Customer Reviews

Astronauts & Heretics

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bravo Mr. Dolby !... This project has proved to be one of his most introspective and warmest recordings. For those fans who did not take a liking to this album are making a big mistake. This is a more mature sounding Dolby leaving most of the '80s cold-synth pop material behind (Come on guys, he can't record material like She Blinded Me With Science forever)...This time the man takes you on a vacation to New Orleans-cajun country style with I Love You Good Bye and Silk Pajamas. The sweet simplicity of a piped-keynote of Cruel injects just the right amount of tranquility or transition before the Cajun cookin' partying sound of Silk Pajamas.The track of the weary traveller called I Live In A Suitcase is a more retro synthesized sound rekindling his earlier Age Of Wireless period.The opening drum portion of the sequel track to Europa and the Pirate Twins bears an uncanny resemblance to Bow Wow Wow's I Want Candy hit from the early days of MTV!

With or without the guest appearances by various artists I still would have purchased the c.d.;It is just that good !

I recently listened to this again, after having placed it near the back of my Dolby playlist --- way behind The Flat Earth, my favorite Dolby album.

But this album sounds fresh and refreshing some 15 years after its initial release. Dolby seems to have matured and found his melody in his songwriting again -- "I Love You Goodbye" is immediately memorable, as is "Silk Pyjamas." "I Live in a Suitcase" has that plaintive, classic Dolby sound -- a companion piece to "Mulu," perhaps. These tracks all work.

In sum, this is a mellow, melodic Dolby, who has abandoned the punchy, techno sound and embraced Cajun-inflected, rootsy songwriting that is at once both enjoyable and memorable. The entire album has a serene, gentle tone that I found very enjoyable.

I had no idea so many guest stars appear on this record, which to me indicates it works -- there is nothing showy or out of place with their contributions (Eddie V.H. notwithstanding). I'm surprised and a bit disappointed this is out of print, though it appears plenty of copies remain available.

If you are a Dolby fan, there is no reason not to pick this up at the bargain prices currently available.

Thomas Dolby has always managed to put out interesting and sophisticated recordings over the years. Beginning with 1982's The Golden Age of Wireless to 1984's The Flat Earth to 1988's Aliens Ate My Buick to 1994's The Gate to the Mind's Eye he as shown himself to be one of my favorite enigmas. Only known to most people as the guy who did "She Blinded Me With Science" and "Hyperactive", he has done much more than that. I think with 1992's Astronauts and Heretics he found gold. 9 songs that make a classic recording. From the opening track "I Love You Goodbye" to "Cruel" to "Silk Pyjamas" to "I Live in a Suitcase" to the sequel to Europa and the Pirate Twins to "Close But No Cigar" to "That's Why People Fall in Love" to "Neon Sisters" to the final track, "The Beauty of a Dream" Thomas shows his ingenuity and virtuosity. I've been waiting six years for something new, but I'm sure it will be well worth the wait. Astronauts and Heretics is a must have for any rock collector.

Thomas Dolby, known as a synthesizer wizard with a sense of humor displays an incredible warmth, inventiveness and melodic sense on this undiscovered gem of an album. It is filled with great songs, beautifully recorded and sung with a heart-felt conviction missing in a lot of modern CDs. Ranging from humor (Silk Pyjamas) to wistful remembrance (I Love You Goodbye) it displays his considerable talents both as singer and songwriter. It's one of my favorite albums.

This an amazing record, and I'm on my 4th copy. Everytime someone I know listens to it, they want to 'borrow' it. And then it never comes back. There is some absolutely ferocious guitar from Eddie Van Halen, a neat little piece from Jerry Garcia, many other guest shots, and an amazing and eclectic variety of mysical styles, proving once again that Dolby cannot be pigeonholed. His self-imposed exile from music, brought on more than likely by the difficulty of working with big record companies that don't understand his music and only want hits, is almost tragic. This is music you cannot get bored with.

Don't let yourself be fooled. Like me, you might not fall for this album after the first listen, but be patient, give it some time, and you'll end up loving it. Astronauts & Heretics is very laid-back compared to his earlier efforts, especially the hard core funker Aliens Ate My Buick, and while overall this might not be Dolby's greatest piece of work musically, some of his best lyrics are on this album (I Love You Goodbye, That's Why People Fall in Love, Neon Sisters). There is a very varied sound throughout the album though, with contributions from people like Eddi Reader, Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Garcia and a host of cajun musicians. The highlight of the album is saved for last, with the haunting Beauty Of A Dream - possibly the best song ever written.

All the guest players in the world couldn't lift this album from the obscurity it promptly slid into. But what a troupe of guests Thomas Dolby assembled for his 1992 "Astronauts and Heretics" project! Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Garcia, members of Cajun stars Beausoleil and the perpetually underrated Edie Reader all added sparkle to the album's nine selections. (Even though he's not a guest per se, bassist Matthew Seligman is also one "Astronaut's" musical highlights.) Too bad that Dolby really didn't have much to say here.

The opening track, "I Love You, Good-bye" is among the better of the songs on "Astronauts." Using Cajun style to a cinematic effect, Dolby really does evoke a drive in the Louisiana night. "Silk Pyjamas" isn't quite as successful, but it does the job fairly well. Both Edie Reader and the late Ofra Haza give gravitas to their numbers, especially Reader on "Cruel." Better still is "Neon Sisters," which Dolby dedicates to a friend who dies "the night you went and stuck a dirty needle in your vein." It is only on this song that Dolby lets the cool demeanor that restrains most of the album to pleasantries slip, then sings like it really matters that we listen. The album's clincher, however, is "Beauty Of A Dream," which is probably one of the best songs Dolby has ever written. Emotional without being sappy, its lyric also lays an emotional Dolby bare. Jerry Garcia's well placed solo strikes perfect ground as well.

On the minus side, we have "Close But No Cigar," which is an excuse to have Eddie Van Halen play a solo over some really trite lyrics, and "Eastern Bloc," which revisits "Europa and The Pirate Twins" for no apparent reason other than to pilfer that song's killer hook. "That's Why People Fall In Love" comes uncomfortably close to the kind of chirpy optimistic sugar that frequently sank Howard Jones, but does have a great line in "Albert Einstein nailed space/time, but the wild thing had him stumped."

So there you have it. Four really good songs, three that are just OK and two pieces of outright filler (a word I never would have used to describe material on a TD album before this one). While Thomas Dolby remains one of my favorite artists (and most of his other CD's are only available as pricey imports), if you're considering picking up "Astronauts and Heretics," keep in mind that he has done much better work.

When I listened to this album, I immediately got up and brought it in for my SO to hear. Why? His favorite music sounds just like this -- right smack in the middle between eighties styling and nineties pop.

As for me, relative to earlier Thomas Dolby, I'd say it's lukewarm. But the key here is "relative to earlier Thomas Dolby". I'm extremely fond of the music on "Flat Earth" and "The Golden Age of Wireless" (what of the latter I've heard, not owning it) -- so the difference is between good music and godly music.

And I'm pretty sure that if I played the more eighties-ey, synthesizer-heavy stuff for my SO, he'd say "ah, this is pretty good, but I liked the other album (Astronauts & Heretics) better!" So the long and short of it is -- I like my music dripping with synthesizer cheese, and aside from the shortage of it, this is a good solid release.

Although I had loved every Thomas Dolby album before this one, I was disappointed when I first listened to Astronauts & Heretics. In fact, I put it away for a while after its initial spin. Later, after trying it out a few more times, certain songs started to jump out at me and I came to realize how well this album was crafted. Almost every cut is a pop gem. My favorite albums are ones which grab me slowly but steadily. They wear well. Astronauts & Heretics fits this special category.

Forget the 80's image of Thomas Dolby as the mad scientist--that guy grew up to become a world-weary traveller, finding love and loss in equal measure, this time in New Orleans. Astronauts and Heretics shows a man who has grown above and beyond his musical origins, spinning stories with a cajun drawl and a memorable hook, all the while calling on a diverse supporting cast of singers and musicians to highlight his expanding style. Different? Yes. Crazy good? Also yes. Unfortunately, the record label execs couldn't wrap their brains around anything so new, and failled to support this grand experiment, leading Dolby to a long, long recording hiatus. Don't make the same mistake. There's magic in the bayou....

1."I Love You Goodbye" - The soundtrack of my sad life! Leading off with haunting fiddle work, Dolby tells the story of love gone wrong and a bad time in the bayou...
2."Cruel" - Lovely duet with Eddi Reader about a failled relationship
3."Silk Pyjamas" - Don't tell my daughter, but this is her theme song, about a lovably clueless girl-"she wandered off into the fog, for a slurpee and a tofu dog."
4."I Live in a Suitcase" - Thomas' lament for years spent on the road.
5."Eastern Bloc" - A reworking of Europa. Does it cover enough new ground to make it worthwhile? Arguable. Still worth repeated listening.
6."Close But No Cigar" - Eddie Van Halen and Thomas Dolby. Yes, really.
7."That's Why People Fall in Love" - A cute, upbeat change of pace, a ray of light before...
8."Neon Sisters" - Probably my least favorite track (though a favorite of other Dolby fans) dedicated to a friend who ended his life too early. A bit too dark and "on the nose" for my tastes.
9."Beauty of a Dream" - A hoperful ode to love that ends the album on a hopeful note, a soaring crescendo of feeling that leaves no doubt that this man is much more than a cold techno-wizard.