Back 2 Back Hits

by Thomas Dolby / Talk Talk

Theoretically, pairing Thomas Dolby and Talk Talk on a Back 2 Back Hits collection is a good move. Both artists had plenty more to offer outside of their hit singles, but casual fans of synth-pop would like to have the biggest hits from either artist, maybe even in one place. That's the intention behind the Back 2 Back Hits series, but that's not the end result. While the Talk Talk half comes close to distilling their biggest hits to five songs ("It's My Life," "Talk Talk," "Life's What You Make It" and arguably "Such a Shame" are all worthy entries, though "Dum Dum Girl" is missed), the Thomas Dolby section misses the mark somewhat...It does have "She Blinded Me with Science" and "Europa and the Pirate Twins," two great early singles, but the rest of the collection consists of his lame synth-funk from the late '80s, plus an edit of The Flat Earth's "Dissident"...Together, they make for a fairly good Back 2 Back Hits disc, but it's hard not to feel that it's a missed opportunity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine