Retro Spins: Oingo Boingo - Boi-ngo

Well this is sad. Today, I'm posting my last Oingo Boingo album from the 80's.

The band wrapped up the era with 1987's Boi-ngo, and the last to feature keyboardist, Mike Bacich. By this point in time, Danny Elfman was big into film scoring, having gotten his start with Tim Burton's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. By the end of 1988, he'd have ten films under his belt.

While most of the band supported him, there were some frictions from others, who thought he was more interested in films than the band. With even Danny Elfman saying that scoring films was more appealing than trying to maintain a successful rock band, while continuing to tour, it's understandable why they would think that. Ultimately, the band would continue on, with them even performing some of his scores at their shows.

Whether it was from Elfman's focus on scores, or the album as a whole just not appealing to critics, they often didn't, Boi-ngo didn't perform well upon its release. It would, however, peak higher on the album charts (at 77) than their more popular previous, and gold certified album, Dead Man's Party (which peaked at 98).

Personally, I think the album has quite a few good tracks, most of them, actually. So, I don't understand why it was met with such lackluster fanfare.

With that said, I would say where it suffers the most for me is once again what I mentioned during my review of Nothing To Fear (yesterday). My main exposure to a lot of these songs was on the later released Boingo Alive, which featured re-recorded "live" versions. As such, those became my go to over the originals. Still, I like the majority of this album as a whole, and in fact, only really skip one track when playing through it, that being Outrageous.

Ironically, two of the songs which made the final cut were actually recording during the sessions for Dead Man's Party. Those included, Not My Slave, and New Generation. On the other hand, there were several tracks recorded for this album which didn't make it to the final product. These included, Mama, Inside, Remember My Name, Cinderella Undercover, Tears Will Flow, and Find You. Additionally, the band would record the track, Happy, which was used for the forthcoming soundtrack to Summer School, but only credited to Elfman.

Oingo Boingo followed up Boi-ngo with the above noted double "live" album, Boingo Alive. While this massive tome of a compilation was recorded live, it was without an audience, delivering with it a high quality which could easily be mistaken as a studio recording. This was followed in 1989 by the true greatest hits, The Best of Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet.

The band entered the 90's as a solid eight piece for Dark at the End of the Tunnel (1990), and increased to ten members for their final studio album, 1994's Boingo. This was followed up by a massive farewell tour, which concluded in 1995, and was released as their final live album in 1996, Farewell: Live from the Universal Amphitheatre, Halloween 1995. To date, this has been followed by two additional compilations. While Elfman has continued to pursue both scoring films, and releasing the occasional studio album, there have been no reunion tours to date of Oingo Boingo.

On that note, my journey through their 80's discography comes to an end. They remain one of my favorite bands of the era, and are among the few which I boast a full discography of, and even like their material from the 90's.

As for Elfman's continued solo career, I found his 2021 released Big Mess to be a bit of a misstep. It's dark tone, focusing on how much the pandemic and government suck really wasn't what was needed at the time. I recall a lot of people reviewing it saying that they listened to music to escape life, and didn't want to be discouraged and brought down by it, which is what Big Mess ultimately did to people.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 12, 1981

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
December 12, 1987

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

 

Retro Spins: Danny Elfman - So-Lo

 

Working at Toys R' Us in the late 90's was an exciting time. Star Wars, and McFarlane toys were hot properties, and to be surrounded by these daily was awesome. It was while working here that a co-worker first played for me the Farewell Oingo Boingo album. I didn't pay much attention to it.

Around 2002, a long time friend took me deeper down the rabbit hole with the album, Dead Man's Party. It was here that I started to find myself getting hooked. I was working a job that saw me on the road for the majority of the day, and it was during this time that I would stop by the local Tower Records, and grab an album or two for the road. It was through doing this that I bolstered my collection of Oingo Boingo albums, and with each one I got more and more ensnared as a fan. 

During one of these record store runs, I picked up Elfman's solo album, aptly titled, So-Lo.

So-Lo came at an interesting time in the career of Elfman. Oingo Boingo's contract had expired with I.R.S., and also saw the departure of bassist Kerry Hatch, and keyboardist Richard Gibbs from the band. This led to a hiatus period for the group, and Elfman used this opportunity to release a solo album through MCA.

It's stated that at first he tried to get MCA to sign Oingo Boingo, but that they were only interested in a contract with the singer. However, since this purported take, interviews have surfaced where members of the group having stated that they almost disbanded in 1984.

Despite being a solo effort, the entire lineup of Boingo, including Hatch and Gibbs were present for the recording of So-Lo. As such, while it is a solo outing for Elman, many fans also consider it to be another group effort.

So-Lo gave Elfman an opportunity to experiment with new sounds, and this is prevalent through the many slower paced, and sometimes ballad tracks. Unlike prior albums which featured predominant horns, So-Lo leans heavily on synthpop. Oingo Boingo was never known for producing commercial music, and this album is no exception, despite its new direction.

That said, there are some familiar sounds to be had. The most noticeable being Lightning, Everybody Needs, and Gratitude. The latter was also included in the soundtrack for Beverly Hills Cop, and with exception of early pressings of So-Lo, is the only way to hear the original cut.

Overall, the album is a solid entry for Elfman as a solo artist, while also offering a sprinkling of Oingo Boingo. It's the best of both worlds, and as a whole comes together well. Until today, it had been ten plus years since I heard the album, and it was great to fire it up today. It reminded me just how much I enjoyed it.

Fortunately, after its release, MCA saw the light through renegotiation, and ultimately signed the entire band. With a new contract, Oingo Boing reemerged on the scene. They hit hard with reinvigorated spirit, delivering their most popular album to date, Dead Man's Party. 

Oingo Boingo would formally sign off in 1994 with a massively successful world tour, and since then Elfman continues to stay busy working on soundtrack. Most notably for Tim Burton films.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
March 5, 1983

 

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
March 5, 1988

Retro Spins: Oingo Boingo - Only A Lad

 

My introduction to Oingo Boingo technically came in 1985 with the movie and title track, Weird Science. However, I neither knew, nor cared at the time who the band was. Fast forward to around 1998 when I was working at a local Toys R' Us that a guy there was playing the band's 1996 double live Farewell album. While he professed how much he loved the band, I still didn't pay much attention.

A little later on, I got a larger introduction via a long time buddy of mine, who introduced me to the 1985 album, Dead Man's Party. From there, I took notice. This lead me to borrowing my sister's 1991 cassette of Best O' Boingo, which I proceeded to play to death.

When I switched jobs, and found myself traveling throughout the day quite a bit, Oingo Boingo became my go to source for entertainment. It was during this time that I started accumulating their complete discography, making frequent trips to Tower Records to do so. At the time, I had no intentions of collecting every Oingo Boingo album. It was just something that happened over a period of several years, and multiple trips.

Oingo Boingo would ultimately overshadow Queen as my most played band of that time, something I never thought would be possible, but which has balanced out over the years. But, in that moment, I lived, breathed, and slept their unique sounds and different approach to the 80's (and 90's).

Though I've heard it many times, today, I'm going back to their 1981 debut, Only A Lad.

It's been several years since I'd played this one from start to finish, and I must say, I'm glad that I did today. I know there are quite a few songs from this album that I loved, but every time I hear it, it feels like the first. I seem to always forget how much I like several songs, and in turn, needed to add them to my shuffle list; where they should have already have been.

For me, it was like sitting back and simply having a wonderful visit with an old friend. The memories associated with hearing these songs for the first time may be long gone, but it's easy to pick up where we left off, as if no time had passed at all. I suppose in a way, it took me back to a time of my life that was so different. A period where I was just starting to branch off into a career, taking my first true steps into adulthood and independence. There were good times, bad times, but always the music.

An interesting factor for me with the band is that if I was being one hundred percent honest, which I will, I actually prefer the 1990's re-recorded versions of many of their songs from their Alive and Best O' Boingo released compilations. This is because these were the first iterations of several of these songs that I was introduced to. As a result, it's weird to hear the original versions. They feel like demos when compared to the refined re-recordings.

With that said, I have grown to appreciate the originals more in retrospect, but I will probably always favor the updated versions.

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Retro Spins: Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party

It baffles me to this day that some people don't know who Oingo Boingo are. Especially when those same people can stand there and talk to you about the music of Danny Elfman from all the Tim Burton films. To me, they're as iconic as Aerosmith, Queen, Duran Duran, etc.

Last time I talked about them, it was regarding their 1983 album, Good For Your Soul. Today, I want to talk about their 1985 (technically) follow up, Dead Man's Party. Admittedly, this one's going to be a bit of a "gimme". One, I'm clearly going to have a bias opinion. Two, it happens to be my all time favorite studio album from them.

First, let me step back a moment and clarify the "technically" part of my last paragraph. That would be the 1984 album, So-Lo, which was credited to Danny Elfman. However, the album is still very much an Oingo Boingo record. It was only released under the singer's name in order to circumvent a dispute with the band's record label. While So-Lo is credited to the bands complete discography, those unfamiliar with the group will of course only associate it to Elfman.

To me, Dead Man's Party is a masterpiece. The album delivers consistently fantastic tracks, one after the other. It's one of the very few records I have which I want to listen to front to back because I'm not about to pick a song here or there. It's up there in the ranks of my all time favorites alongside Michael Jackson's Bad, Prince's Purple Rain and, well, anything from Queen.

I believe it also showcases Oingo Boingo at their strongest. Granted, this was at the loss of some of its prior members leaving. But, sometimes less is more, and that certainly rains true here.

Fans of John Hughes films will immediately recognize the title of the movie, Weird Science. The band included an alternate take of the song as the last track on the album. This version is approximately six minutes, two minutes longer than the version from the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it was the shortened version from the film which received airplay, and eventually went to number forty-five on the charts.

Just Another Day, the opening track from the album also hit the charts at number ninety in early 1986. Sadly, it was gone the following week. To date, Just Another Day and Weird Science remain the only two songs from the band to land on the charts.

I highly recommend this album to anyone who hasn't heard it. You're missing out.

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Retro Spins: Oingo Boing - Good For Your Soul

Oingo Boingo
Good For Your Soul
1983

Though I've had it for many years now, and have listened to it many times, Oingo Boing's 1983 album, "Good For Your Soul" was actually the last album from the band I got. The reason being, when I was looking for it, you know, back in the days of record stores (1990's), I couldn't find it. I quickly learned this was because the album was out of print. As such, it became the first CD I ever bought off of Amazon, and at $120.00, brand new / sealed, it was the most expensive album (at the time) I had ever bought.

Times have sadly changed since then, and this CD was reissued, making the price I paid for it somewhat disappointing. However, considering I would have had to wait about fifteen to twenty years for this, perhaps I'm not so heartbroken over this.

Good For Your Soul is the 3rd studio album from Oingo Boingo, and comes two years prior to the band really breaking with their most popular hit, "Weird Science", still on the horizon. However, with it also comes a group who have honed their style together, making it also a well polished release. It brings with it all the great multi-instrument variety and odd nature that was Oingo Boingo. It even features a bit of backtracking.

Because of how and when I was introduced to Oingo Boingo, I have to admit I don't honestly like the "original" cuts of many of their songs. Instead, I prefer the uptempo re-recorded / updated versions as heard on their Best O' Boingo and Alive albums. Still, I appreciate the originals for what they are, and have come to enjoy them more than I used to as the years have passed.

As such, when I listen to Boingo albums, what I enjoy the most is hearing those tracks you won't find on their greatest hits albums. Songs like, Cry of the Vatos, Fill the Void, Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me and Little Guns, all of which are featured on Good For Your Soul.

These tracks, in addition to the "hits", make for a well rounded album, and honestly while it's not my all time favorite from them, it ranks pretty high up there. I suppose though I am a little biased when it comes to reviewing anything from them since they are essentially my second favorite band of all time (Queen being the first).

With that said, this wraps up Retro Spins for 2019.

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