Editing Thomas Dolby (section)

==Solo music career==
Dolby is associated with the [[New wave music|new wave]] movement of the early 1980s, a form of pop music incorporating [[electronic instrument]]s, but Dolby's work covers a wide range of [[musical style]]s and moods distinct from the high-energy pop sound of his few, better-known commercial successes.<ref name="fruit"/>

===''The Golden Age of Wireless''===
Originally released in the UK and US and including the songs "[[Europa and the Pirate Twins]]," "Airwaves," and "Radio Silence," the first releases of Dolby's first solo album, ''[[The Golden Age of Wireless]]'' (Harvest, 1982) did not include the signature hit, "[[She Blinded Me with Science]]." After the five-song EP ''[[Blinded by Science]]'' introduced the catchy single, ''The Golden Age of Wireless'' was re-released with the single that, combined with its accompanying video, became Dolby's most commercially successful single, reaching No.&nbsp;5 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Raggett |first=Ned |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-golden-age-of-wireless-mw0000189796 |title=The Golden Age of Wireless – Thomas Dolby : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> The album was released a total of five times, each with changes in song order and included songs, or even including a different version of "Radio Silence" or extended remix of "She Blinded Me with Science."<ref name="fruit"/>

''The Golden Age of Wireless'' reached No.&nbsp;13 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' album chart]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-golden-age-of-wireless-mw0000189796/awards |title=The Golden Age of Wireless – Thomas Dolby : Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> It juxtaposed themes of radio technology, aircraft, and naval submarines with those of relationships and nostalgia.<ref>{{cite web |last=Stannard |first=Joseph |url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4137962-thomas-dolby--reflections-on-the-golden-age-of-wireless-and-the-flat-earth |title=Thomas Dolby: reflections on The Golden Age of Wireless and The Flat Earth / In Depth |website=Drowned in Sound |date=28 September 2009 |access-date=5 February 2013 |archive-date=15 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215065235/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4137962-thomas-dolby--reflections-on-the-golden-age-of-wireless-and-the-flat-earth |url-status=dead }}</ref> While much of the album's instrumentation is synthesisers and samplers, the album credits a long list of guest musicians as well, with instruments ranging from harmonica and violin to guitar and percussion.<ref name="fruit"/>

===Dolby's Cube===
Beginning in 1983, Dolby collaborated with a number of artists in an occasional studio-bound project called Dolby's Cube. The project had no set line-up, and was essentially a forum for Dolby to release material that was more dance-oriented. Dolby's Cube released a single in 1983 ("Get Out of My Mix"), another in 1985 ("May the Cube Be with You"), and performed soundtrack work for the film ''[[Howard the Duck (film)|Howard the Duck]]'' in 1986. Collaborators in Dolby's Cube at various junctures included [[Lene Lovich]], [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] of [[Parliament-Funkadelic]], [[Francois Kevorkian]], and [[Lea Thompson]].

===''The Flat Earth''===
In 1984, Dolby released his second LP, ''[[The Flat Earth]]'' (Capitol), which peaked at No.&nbsp;14 on the [[UK Albums Chart]] and at No.&nbsp;35 on the ''Billboard'' album chart in the US. With a wide range of influences including nostalgic jazz, funk-tinged Motown R&B, and [[world music]] along with a strong electronic element,<ref>{{cite web|last=Swan |first=Glenn |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-flat-earth-mw0000650083 |title=The Flat Earth – Thomas Dolby : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher= AllMusic |date=4 December 2010 |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> and featuring a slew of guest musicians including longtime Dolby collaborator [[Matthew Seligman]] on bass, Kevin Armstrong on guitar, Clif Brigden on percussion, and guest vocals from [[Robyn Hitchcock]], [[Bruce Woolley]], and others, ''The Flat Earth'' further established Dolby's wide range of talents as musician, songwriter, and producer. The album included a cover of the [[Dan Hicks (singer)|Dan Hicks]] song "I Scare Myself."

"Hyperactive!"<ref name="fruit"/> was the first and most successful single from the album, peaking at No.&nbsp;17 on the [[UK Singles Chart]], making it Dolby's highest-charting single in his home country.

===''Aliens Ate My Buick''===
In contrast to the overall introverted nature of ''The Flat Earth'', Dolby described his next release, ''[[Aliens Ate My Buick]]'' (1988):
{{blockquote|I think it's very bold. Some people who've known my stuff from the beginning find it a bit hard to stomach. They think it's a bit brash. It's certainly unsubtle in a lot of ways. It goes for the jugular. There was always a side to the stuff that I did that was very extroverted and wacky. The flip side of the coin was the more atmospheric, moody stuff. There was always room for both of them. But this album, with the exception of maybe one song ["Budapest by Blimp"], is all on the extrovert side.<ref name="Michael Davis 2008, p. 38"/>}}

''Aliens Ate My Buick'' was strongly funk and dance influenced. The first single was "Airhead", a satirical song about a stereotypical young-and-rich California woman, which peaked at No.&nbsp;53. The second single, "Hot Sauce", a [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] song, peaked at No.&nbsp;80. Another single, "My Brain Is Like A Sieve," peaked at No.&nbsp;89 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruhlmann |first=William |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/aliens-ate-my-buick-mw0000196285 |title=Aliens Ate My Buick – Thomas Dolby : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> The album was co-produced by [[Bill Bottrell]], and featured Terry Jackson on bass guitar.

===''Astronauts and Heretics''===
For ''[[Astronauts & Heretics]]'' (Virgin UK), Dolby expanded even further stylistically, starting the songwriting process at the piano, then again collaborating with a variety of guest musicians. Both [[Bob Weir]] and [[Jerry Garcia]] played guitar on "The Beauty of a Dream". [[Eddie Van Halen]] plays on "Eastern Bloc" and "Close but No Cigar." Other collaborators included [[Jimmy Z]] on sax, [[Budgie (drummer)|Budgie]] (of [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]]) on drums and [[Leland Sklar]] on bass guitar. Terry Jackson also contributed bass guitar on four songs before his 1991 death in a plane accident with seven other members of [[Reba McEntire]]'s support band for her "For My Broken Heart" tour. <!-- The Funk/Guaracha rhythm guitar on "That's Why People Fall in Love" was delivered by Acid Latin creator Thomas Guzman-Sanchez of Rhythm Tribe (VRL MUZIC) -->

The highest-charting song off this album was "Close but No Cigar," which reached No.&nbsp;22 on the UK charts. Two other songs on the album, "I Love You Goodbye" and "Silk Pyjamas", employed [[Zydeco]] influences, courtesy of [[Crowley, Louisiana]], and guest musicians [[Michael Doucet]] of [[BeauSoleil]] on violin, [[Wayne Toups]] on accordion, and Al Tharp on banjo. Even though some recording for the album was done in remote locations, the bulk of ''Astronauts & Heretics'' was recorded at [[NRG Recording Studios]] with input from trusted Dolby co-producer Bill Bottrell, and mixed down at Smoke Tree Studios in [[Chatsworth, California]].<ref name=":0" />

===''The Sole Inhabitant''===
[[File:Thomas Dolby.jpg|right|thumbnail|upright|Dolby performing in 2006]]
Following his involvement in [[Beatnik (company)|Beatnik]], Dolby returned to his musical career in 2006. He performed his first public solo show in 15 years at the Red Devil Lounge in San Francisco, California, on 21 January 2006, surprising the crowd who were there to see local band Notorious. He then launched an American tour, the Sole Inhabitant Tour, on 12 April 2006, comprising a string of small dates in California, a science education benefit in [[Boulder, Colorado]], and gigs across America before receptive crowds.

The United States leg of the "Sole Inhabitant Tour 2006" was captured on a "live" CD and DVD. The CD represents a recording of two gigs played by Dolby at Martyrs in Chicago, while the DVD was filmed at the Berklee Performance Center at [[Berklee College of Music]]. The DVD also includes a 30-minute interview and a lecture by Dolby at the college. Both the CD and DVD were released in November 2006. Dolby autographed and numbered the first 1,000 copies of the CD and DVD.

A show at the 800-capacity [[Scala (club)|Scala]] club in London was booked for 3 July 2006 as a warm-up for Dolby's Hyde Park set opening for [[Depeche Mode]]. The show sold out in a matter of days and prompted Dolby to reprioritise the UK, resulting in him moving with his family from California back to England and in a nine-date Sole Inhabitant tour of the UK in October 2007, coinciding with the release of a lavish box set of the Sole Inhabitant CD and DVD by UK independent label [[Invisible Hands Music]].

Thomas toured throughout the months of November and December 2006 with electronic musician [[Brian Transeau|BT]]. This tour included a version of "Airwaves" that BT added his own technique to, which was the opening song on the UK leg of the Sole Inhabitant tour (''sans'' BT).

Thomas Dolby's 15 March 2007 performance at the [[SxSW]] festival<ref>Zahlaway, Jon. [https://archive.today/20071024164332/http://www.livedaily.com/news/11743.html SXSW Review: Thomas Dolby at Elysium], [[LiveDaily]] 15 March 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2009</ref> was released as the live EP ''Thomas Dolby & The Jazz Mafia Horns, Live at SxSW'' (with musicians from San Francisco's [[Jazz Mafia]] collective).

The 2007 UK Sole Inhabitant tour included three new songs previously played on the US tour, one called "Your Karma Hit My Dogma", another called "Jealous Thing", and a cover version of [[the Special AKA]]'s "What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend." "Your Karma Hit My Dogma" was inspired by [[Kevin Federline]]'s unauthorised use of a sample from [[Mobb Deep]]'s "[[Got It Twisted]]," which in turn had used an authorised sample of "She Blinded Me with Science." The tag line from that story became the title of the song. The wording was lifted by Thomas from a bumper sticker on a car that he saw whilst living in the San Francisco Bay area. In a move close to performance art, Dolby tried to post a 'cease and desist' legal letter on Kevin Federline's MySpace page when other attempts to contact him proved fruitless.<ref name="autogenerated2006">{{cite web|last=Moss |first=Corey |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1527947/20060405/federline_kevin.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060411184248/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1527947/20060405/federline_kevin.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 April 2006 |title=Thomas Dolby Won't Turn Blind Eye To Kevin Federline Sample – Music, Celebrity, Artist News |publisher=MTV |date=5 April 2006 |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Jeff Stratton |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2006-12-14/music/before-and-after-science |title=Before and After Science – Page 1 – Music – Miami |newspaper=Miami New Times |date=14 December 2006 |access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> The song is on the ''Live at SxSW'' EP.

The second new song, "Jealous Thing", was performed at least at The Graduate in Cambridge and London's Islington Academy on the UK tour in Summer 2007 and features a Bossa-Nova type rhythm.

===2009 reissues===
[[File:Thomas Dolby at TED.jpg|right|thumbnail|upright|Dolby at [[TED (conference)|TED]] in 2009]]
A CD plus DVD set entitled ''The Singular Thomas Dolby'' was released by [[EMI]] on 18 May 2009. As the name suggests it is a digitally remastered compilation of previously released singles. The DVD contains all the video singles that were available on the original VHS/BETA/LASERDISC release of ''The Golden Age of Video'', as well as the videos for the songs "Silk Pyjamas", "I Love You Goodbye", and "Close but No Cigar". These three missing videos are for the singles taken from the 1992 album ''Astronauts & Heretics'', which received critical acclaim but garnered unimpressive sales.

''The Golden Age of Wireless'' and ''The Flat Earth'' were remastered and reissued later that year with numerous previously unreleased bonus tracks. ''The Golden Age of Wireless'' reissue was a two disc set including a DVD of the complete "Live Wireless" video.

===''A Map of the Floating City''===
In 2010 Dolby began work on a new studio album entitled ''[[A Map of the Floating City]]''.<ref name=pluginMay2010>{{cite web|url=http://www.pluginmusic.com/news/article/thomas-dolby-prepares-first-new-album-in-20-years|title=Thomas Dolby Prepares First New Album in 20 Years|date=9 May 2010|website=Pluginmusic.com}}</ref> The album is divided into three parts, with the first two parts initially made available to members of The Flat Earth Community Forum, Dolby's online community.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.thomasdolby.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/motfcpress.html|title = Thomas Dolby – Press Release|date = 28 November 2010|publisher = thomasdolby.com}}</ref> Each of the three digital EPs takes its name from one of the three sections of the full-length album that later followed. The first EP, ''Amerikana'', was released digitally on 16 June 2010. The second EP is entitled ''Oceanea'', and was released on 29 November 2010. Due to favourable reviews and radio airplay, ''Oceanea'' was released commercially on 28 March 2011. The third section of the album, entitled ''Urbanoia'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ragogna/emted-solar-power-windpow_b_769720.html |author= Mike Ragogna|title= TED, Solar Power, Windpower, and All Things Amerikana: A Conversation with Thomas Dolby|website=Huffingpost.com|date= 20 October 2010|access-date=5 February 2013}}</ref> was not released as a download or physical CD, but the songs were premiered online as part of the Floating City game (see below).

Contributors to the album include [[Kevin Armstrong (guitarist)|Kevin Armstrong]], [[Matthew Seligman]] (both had played together with him on ''The Flat Earth'' and as part of David Bowie's [[Live Aid]] appearance), [[Bruce Woolley]], drummer [[Liam Genockey]], guitarist [[Mark Knopfler]] of Dire Straits, [[Regina Spektor]], [[Natalie MacMaster]], [[Eddi Reader]] and [[Imogen Heap]].

In a 2010 press release he was quoted as saying:
{{Blockquote|I marvel at the new landscape of the music business&nbsp;– distribution via the Internet and recording technologies I barely dreamed of when I started out," he continues. "But this album does not sound electronic at all. I have zero desire to add to the myriad of machine-based, synth-driven grooves out there. The Net has made a music career approachable for thousands of bands&nbsp;– but I hear too few single-minded voices among them. What I do best is write songs, tell stories."

"The new songs are organic and very personal. This album is a travelogue across three imaginary continents. In Amerikana I'm reflecting with affection on the years I spent living in the USA, and my fascination with its roots music. Urbanoia is a dark place, a little unsettling&nbsp;... I'm not a city person. And in Oceanea I return to my natural home on the windswept coastline.<ref name=pluginMay2010/>|sign=|source=}}

''A Map of the Floating City'' was recorded in the "Nutmeg of Consolation", Dolby's recording studio built within a 1930s lifeboat and powered entirely by renewable energy, which is located in the garden of Dolby's beach house on England's North Sea coast.<ref name=pluginMay2010/>

===''A Map of the Floating City'' game===
In June 2011 Dolby announced the game ''A Map of the Floating City'', a multiplayer online game that shares a title with the full-length album release planned to follow after the game's conclusion. In Dolby's own words, "The Floating City is set against a dystopian vision of the 1940s that might have existed had WWII turned out a lot differently." Survivors explore a fictional Google map, forming tribes and trading relics amidst a bizarre sea-going barter society. As they struggle to unravel the enigma that is The Floating City, players can haggle over merchandise and music downloads, including brand new songs from ''A Map of the Floating City'', Dolby's first album in 20 years, scheduled to be released following the climax of the game. The game was played from June through August 2011, and included elements of trading, mystery, competition, and co-operation. Players earned free song downloads, and the winning team or "tribe" was awarded a private performance from Dolby.