Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Start Here, 'Cause it Only Gets Better, January 1, 2002
While I agree that this collection might not best represent Maestro Elfman's previous incarnation, there is still some good strong fun to be had here. The opener "Home Again" is a punchy, well known gem of O.B.'s output, and the acapella-introduced "Where Do All My Friends Go" follows strongly on its heels. Other highlights include "Elevator Man" (who's goin' down, who's goin down, typically fun, dark Elfman lyric), "We Close Our Eyes" (representative of a warmer direction the band started to take, nicely performed on the "Farewell" video), "Not My Slave" (a nice lesson in equitable reationships), "Outrageous" and "Pain".A bit repetetive at times, not as arrangementally developed as earlier work overall .... on the other hand, a very clean recording, and less compressed and mechanical-sounding than they were at the outset. It needs to be stressed, that even at their less distinctive, Oingo Boingo ran circles around their musical contemporaries, distiguished by an unmistakable sound that was part tribal, part big band, part new wave quirk, spiced up with a twisted dark irony that was lead singer/songwriter Danny Elfman's trademark. This would not be at all a bad album for the novice or curious first-time listener, since there would be much dispute over which of all the other recordings were the best.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sweetest o' Boingo, October 14, 2005
"Boi-Ngo" was the second album of Oingo Boingo material I bought. The first was the compilation album "Skeletons in the Closet," which can give one a very specific idea of what Boingo's style is. But when I saw this album in stores and bought it without even thinking about it, I was completely enthralled by how much ground Danny Elfman had covered in style. So my ideas of Boingo are based on this album and "Skeletons in the Closet" mostly, because they were the first ones I ever heard. And the first Boingo song I heard was "We Close Our Eyes" which is Track 5 on this album. It hooked me in the first place, so I have a natural affinity for this particular album. However, of all of Boingo's stuff, this is the "sweetest" sounding, if that makes sense enough. The messages are no heavier or lighter than any of Elfman's earlier songs, like "Grey Matter" or "Only a Lad," but they resonate with more of a charm to them. It's unfortunate that present styles of punk and ska and all that has turned people against the cliche 80s sound that Boingo was one of the manufacturerers of.
Track 7 "My Life" is the sweet part of this deal. It really is one of those songs that yanks my heart strings.
Dance-friendly and usually catchy (although "New Generation" isn't really all that catchy), "Boi-Ngo" offers a very specific sound and feeling that you can't get anywhere else. One of my all-time favorites of Boingo, "Elevator Man" is featured Track 3. Listen if you want to enjoy yourself in this life! And might I suggest you really examine the lyrics and see if you can find the hidden meanings I did.
Last of all, Track 9 "Pain" is probably the most musically appealing on this album, very much the familiar sardonic rock from earlier Boingo, but with a matured style. And a great ending to the album!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whos going down, whos going down, whos going down?, June 8, 2003
Oingo Boingo. Oingo Boingo, I love that name, and I love this CD. This was one of the first Oingo Boingo CD's that I fell in love with. No, I didn't grow up in the 80's and no my parents don't listen to them, I was just lucky to find them over the internet. So, I hope someone is reading this that has never heard of Oingo Boingo, because you really need to. The thing I love about this CD and all the others is the Oingo Boingo horn section. Man, Sluggo and the boys can really squeeze out those notes. If you like 80's new wave music, your sure to like this. It's a brilliant CD, with genious in every note. My favorite songs are "Elevator Man," "We close our Eyes," "Not my slave," and "Where do all my friends go." But all the songs have something good about them. I really wish Danny and Co. were still doing this, because I started likeing them after their reign was over.
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by Oingo Boingo 
