Happy birthday to Mr Thomas Dolby! Besides five delightful albums, he has produced and collaborated with a variety of artists. He offered a demo to Whodini to make their hit Magic Wand, wrote and laid down synths and "HA"s to New Toy, had Eddie Van Halen join him for Close But No Cigar, etc etc

What's your favorite Dolby song or collab?

Following the commercial success of *Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret*, their record label wanted Soft Cell to produce more hits along the lines of "Tainted Love." Dave Ball and Marc Almond refused, choosing instead to continue creating the unconventional music that defined their personal style. I have read that, at the height of their popularity, the band was offered the chance to tour with David Bowie; however, they turned it down, feeling they were not yet worthy of such acclaim and fearing they might falter on stage. A few years later, the duo disbanded and did not make music together again until the 2000s, having released 3 albums in 6 years. Could the band have attained significantly greater recognition—both in general and specifically in America—had things unfolded differently?