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The Best of Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet is a compilation of songs by American new wave band Oingo Boingo. It features songs recorded during the band's tenure with I.R.S. Records/A&M Records, culled from the albums Only a Lad (1981), Nothing to Fear (1982) and Good for Your Soul (1983).
| The Best of Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original album artwork by Mark Ryden | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | January 10, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1981-83 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:41 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Pete Solley, Joe Chiccarelli, Robert Margouleff, Oingo Boingo | |||
| Oingo Boingo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background edit
Skeletons in the Closet was issued just a few months after the band had released Boingo Alive, a double album of "live in the studio" re-recordings of many songs from their back catalog. In a 1988 article for the Los Angeles Times, Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman stated that Skeletons in the Closet was issued by their former label A&M to directly compete with Boingo Alive, adding, "they’re looking for a way to scrape up a few bucks on a dead account." However, A&M executive Tom Corson denied this claim, stating, "the band feels our release may harm sales of their album. We don’t see it that way at all. In fact, we're fans of the group—and we have no intention of trying to harm their career." Corson added that several songs were removed upon request of the band, and that Elfman declined an offer to write the album's liner notes.[1]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Danny Elfman
| No. | Title | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Little Girls" | Only a Lad (1981) | 3:45 |
| 2. | "Private Life" (Edited Version) | Nothing to Fear (1982) | 3:19 |
| 3. | "On the Outside" | Only a Lad | 3:53 |
| 4. | "Nasty Habits" | Only a Lad | 4:08 |
| 5. | "Grey Matter" | Nothing to Fear | 5:51 |
| 6. | "Only a Lad" | Only a Lad | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Wake Up (It's 1984)" | Good for Your Soul (1983) | 4:44 |
| 8. | "Insects" | Nothing to Fear | 3:04 |
| 9. | "Whole Day Off" | Nothing to Fear | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Nothing to Fear (But Fear Itself)" | Nothing to Fear | 3:55 |
| 11. | "Nothing Bad Ever Happens" | Good for Your Soul | 3:45 |
| 12. | "Who Do You Want to Be" | Good for Your Soul | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 47:41 | ||
Notes edit
- The "edited version" of "Private Life" on this album is the same one that appears on all CD and cassette versions of Nothing to Fear, as well as re-issues of the LP. Only the original pressings of the Nothing to Fear LP contained an extended mix of the song.
- The album cover, designed by Los Angeles artist Mark Ryden, is notable for the fact that it is the very first professional piece of art done by Ryden.
Home video edit
A music video compilation was also released by A&M alongside the album.
| Song | Album | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Stay" | Dead Man's Party | 1985 | David Hogan |
| "Just Another Day" | Dead Man's Party | 1985 | Stephen R. Johnson |
| "Gratitude" | So-Lo | 1984 | Graeme Whifler |
| "Little Girls" | Only a Lad | 1981 | Richard Elfman |
| "Nothing Bad Ever Happens" | Good for Your Soul | 1983 | Richard Elfman |
| "Private Life" | Nothing to Fear | 1982 | Richard Elfman |
References edit
- ^ Goldstein, Patrick (August 14, 1988). "Boingo 'Hits' Back to Back". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 26, 2021.