Something substantial from the 80's.
Dingleberry | NM | 07/19/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Most intelligent synth pop album of the '80s
Joshua D. Whitehouse | San Francisco, CA, USA | 09/30/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
One of the 80's best synth-rock albums
C. Gerard | Fairfax VA | 08/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1
