is like a sieve (5:37)

Some people prefer the albums versions of songs, and some people prefer the extended versions. While I like the radio/album versions of "She Blinded Me With Science" and "One Of Our Submarines," it's neat to listen to the extended remixes, and 12 X 12 is filled with great alternate realizations of these songs. Okay, the remix of "She Blinded Me With Science" takes a little getting used to, but that doesn't stop it from sounding good.

I never did like the album cut of "Hyperactive!" though. It seemed short and felt like a potentially good idea wasted. I liked the music video version better because it felt more like a complete song and was mixed in such a way that it had more energy. One of the reasons this CD is worth the purchase is because that extended version of "Hyperactive!" is on it. As an extended track "Hyperactive!" goes from a song I don't particularly care for to one of my favorite Dolby tunes.

Some of the other tracks, like "May The Cube Be With You" and "Flying North" are good pieces that further show the depth of Mr. Dolby's songwriting skills. The revised "Europa and the Pirate Twins" is not necessarily better than the original, but is different enough to be appreciated, especially since the song is not tarnished by the revision. "One of Our Submarines" sounds quite nice as an extended track too, even though the opening instrumental segment seems a bit empty somehow.

I gave this CD five stars because, despite little nitpicky faults, it's a great collection with tracks that any Dolby fan should hear. Some fans might be turned off a little by the weird mix of "She Blinded Me With Science," but "Hyperactive!" and "Flying North" alone make up for it.

I bought this mainly because of the extended versions of the songs from The Golden Age Of Wireless album, which is my favorite by Thomas Dolby.
I especially like the harmonizing vocals in Europa And The Pirate Twins...one of my all time favorite songs. This is actually the first version of the song I ever heard years ago.
Windpower is a great dance song.
Flying North also features an ambient break preceding an arpeggio(?) style synth solo.

After listening to these extended versions you may not want to go back to listening to the shorter ones.

The Flat Earth songs aren't bad, just not quite as interesting as the Golden Age Of Wireless songs. Dissidents and Hyperactive are both enjoyable.
For me the rest of the cd at best is ok.
I really don't care for Dolby's later work but I gave the cd 4 stars for the brilliant versions from The Golden Age Of Wireless.

Remixes can be a risky prospect. After all, presumably the original song was already honed to perfection, right? But the choices for this compilation are all great. In fact, I prefer this mix of Hyperactive to the original release. There's only one weak track, Hot Sauce, but I thought the original was kinda weak, too.

Just a great compillation of extended, remixed & short versions of the most known songs of TD. a perfect complement for any personal discography. 80's music followers listen to the samples.

I have been a Thomas Dolby fan since I first bought his "Blinded By Science" EP album back in 1982(unfortunately,it has NEVER been released on the cd format). I had to have this "12 x 12" collection since it also contains the extended version of "One Of Our Submarines"(that whistling intro is just tops)!---A song that has been one of my favorite TD tunes since I was a pre-teen(always brings back great memories).The rhythm and melody of that song has always captivated my mind. Two tracks that I would have hoped would have been in this release were "Airwaves"(heartfelt ballad and hauntingly atmospheric track) and a fantastic,hook laden tune from 1985 he did with Ryuichi Sakamoto, "Fieldwork"---I believe that track was more a Ryuichi Sakamoto release,though.

However, what is in this collection are the rest of his 80's extended remix essentials! It's much easier to have them on this disc;Perish the thought having to painstakingly search for the individual,long out-of-print, 12 inch singles on used vinyl.For this very reason, any true TD fan has to get this collection.

The first five tracks consist of the songs from "The Golden Age Of Wireless" album and the five-track EP,"Blinded By Science". On these finely crafted tunes, Dolby used the synthesizer technology to really demonstrate that music coming from the early 80's era was not all pointless electronic fodder. Thomas Dolby has always been an artistic musical genius that incorporates a highly intelligent, very natural human feel and warm vibe to his material;This is what really separated his music from the new-wave 80's electronic drones with no soul or human spirit to their music! Dolby's artistic approach is very real and tangible, as evident on his first album and throughout his catalog output over the years.

The remaining tracks are extended versions from his later released mid to late 80's albums that I never heard,until now.The amazing thing about Dolby is that he really has the knack for getting funky and,I'll dare say, even pop-soulful at times.His later 80's tunes,particualrly,from "Aliens Ate My Buick", are a prime example of this.Although,my least favorite is the extended mix of "Hot Sauce"---I much prefer the original album cut; I feel the rhythm and pacing of the song is much more easier to 'feel' and listen to than the remix ( which feels like it drags). The remix has that all-too-familiar outdated late 80's electronic dance-club sound whereas all the other tracks still sound ultra-hip and uber-relevant; They have aged well...The entire set closes out with the infectious groove of "My Brain Is Like A Sieve". While I've enjoyed the original album cut from "Aliens Ate My Buick" over the years, this version has such an inviting sound---to coin the cliche, it's simply 'catchy'.

This is a highly recommended Thomas Dolby release. It is worth acquiring for the TD fan and even casual fan. This is a must-have before this import one day goes out of print.

this cd is totally cool the songs are long version not like the other thomas dobly cd I bought.

I was wondering if anyone has heard or knows were to get europa part 2. I first heard it on mtv late at night it's a version that has a constant beat then the original and ive heard the 12 inch and its not the 12 inch the other time i heard it was at a club and the dj showed me the record and it said europa part 2 thomas dolby if anyone knows of this rare song please let me know... thank you

Dolby at his peak -- danceable and hummable, even in the 21st century. These are great versions of some of the best songs on his albums. The quality and imaginativeness of these remixes more than compensate for the smallish number of tracks. Until TD starts writing and recording pop music instead of video game themes again, this is the best there is. Get it!

Released in 2000, this is a collection of dance remixes of some Dolby's biggest hits. It is 75 minutes long and the sound quality is very good. It is currently out of print, but you can sometimes find it at outlet CD stores.

I think this was supposed to be part of series of 12 x 12 CD's from different groups. But, the only other one I have seen is from the Talking Heads. It is a collection of 12" EP remixes that were popular in the 1980's, before CD's started taking over. New Wave and Disco tunes would be remixed and extended for Disco dance clubs. Typically, the release period of these EP's was very short, less than one year. You needed to buy them when you saw them, because in a few months they would be out of print.

Some of the remixes were very good. Most were pretty bad. On the good ones, the group would be involved. On the bad ones, it was just some studio looping the music. The Talking Heads 12 x 12 album is not that good.

This collection by Thomas Dolby is very good, approaching 5 stars. But, this is Dolby's style and it works very well with these extended remixes. There are many great tracks, and I especially like the version of Hyperactive.

I can't quite give this 5 stars, because it does sound like a collection of tracks thrown together. And there are few weak moments. But, overall it is very enjoyable.