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Hello elfmaniacs!
It’s not necessarily a given that members here will know Oingo Boingo well, but I’m sure of you will do, so:
I’m looking to start buying some Oingo Boingo/Boingo/ngo albums; and I’m not quite sure where to start. I know Danny’s film scores pretty well, but Oingo Boingo is kinda new territory.
So. Where do people reccomend I start? Grey Matter is the only Boingo song I really know, and I love it, with all it’s percussion, but is it sort of a rogue element with the band? Are there any others like it? And if so, what are they? Do people recommend I go down the compliation’s route to get more songs in one go? Is the “Oingo Boingo Anthology” the best to buy then? I was going to get the best of “Skeletons in the Closet” ’cause it’s cheap and would let me get a flavour, without depleating my money reserves. But if I splurged on the Anthology, would I have pretty much all the best stuff? None of the tracks on the Anthology are re-recordings or anything are they?
Thanks for your help!Well the first album I got of theirs years ago was “Boingo (1994)”. I bought it from a record store. It doesn’t matter which album you start off with first but I must remind you that “Good For Your Soul” is extremely hard to find. I got mine for $30 from ebay. The ”Farewell” album is their best concert album ever.
“Farewell” is probably my favorite! BOINGO ALIVE was the first CD set I bought of the group! It’s sort of a best of and has the best(cleanest) recordings of their best works! Those are great CDs and worth it!
I haven’t listened to all of their stuff but so far my favorite studio album is DARK AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. It’s got some pretty cool songs on it.
Good luck!
…
Start with the essentials:
Weird Science
Dead Man’s Party
Little Girls
Only a Lad
Violent Love
Just Another Day
Gray MattersIf you like those then starts exploring their albums.
I am a Boingo completist as much as I am an Elfman completist.
It’s difficult to find ONE representative Boingo album, since they’ve gone through so many different phases.
However, as a starter I would recommend this compilation:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-O-Boingo/dp/B001NSWF6K
…and then seek out the albums according to which tracks you like.
Be aware, that it does not contain any material from their last album, Boingo, which is quite different from all the others anyway. Especially in terms of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers sound that penetrates many tracks, or “Insanity”, which is probably the closest Elfman has been to incorporating his film music sound into Boingo.
“Grey Matter” is also a very unique song. The xylophone riffs (which are awesome!) in an extended instrumental section is not common in their output. The songs are usually quite lyrics-heavy from start to finish.
You might also find this little piece I wrote as interesting – it’s about Oingo Boingo songs in the movies:
http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/daily/article.cfm?articleID=6311
Good luck!
Well, here are a few things you need to know :
Pre-1980 Oingo Boingo (Called the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo) is more jazz orientated.
1980 “Forbidden Zone” is the switch from jazz to a punk/rock band
From 1980 to 1984 (The Cat EP, Only a lad, Nothing to Fear, Good for your soul, and including Danny Elfman’s “SO-LO” album), Oingo Boingo is a mix of excentric Punk/Rock, combined with a lot of weird synth sounds, with some very unique songs with unique styles (like Grey Matter).
Then, I’d say 1985 – to 1987 is a New Wave period for Boingo, with “Dead Man’s Party” and “Boi-Ngo”, Elfman’s singing became much more melodic. And the music sounds less electronic (even though they still used lots of synths).
Then, in 1990 came out “Dark At The End Of The Tunnel”. It’s more ethnic. It has a lot of xylophones, the horn section is used extensively in songs like “Run Away” or “Glory Be”. Most songs are way slower than what we’re used to. A lot of Boingo fans don’t like that album. In my opinion, it is one of their best.
And 1994, “Boingo”, their last studio album, is the “meeting” of Elfman’s cinematic universe with his rock band. The orchestral arrangements are amazing. “Insanity” is one of the best songs ever. We have a few very sensitive songs like “Mary” and “Can’t see – Useless”.
ABOUT OTHER ALBUMS :
“Skeletons In The Closet” is a best of their early years (with A&M records 1980-1983)
“Boingo Alive” is not a live album. It’s all their hits from 1980 to 1990 RE-RECORDED as if it was live.
It’s the perfect album, to RE-DISCOVER songs that you love. It gives them a second life!
I WOULD NEVER START WITH THIS ONE, because it’s not representative of their evolution, since all the songs have been captured in 1990. They all have the 90’s rock/new wave sound.
Just keep it to RE-VISIT Boingo, after knowing all their other albums.“Best O’ Boingo” takes over where “Skeletons In the closet” had left. Some early songs appear, but it’s their new 1990 “alive” recording. You won’t have anything pre-1985 !
“Farewell” is their one and only official LIVE release. It’s great. It’s really rocky, and noisy, like a typicall mid 90’s rock band.
“Anthology” is the only best of that starts in 1980 all the way to 1995. It’s a great way to see their evolution.
Sadly, a lot of great songs are missing in that album.There’s also a “20th century Masters : Best Of Oingo Boingo”. This album is a mix of everything, but it’s really not the best compilation. The only reason to buy it, is the fact that the songs in that recording have been remastered !
Ok, so, here’s my advice :
If you wanna start with a “best of”, go with Anthology.
If you wanna start with an album, I would start from the beggining. in 1980, with Forbidden Zone, the Cat EP (that you can find on iTunes) or Only A Lad.
Just know that if you don’t like an album, you shouldn’t give up, because they’re all very different !
Have a great musical trip
I agree with much of what you say, boingomusic. Just a few comments:
boingomusic Wrote:
> Well, here are a few things you need to know :
>
> Pre-1980 Oingo Boingo (Called the Mystic Knights
> of the Oingo Boingo) is more jazz orientated.
>
> 1980 “Forbidden Zone” is the switch from jazz to a
> punk/rock bandFORBIDDEN ZONE is the only official release to include any of the Mystic Knights-type 30/40’s jazz style. Also, I wouldn’t call Oingo Boingo punk-rock. Quite the contrary, much of the New Wave scene (of which Boingo is part), was a REACTION to the punk scene, as chronicled in the concert film URGH! A MUSIC WAR. It was rather inspired by ska music (like Madness), but with the ENERGY of punk and some added flavours (brass section, weird percussion) to make it uniquely their own style.
> “Farewell” is their one and only official LIVE
> release. It’s great. It’s really rocky, and noisy,
> like a typicall mid 90’s rock band.True. I would, however, go for the DVD (if you can find it) instead of the double CD. Gives you many other rarities and cool behind-the-scenes stuff as well.
> “Anthology” is the only best of that starts in
> 1980 all the way to 1995. It’s a great way to see
> their evolution.Yeah, I agree with that. Even though BEST O’BOINGO was my own introduction to them (and excellent in that regard), I guess ANTHOLOGY is more comprehensive.
TJ
I am a huge Boingo freak, but the production on Boingo Alive is awful. The energy is high-octane and captures the feel of their live shows, however, the songs, save from a few, just sound tinny. Also, synthesized horns. Criminal. The Anthology is a pretty good place to start. Saying that, most of their albums are dirt cheap to buy from Amazon anyway. Don’t forget So-Lo, the lost Boingo album. Simply uh-mazing.
I have to say that “Good For Your Soul” is my favorite. Love “Pictures of You” and “Wake Up! ( It’s 1984)”
Thanks Thor,
I totally agree with ALL your comments
And you’re right, Boingo is far from being a punk band. It’s quite hard to categorize them.–> Tender Lumpling, Synthesized horns?!!? Who dares to say that ?!!!?? Boingo used a lot of synthesizers, but only to create new sounds. They NEVER tried to immitate any real or existing instrument. And specially not horns.
They had the best horn section ever. Why would they do that?One quick question, who has the “Farewell” DVD? I’m glad I got mine years ago cause now it’s out of print.
Am I the only one who thinks that he should listen to a few songs first before he starts buying or downloading the albums? Oingo Boingo isn’t everyones cup of tea. There’s a reason the band was never more than a cult hit. Even after Elfman became an A-List film composer and promoted his Boingo work as much as he could. I already suggested songs. Anyone want to add more to the list?
Uhm, you usually have to BUY the albums to hear the songs, Descent (unless you want to go youtubing, but sound quality is usually less than stellar in that case).
I still think the ANTHOLOGY is the way to go.
I suggest you start with “Dark at the end of the Tunnel” because IMHO it’s a wonderful balance between the “madness” of the early 80’s albums and the grandeur of 1994’s “Boingo”
I keep listening to it since 1990 and I never get tired of it.
Uh Thor, it’s very sweet you think I have to “BUY the albums to hear the songs”. This is the internet age! In truth, I could probably download any Boingo/Elfman, or indeed any other album I wanted. But I enjoy building a collection, helping the artist in some small way (though that’s really only for CD’s from official shops) and having CD’s are like tokens of my musical interests.
Wow, thanks for everyone’s advice and recommendations! A hot topic it seems! I’m going to take Descent’s advice and listen to some of their other songs before I buy some CD’s, then take everyone else’s advice should I decide to buy them! Not really true that I’ve only heard “Grey Matter”. I have seen the Forbidden Zone (and I love the opening song) and I’ve heard snippets of other songs in other things aswell, and I have liked them all.
There’s a lot of great live stuff on youtube to watch.
Give these a listen:
“Cinderella Undercover”-Oingo Boingo live video from ’90 Halloween
“Sweat”-Oingo Boingo live video from ’90 Halloween
“Nothing To Fear”-Oingo Boingo live video footage from US Festival
“Who Do You Want To Be”-Oingo Boingo live video footage from the US Festival
“Good For Your Soul”-Oingo Boingo live video from ’90 Halloween
“Little Girls”-Oingo Boingo live video from ’90 Halloween
Oingo Boingo – Commando Girls (1980 live)
Oingo Boingo – Something Isn’t Right (1980 live) *rare*well I recommend start to listen their most popular album – Dead Man’s Party. Its accessible and you totally dig Oingo’s sound.
you usually have to BUY the albums to hear the songs
Thor, buddy, Amazon.com sells 231 Oingo Boingo songs for download. Welcome to 2010.
Dead Man’s Party is my favorite Boingo dance tune, it should be enjoyable for just about everyone.
I LOVE Nasty Habits, but I can’t begin to describe it musically.
paizlea Wrote:
> Dead Man’s Party is my favorite Boingo dance tune,
> it should be enjoyable for just about everyone.
>
> I LOVE Nasty Habits, but I can’t begin to describe
> it musically.Have you heard the various dance beat remixes of PARTY? It’s quite fun.
NASTY HABITS is a great song; I love how the bridge material (the “People act so proper when they’re going ’bout their business, Cup of coffee, lfriendly conversation, ‘Til they get home, ‘Til they get home” bit) almost mimicks ABBA . The rest is kinda ska-meets-Mexican mariachi music or something.
I haven’t heard the Dead Man’s Party remixes – I’ll be looking them up tonight. It’s such a great tune, so much fun!
Now that you mention it, I do hear a little ABBA in those parts of Nasty Habits…and ska/mariachi? Haha, that’s good! The tune almost feels like a show piece, something that would performed as part of a Mystic Knights skit, maybe?
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