Skeletons in the Closet (Oingo Boingo album)
1989 greatest hits album by Oingo Boingo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Best of Oingo Boingo: Skeletons in the Closet is a compilation of songs by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1989 by A&M Records. 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 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 47:41 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producers | Pete Solley, Joe Chiccarelli, Robert Margouleff, Oingo Boingo | |||
| Oingo Boingo chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
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
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 | ||
Personnel
Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[2]
Oingo Boingo
- Steve Bartek – lead guitar, "rhythm vocals"
- Danny Elfman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Richard Gibbs – keyboards, synthesizer
- Kerry Hatch – bass guitar
- Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez – drums
- Sam "Sluggo" Phipps – tenor sax, soprano sax
- Leon Schneiderman – baritone sax, alto sax
- Dale Turner – trumpet, trombone
Technical
- Pete Solley – producer (1, 3, 4, 6)
- Oingo Boingo – producers (1–6, 8–10)
- Joe Chiccarelli – producer (2, 5, 8–10)
- Robert Margouleff – producer (7, 11, 12)
- John Guarnieri – project coordinator
- Arnie Acosta – mastering
- Chuck Beeson – art direction
- Donald Krieger – design
- Mark Ryden – front and back cover illustration
Home video
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 |