Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth (1984) (LP) - €10,00

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The Flat Earth is the second studio album by the English new wave and synth-pop musician Thomas Dolby, released on 10 February 1984 by EMI and Capitol Records. 

The first single from the album was "Hyperactive!", the second single "I Scare Myself" and third single was "Dissidents".

Exceptionally mature for a sophomore effort, The Flat Earth has held up considerably well since its 1984 release. 

This staying power belongs to a fantastic ensemble of supporting players as much as to Thomas Dolby's songwriting and crisp production. "Dissidents" steps in cautiously and conjures images of blacklisted authors and ugly snow, gray from oppression. 

Here and elsewhere, Matthew Seligman's bass is a welcome addition -- throughout the album his work is lavish, growling, popping through octaves, funk-a-fied and twinkling with harmonics. The title track, "The Flat Earth," is a wondrous R&B daydream of piano and Motown stabs of rhythm guitar. 

"Screen Kiss" has a similarly ethereal quality, and the lyrics are lush with imagery, if occasionally cryptic. "White City"'s drug reference and chugging groove are as murky as they are energizing, so new wavers might find themselves frowning a bit on the dancefloor. Then there is "Mulu the Rain Forest," a globally minded curiosity of foreboding and disorienting samples that certainly feels a long way off from The Golden Age of Wireless. 

Dolby gets points for shrugging off any obligation to formula, but this voodoo spell has an adverse effect on the rest of the album. What follows is certainly a graceful recovery -- his rendition of 1967's "I Scare Myself" is a balmy jazz club cocktail -- faithfully nostalgic, right down to a bittersweet trombone solo from Peter Thomas. 

"Hyperactive" is, and always was, one part bizarre to two parts infectious. Guest vocalist Adele Bertei fuels the fire of what was already destined to be a memorable diversion, beyond the reach of Top 40. 

Thomas Dolby's work on The Flat Earth harks back to a time when songs mattered more than videos, even as MTV was discovering its strength. Last time the songwriter blinded us with science; this time it's musicianship.

Side A

A1.  Dissidents - 4:55

A2.  The Flat Earth - 6:38

A3.  Screen Kiss - 5:31

Side B

B1.  White City - 5:19

B2.  Mulu The Rain Forest - 5:00

B3.  I Scare Myself - 5:37

B4.  Hyperactive! - 4:13

Musicians

• Thomas Dolby – keyboards, piano, programming, sampling, effects, vocals
• Matthew Seligman – bass guitar
• Kevin Armstrong – guitar, backing vocals, trumpet, "The Analyst"
• Clif Brigden – percussion, computer drums
• Adele Bertei – backing vocals 
• Lesley Fairbairn – backing vocals 
• Bruce Woolley – backing vocals
• Matthew Salt – tins, thunder sheet 
• Peter Thoms – trombone 
• Justin Hildreth – drums 
• Robyn Hitchcock – "Keith" 
• Louise Ulfstedt – "The Analyst" 
• Stevie Wonder – harmonica 
• Chucho Merchán – guitar 
• Debra Barsha – keyboards, backing vocals 
• Lyndon Connah – keyboards, backing vocals 

Technical

• Dan Lacksman – engineer
• Mike Shipley – mixing 
• Alan Douglas – mixing
• Thomas Dolby – producer; mixing, album design
• Ryuichi Sakamoto – producer 
• Wally Traugott – mastering
• Richard Haughton – photography
• Assorted iMAGes – graphics, album design

Notes

Release: 1984

Format: LP, Vinyl

Genre:  Sophisti-pop, ambient

Label:  Parlophone

Catalog#  1A 064-2400341

Vinyl: Goed (VG)

Cover:  Goed (VG)

Prijs: €10,00