Although largely forgotten by today’s audiences there was a time when no one better epitomized the synthesizer driven production sounds of the 1980’s better than did Thomas Dolby. While he had only a few hits Dolby became one of the most recognizable figures of the synth pop movement of the 1980s, and while never short of creativity Dolby would be the first to admit that much of his early success was due to his skillful marketing. He promoted himself as a kind of mad scientist, an egghead who had successfully harnessed the power of synthesizers and samplers and used them to make catchy pop and light electro-funk.
Born Thomas Morgan Robertson in Cairo-the son of a British archeologist- Dolby’s interest in music arose through his fascination with computers, electronics, and synthesizers. He originally attended college to study meteorology (weather phenomena is a recurring theme of his songs) but was soon sidetracked by an obsession with musical equipment; by the time he was eighteen Dolby had begun building his own synthesizers. Around the same time, he began to learn how to play guitar and piano, as well as how to program computers. Eventually, his schoolmates gave him the nickname of “Dolby,” which was the name for a noise-reduction technology for audiotapes; he would eventually assume it as a stage name.
In his late teens, Dolby was hired as a touring sound engineer for a variety of post-punk bands, including the Fall, the Passions, and the Members; on these dates, he would use a PA system he had built himself. In 1979 he formed the arty post-punk band Camera Club with future production wunderkind Trevor Horn. The pair, along with Hugh Padgham and Steve Lillywhite were perhaps the few superstar producers of their time.
Dolby initially worked as an in demand studio musician, technician, and songwriter; most notably for Lene Lovich. He also wrote the 1979 hit “Magic Wand” for the band Whodini, which gave him both the exposure and financial security to stake out on his own. His 1982 debut The Golden Age of Wireless became one of the seminal releases of its era, spawning the hits “She Blinded Me with Science” and “Europa and the Pirate Twins”. Both songs became staples of FM radio and early MTV, buoyed by the joyfully idiosyncratic nature of their lyrics and collision of electronica and pop. In many ways they can be viewed as a reaction to punk, which was itself a reaction of the pompous arena rock that preceded it.
The Flat Earth followed two years later, a glorious concoction tapping into the same zeitgeist as Roxy Music and Berlin era David Bowie. While not containing any hits (at least in this country) it remains the most cohesive and enduring of Dolby’s albums. Though the album cracked the top forty Dolby’s momentum was already beginning to slow. Nevertheless he remained in demand as a collaborator, working with Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, and Dusty Springfield. In 1985 he produced albums by Clinton, Prefab Sprout and, most notably, Joni Mitchell’s Dog Eat Dog. He also was briefly a member of David Bowie’s touring band. His greatest success was in film.
Beginning with 1985’s Fever Pitch Dolby immersed himself into the lucrative world of soundtracks, composing scores for films as diverse as Howard the Duck and American Gothic. Aliens Ate My Buick, Dolby’s long-delayed third album, appeared in 1988 to poor reviews and weak sales, even though the single “Airhead” became a minor British hit. For the rest of the decade he continued to score films while designing, producing, and marketing his own computer equipment. His fourth album, Astronauts & Heretics, was released in 1992 on his new label, Giant. Despite the presence of guest stars like Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Garcia, and Bob Weir it too sold poorly.
The following year Dolby founded the computer software company Headspace, which occupied most of his time and energy for the next 15 years. Dolby reemerged as a recording artist with the 2003 live album Forty. Originally issued as a 1000 limited-edition, home-packaged, signed and numbered release it was later reissued as a readily available CD. A tour of America would be documented on The Sole Inhabitant Live Concert, released in 2006. In 2009 expanded reissues of the first two albums were released, generating a new level of interest in Dolby’s artistry. A new studio album, A Map of the Floating City, followed in 2011, with guest appearances from Mark Knopfler, Regina Spektor, and others. Buoyed by the positive response to it Dolby has again begun performing live.
Which makes the return of Dolby to music, and his appearance at Moog Fest, all the more exciting: It would be difficult to name any one artist who has more exemplified the restless spirit of creativity and wide eyed technological wonder that was Robert Moog. It is indeed a perfect match!
If You Go: Moog Fest 2012, the weekend of October 26 and 27. Thomas Dolby will be performing on Saturday, with the exact times and location still to be announced. Stay tuned to Moogfest.com for more information.
