Dead Man's Party

Performer: Oingo Boingo
Engineer: David Leonard; Bill Jackson
Producer: Danny Elfman; Steve Bartek
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Oingo Boingo: Danny Elfman (vocals, guitar); John Avila (vocals, bass); Steve Bartek (guitar); Leon Schneiderman (alto & baritone saxophones); Sam Phipps (tenor saxophone); Dale Turner (trumpet, trombone); Mike Bacich (keyboards); John Hernandez (drums, percussion). Additional personnel: Sundray Tucker, Linda Lawrence Tucker (vocals); Super Novi String Ensemble (strings); Bruce Fowler, George Bohanon (trombone). Recorded at Sunset Sound Factory, North Hollywood, California. Personnel: Danny Elfman, Steve Bartek (vocals, guitar); Richard Gibbs (vocals, trombone, keyboards, synthesizer); Kerry Hatch (vocals, keyboards); John Avtla, John Avila (vocals, bass guitar); Leon Schneiderman (saxophone, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Sam Phipps (saxophone, tenor saxophone); Dale Turner (trumpet, trombone, percussion); Mike Bacich, Mike Batch (keyboards); Johnny Hernandez (drums, percussion). Audio Mixers: David Leonard; Michael Frondelli. Recording information: Sunset sound Factory. Unknown Contributor Roles: Danny Elfman; Dale Turner. By the mid-'80s, new wave was long dead and gone, yet somehow this didn't stop Oingo Boingo from continuing their quirky horn-rock stylings with the minimum accommodation made to commercial realities. 1985's DEAD MAN'S PARTY sounds no different from their earlier records, except that it's distinctly softer in tone; Danny Elfman's lyrics have little of the satirical bite of earlier albums like ONLY A LAD. The single "Weird Science," the title theme of a John Hughes movie, was Oingo Boingo's most commercially successful effort, but it's one of the weaker cuts here. Surprisingly emotional songs like "Stay," "Heard Somebody Cry," and "Help Me" provide unexpected new facets of Elfman's nutty-professor persona, making DEAD MAN'S PARTY one of Oingo Boingo's most satisfying records.

Oingo Boingo began in 1972 as the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo, a cabaret-influenced musical theater troupe. In 1980 they pared down to an octet and changed their sound to reflect new wave, ska, post-punk, and world music elements. Their eponymous EP spawned the hit single "Only a Lad," and a full-length by that name appeared in 1981. The hit "Nothing Bad Ever Happens to Me," from 1983's GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL, continued the band's winning streak, as did 1985's DEAD MAN'S PARTY. Songs from the album appeared in several films, including WEIRD SCIENCE and BACK TO SCHOOL. Four less successful album followed, including BOINGO, which featured a more guitar-driven sound. Around this time, original member Danny Elfman left to pursue a successful career in film composing. Oingo Boingo disbanded in 1996.

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