Oingo Boingo ‎– Boi-Ngo

Throughout the early to late eighties Oingo Boingo was one of a number of alternative/new wave/modern rock bands with an incredible cult following and was expected to finally crossover to top 40/mainstream outlets in the US with this album, which was designed to be the equivalent of The B-52's "Cosmic Thing" or R.E.M.'s "Document." Although "Pain" was serviced to alternative radio and top 40 outlets in the U.S., for whatever reason the powers at MCA decided not to release an actual single for "Pain" until well after they went for radio adds and the resulting mistimed marketing campaign ended up being a swan song for the album, which unfortunately fell off the top 200 albums rather quickly. It also served to be the final OB album with material that had the trademark quirky, alternative dance sound that their fans and alternative radio so constistently devoured.

A few years following this album, the group released another album not as Oingo Boingo... but as "Boingo" and the sound would change to the "grunge" sound of the day, distancing long-time fans and ultimately leading the group to a self-imposed withdrawl from the music scene.

The ultimate irony, perhaps, is that the mainstream success that was sought after with this album was ultimately found not by the group as a whole, but years later by lead singer Elfman... and not as a singer, but as writer of musical scores for everything from "Batman" (along side Prince's top 40/R&B soundtrack for the same film) to "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure." Fortunately for the band as a whole, their decision to silently withdraw ultimately gave them the success that they (or the group's management crew) so badly wanted: They managed to shrug off the lackluster reception of this and "Boingo" and remain a cult-fave with now classics like "Dead Man's Party" and "Who Do You Want To Be?" being spun on alternative / modern rock stations in the US and abroad... as well as ... top 40 stations. Go figure.