The Golden Age Of Wireless - Remastered & Expanded (Incl. Bonus DVD) [Import]

Thomas Dolby | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 24, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: 101 DISTRIBUTION
• ASIN: B00288AXL8
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,035 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Flying North (2009 Digital Remaster)

2. Commercial Breakup (2009 Digital Remaster)

3. Weightless (2009 Digital Remaster)

4. Europa And The Pirate Twins (2009 Digital Remaster)

5. Windpower (2009 Digital Remaster)

6. The Wreck Of The Fairchild (2009 Digital Remaster)

7. Airwaves (2009 Digital Remaster)

8. Radio Silence (2009 Digital Remaster)

9. Cloudburst At Shingle Street (2009 Digital Remaster)

10. One Of Our Submarines (2009 Digital Remaster)

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Introduction (Live)

2. Europa And The Pirate Twins (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

3. Windpower (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

4. One Of Our Submarines (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

5. Radio Silence (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

6. New Toy (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

7. Urban Tribal (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

8. Flying North (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

9. Jungle Line (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

10. Puppet Theatre (Live) (2009 Digital Remaster)

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

The Golden Age Of Wireless was Dolby's first album, recorded using primarily borrowed studio time and featuring musicians paid with funds raised by session work with other artists. A while after completion, it was picked up by EMI for the UK and by an EMI partner in the US resulting in anumber of variations before it's final release. This release has been restored to its original sequence, remastered and with the addition of a few peripheral songs and rarities along with the individual song notes, should help tell the complete story.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something substantial from the 80's., July 18, 2009

By 

Dingleberry (NM) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Age Of Wireless - Remastered & Expanded (Incl. Bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

Kraftwerk may have beat him to it but I would posit that Thomas Dolby made a equal contribution to the foundation of modern electronic music.

With this, his first release, Mr. Dolby created a more feeling and emotional sound than his German counterparts and, despite its age, it retains absolute relevance in today's musical scene. Here you have a record with no weak spots and a ton of innovation. The songs are warm, imaginative, passionate and the melodies are irresistible. No cold, hard beeps and burps here.

This remastered re-release finally restores the album to it's original, (U.K.) vinyl running order which is no small thing. The flow of the songs into one another was always part of the enjoyment of TGAOW and the previous CD release was a disaster in this respect. 'The Wreck Of The Fairchild' was omitted and the other tracks were mixed up for no good reason.

The remastering was overseen by Thomas Dolby personally and, as you would expect from someone who produces his own as well as others releases, it is superb.

In addition to the basic album, this expanded edition includes no less than ten bonus tracks. In the case of 'She Blinded Me With Science' you have one of Mr. Dolby's most well known hits accompanied by it's original B-side, 'One Of Our Submarines' - which, for me, is the better song of the two and an absolute classic. Both of these songs were added to the previously mentioned first CD release.

The rest of the tracks are by no means just filler. 'Urges', 'Leipzig' and 'Urban Tribal' are early Dolby tracks that hold their own against the basic album. After that you still have four demos (three of which are non album tracks) and an alternate version of 'Radio Silence' to explore.

As if that wasn't enough, the second disc is a DVD containing a live concert from 1983.

The CD booklet contains new recollections by Mr. Dolby of the songs' inspiration and creation.

All in all this is a wonderful package and an absolute bargain (especially if you order it from Amazon.co.uk rather than here). Be warned that the CD booklet comes with a white square measuring an inch and a half on the front, bottom, left corner containing some German writing. Due to German regulations covering DVDs, the square has to be there to indicate it's viewer rating. As this is required in Germany, and this release was only made in Germany, it had to be printed on all the CD covers. So, even if you live in the U.S. you're going to have that on the cover.

If you haven't heard 'The Golden Age Of Wireless' before, watch and listen to some of the tracks on youtube. The videos haven't aged as well but the music is timeless.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific Upgrade, November 21, 2009

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Golden Age Of Wireless - Remastered & Expanded (Incl. Bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

If you're reading this, you probably know that "The Golden Age Of Wireless" was an amazing moment in the budding synthesizer new wave explosion. As anyone into the instrument could have told you at the time, Thomas Dolby was not just an incredible synth player; he had an amazing sense of keyboard construction and compositional skills. His credits before his solo career included Lena Lovich, Bruce Woolley and The Camera Club and (gasp) Foreigner! (Those are his keyboard washes that grace their classic "Foreigner 4" and the hit "Waiting For a Girl Like You.") So it wasn't like Dolby's debut came without a pedigree.

But the original USA issue of "The Golden Age Of Wireless" album came with completely different cover art, different running order, a much better mix of "Radio Silence" and two other songs, "Urges" and "Leipzig." The original UK version had the "poster cover," and was sequenced as tracks one through nine appear here. To this day, I'd been fascinated by both versions of the album and CD, and I kept wondering why, in this age when everything is being remastered, remixed and re-issued, this classic album hadn't been mined for the deluxe treatment?

Finally, I get (most of) my wish. The "guitar mix" of "Radio Science" is back as a bonus track. "Leipzig" and "Urges" have returned from. Another lesser known instrumental, "The Wreck of The Fairchild," is now back on the CD. The remastering is nothing short of incredible, highlighting Dolby's arrangements and the wide-screen depth to his production and arrangements. There's 4 new bonus demos to add to the running time, although I would have preferred the extended versions from the "She Blinded Me With Science" EP of the "Science," single, "Windpower," "Flying North" and "Submarines."

The bonus DVD is a curio, a concert film from 1984 of Dolby live with little vignettes interspersed. The real treat is Lene Lovich dropping in to perform "New Toy," but I doubt I'll be re-watching this often. If you want the videos of the singles, they can be found on the recently issued The Singular Thomas Dolby.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect remastering of a timeless classic!! All remasters should be done like this., July 14, 2010

By 

S. Davies - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Golden Age Of Wireless - Remastered & Expanded (Incl. Bonus DVD) (Audio CD)

The main thing I want to mention is my appreciation for Mr. Dolby's keeping an eye on the remastering of his albums to ensure they did not become victims of the Loudness War. Most CD "remasters" are little more than much louder versions of the albums for the sake of fitting into the iPod generation of having the loudest song in a playlist or shuffle mode. How ridiculous is that?! The result is the much of the dynamics of the original music is squashed out in favor of volume, resulting in a tedious and painful listening experience. Thomas posted a reassuring message on his website that he was overseeing the project to ensure this does not happen to his work. The result? Two stunning remasters of his classic early albums. All dynamics have been retained and there has been no poor (approved) attempts to "improve" the sound. Just fresh and beautifully clean transfers. After the recent disastrous reissues of two of the early Duran Duran albums, rendering them unlistenable due to solid compression and overdone tweaking, it makes the audiophile in me appreciate Thomas Dolby's knowledge and care with these two re-releases.

The Golden Age Of Wireless has such a special place for me. When I got MTV in mid-1982, Thomas' videos were on all the time. I remember seeing still classic singles, 'Europa' and 'Radio Silence' numerous times. This was before She Blinded Me With Science was released, so he was still very obscure in the U.S. After some initial hesitation, I purchased the reissue LP of Wireless when 'Science' was added, and fell in love with the album. Over the years, I have purchased it on nearly every available format and version, but this CD encompasses just about everything from the era. Those wanting the 12" mixes can still get them on the 12x12 CD.

And I agree that it stinks to have the big white square in the corner of the cover, though Thomas has explained he had little choice in the matter. But in the end, it's the sound quality that really matters, and that is flawless. Though I'm not much of a fan of Dolby's post The Flat Earth music (I'm not much for Funk and Soul music), these first two albums are essential for any fan of classic electronic music.