Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.

I have been a fan of this album since it was released back in 1982, and it is one of the rare albums from that era that I can still listen to and enjoy without wincing. If you only know Thomas Dolby from "She Blinded Me With Science," you don't know what you're missing. While that song was fun, it was basically just a good-natured goof tacked onto later copies of the album in order for it to have a "single."

The rest of the album is nothing like "Science." It is moody, occasionally dark, orchestral new wave that owes a debt to artists like Brian Eno. While I prefer the American version to the original British (adding "Science," subbing "One of Our Submarines" for "The Wreck of the Fairchild," and replacing the original "Radio Silence" with a much more aggressive and compelling "Guitar Version"), both versions have their place, and now, finally, you don't have to choose.

This package includes the entire first British pressing of "Wireless," and then adds all of the later British and American songs as bonus tracks, along with the excellent b-sides "Urges," "Leipzig," and "Urban Tribal." They also add four demos that, while not essential, are definitely interesting. If you already know about this album, all I need to say is that the remastering is extremely faithful to the original LPs. If you don't know about this album, check out a few song samples and see if it's your kind of thing. You might discover a new favorite.

Thomas Dolby's "The Golden Age of Wireless" is a landmark synth-rock album. The sound quality of the new re-issue is terrific, and it's great to hear such a classic album again.

Most fans knew him for the single "She Blinded Me With Science," but it was brooding tracks like "Airwaves" and "One of Our Submarines" that showed he was more than a pop novelty. Terrific songwriting on things like "Windpower" and "Weightless" and of course the classic "Europa & The Pirate Twins."

This album is filled with killer songs. Definitely stronger than the typical early-80's new wave/rock fare.

The Golden Age of Wireless is considered one of the most thoughtfully written album of synth pop songs from the '80s. It's ironic that "She Blinded Me With Science" was the largest hit in the States because it feels like the silliest song on the album and can't compete in terms of the better songwriting of "Europa" or "Cloudburst on Shingle Street". The concert DVD included is fun (I remember it the first go around, a sure sign of aging!) and the music CD contains many bonus tracks, a couple which were demos that didn't make the album and some that are acoustic or demo versions of songs that were on the released album. These are interesting because they do show his talent at song writing w/o all the f/x and sonic candy that though, done incredibly well, seemed gimmicky. Worth owning for Thomas Dolby fans and those that are riding the return of the '80s synth pop music wave.

I bought the cassette of GAOW back when it came out because I liked "She Blinded Me with Science" but the album went way over my head. I resurrected it several years later in my senior year in HS and was floored by its awesomeness.

Even after all these years, and the obvious 80s vibe, this album still holds up spectacularly.

The album itself has gone through many changes, and if I understand correctly, "She Blinded..." wasn't even included on the original version since it had been released as a separate 12". The album released in the States was simply not the same album created by Thomas Dolby.

Almost worth the price of admission is the UK version of Radio Silence. I had never heard it, and hearing it now is like discovering an amazing jewel from the past. Heard side by side with the version on the American album, the genius of Dolby is revealed. While basically the same song, the two versions couldn't be more different, and they're both awesome in their own ways.

The other bonus tracks don't hold up quite so well, but all the same they provide insight into Dolby's songwriting and editing skills. They obviously don't have the same studio production value as the tracks that were released but even so, the listener gains insight into Dolby's songwriting process. He was doing so many new things with audio technology; obviously, some attempts would end on the cutting room floor. There's no way of knowing which songs would be great until they came to fruition, and the omission of these tracks from the original releases shows what an astute editor Dolby was. Perhaps the most difficult part of artistry is deciding which of your works don't cut the mustard, and Dolby was keen to understand why these tracks didn't work as well as the others.

Dolby includes liner notes for each track, and every one has an interesting story behind it. I didn't know about the background story for "One of Our Submarines." Knowing that it is about his uncle who died in 1942 aboard a submarine lends a certain chill to the lyric:

I can trace my history
Down one generation to my home
In one of our submarines

The lyrics are not included in the cd booklet and to be honest I would think that for the price of the album, they should be included. That said, Dolby does mention where the lyrics can be found on his website in the liner notes.

Thank you, Thomas Dolby, for remastering this. I've waited a very long time.

This package far exceeds anything that I could have hoped for.I was just hoping for the release of Live Wireless , but to get the album in it's original form was a bonus.The bonus songs are great too. Considering that I had never heard a half dozen of these songs what a great value this turns out to be. For Thomas Dolby fans this is a must, but for people who only know him from She Blinded Me With Science ; this will give you a chance to hear his real genius. The liner notes are very helpful , especially for Commercial Breakup and Weightless. I can't recommend this strongly enough.

I bought this album on tape, in 1982. I wore it out by 1985. It is nice to have the complete package, bonus tracks, and all. I was not aware of the live show, which is included on DVD. It is a wonderful performance, with Dolby and band pulling off an album which has so many layers and textures of early synth. I feel this is a must viewing for any band from any genre of music, to see how it is really done. This is a romantic period for digital technology, where humans still ran the show, and the machines were the slaves, and offered uncharted territories of what could be and figuring out how to do it. This album is a corner stone of songwriting, production, and engineering.

This is a fantastic album, but something's missing. A little known fact is that the 19th track was originally supposed to be Michaelmatician's "Quivering Relics". Ultimately this track as well as others were left off and instead intended for the 2nd Volume. The 2nd volume hasn't occurred yet.

However, the Music of Michaelmatician can be heard.


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