Retro Spins: Oingo Boingo - Nothing To Fear

 

Oingo Boingo has never been a band that critics and the general public seemed to take notice of, let alone praise for their efforts. Of their eight studio albums between 1981 and 1994, only one has received any sales certifications, that being 1985's Dead Man's Party, certified gold. Truth be told, they never really hit my radar until the 90's, as noted in my review of their debut, Only A Lad.

What's unique about the band, to me, is that the majority of the exposure I got to them at first was their 1991 compilation, Best O' Boingo. The tracks are taken from the "live" album, Boingo Alive (1988), which while recorded live, didn't feature an audience. Essentially, what you get is an assortment of updated versions of some of their more prominent tracks. Because this was my main introduction to a lot of these songs, I actually prefer the '88 versions over their originals. This in turn makes it a bit difficult for me to listen to the original studio album versions because I find them to be inferior.

With that said, there are some exceptions. The aforementioned Dead Man's Party, 1982's Nothing To Fear, and any releases which came after 1988. These are the albums where my first listening sessions came from those initial studio releases, and take me to the opposite spectrum where I prefer those versions over the re-recorded ones.

Basically, my appreciation for the band is all over the place.

I don't necessarily recall when I first heard Nothing To Fear. Though I do know it was after the noted compilation album, and Dead Man's Party. It must have been during my earlier stages of really taking notice of them, and actively seeking to add their entire discography to my infant collection from the early 2000's. This was back when I spent a lot of time on the road for work, and a trip to Tower Records came every few weeks to get something new to listen to.

The album as a whole stands out from the previous debut, 1981's Only A  Lad, for the inclusion more prominent guitar and drum work, and heavier reliance on synthesizers. In general, it's a harder rocking album, leaning further away from the synth pop / new wave sound of Lad. It's also among my favorites, probably my second best from the band.

Oingo Boingo were never hit makers. They've only had two singles which hit the Billboard Hot 100, Weird Science (which peaked at 93), and Just Another Day (which peaked at 90), both from Dead Man's Party. As such, you're not going to find tracks on Nothing To Fear that most people are going to know, which is a shame, because there are a lot of hidden gems.

Of the ten, I personally have seven of them on my shuffle list. With that said, I don't necessarily hate the last three, they're just not among my favorites. Still, I could listen to this one from start to finish, and if I were collecting records still for the wall, it'd be a contender. I'm really trying not to add a third row of framed records to my toy room, and notations like this are kind of making that difficult to avoid.

Ultimately, I'd say if you are unfamiliar with Oingo Boingo, definitely check this one out. You may just find something new for your ears, and perhaps even open a door to a whole new band to enjoy.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHART
December 11, 1982