Thomas Dolby - Sole Inhabitant Podcast (#2 One.. Submarines)

[soundmagick]

BRILLIANT! now eye know...

[Bacopa68]

The funny thing is Soviet sub K-429 sank in shallow water in the summer of 1983. I remember watching the story on the news when this song was popular. The entire crew survived because submarine escape procedures had improved greatly since WWII.

[blave549]

one of my most fav 80's tunes, and albums. TD, anytime you need a guitarist/Egyptian excavation monkey, give me a ring.

[blave549]

one of my most fav 80's tunes, and albums. TD, anytime you need a guitarist/Egyptian excavation monkey, give me a ring.

[Sparkles713]

Love it- right from the eighties and beyond- You still rock(in that oh so English way)

[mta415]

@rednop44 don't feel like the Lone Ranger!!! Same here! WLBS in Mt. Clemens MI introduced me to Mr. Dolby in the early 80's

[SuperGamesLegend]

L E G E N D

[OneThousandWorlds]

This one really has that sound of cramped, metallic-smelling areas lit by a blinking, harsh orange light. those deep synths in the background cover the whole tune in deep, deep water, the other ones going past like strange, brightly-colored fish, going down.. then slowly surfacing to show all that ocean, endless, indifferent, roiling

[OneThousandWorlds]

This one really has that sound of cramped, metallic-smelling areas lit by a blinking, harsh orange light. those deep synths in the background cover the whole tune in deep, deep water, the other ones going past like strange, brightly-colored fish, going down..

[OneThousandWorlds]

This one really has that sound of cramped, metallic-smelling areas lit by a blinking, harsh orange light. those deep synths in the background cover the whole tune in deep, deep water

[soccermuscle25]

... There was an exhilarating freedom and sense of adventure that came upon me while listening to Thomas in the eighties. The sound of electronic music, clever lyrics... that drove deep into our hearts. Fond memories... sad memories, happy memories!

[polysound1]

i like this Live Video soooo much

[jonnyy40]

Marvellous coat.

[Gary190tube]

One of my heroes. Seriously.

[joejoebinks100]

Ahhhh Dolby brings back memories of my time in Germany....Tooo Goood

[CrowleysGhost]

Just wonderful, as is the story behind it. I have always loved this song, thanks for sharing it.

[DCJLB11]

awsomeness

[davegreendj]

wonderful stuff and one of my absolute faves that led me to a life of music. the thought off seeing & hearing tunes like this glammed up to appeal to today's audiences leaves me cold. the fact he is out there doing this again should give us all a thrill and to cheapen the experience by updating the sound would be horrific. vince clarke would never do it either can you imagine yazoo with updated synth sounds and identikit dance beats ? nah niether can he !!

[TheArtbango]

If you listen to much of Dolby, you can hear the stories about his childhood and his many great adventures.

[waheex]

this track made a big imact on me. I played it over and over. stunning artist

[singularity999]

Tom is the bomb.

[neilioutube]

My synth-god! (or if this offends you, my synth-gosh)

[ucfkid67]

Wow this sounds really good...!

[econoroller]

Thomas is a genius. Excellent songwriter, as well as being a master of the old stuff before you just bought some stuff from Korg and made up songs on the fly....His songs took hours and hours of programming, synching, etc...when that stuff was not exactly user-friendly. I wouldn't say ANYONE is the best, but Mr. Dolby certainly had a big impact back when it was harder to do so.....he is an innovator in his art and I give him major credit for his role in music.

[wajimya]

such a sad story. awesome song.

[filupe01]

I've known this song when it first came out in the 80's so by an amazing coincidence I read an article about his uncle's submarine last week. HMS Thetis sank in 1939 as a result of a fault with the torpedo tubes - only 4 crew escaping with the 99 remaining succumbing to carbon dioxide poisoning. the submarine was later raised and renamed HMS Thunderbolt to be sunk, this time for good, by an Italian warship in the Mediterranean with all hands. RIP Uncle Steve and all who died in the submarine.

[steph2763]

monoxide... carbon dioxide is only in your soda !

[bjm38]

nope, carbon dioxide - people breathing in a sealed confined space will be killed by carbon dioxide

[biskit909]

if all there is to breath is carbon dioxide you will die

[layzer80]

whats with the "meow meow meow meow" synth lead??? haha I love the moog bass but he should have stuck with the original jupiter8 lead sound.

[Gegs1873]

You forget how good the guy was....

Long live the 80s....end of.

[saturnhexagon]

Keyboard creativity geniuses, who do we have? Herbie Hancock, Howard Jones, Chick Corea, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Thomas Dolby, Oliver Wakeman.  I'm sorry, hands down, the best keyboardist is Dolby.

[paigearoo1]

HELLO>>>>Rick Wakeman is the GOD of the keyboard....look him up on here...you will be blown away with what he does

[saturnhexagon]

paigearoo, I have heard Wakeman's work but haven't seen a live performance. Anyhow, it's all relative tastes anyway. I just happen to like Dolby's style of creativity and artistic uniqueness.

[silverhand1999]

Are you insane? Dolby is a legend as are those you mentioned but the greatest keyboard player ever is Keith Emerson sorry.

[saturnhexagon]

No, brother, you are insane, I have a right to my own opinion, and Dolby was a musical Einstein, it's a shame if you do not believe the same. Be happy that TD is still with us and can still contribute, after the world has lost a great musical talent like MJ.

[analogpro7]

ahhh! he 'glitched' at 4:14... but we all do it. GREAT song and wish i could see him perform someday in my life!

[SirHatchporch]

When I met Thomas on this tour, I told him I felt he was one of the most severely underrated artists of the last 25 years.

He smiled and said "oh, I think I'm rated just to my liking, thanks."

I was so embarrassed. Very nice man, though.

[WolfieStorr]

I loved that, and I understand... My Mum had brothers too, some of who went to war, and she carried a lot of pain through my growing years.

Wolfie!

[yagamei]

People laugh at me when I tell them I'm a big Thomas Dolby fan because they know him only from "She Blinded Me With Science" which, despite its notoriety, is really quite a good tune.

But nonetheless, I just smile back at them and pity the fact they know about none of these songs, the others from the Golden Age Of Wireless, and his other albums. He just puts together great music.

[spudster007]

Honestly, "She Blinded Me With Science" is probably the worst song on The Golden Age of Wireless. It's not a terrible song, it's just that every other song on that album are amazing.

[Rustang351c]

Thomas Dolby is a genius who endures year after year. The Johnny Depp of music!

[laralizzie]

HE IS A GOD. Saw him perform live on his Sole Inhabitants tour in 2005 - at the historic El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico - and he was BRILLIANT - every nano-second of his performance was gorgeous and purposeful. He is wonderful! This long is legendary.

[zigmundvoid]

I have loved this song not only because it was an amazingly brilliant dance track but because I felt something genuinely solemn and surreal behind it. During the Kursk sinking, as silly as it sounds, I put this song on and cried for all hands and their loved ones who lost them. I am grateful to finally hear the story behind this song 26 years after it came out. I still get a tear listening to this, now not only for the Kursk but for all lost in such stupid circumstances. Thank you for sharing!

[SSBNG]

may the rest in peace...

[saturnhexagon]

Thomas knows how to put on a good concert. I saw him at Madison Square Garden. Simply Brilliant.

[Philipe0849]

He's so fucking bad ass!

[3dcandy]

Classic song, classic performance, saw the god like man himself in birmingham uk 2007

[wannabechef21]

Why Did He Shave His Head? He Looked So Sexy With Hair....

[FiveCentsPlease]

In his own words, he joking attributed his receding hairline to the hair coloring and wild styles he had when he was still an unknown. In other words, he went bald.

[nakaora]

4:14 small mistake :-)

[silverhand1999]

Thomas Dolby is a legend, there's no doubt about that. His music is timeless and he's always been ahead of his time. Oh to have an iota of this guy's talent.

[piper131313]

My Dad bobbed around for 3 years in the RCN in the north atlantic hunting/dodging U-boats.... after VE day, he voluntered to "Go Pacific" and was supposed to be on an RN sub... so very glad he didn't go...

[DiGiTaLdAzEDM]

So interesting to heart the story behind this --well done version too.

[ERICWENDYBRIAN]

My favorite song by T.D. Excellent performance!

[juliet719]

Oh crap, Pasha626, I meant to give you a thumbs up, but I think I accidentally hit the spam button. Sry :(

[NecroticCadaver]

this song brings tears to my eyes.

[smithfield06]

great story very sad

[tlm315]

thomas dolby you done a fine job with this its really,really cool

[mgm2112]

This is a really cool vid. Love the song. I like how British audiences stay seated and quiet during the performance saving their applause until the song is finished. Very respectful to the artist and fellow fans. I wish Americans would act this way at concerts.

Awesome video. Added it to my faves.

[apostlethirteen]

Hmmm... I can't even hear his hair on the old albums! You've got some ears!

[thinkpad247]

saw him in Las vegas at the cannery casino and hotel. The hotel and casino was small maybe about 100 pepole showed up to see the show. The show was amazing, one man doing it all synths plus brught on a horn section to do music from Aliens ate my buick and other later stuff but it was cool how he had everything done up and as able to perform as a one man band.

[BoiledBunny]

I have a C90 cassette recorded somewhere with a session for BBC Radio 1 back in the day where he does New Toy :)

[raw420x]

Heard of him in Lene Lovich ( new toy) .... became a fan of Thomas back in 1981...... amazing

[Chime64]

The guy is still a legend, even after such a long absence. The Golden Age of Wireless is still my all time favourite album

TMDR - We Salute You Sir!

[ReverbBrownie]

Consummate artiste.

[looseSpark]

Actually, lot of the songs on this tour were updated with new sounds and rhythms.

TD's audience don't dance and move around because we are listening appreciatively to a musical genius; we show our appreciation at the end of each song. We are just a different type of audience (many of us are too old to be moving about that much anyway! ;-) ). Not all music needs to be enjoyed by thrashing around frenetically. The enjoyment of the audience is clearly visible at the end of each song though.

[looseSpark]

The point of this tour was to herald a return to music after over a decade as business entrepreneur, the whole purpose was to play the old songs for the fans who had missed him for so long and to warm up again before releasing a new album of new music. The choice to revisit his past was deliberate and welcomed by his fans.

[TheGodParticle]

Wow! that was so bizarre, he's still giging after all these years, long live dolby

[martinihoudini]

His best song.

[shimetina]

TMDR - genius as always

[layzer80]

when that moog bass kicks in at the beginning, i get an instant woody.

[j1mb0jones]

Calm yourself young man!

[kirkbyla]

looks less chinny now

[redrightbear]

Great to hear the backstory to submarines. Wonderful song. As a teen this reminded me of my family lost in war. Can you do the backstory for "Europa" please ?

[redrightbear]

Thomas's nickname at school was reportedly "Dolby" because of his close relationship with his compact cassette tape recorder. It became his stage name. He is not related to Ray Dolby, the American inventor, famous for the tape noise reduction system "Dolby NR", who was born in 1933.

[BLIXAENDENEU]

anybody know if he is behind those dd dolby system? just curious.

thanks

[juliexskates]

That was just awesome! Great reworking of my fave Dolby song!!! What a talent!!!

[Eeklair]

fucking phenominal. I wish to christ he'd play a 2 nighter in Raleigh NC next go round.

[CosmicRey]

The Dolby Sound is sheer perfection.

[BoiledBunny]

Thank you TMDR :) From the elder brother of a lad born in Plymouth who was singing this song as a five year old in 1982.

[layzer80]

badass BASSSSSS, that is all.

[TheUniqueMaterial]

Where's 'Aliens Ate My Buick'? Maybe I imagined it ...

[inachu]

Where did his 1980's blonde hair go? He still looks young.

[JB04]

What is that fat thing behind the Access Polar which makes the sound of the people singing at the beginning of this track? It's the thing with fat knobs and glowing rings that you see in his camera? Any ideas?

[n1cholson]

It's great to hear a new version of this great song. In fact this one has some better synth magic than the original. I've always thought this song referred to a submarine crew that survived a nuclear holocaust -- something like the book On the Beach. "Drinking heavy water from a stone" "[Nuclear] Winter boys are freezing in their Spam tin"

[pierstheoneandonly]

Interesting backgrounding from the man Tom revealing the true-life story at the heart of the romantic imagery in the song.

BTW: re 'remixing it into a modern style' by which I take it you mean putting loathsome, soulless and overbearing dance beats onto it (from the 'Acme' loops 'n' fills sample library for 'urban' music producers) thus making it sound like countless other tuneless dance music dirges. No thanks. These tracks are from when technology was still used to write SONGS - y'know?

[layzer80]

I have to agree on this. sampling technology has given birth to millions of talentless copycats.

long live the 80's and before where musicians

had to use their creativity.

[boeingVSairbus]

Probably his best song! He is a great musician!

[Korgeghi]

Haunting and sad... if TD wants to remix his music, why not? I like the orig too, but new interpretations add new dimensions I think.

[retrospectiveStreet]

Remix them in a modern style?? The whold point here is that modern music SUCKS. Thank Heaven for the classic artists who still do it the same way. LONG LIVE THE 80s, keep your modern crap.

[Ovalshine]

1) Music never "moves on". Only trends do.

2) I've never cared for remixes. If there's anything that is to have a so-called modern style, it should be in the form of new material. And even then it's up to the artist to decide if they want to jump on the bandwagon, reject it or create their own. Rarely, the third happens.

3) Atmosphere isn't one-dimensional. Believe it or not, some audiences actually go to shows to listen to the music.

[jjaaccoo]

"sneakyalien (4 weeks ago)

Someone should tell Dolby that music has actually moved on and watching him replay his old songs but with newer synths just does not cut the mustard.

I agree they are catcy tracks but they are not that different from the originals,why not remix them into a modern style using the gear you have got?

Look at the audience...no atmosphere no movement.Like pulling teeth.

Mr dolby remix them in a modern style with a bit more grit."

What you done lately?

[ludocrat]

He's narrowed his focus a bit with this classic. I thought it was about the end of the empire set against the the steel-grey-sky backdrop of the whole Cold War thing. ('Drinking heavy water from a stone' etcetera??). I wonder if he just forgot...or maybe I just got it wrong.

[progress2007]

the tr909 fashion will go away, the quirky original will stay.

[Synthersizer]

Are you crazy? remixes kill originality. I think the 80's were fantastic, this track is great. I hate when old tracks are changed and given tr909 drums and samples. Keep it real, keep it ORIGINAL. Nice one Mr Dolby, and im glad your still playing these tracks live. ;)

[TravisBickle2007]

Great song & video. I didn't realize that Mr. Dolby lost an uncle to a submarine accident. Knowing that makes the song more meaningful and sad to me.

[Cosmoline]

NO WAY! I hate the lame remixes of 80's classics, with the stupid attempts to make it hip hop. If you don't like it, don't watch it. But for the love of god, don't try to make it "hip" or trendy.

[muslimmusician]

Agreed, Cosmoline. Mr. Dolby is one of my musical heroes, along with Trent Reznor of NIN fame, as far as being a "solo" artist that composes most of his own stuff, and manages to play it fairly well.

[freddyfan62]

I always thought Thomas Dolby was older than he is by the way he dressed on stage. Maybe it's just me!

[Texcentric]

Hey Thomas. Glad to see you're are still out there kicking ass.

[themanmaydie]

Hey guys. Just got my copy of the DVD and its so great. If you liked the podcasts, the quality on the DVD is so much higher, you get to see more of thomas and more visuals. Its great. Check it out.

[ryans1314]

where can i get the dvd mate,in the uk.

[themanmaydie]

You can get it from CD baby, £16 through the post. No import tax nor fuck all coz its under £18.Cheers

[sharonsharalike]

beautiful depth

[allsopman]

AH!!! One of my heroe's from long ago!!!1 Love "the golden" excellant, especially when he played with bowie at live aid!

[edward77042]

Very cool video. Thomas dolby is at his best!