Note: this is the two disc Deluxe Edition CD+DVD package.
Cheesy synthpop goodness - I love it. In 2006, Thomas Dolby toured for the first time in more than 15 years and he did it as a solo act. Just him and his synths, sequencers, drum machine, and Mac G5 using Logic Pro, layering and looping, playing his best music from the '80s and early '90s. A few of these live performances were recorded and released (in addition to this CD+DVD package, a video podcast series is available). The CD was recorded in Chicago in May, 2006 and the DVD was recorded in Boston in September of the same year. So, unlike most live CD+DVD sets, we're treated to two different concerts. However, the setlist is the exact same for both concerts. Vocally, Dolby hasn't lost a step - he sounds just as he did 25 years earlier. My only complaint about the one man show is that having to jump around from machine to machine affects his phrasing both vocally and instrumentally.
DVD: there are a number of interesting camera angles as cameras are mounted on a few of the keyboards looking up at Dolby and one attached to Dolby's headset. There's also some extra non-concert footage every now and then (searchlights during Leipzig is Calling, clouds during Flying North, etc.). All that extra stuff is to add a little visual interest as Dolby standing in one place in a trenchcoat isn't all that captivating, no matter how many knobs he twiddles. That's a shame because it is obvious that what he is doing is very difficult and he's working hard. So while the visuals are interesting at times, they get old pretty quick, but the music is good.
Best cuts are Flying North, Windpower, Europa And The Pirate Twins, and Airhead. The most interesting part of the video is watching Dolby build the sequencing for The Flat Earth from scratch. It's not my favorite Dolby tune by a long shot, but seeing him put all that together is interesting for those of us musicians who haven't kept up with available technology. If he could do that in 2006, I can't begin to imagine what the technology allows now. Dolby's interactions with the audience between numbers are informative and entertaining, almost charming.
The concert part of the video is about an hour and 26 minutes long, but there are also a few bonus features, including a 33 minute interview, a bit of a lecture at Boston's Berklee School of Music where Dolby introduces us to his equipment, and a snippet from a TED 2006 lecture in which he shows how he layers his tracks. Like most bonus features, these are interesting enough to watch once, but there's nothing that I need to see again.
CD: Even though they were recorded at different concerts four months apart, the songs are performed on the CD in much the same manner as on the DVD, except the sound mix is much better and there are subtle changes here and there. There's almost no between song patter, so we're left with just the music here. That's fine with me. Musically, Dolby's May performance (CD) is noticeably better than the September performance (DVD).
As of this writing, the two versions on the CD and DVD are the sixth and seventh times that the song She Blinded Me With Science has appeared on this blog. The other five are Retrospectacle, Ultimate New Wave Party 1998, Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 8, 12 x 12 Original Remixes, and 80's Hits Stripped. And we're not done yet. I'm betting SBMWS appears in my collection more than any other song. Naturally, it appears on a lot of Dolby discs and seems to find its way on to most '80s compilations.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Although the CD got a lot of playing time in my truck when I first received it in 2008 (particularly the song Flying North), this is only the second time I've watched the DVD, and, to be honest, I probably didn't watch the whole thing the first time. If one is available, I just can't pass up a bonus disc.
Previously revisited for the blog:
12 x 12 Original Remixes (1999)
Retrospectacle: The Best Of (1994)
Aliens Ate My Buick (1988)
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