Thomas Dolby: Aliens Ate My Buick CD Track Listing

A list by checkmate

Thomas Dolby Aliens Ate My Buick (1988)
Originally Released April 1988\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Thomas Dolby didn't do his career much good by waiting four years between album releases. Pop music trends shifted away from the quirky synth-pop Dolby had pioneered in 1983-1984, and though he employed a heavy funk beat aimed at the discos and even covered a George Clinton song, Dolby seemed less a true dancefloor king than a commentator on the same, especially in such songs as the (non-charting) single "Airhead," "Pop Culture," and "The Ability to Swing." Dolby's flirtation with film had also added an eclecticism to his style that embraced '40s jazz vocalese ("The Key to Her Ferrari") and European balladeering ("Budapest By Blimp"). As ever, Dolby was a man of many ideas, but on Aliens Ate My Buick they failed to add up to a coherent statement. -- William Ruhlmann\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nTakes you away, February 11, 2007 \nBy Steven Drozdiak\nHaving read the other reviews and criticisms of this disc, I do understand the negativity. Having said that - one thing does not get mentioned, that should be. Every single "desert island disc" I know has one thing in common. The song sequencing is impeccable, and has never been more obvious than on this disc. The whole thing kicks of with Robin Leach etc. and some great musicianship. When we get to 'Pulp Culture', his observations about LA etc are clearly moving out of the one-hit wonder realm and more into the Steely Dan ouvre. I'm still marveling that he got Ed Asner to do the cameo :) The level of musicianship matches the infectious lyrics ("shag gets in your eyes - YES!) \n\nAnyway, for sure the highlight of this disc by far is 'Budapest By Blimp', a poignant, musical and sad highlight. Still get chills every time I hear it. I was vastly disappointed by the next record (5 yrs later) 'Astronauts and Heretics', very weak IMHO. \n\nAnyway Aliens is a fantastic record, download it, buy it, whatever, but this is proof that the 'scientist' has som real substance in him. \n\nListen closely. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nWhen Earth and Wireless collide, March 13, 2004 \nBy Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States)\n...Or The Americanization of Thomas Dolby.\nThomas Dolby took a long sabbatical between his second and third albums. He produced artists as wide ranging as George Clinton, Joni Mitchell and Prefab Sprout, scored a couple of movies (including the legendary disaster, "Howard The Duck") and moved to Los Angeles, where he recorded "Aliens Ate My Buick." The Hollywood influence not only seeps into his lyrics (sample from "Pulp Culture": "There's not a lot of people there, but an awful lot of cars"), but into the music as well.\n\nThe album kicked off with a great hard-swing ride up and down the 101 (Los Angeles drivers will catch that reference) on "The Keys to Your Ferrari" and then strikes a very "Wireless" tone on "Airhead." But after that, things get confusing. "Hot Sauce" was a leftover from the George Clinton sessions, and, sad to say, while Thomas Dolby may be talented enough to produce and play with Clinton, he ain't very funky. Same goes for the sterile sounding "The Ability To Swing." While a great song in its own right (Patti Austin wisely recorded it better for 1994's "That Secret Place"), Dolby is out of his depth as a vocalist here on his own song. And the less said about the dopey "May The Cube be With You," the better.\n\nStill, I doubt I'll ever give this CD up. "Budapest By Blimp" is the kind of greatness that would have fit perfectly on "The Flat Earth," and is just what you would be hoping for from a Dolby disc. Same for "Airhead" and "Ferrari" (especially that Robin Leach intro!!). It's just that, when it comes to an artist whose debut CD would fit onto my desert island disc list short list, "Aliens Ate My Buick" seems just a little too pre-chewed. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nClassic Dolby, September 2, 2003 \nBy Sandy Toyen (San Diego, CA USA)\nIf this record were merely an exercise in inspired goofiness, this effort would still be a rousing success. The first track on the album, "The Key To Her Ferarri" suggests just that with its over-the-top metaphor for sexual gratification. The zaniness continues with "Airhead" (The only track on this album that got any radio play, from what I remember). But the album is not just a showcase for Dolby's unique brand of intellectual loopiness (or is it loopy intellectualism?). These are some very catchy tunes, the appeal of which does not come solely from the humorous lyrics. There is some wicked guitar riffs throughout this album, especially on "Airhead" and "The Ability to Swing". Those people who only know Dolby from the absurdly overplayed "She Blinded Me With Science" may want to give this a listen and hear for themselves how much more Dolby had to offer. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nDefinitely Not His Best, October 23, 2000 \nReviewer: A music fan\nI love Thomas Dolby. I consider him a genius. I have all of his albums. But this album, frankly, is a major disappointment. It is his worst. Although there are a couple of good songs on it, and although us die-hard fans will certainly want it, I cannot recommend it to anyone else. It seems as though, on this album, he was pandering to an audience that was unable to appreciate his earlier brilliant work, a bit of a musical sell-out.\n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\n"Aliens" is out of this world!, October 4, 2000 \nBy L C "lc70" (Binghamton, NY United States)\n\nI first listened to these selections back in the summer of 1988... I remember the day well.. I was in Massa-Carrara, Italy... I purchased the cassette from a grocery store... I was lying on a dorm room cot... someone found a scorpion in the bathroom... there was graffitti chalked on the blackboard... It was a Saturday... \nI am still not sure what was more surreal... the setting or Dolby's music...\n\nSince that time, this has always been my favorite tape... and now my favorite CD. I think this CD has shaped my adult personality... slightly off center, but sometimes bright, and often witty. And honestly, I am always amazed by people who do not understand this album. Yes, you either love Dolby's style (or ecclectic use of ANY and EVERY style!) or you hate it. There's really no middle ground here. And if you take it too seriously, this CD will drive you mad. But then again, why take it seriously? Dolby doesn't seem to write music to be serious, but to be fun and good! So just sit back and relax. Better yet, crank it loud, and dance to the Latin rhythms of "Hot Sauce." (I learned what a codpiece was with this song!) Or why not jam to the beat of "May the cube be with you"? I often pop this CD in while driving in traffic.. I like to roll down the windows and hope the people in the next car can hear the lyrics to "The Key To Her Ferrari." I have made several men blush this way...\n\nIt takes a brave man to compile on one album everything from Latin phrases with Latin beats... or "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" voice-overs with Freudian references... Who else could pull off songs like "Airhead" and "Hot Sauce" and not get hate mail from NOW? Where else could you find songs dedicated to Blimps or Sieves.\n\nDolby is a musical genius, A MENSA Musician, and one with a darn good sense of humor at that! And after sitting through 3 years of Latin classes, I just could not resist lyrics like "You ask me do I love you... does the pope live in the woods? Quad Erat Demonstrandum, baby... Oh! You speak French!" (Airhead). I still torment my friends in the Classics department with that one. \n\n\nHalf.com Details \nContributing artists: Bill Watrous, Bruce Wooley, Ed Asner, Robin Leach, The Lost Toy People \n\nAlbum Notes\nThomas Dolby's irreverent 1988 release, ALIENS ATE MY BUICK, returns on this reissue from Holland.
This rock cd contains 8 tracks and runs 45min 21sec.
Freedb: 5d0a9f08
Buy: from Amazon.com

Categories

Latest lists

Thomas Dolby: Aliens Ate My Buick CD Track Listing

Category

Tags

cyList

Legal