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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long time fan's opinion, September 25, 2003
By A Customer
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.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
oingo's most definative effort, November 30, 2003
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.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Boingo Goes "Pop", June 17, 2000
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.
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