Your Evening’s Deep Cut From the ’80s
Posted on November 6, 2013 Posted by John Scalzi 15 Comments
“Only Makes Me Laugh,” from Danny Elfman’s only solo album, So-Lo (which was in point of fact recorded with all the members of Oingo Boingo, so, really, it’s off-label Oingo Boingo). Great song from a now woefully obscure album.
Update: Oh, I forgot I can tell a story here. I bought the So-Lo CD in the 80s and in 1990, when I was an intern at the San Diego Tribune newspaper, I was assigned to do interviews for the Darkman movie, and drove up to LA to do them. I took the Danny Elfman solo CD with me to listen to in the car. And as it happened, the composer for the Darkman movie was Elfman. I had entirely unintentionally brought the exactly right CD to have signed. And I did. And I still have that CD.
Holy moley, that’s my favorite song EVER! I have the album on CD (does that make me old?) and I still love it a lot.
You sir, rock. Literally.
Oh god — the flashbacks to college …. Thank you, sir
You’re killing me. Killing me, man.
Love Love Love Danny Elfman and Oingo Boingo. I crossed an item off my bucket list last week when I finally got to see him singing live with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra.
I believe I have that one on vinyl somewhere. And CD. And MP3.
Great album!
A great album by a great band.
Thppt, I hate you JS. David B, I only loath you. I saw them a couple of times live. Still love them. My only regret is that I didn’t get to see one of their Halloween shows and would have gladly settled for the Hollywood SO & Elfman. Wish I had heard about it seven days before the show instead of seven days AFTER!!!!
Fun fact: the versions of the songs on the So-Lo vinyl I have are different than the versions I have on the iTunes MP3 album.
Also: my husband is the major Oingo Boingo fan in this house, and he says the reason it was packaged as a “solo” album while still utilizing the whole band was because Elfman had a contractual obligation to fulfill on solo work.
I LOVE this song! Oingo Boingo – one of a handful of bands I’ve seen more than once in concert.
I cannot not move to that song!
@Rembrant if you’re still in SoCal, catch Dead Man’s Party – the Oingo Boingo tribute band. They put on a great show, and every so often one of the original band members will sit in with them. If it makes you feel better I never got to see OB live :(
Favorite cut from that album: “Tough As Nails”
By the way, the reason it was a “Solo” album is because of a contract dispute. Otherwise, it would have just been another Boingo album.
I’m more familiar with the version they did for their “live” album (which was done in-studio, but as single takes with the whole band.) It’s a bit faster.
Love that album, even if it is a “band” album it still seems – to me – thematically different from what Danny was doing with Boingo at any point. My favorite track is “Last Time,” I think it’s got such a great arrangement.