Ten for... THOMAS DOLBY
A look into ten tracks by an artist whose work you may only know from their hits
As I mentioned last time around, I wanted to try something a little bit different for the newsletter, and I thought, “Why not try some sort of playlist?” But rather than go through the traditional Spotify playlist format, I decided to put together a collection of ten videos by an artist whose work you probably only know from their singles…or as is the case for Thomas Dolby in America, his one big hit: “She Blinded Me with Science.”
(Don’t worry: I’ll come up with a proper stock intro for this feature by next time.)
Unlike a number of artists from the ‘80s, Dolby managed to forge such a career path for himself in the world of technology that he didn’t have to make music, so for several years he didn’t. Around 2000, however, he got back into the music-making business, first by touring, then returning to the studio. I make this point because you’ll see that these 10 tracks cover fewer albums, but it hardly matters: you’re still getting 10 quality tunes.
“Flying North” (1982 - The Golden Age of Wireless)
“Airwaves” (1982 - The Golden Age of Wireless)
“The Flat Earth” (1984 - The Flat Earth)
“Screen Kiss” (1984 - The Flat Earth)
“Hot Sauce” (1988 - Aliens Ate My Buick)
“Budapest by Blimp” (1988 - Aliens Ate My Buick)
“I Love You Goodbye” (1992 - Astronauts & Heretics)
“I Live in a Suitcase” (1992 - Astronauts & Heretics)
“Nothing New Under the Sun” (2011 - A Map of the Floating City)
“Road to Reno” (2011 - A Map of the Floating City)