The Flat Earth
Studio album by
Thomas Dolby
ReleasedFebruary 1984
Recorded1982–1983
GenreNew wave, sophisti-pop
Length37:22
LabelEMI, Capitol Records
ProducerThomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby chronology
The Golden Age of Wireless
(1982)		 The Flat Earth
(1984)		 Aliens Ate My Buick
(1988)
Singles from The Flat Earth
  1. "Hyperactive!"
    Released: January 1984
  2. "I Scare Myself"
    Released: 1984
  3. "Dissidents"
    Released: 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]
The Village VoiceC+[3]

The Flat Earth is the second album by English new wave/synth-pop musician Thomas Dolby, released in 1984.

A remastered "Collector's Edition" of The Flat Earth was released on 13 July 2009, featuring bonus tracks and new sleeve notes.

Reception

The Flat Earth peaked at No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart. The first single from the album was "Hyperactive!", which peaked at No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart, making it Dolby's highest-charting single in his home country. Second and third singles, "I Scare Myself" and "Dissidents", peaked at Nos. 46 and 90, respectively. The album charted at No. 35 in America. In Canada it reached number 21 in the weekly charts and was number 71 in the year-end chart.[4][5]

Track listing

All songs written by Thomas Dolby, except where otherwise indicated.

Original LP

Side A

  1. "Dissidents" (Thomas Dolby, Kevin Armstrong, Matthew Seligman) – 4:56
  2. "The Flat Earth" – 6:41
  3. "Screen Kiss" – 5:33

Side B

  1. "White City" – 5:19
  2. "Mulu the Rain Forest" – 5:00
  3. "I Scare Myself" (Dan Hicks) – 5:40
  4. "Hyperactive!" – 4:13

2009 Collector's Edition CD bonus tracks

  1. "Get Out of My Mix (Dolby's Cube)" – 4:44
  2. "Puppet Theatre" (Dolby, Seligman) – 4:14
  3. "Dissidents (The Search for Truth Part 1)" (Dolby, Armstrong, Seligman) – 7:17
  4. "Field Work (London Mix)" (With Ryuichi Sakamoto) (Dolby, Sakamoto) – 4:05
  5. "Don't Turn Away" (From the film Howard the Duck) (Dolby, Allee Willis) – 5:03
  6. "The Devil Is an Englishman" (From the film Gothic) (Dolby, Stephen Volk) – 3:30
  7. "I Scare Myself" (Live on tour, 1984) (Hicks) – 6:17
  8. "Marseille" (Live on tour, 1984) (Dolby, Adele Bertei) – 4:41

Bonus audio downloads from thomasdolby.com:

  • "Audio Lecture/White City" – 8:11
  • "Dissidents" (Live) (Dolby, Armstrong, Seligman) – 4:46
  • "I Scare Myself" (Live) (Hicks) – 5:36
  • "New Toy" (Live) – 4:22
  • "Puppet Theatre" (Alternate Version) (Dolby, Seligman) – 4:19

Personnel

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 (tracks 1, 2, 7)
  • Lesley Fairbairn – backing vocals (tracks 2, 3, 6, 14, 15)
  • Bruce Woolley – backing vocals (track 5)
  • Matthew Salt – tins, thunder sheet (track 7)
  • Peter Thoms – trombone (tracks 6, 7)
  • Justin Hildreth – drums (tracks 7, 14, 15)
  • Robyn Hitchcock – "Keith" (track 4)
  • Louise Ulfstedt – "The Analyst" (track 7)
  • Stevie Wonder – harmonica (track 12)
  • Chucho Merchán – guitar (tracks 14, 15)
  • Debra Barsha – keyboards, backing vocals (tracks 14, 15)
  • Lyndon Connah – keyboards, backing vocals (tracks 14, 15)

Technical

  • Dan Lacksman – engineer
  • Mike Shipley – mixing (tracks 1–6)
  • Alan Douglas – mixing (track 7)
  • Thomas Dolby – producer; mixing (tracks 8–15); album design
  • Ryuichi Sakamoto – producer (track 11)
  • Wally Traugott – mastering
  • Richard Haughton – photography
  • Assorted iMAGes – graphics, album design

Certifications

Certifications for The Flat Earth
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[6] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[7] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Swan, Glenn. "The Flat Earth – Thomas Dolby". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Holden, Stephen (29 March 1984). "Thomas Dolby: The Flat Earth". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Christgau, Robert (24 July 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums - April 7, 1984" (PDF).
  5. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1984 - January 5, 1985" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Thomas Dolby – The Flat Earth". Music Canada. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "British album certifications – Thomas Dolby – The Flat Earth". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
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