The Golden Age of Wireless
Encyclopedia
The Golden Age of Wireless is a 1982 album by Synthpop
pioneer Thomas Dolby
. The album is notable for containing the pop hit "She Blinded Me with Science
" in its later resequencings (see below). Following the album's overall theme of radio
are the songs "Airwaves", "Commercial Breakup", and "Radio Silence," along with songs about the modern world ("Windpower", "Flying North", "Europa and the Pirate Twins"). At the time of the original US release, the moody and cinematic tone—a major departure for most synthesizer-driven records—prompted Musician
magazine's reviewer to declare it "The best damned synth-pop record ever, period."
All five releases appeared on vinyl and cassette (though the cassette release for the fifth version is unconfirmed), but only the third and fifth resequencings appeared on CD, with each changing the order of the songs, replacing the album mixes with extended or single mixes and even adding and removing entire songs. In the case of "Radio Silence", a completely different recording with prominent guitars was the version used on the early US incarnations.
The first US version, issued by Capitol-EMI
's Harvest imprint, excised the instrumental "The Wreck of the Fairchild" (loosely based on the 1972 Uruguayan plane crash
) and added the two sides of Dolby's first single, "Leipzig" and "Urges". Additionally, Capitol swapped the original synthpop version of "Radio Silence" for a much more rock-oriented version that had previously only been available as a single B-side in the UK. Capitol also opted for the single edit of "Airwaves" and abandoned the original UK "comic book" cover in favour of a shot of Dolby on a stage during the production of Bertholt Brecht's "Galileo". This image had previously been used as the cover of the "Europa and the Pirate Twins" single in the UK.
When Dolby released the single "She Blinded Me with Science" backed by "One of Our Submarines
" in late 1982—complete with a music video for the A-side—Capitol saw a golden opportunity. They removed "Urges" and "Leipzig", added the extended version of "Science" (also known as the "U.S. Mix") and "Submarines", and changed the album's cover art back to its original "comic book" design. Capitol also swapped the full-length version of "Windpower" for the single version (with an edited intro and outro). The strategy worked, as The Golden Age of Wireless sold better and "She Blinded Me with Science" became a major hit, with constant radio and MTV
airplay.
In 1983, the UK record label, Venice in Peril, followed suit and reissued the album with a similar track listing to the second US version. They opted for the short single version of "Science" but retained the full-length versions of "Airwaves" and "Windpower" and the original synthesizer-driven version of "Radio Silence", just as all three had appeared on the first UK edition. This is the edition that is widely available on CD
to this day, on both sides of the Atlantic.
The successive resequencings occurred largely because different territories preferred different mixes of songs to others; for example, the extended mix of "Science" was the version that became a hit in America
and thus the American cut of the album was swiftly resequenced to accommodate the tastes of that particular territory.
A remastered "Collector's Edition" of The Golden Age of Wireless was released on 13 July 2009, complete with bonus tracks, personal sleeve notes and a DVD
of the Live Wireless music video.
* The original UK track listing (including its reappearance on the special extended edition) is the only place one can hear the progression of "The Wreck of the Fairchild" into "Airwaves". "Fairchild" concludes with the sound of various electronics, including a wave computer, which segues into the intro of "Airwaves" with no break. The remnants of this transition can still be heard at the beginning of the full-length version of "Airwaves".
* A third US version restores the original electronic version of "Radio Silence".
* The single version of "Europa" reached #45 (3 weeks) in Canada
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
pioneer Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
. The album is notable for containing the pop hit "She Blinded Me with Science
She Blinded Me with Science
"She Blinded Me With Science" is a New Wave song by British musician Thomas Dolby, released in 1982. It was first released as a single in the UK in October 1982 and was subsequently included on the EP Blinded by Science and the second edition of Dolby's debut album The Golden Age of Wireless. It is...
" in its later resequencings (see below). Following the album's overall theme of radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
are the songs "Airwaves", "Commercial Breakup", and "Radio Silence," along with songs about the modern world ("Windpower", "Flying North", "Europa and the Pirate Twins"). At the time of the original US release, the moody and cinematic tone—a major departure for most synthesizer-driven records—prompted Musician
Musician (magazine)
Musician was a monthly magazine that covered news and information about American popular music. Initially called "Music America", it was founded in 1976 by Sam Holdsworth and Gordon Baird. The two friends borrowed $20,000 from relatives and started the publication in a barn in Colorado...
magazine's reviewer to declare it "The best damned synth-pop record ever, period."
Release history
The album is notable in that it was released a total of five times.All five releases appeared on vinyl and cassette (though the cassette release for the fifth version is unconfirmed), but only the third and fifth resequencings appeared on CD, with each changing the order of the songs, replacing the album mixes with extended or single mixes and even adding and removing entire songs. In the case of "Radio Silence", a completely different recording with prominent guitars was the version used on the early US incarnations.
The first US version, issued by Capitol-EMI
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
's Harvest imprint, excised the instrumental "The Wreck of the Fairchild" (loosely based on the 1972 Uruguayan plane crash
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, also known as the Andes flight disaster, and in South America as Miracle in the Andes was a chartered flight carrying 45 people, including a rugby team, their friends, family and associates that crashed in the Andes on October 13, 1972...
) and added the two sides of Dolby's first single, "Leipzig" and "Urges". Additionally, Capitol swapped the original synthpop version of "Radio Silence" for a much more rock-oriented version that had previously only been available as a single B-side in the UK. Capitol also opted for the single edit of "Airwaves" and abandoned the original UK "comic book" cover in favour of a shot of Dolby on a stage during the production of Bertholt Brecht's "Galileo". This image had previously been used as the cover of the "Europa and the Pirate Twins" single in the UK.
When Dolby released the single "She Blinded Me with Science" backed by "One of Our Submarines
One of our Submarines
"One of our Submarines" is a song by British new wave/synth pop musician Thomas Dolby. The song was recorded in August 1982 and remains a favourite among Thomas Dolby fans...
" in late 1982—complete with a music video for the A-side—Capitol saw a golden opportunity. They removed "Urges" and "Leipzig", added the extended version of "Science" (also known as the "U.S. Mix") and "Submarines", and changed the album's cover art back to its original "comic book" design. Capitol also swapped the full-length version of "Windpower" for the single version (with an edited intro and outro). The strategy worked, as The Golden Age of Wireless sold better and "She Blinded Me with Science" became a major hit, with constant radio and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
airplay.
In 1983, the UK record label, Venice in Peril, followed suit and reissued the album with a similar track listing to the second US version. They opted for the short single version of "Science" but retained the full-length versions of "Airwaves" and "Windpower" and the original synthesizer-driven version of "Radio Silence", just as all three had appeared on the first UK edition. This is the edition that is widely available on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
to this day, on both sides of the Atlantic.
The successive resequencings occurred largely because different territories preferred different mixes of songs to others; for example, the extended mix of "Science" was the version that became a hit in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and thus the American cut of the album was swiftly resequenced to accommodate the tastes of that particular territory.
A remastered "Collector's Edition" of The Golden Age of Wireless was released on 13 July 2009, complete with bonus tracks, personal sleeve notes and a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of the Live Wireless music video.
1982 First UK release: Venice in Peril VIP 1001
1982 First US release: Harvest ST-12203
1983 Second US release: Capitol ST-12271
1983 Second UK release: Venice In Peril/EMI VIP 107 607-1
1983 UK CD release: EMI CDP 7 46009 2
This is the same set of tracks as on the 1983 second UK release.1984 US CD release: Capitol CDP 7 46009 2
2009 Remastered Collector's Edition CD: EMI 50999 2 67915 2 4
Also included with this release is a DVD containing a remastered version of the long-form performance video Live Wireless, recorded at the Riverside Theatre Studios, London, and originally released on videocassette on 9 November 1983 by Picture Music International (TVE 901572).Personnel
- Thomas Dolby - vocals, drum programs, wave computer, backing vocals, synthesizer, piano, monk voice, kalimba
- James Allen - backing vocals
- Kevin Armstrong - guitar, backing vocals
- Dave Birch - guitar, monk voice
- Bosco - percussion
- Les Chappel - backing vocals
- Judy Evans - backing vocals
- Lesley Fairbairn - backing vocals
- Mark Heyward-Chaplin - bass guitar
- Justin Hildreth - drums
- Simon HouseSimon HouseSimon House is a composer and classically trained violinist and keyboard player, perhaps best known for his work with space rock band Hawkwind. His arrival in 1974 introduced a new element to the band's style...
- violin - Tim Kerr - violin
- Mutt Lange - backing vocals
- Simon Lloyd - leadline brass, flute
- Lene LovichLene LovichLene Lovich is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.-Early years:...
- backing vocals - John MarshJohn Marsh (newsreader)John Marsh is a freelance newsreader on BBC Radio 2."Boggy", as he has been nicknamed by Terry Wogan, is from Sussex, and was originally a cameraman. However, a radio opportunity came up, and he ended up in BBC Radio 4. In 1982 he transferred to Radio 2. Marsh presented various radio shows, but...
- shipping forecast - Daniel Miller - synthesizer
- Guido Orlando - Chilean translations, distress, grace
- Andy PartridgeAndy PartridgeAndrew John "Andy" Partridge is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has been known as Sir John Johns and Melchior and rose to fame as a founding member, guitarist and chief songwriter of the pop/new wave band, XTC. He lives in Swindon, Wiltshire, where he was raised.Partridge also...
- harmonica, percussion - Dr. Magnus PykeMagnus PykeDr. Magnus Alfred Pyke was a British scientist and media figure, who, although apparently quite eccentric and playing up to the mad scientist stereotype, succeeded in explaining science to a lay audience...
- voiceover - Matthew SeligmanMatthew SeligmanMatthew Seligman is an English bassist who took part of the new wave scene in the 1970s and the 1980s, best known as a member of the Soft Boys.-Biography:...
- Moog bass - Miriam Stockley - backing vocals
- Bruce WoolleyBruce WoolleyBruce Woolley is an English writer, performer, record producer and composer.- Early years :Bruce Woolley was born in Loughborough, England on 11 November 1953 and was educated at Loughborough Grammar School where he learned electric guitar, began to write songs and where he met his future wife,...
- backing vocals, monk voice - Akiko YanoAkiko Yanois a Japanese pop and jazz musician and singer. She was born as Akiko Suzuki in Tokyo and raised in Aomori, Aomori, and later began her singing career in the mid-1970s...
- Backing vocals