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In The BOINGO (1994) Album, Elfman went out with a bang in the 16 minute climactic song “Change”. It was like a dream, going everywhere in a pattern similar to “Magic Carpet Ride”. I thought it kicked ass.
I just noticed that Mars Attacks ends in the exact same way. Although not 16-minutes in length, after the thematics end on the End Credits track the song turns oddly dreamy and weird. Plus, just like in “Change”, ambient yodeling begins to enter the picture.
Anybody else notice this before?
Anyway. I highly reccomend Oingo Boingo’s “Boingo (1994)”. Elfman switches gears in it and pays omage to his orchestral works. He also completely forgets (although in some songs eludes to) his punk-eighties work.
Wow. What a rush.
No, I guess I never noticed that, but you’re right about “Boingo.” It’s a fantastic album. Some songs date back to the early ’80s, like “Lost Like This” was written around ’83, but it is quite a drastic change from the previous album “Dark at the End of the Tunnel.” I remember reading Danny saying how many Boingo fans were going to hate this album.
There’s three outtakes from that album you should try to find online. Two were never released (tragically)–“Vultures” and “Water” and then there’s the maniacal “Helpless” which was the b-side to “Insanity.” “Vultures” has heavy orchestrations and “Water” is just a damn good song.
William
Oh, man. “Water” is one of my Boingo favorites. Why wasn’t it released?!
“Helpless” did have a studio release; it was on the cassette version of BOINGO – that was the only reason that I got the cassette along with the CD (the deluxe packaging too I might add) when the album was initially released.
Elfman is constantly using the end titles of his films to do a ‘deconstruction’ of his main titles and themes. Take also the end titles for Flubber as another great example of this. He’s just not content to let a suite be pasted together from various cues. It is on the same level as John Williams using his themes as a starting point for concert pieces that he writes while composing the score (and is usually used for the end credits). It just shows that Elfman is not pleased with just getting the job done; he goes that extra mile because creatively, he is always thinking. I like that!
Nat
Yeah, “Helpless” was also on the cassette version of “Boingo”–forgot about that. My copy is on this promo single with three different edits of “Insanity.”
I also remember Elfman saying that since there was such a long break from Boingo albums (4 years), he was just churning out songs. Other outtakes that were either contenders for “Boingo” or were written after include “We Did It There,” “Kiss My Ass,” “Clowns of Death,” and “Burn Me Up.” Some were performed on the Farewell tour along with “Water” and “Helpless.”
Sigh… God bless Oingo Boingo. Not enough people appreciate them. A “Behind the Music” episode would have been sweet. They were mentioned once on an MTV special about 1980’s music, but only to mention Danny went on to score movies.
William
Water is my all-time favorite Boingo song–although I do love Change and Insanity as well. I’m quite fond of Pedesrian Wolves from the Boingo album–what with all it’s saucy visual images….that, and I like wolves.
Sadly, I find myself a little skeptical about the ’94 “Boingo” album. There are indeed many fabulous songs, like Insanity and Change of course, but also like Mary, Lost Like This, Can’t See (Useless).
But in the meat of the album there are songs that I hate with all my gut. I’ve never been able to listen through “Pedestrian Wolves” at least once. To me it’s the noisiest (sp ?) song Danny’s ever done, it’s just plain horrible.
Oh, and while we’re speaking of outtakes, isn’t “Mama” an excerpt from ‘Boingo’ as well ? I’ve read somewhere that it’s actually from ‘Boi-ngo’, which amazes me. It sounds much more ‘Boingo’ish than ‘Boi-ngo’ish.
“Mama” is another song that I don’t appreciate either. Its intro makes me shiver in anger.It’s too sick for me.
… I mean, I’m quite sick myself (aren’t we all, Elfman fans ?), but I’m not at all into this kind of incestual sickness.– Squeezir.
I’ve noticed the old 80’s stuff had a pee wee beetlejuice rythm to it Nasty habits
I’ve noticed the old 80’s stuff had a pee wee beetlejuice rythm to it Nasty habits
On my site I’ll soon be releasing both versions of Vultures, WATER and HELPLESS. I also have many rare BOINGO tidbits that I’ll be putting online aswell. I’ll give a hollar when.
-J. Flynn
http://elfman.zonehere.comPS: I haven’t updated in awhile and I’m fixing everything now.
“I just noticed that Mars Attacks ends in the exact same way. Although not 16-minutes in length, after the thematics end on the End Credits track the song turns oddly dreamy and weird. Plus, just like in “Change”, ambient yodeling begins to enter the picture.”
I always felt that the yodeling you speak of is a small snippet looped from “Indian Love Call”.
I like just about every song from the 1994 album–or at least can tolerate any of them (I’m not too fond of Hey–although, I don’t mind the live version so much)….
The exception is Mary, though. It’s probably my least favorite of all the Boingo songs. I mean, I like how it intermixes the fancy violins and all–but the lyrics just don’t do it for me.
I mean, I don’t care if she gets lost, hits her head, never finds her way home again, and the rest of her life is spent in complete ruins wishing she knew who the hell she was. In short, I just don’t care what the hell happens to her–sorry Mary!
I’m fond of Pedestrian Wolves. “Saucy” pretty much sums it up for me as well.
It is noisy, but it’s noisy like wolves howling.And I’m pretty sure Mama is based on the Norman Bates character from Phycho.
It was included in a limited edition release of Boi-ngo called ‘BOI-NGO in a box.’
I like that song, too.those clips you guys wanted are online now… i think. I checked his site out.
I liked “Change” until I heard “Taxman” by the Beatles. I wasn’t sure if he was ripping them off or doing an homage to them.
taxman is a HUGE song….Unbelievable !!!
What? I don’t see the similarity. I like both songs anyway, so it really wouldn’t make much of a difference.
I just got Boingo and I have to say I’m somewhat disappointed by it.
Although I kind of like “Lost Like This” and “War Again”, the whole album seems to lack the energy and weirdness that makes Oingo Boingo so great. I was really disappointed by “Insanity”, since I’m used to hearing the far superior live version.
One thing I’ve noticed about it is that almost all the songs sound too much like the Beatles. I’ve got nothing against the Beatles, but I was expecting something more original and less mainstream. The Boingo rendition of “I Am the Walrus” is cool, but I like the live version better.
On the other hand, I love “Tender Lumplings” (too bad it’s so short) and “Helpless”, which I heard online.
On the cover of my CD it says: FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE OR OTHER TRANSFER IS PROHIBITED. MUST BE RETURNED ON DEMAND OF RECORDING COMPANY. Does anyone know what this means exactly?
I think it means you probably shouldn’t have told us that because now they can come after you.
No, I really don’t know exactly what that means, but there is a sticker on my Frighteners CD that says something similar.I think I remember in an interview, when Boingo came out, Danny said something about being influenced by his daughter’s Beatles listenings.
I’m not too familiar with the Beatles so that didn’t really figure into my enjoyment of the CD.I’ve got a similar sticker on my Dolores Claiborne CD! Are we all wanted criminals?
I love the Beatles and I also love the album Boingo… though I think the reason that I love that album so much is because it was the first Oingo Boingo album that I was ever introduced to; I heard its songs before I ever heard Little Girls, Nasty Habits and the like. So for me, the Boingo songs were my first impression of their music, and it’s how I thought of them. These songs also felt to me to be very similar to the dark Elfman movie scores that I’d been absolutely loving for years previous, so I immediately took the album to heart. Change is still one of my all-time favorite songs.
But hey… that’s just me!
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