Customer Reviews

Dead Man's Party

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dead Man's Party is indeed their finest hour, too bad it comes in rather short. Even the non-album B-side 'Mama' should be sought after. DMP boasts a wild and frenetic energy notably lacking most of today's music. Elfman who was always a undiscovered gem until his soundtracks took off (except to us So Cal die hards) really shows off his composition talents to make no mention of the fact that he is an awesome singer, capable of a wide range of vocalizations. One of the superb facets of Oingo songs was Elfman was always able to incorporate every element of the band and let them shine. All members really get their chance here: Steve Bartek's distorted feedback riffs infiltrate every song, Avila's bass is a lovely gem buried in the mix too (see the track 'Help') and the horn section also gets their kicks in almost every track. What your left with is an intelligent, intriguing, edgy and very fun album with never a dull moment.

Bottom line for the uninitiated: start here and work your way backwards through the Oingo Boingo discogprahy. The three previous albums deserve much more notice for their influence and originality.

This probably one of my favorite mid 80's albums. Perhaps a close second to Peter Gabriel's So album in 86.

To me, Oingo Boingo is a weird / funny name. In fact I think there was a pair of jeans of the same name in the 80's.

Arguably, this is one of their best. In fact, I believe there may be some kind of underlying theme here. I think this is more of a focused / concept type of album (though only Danny Elfman probably knows what the specifics are to this theme). Many of the tracks don't necessarily deal with a dead man's party, but they do include mentions of ghosts, souls, and death. The lyrics are morbid / mordant. Songs like the title track, "no one lives forever", "same man i was before", and "heard somebody cry" all deal with similar anthems. Not that this initially would seem like fun material, but lead singer Elfman seems to poke fun at himself in the process, which lightens the sometimes errie tones.

If Oingo's morbid lyrics aren't appealing though, DMP keeps itself interesting for a plethora of other reasons. Sounds of trumpets, bells, xylophones, and synthesizers create a noisy and strange atmosphere, yet they're set with ingenious juxtapositions with some funky rythyms. It's a driving album and perhaps Oingo did accomplish more with Only a Lad, but from a commercial perspective, this was the peak of their success.

This CD, and the others from Oingo that followed, were "producer's records" - much like the Doors' "Soft Parade", or the Tubes' "Remote Control". It is the sound of a band that has given it's best shot creatively, and is now ready to concentrate their efforts to "make a hit record".

That said, this record was successful in that attempt - the sound and melodies are fully accessible mainstream pop, and yet the substance is fully recognisable as "Oingo Boingo" (crystalizing in the title track, and "Wierd Science"). That's a rare achievement, and deserves kudos.

But, as indicated earlier, the band was having more fun when putting together the earlier releases, and even a casual listen to their first few albums will confirm that.

Fans of XTC, Thomas Dolby, or Devo will probably like this album more than Oingo's other records. People who appreciate this band's first album ("Only a Lad") will probably feel slightly betrayed when listening to this one. Caveat emptor.

It defines the age in which it was produced, but earlier Oingo albums defined the band.

So basically, Danny Elfman is a genius. Everything he does is brilliant (The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack is proof!). Fool's Paradise and No One Lives Forever are my favorites on this CD, even though every song is amazing. If you don't buy it you will become 25% less tollerable as a human.

A great listen from Oingo Boingo.

Just Another Day - 7 out of 10

Dead Man's Party - 10 out of 10 - I absolutely love this song. It has a great sound to it.

Heard Somebody Cry - 8 out of 10

No One Lives Forever - 10 out of 10 - My favorite on the album. There's really no words to describe how much I love this song.

Stay - 10 out of 10 - A great ballad-type song.

Fool's Paradise - 7 out of 10

Help Me - 9 out of 10

Same Man I Was Before - 8 out of 10

Weird Science - 10 out of 10 - This song has great parody potential. ;)

Yet another great album released by Oingo Boingo.

Oingo Boingo is a band for all the eccentric, dramatic people out there. Dead Man's Party is their most accessible and least "bizarre" album---its tunes are quirky, energetic and incredibly fun. Even those who avoid pop music, and especially idiosyncratic 80's pop music, can find something to like. The songs range from wacky soundtrack themes ("Weird Science") to unusual "alienation" songs ("Heard Somebody Cry") to songs that are the core of the group's attitude---delectable macabre-fests like "No One Lives Forever" and unique "Dead Man's Party." Elfman's voice is original and a trip to listen to, Steve Bartek's guitar work and orchestration are flawless, and none of the songs are truly weak. If you take joy in the strange, darker things in life but like living it anyway, DMP is your album.

Anyone who listened to the radio in the 80s (or even now) or went out dancing or...whatever...you will recognize "Dead Man's Party." I think it's strange that that song (Track 2) became so well-known. They have more generally accepted-sounding songs, and many more "exciting" ones. For a long time I considered this my least favorite Boingo album, as "Weird Science" is by far my least favorite Boingo song. Although I can't help but like it...

With a definite sort of "Southwest U.S. Dancing Skeleton" feeling (sorry, that's not really a great description...), this album bridged a change of style for Boingo between their edgier sounds and the softer ideas expressed in "Boi-Ngo."

This album is definitely worth a straight listen, though. Whoever compiled the tracks was very clever. Some sort of story arc is made musically that really shows through from beginning to end. It's like watching a movie that changed drastically from beginning to end but manages to do so with such grace that you don't even notice.

Although not my favorite Boingo album, Track 4 "No One Lives Forever" is one of favorite Boingo songs. Give it a listen!

Yes, Oingo Boingo, one of 2 of my favorite bands. (the other being They Might Be Giants) I guess I should start off by saying that this is not my favorite Oingo Boingo CD. I like this one very much, but It can't beat earliar Oingo Boingo. This CD was most likely the most famous of all Oingo's CD's, I mean, it had Dead Man's Party, (I guess a lot of people heard it in the movie "Back To School," which I saw on Comdey Central.) and the great song "Weird Science," which I have heard all my life. (I used to watch the show on USA, but I can't remember if it has the original song) I thank the song Weird Science everyday because if it wasn't for that song, I would have never discovered Oingo Boingo. Well, anyways this CD holds great music and great lyrics as well. The only song I don't like is the opened "Just Another Day," I just don't care for Oingo Boingo slow songs, I love the ones with hyper energy. But if you enjoy Oingo Boingo, or you love 80's music, then try this CD out. It has no disappointments on it, and it really shows the genious that is Danny Elfman.

I first heard this album when I was on the road to and from the beach with a couple of good friends. While the rest of the album rocked my socks, it was "Stay" that got stuck in my head. I was singing it all the time, and the melody was so haunting, that I had to run out and get it. I got it on LP, and as a testiment of how much I loved it, I pulled out my record player out everyday for 3 months because I needed to hear it. Thankfully, I eventually got the cd too.

I hope that everyone who experiences this album will enjoy it as much as I did.

`Dead Man's Party' is Boingo's masterpiece, a perfect album, and not simply because of the seminal nature of the title track, which is their signature song. Lively, percussive and eminently danceable, Boingo were kings of the LA new wave scene, setting a high standard that few bands of the time could messure up to. Similar in style and tone to Adam and the Ants and the Hoodoo Gurus there really is no band quite like them. Danny Elfman's inexplicable obsessions with death and his devotion to musical intensity were unique, and no one could or would imitate them. No rock band has ever used brass so well, check out "The Same Man I Was Before". With the release of `Dead Man's Party' the band really reached it's peak, both in terms of artistry and popularity, eventually Elfman would jettison the band in favor of his far less interesting (but more lucrative) career as a maker of movie scores, but oh how his fans miss him. Included here are many of the bands finest tracks including the title track, `No One Lives Forever' and their single greatest track `Stay'. It also includes the well known `Weird Science' and all the tracks are standouts. If you've never heard of them, I garentee that you've never heard anything like them, Boingo is a worthy addition to any collection. This is the place to start, but every album is worth owning (except the bizarre un-Boingo album Boingo). Just buy it.