How Oingo Boingo Killed AI Music
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- Опубликовано: 2 окт 2024
- Live music is so much more than singing and playing. The art of performing for an audience is such a crucial part of the equation. Today, marketing and technology CEO Ali Fathali will dive into a legendary concert that shows off exactly how performance can enhance the live music experience, without the use of AI or computer assistance.
The year was 1985. The band? Oingo Boingo. Venue? The Ritz. Danny Elfman and company put together a performance that’s equally as captivating and enjoyable now as it was almost 40 years ago.
This is the Art of Performance.
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Very Kind, Thank You!!!
Hello Johnny! I had the privilege of attending your drum clinic c.1982. Your wild inventions, fluid transitions between rhythms, and metronomic accuracy blew us all away. Your style directly instructed my drumming. Speaking with you afterwards, you offered genuine generosity and kindness. You have my unending gratitude for that unforgettable day and later for inviting us backstage multiple times to spend time with the band. Thank you, Master Rhythmatist, for everything.
@johnvatos346
You are one of the main reasons I have been playing drums for the last 45 years!! Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for all the music, and most of all, THANK YOU for keeping the legacy alive!! Never stop!
VATOS!!
Bands used to spend A LONG time honing their skills and songs in front of audiences. Danny Elfman is as close to a musical genius as you can get.
Where is the "like times a million" button to agree with this statement? People know Dead Man's Party, or maybe the Simpsons theme, but they don't know that this self-made man basically wrote every hit song like... ever. And he's deep, tortured, and complicated. He's the whole package. Don't fuck with Danny Elfman. He's like Aphex Twin, Roky Erikson, and the remaining crew of ACTUAL musical geniuses (unlike people like, say, me, who just CALL themselves musical geniuses)... when you see them stretch their wings, musically, it's... Prometheus unbound. It's like getting to watch a god stretch his legs. It's... intoxicating. Bruce Hornsby is another one. Any of these -- I abjure you to watch/listen/think about their music. It truly deserves the epithet "next level."
theres few people on that level of quality output. Danny, Frank Zappa, Devin townsend, Mike patton, bjork and while I dont like him people put prince in the category often
Eddie, are you kidding?
do not tell this man about martini glass
also the 80s had the best cocaine
Just so you know, 'Oingo Boingo former members' Just played last week in Anaheim California. Everyone is still in the band except Danny Elfman. They still sound this good. We in California are waiting for the day Danny decides to do a show with the rest of the band members again.
The closest we get is the nightmare before Christmas shows. Some of the members drop in for the three songs encore
My understanding is that he's concerned about hearing loss and he can do better as a composer.
Oingo Boingo Dance Party!! Yes, they are fantastic and managed to find a singer who sounds a lot like Elfman!
I saw Boingo 33x back then!! And they were epic EVERY TIME!! I would give anything to see them just one more time!!
BEST LIVE BAND EVER!!
Any idea who the new vocalist is?
Or do they just not use one?
I know the instrumental versions of the songs would stand on their own without vocals
Title: How Oingo Boingo killed AI music
Video: Oingo Boingo did a lot without the use of modern tools.
For my next video: "How the builders of the pyramids KILLED 3D printing!"
Exactly. This video is about nothing. Well, it's about him, liking this Oinbo Boingo live video. Good for him I guess.
And used A.I. art for the thumbnail
thats what i thought this would be. XD
LMAOOOO hilarius and true comment
Danny Elfman was an absolute BEAST of a vocalist. The whole band was on point through their whole career. If you really want a great concert of theirs check out their final show, Farewell from 1995
That was my first concert! I was 14 and saved all my babysitting money for a ticket. I was so scared my strict Mormon parents wouldn’t let me go, but they knew how much Boingo meant to me, and my big brother offered to take me and make sure I got to the show and home safe. I feel so lucky I got to go!
@@suzybearheart530 That's awesome! I'm super jealous. I didn't discover their music until like 2001
@@carmillachoate Better late than never! If you ever get a chance, go see Oingo Boingo Dance Party. It's most of the original band and a singer who sounds a lot like Elfman. I've seen them 3 times and it's always a blast.
@@suzybearheart530 That's awesome!
Everyone of the band members were studio musicians. These guys are absolute perfectionists. I have been to many of their concerts at Irvine Meadows and Universal Amphitheater. They put on an amazing show for hours on end.
The bass player is John Avila! And this is an edited recording. The video on RUclips is about 30 minutes, cut down from a show probably an hour and a half or two hours in length.
The original bass player Kerry Hatch was also amazing and essential to the original sound of Boingo. BUT YES!! AVILA is SO GREAT in SO MANY WAYS. It's cosmic they were able to find someone after Hatch.
This entire video is just "bands were better back in the day" and has zero to do with AI.
Absolutely. I wonder if Danny Elfman uses digital mastering and sampling, computer sequencing, etc. in his processes now?
A lot of people see how some people did so much with so little and incorrectly assume something has been lost. No, new tools have made us gain greater ease. Yes, Oingo Boingo put a TON of work into their music, but now more bands can achieve a similar sound with less effort. I fail to see how this is a bad thing.
Well, the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo used 21st century crowd-funding techniques to finance the sequel to their cult classic movie "The Forbidden Zone", so they're definitely not neo-luddites...
@TheNazzerDawk because it crowds the scene with garbage. If the only artists able to produce and share art are the ones who push through the huge barrier of entry we only get the art from someone who has worked tirelessly to hone their skill, their voice and make something worth all that effort. I got no dog in this fight, i love the low barrier and have taken advantage of it plenty. But you only need to look at the Steam video game store and wade through the oceans of half assed video games to see the damage it does when you make it easy for anyone to achieve the facade of quality.
@@Altern84mYou make a fair point, but at the same time, the rise of information sharing to prominence has made it difficult to push a product that is no good (unless that is a selling point like with Sharknado) and the hardest workers still stand above the rest. One reason so much shovelware managed to survive during the advent of console gaming was that unless you were subscribed to a bunch of video game magazines, all you had to go off of was word of mouth from friends. I would say it balances out in a roundabout way.
@@PixygonYeah its definitely one of those things where the solution is built into the problem. It's an organism.
Clickbait title;
Don't even care. This band is BRILLIANT.
This is the happiest I've been to be clickbaited
Agreed
it really is clickbait and i dont need to see him fluff Oingo Boingos members
Danny Elfman,,,,pure genius, absolute animal composer, BOSS LEVEL STUFF
I saw Oingo Bingo 17 times before they broke up and they never failed to put on high energy shows with outstanding music. The entire band were incredible musicians and performers.
how does it feel to have lived MY DREAM >:(
I saw Oingo Boingo a couple times about 35 years ago where I grew up in San Bernardino, California and I'll never forget how amazing they were. I've been to a lot of concerts and they were one of the only live bands I saw where it was IMPOSSIBLE to sit still. I've never danced at a concert like I did at their shows!
They are the only concert I've left where even my pants were completely drenched in sweat. I tell people to this day they are the best concert I have ever seen. One particular show in Salt Lake stands above all other for me. Smallsih venue on the fairgrounds. The energy was palpable. Wish I could have been at the farewell show.
Saw them at the Orange Pavilion with X. Sweat was not an option (not a pun.)
@@brentottoson6974 It took me a few days to recover from that show. Being squished up against that slanted board that blocked the stage was brutal after a while. Still, an incredible show!
Lucky to say I saw Oingo Boingo more times than I can count! Best live band of the 80’s and early 90’s! 3.5-4 hr sets were not out of the norm for this band!
Can confirm. They almost never had an opening band. Amazing performances!
Even now, as Oingo Boingo Former Members they still play for at least 90 minutes with an opener and longer without. (Also without Danny who’s doing his own thing but with a dynamic vocalist)
I FUCKIN LOOOOOVE OINGO BOINGOOOO
Dude I love that you took the time to appreciate and talk about Oingo Boingo. I agree on everything you’ve outlined. I recommend you deep dive more into the early years of the band and their later releases. I assure you that it will make you fall in love with the band every second you find more information about their history
The Mystical Knights Of The Oingo Bingo, was what was known, as a street theatrical group.
It was a big change, to make it a pop group, but that performance energy, never left.
You put Jack Skellington (The Pumpkin King) on, right before Halloween. It's awesome, because this sounds like an organic experience, that happened to you.
John Avila is a great bassist
Absolutely
I saw them live with Kerry Hatch and then with John Avila and noticed that Avila would skip a LOT of notes trying to play Hatch's parts on old songs. Hatch would play 1/8 and 1/16 notes while Avila would play 1/4. Avila is a good bassist, but not great.
@@Ziggy_Moonglow I was about to reply to the OP "He's no Kerry Hatch" but you beat me to it and with musical evidence! 🤜🤛
Having seen Oingo Boingo live 3 times, they put on an AMAZING show. They are all such quality musicians and Danny truly is a genius.
oh and in-ear monitors DIDN'T exist in 1986!!! Musicans actually had to sing on key and be able to listen to all the other musicians
Your breakdown is proof of why Oingo Boingo should have been MUCH bigger than they were. Great that you have gone back to look at their music, there are so many bangers to be heard!!!
And that’s why he almost went deaf.
@@nuclearcatbaby1131 that and the martini glass
@@penis2 shut up, you're contributing nothing
They had monitors in front of them on the stage. They look like small amplifiers, but they're aimed at the band.
Boingo put out 8 albums in the 80s (technically one of them is a Danny Elfman Solo Album, but it’s really a stealth Oingo Boingo album since the whole band is on it. It was recorded in between record labels, so they couldn’t really freely use their name for negotiation reasons, but they weren’t foolin’ anybody) they were amazing. Regarding the timing in the sings speeding up, in 1988 they released a studio-live double album that is awesome, and showed how their songs had evolved over 8 years of playing them live..
As a consequence of all that music, all that touring, and so on, Danny lost 75% of his hearing. That’s part of why they broke up: he needed to save his ears for his film score work.
Also, if you get a chance, hunt around on youtube for some sets by “the mystic knights of the oingo boingo,” which is the original iteration of the bad from 1973-1978, which was a sort of avante garde musical cabaret act that just did weird, weird, weird, wonderful things. Danny was the lead singer (and occasional fire-eater, yes, he was a fire eater) for the band during that phase, too.
Oingo Boingo Former Members are still preforming. Even 35 years later, they still have it!
Dead Man’s Party
im 17 and oingo boingo is literally my favorite band and it just made to so happy to hear you talk about them with so much appreciation, I'm glad this video came up on my feed :)
Same age, same favorite band. Boingo fans are generational!
Good on you guys. So good to see younger generations appreciating amazing music played live. ❤
I find that people who love Boingo have an above average IQ.... by a lot.
This is a great live performance. The video has nothing to do with AI. And it wouldn't have killed you to look up the musicians' names. But otherwise I agree with your breakdown of what an incredible performance this was.
Even with todays tech , NO Band can compete with 80's Bands especially Oingo Boingo.
To be clear: The Keytar, played by the Bass player John Avila IS the bass of the song.
Danny's one of those rare guys who can do pretty much everything at a very high level, like Brian Setzer. Composer, lyricist, vocalist, instrumentalist, band leader, showman, just a fantastic front man.
I discovered Oingo Boingo in the early 2000s when I was a teenager, and pretty much wouldn't listen to anything else. This concert is my absolute favorite, and it's validating to know that my opinion isn't born solely out of ignorance of other artists. This is PEAK Elfman, and I fall in love every time.
I actually saw them twice on this tour… both small “just bigger than a bar” venues. It was amazing and incredibly fun.
Boingo’s best stuff was their debut EP, their first three albums and Danny Elfman’s “So-Lo” album. They all were released before 1985. I saw them live in 1985 and it was one of the BEST concerts I ever attended.
Nothing to Fear is a fantastic album and ‘Reptiles and Samurai’ is possibly the greatest studio recording of that decade. Seriously, play the vinyl loudly on a stereo system with some heft. Amazing!
If you never saw Oingo Boingo live you have no idea what you missed. They were the tightest band I've ever seen live.
And they would go on for 2 and a half hours at this level. Truly amazing to see.
Saw the most incredible concert bill at Red Rocks outside Denver back in the day. It’s a bill you would never imagine today. Two warm up bands with Oingo Boingo as the headliner. Warm acts were Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The Call. Brilliant show with its like never to be seen again.
OB played to midi backing tracks constantly and possibly backing vocals on tape
Still genius though
He and Oingo Boingo had a quick cameo doing Dead's Man's party in the movie Back to School.
Danny Elfman kills it. And he has absolutely no professional training. It’s all pure talent. Nothing compares to Boingo when it comes to energy level.
Do not fuck with Danny Elfman in re music. You will lose, he will devour you: he gets no respect.
YESS MAN am so happy people are giving this concert more of the recognition it deserves, Oingo Boingo is one of my favorite bands and this is my favorite concert of all time. Truly there was and will never been anything close to it
woah, young Danny Elfman is a HOTTIE!
fr
Saw them over a dozen times, never disappointed. Dannys performances the last couple of years were the best.
I saw Oingo Boingo several times and they never phoned it in. You left the show thinking you just saw the best performance they could ever give. The show at Red Rocks Amphitheater, CO in 1990 with the Red Hot Chili Peppers as the opener, was amazing.
Boingo live was FUN! Got to see them three times. Wish it had been 30. They rocked really hard. Danny had the crowd in a fired-up trance.
I saw Oingo Boingo in 1987 in California San Diego. Was the best concert that I think I’ve ever been to as far the ability to come out and perform like they did it was amazing. When Danny and the bass player were playing those xylophone or whatever the hell they’re called they were just so in tune with each other. It was crazy.!
How tf you guys only have 95 subs? This is a kickass video, may the algorithm gods bless you. I've also become possessed by that Ritz set . . . Danny Elfman is once in a generation.
LOVE Oingo Boingo. I’ve seen them 17 times in concert. (Years ago, obviously. During my high school times) I was even have Elvis (the little skull guy w/the cowboy hat & smoke) tattooed on my calf. Massive fan. Obviously I haven’t seen them in concert since their farewell concert in ‘95. But I just bought tickets to Oingo Boingo Former Members. (It’s everyone but Danny) Can’t wait to see them play in Montclair, CA in May. It’ll being back so many memories.
BTW. Danny says the reason he doesn’t do live concerts anymore and that there will never be a reunion tour is because he’s deaf from not wearing any ear monitors on stage all those years ago. And he refuses to wear them today. So sadly no concerts.
LOL! Elvis tattoo - check! Saw them in Montclair on Friday - Check! Many great memories came flooding back - CHECK!
Oingo Boingo and Huey Lewis & the News (with Tower of Power backing) were 2 bands worth every penny back in the 80's.
8:33 what you hear is _talent_ .
What modern musical performers lack is _talent_ .
They can't sing in tune, they can't conspire with a live band, they can't move even while they _pretend to sing_ .
Oingo Boingo was peak what live music was meant to be.
Are you deliberately only listening to what you don't want to hear, and seriously comparing pop stars to Oingo Boingo? Good lord, there is plenty of talent out there. Like in every decade. And there is also a huge load of steaming hot garbage out there. Like in every decade.
I saw them live in 1990. Most amazing show ever.
Just Another Day in this concert is the best performance ever recorded. It's better speed than their album version. There's a remastered version out there that removes some of the guitar feedback too on YT. They kill it. Best song they do in my opinion and this is the best version of the song at the Ritz.
I've always admired this performance, they are obviously brilliant, but have always wondered too if there was some post-processing/overdubs on it, that was done in the 80s on occasion for live footage moved over to video, Journey comes to mind, for example, the echo effect at 4:29, how would something like that be done within a live performance?
Please come back Danny
I saw this tour in 85. It was awesome. It was the only time I saw them live.
wow, this guy is, what, 40ish, and has only just discovered that good musicians could actually play good music live? 🙄What he is describing is basically every single competent band from the 60s to the 90s. I wonder what his reaction to, say, a Rush concert would be....
Cool concert, but what do you mean by killing AI music? Just click bate, I guess. Disingenuous.
I think he was getting at that Danny’s style can’t be imitated by A.I.?
I bet Danny Elfman wishes he had had in-ear monitors/earplugs, dude had to retire from touring due to acute hearing loss
Well, hes also 70+ so its not that surprising
@fanni1652 okay but he retired from touring due to acute hearing loss at age 32 tho
the struggle is real. hearing frequencies are so important for studio work too.
This band is what pop music should be...amazing songwriting and performance
Ai might take over just like autotune did...the mainstream ppl are just eating up everything corporations feed them and i have no problem with that ,but yeah it is what it is i guess
Just give the Bingo Alive album. Instead of a live show, they went into a studio and just played all the songs live. All so much better than the clean tracks.
Goodbye is from Fast times at Ridge Mount high
Beast of a song to try to play too. Amazing musicians
First of all, he’s Danny Elfman! So that. Second, a quality onstage monitor setup and monitor mixer are non-negotiable, iwoth n-ears or monitor speakers.
Hah! Yeah welcome! Oingo Boingo has some of the most amazing music of the 20th century. Glad you were able to look beyond their two big hits. Goodbye-Goodbye was also a song that was written for the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack.
2:38 No in-ear monitors, still in tune, hits high notes: You can see him checking his ear a couple of times through the performance (just closing it with a finger to hear his own voice in his skull). He simply knows how to sing and has practiced the part. What a sad state it is that today we have no expectation of singers to do this.
Jesus, more? Come on, man. Put away the Katy Perry and put on some King Gizzard. There are still amazing live bands, and there always will be.
John Avila is the bassist. Guy gets it done.
Every one in the band was skilled. And Danny Elfman is a unique talent. Not a stretch to say musical genius.
Elfman has gone on to compose over a hundred film scores. He done symphonies and released an album of sorta heavy speed metal a few years ago.
Don't forget that steve bartek come with him to make films. They were a dynamic duo but most folks only name Danny, who is an incredible talent but he also surrounded himself with talented friends.
@@robertomonge1967
Bartec is the symphony conductor on Danny's latest tours. He steps in as guitarist for Dead Man's party near the end of the show
I was fortunate enough to see Danny Elfman perform live last year. Not Oingo Boingo related though. It was a celebration of all the film scores he's done with Tim Burton, with the music performed by a local orchestra. Most of the songs were purely instrumental, of course. But, he performed *ALL* of the vocals for the songs from "Nightmare Before Christmas." Talk about perfect pitch and presence! I don't think I've ever seen anyone just OWN a stage the way he did. I was so surprised. I knew he was quite the performer back in his Oingo Boingo days, but that was about 40 years ago. But, he's still got it 100%. Towards the end of the show, he said he was leaving composing for awhile so he can get back into performing rock. I have no doubt he'll be just as awesome as he was back in the 80s.
I saw his rock show twice, last August and October of 2022.
Danny is a genius. That is why he entered film industry....besides all that....his teatrical moves are just awesome!!!!!😊😊😊😊
This is a really great commentary video. Love Oingo Boingo
Clickbait ahh title
I live when people are blown away when rock musicians put on a show with theatrics and tight musicianship as if opera is something that hasn't existed for 400 years. I mean, you want to talk about "totally analogue"..
ah so thts how they killed ai
REAL star of the show? the drummer's tube socks
Watch Danny from Coachella 2023! It is still up!
Where? I watched the original live stream but was never able to find a replay…
Oingo Boingo got their start as an avant-garde performance troupe with a performance that took a lot of its cues from Cab Calloway and other swing groups, then segued into New Wave in the late 70's. So they were always a live performance band.
there are still bands that do this, but they are old guys.
You should listen to Frank Zappa next
He wouldn't get it
I’m pretty sure Danny Elfman has one of the best vocal ranges just behind Chris Cornell. Unfortunately these wild performances eventually cost Elfman a large percentage of his hearing which is why he’s no longer playing in OB.
His last vocal performance was a solo album called Big Mess which pretty much sounds like OB meets NIN. Reznor himself did several remixes and sang background vocals on a few tracks on the follow up remix album Bigger Messier.
Oh, and Elfman wrote and sang the song The Little Things from the soundtrack for Wanted with Angelina Jolie.
"Nobody plays the Keytar anymore" See: Tupperware Remix Party. Their song Bright blue Sky is awesome. Even check out their collaborations with Ninja Sex Party
Love both of those bands so much!! Met Danny Sexbang at a Queensryche show and he was cool enough to talk to my daughter on the phone because she was at home, sick. TWRP & NSP RULE!!
That's awesome! I bet that really made her day
@@AsilarWindsailor it totally did!! I didn't expect to see him, so i was walking back from the bathroom, & i saw him peripherally at first I didn't recognize him but my brain told me "STOP!! You walked past Danny from NSP just now!" I stopped, turned my head tthe left and said " I know you, you're Danny Sexbang!" He said "Thats the rumor." He was sitting alll by himself!! I explained that my daughter had gotten me into NSP but she was sick at home. When I asked him If he would mind shooting a video saying hello, he said "Sure!! But why don't we call her instead?!! He was just a super cool dude, and so gracious!! I love meeting celebs that are nicer than they have to be, it makes me happy to know that they enjoy and appreciate their fans... he was taller than I expected him to be.
My first internet post ever was about having gone to see Oingo Boingo in 1996 or so. It was a great show, and after the gig I ran into some radio station DJs I knew and they (and I) ended up taking Danny around town looking for a good keg party.
Unfortunately, every time we got to one the keg would have just floated and everybody was leaving. After three or four failures we gave up, and the last thing I remember was a tired, bored Danny Elfman lying down on this bemused college girl's driveway and letting several big dogs lick his face.
(When the girl asked who the guy was that was getting doggie-molested in her front yard, and we told her, she said "Wow! I've never heard of Oingo Boingo, but just the fact that you're driving this guy around trying to keep him entertained says to me that he's famous enough that this is really cool!")
Hi there! You could check RX Bandits live at Bonnaroo, performing "Only for the Night". They are really energetic!
Take care!
YES! One of the ALL TIME GREATS. Every CORE Band Member was absolutely essential. Multi-instrumentalists, and humble guys from what I witnessed.
l’m a jaded old Oingo Boingo fan … but, it’s fun to see someone just discovering the band, and being so enthusiastic! Definitely check out their whole catalog! ( And, if you want your mind blown, check out their pre-rock-n-roll selves as “The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo” !)
What did they kill? Too bad it wasn't misleading titles to RUclips videos.
DUDE! great Video! I've heard of Danny Elfman. and I've heard of Oingo Boingo but I didn't realize there was a connection LOL.
we are now so removed from organic performance that "experts" are surprised at the musicianship required from unenhanced live performances (ie: help from computers) like Zappa, Elfman, and any song with intricate parts that required both exceptional musicianship and performance. You live in a world now that looks like Idiocracy. The sheep are impressed with lip synching. And they love anything as long as they're on chemicals.
even as recent as the 80s and most of the 90s a band had to be WELL REHEARSED and musically exceptional in order to "pop". If they met those unwritten requirements then their live performance had to transcend other acts as well.
The music industry is flooded with diahrrea now. You get what you pay for.
Fan since 1983 and lucky enough to see them live multiple times. I’d say they were wildly underrated, but there are too many longtime fans who’ve been following them for decades who know exactly the who-what-when-where-and-why that makes Elfman and band mates pure genius.
Oingo Boingo is an amazing band - absolutly unique sound and approach, melodies, conflicting rythms , fun lyrics, theatre and American SKA
i remember sending off a letter when i was 13 in 83 from Australia to join the "Oingo Bongo Secret Society" using the info on one of the album covers.
they are consummate multi-instrumentalists - watch Steve Bartek play almost anything on the BSG Live Orchestras Performances
And John Avilla is nuts on base
I had a feeling that Oingo Boingo and Mr. Bungle would be the bands that would DESTROY A.I. like a delicious poison.
Interesting (mostly accurate) commentary. There’s one huge caveat that applies to most everything we see and hear in videos especially on sites like You Tube.
This specific performance was broadcast on a LI radio station WLIR.
What we are hearing is likely from the mixing board. Not the venue sound system. (room sounds/live audio of the room may be mixed in).
The video was professionally done. I believe MTV was involved. There was/is a “live” record. All likely expertly mixed and mastered. The truth is we do not really know if anything was added (or subtracted) involving the FOH mix, or later.
Oingo Boingo were, as many eighties bands using a lot of technology mostly via synthesizers. Backing tracks were used. They got some bass sound on records using a traditional bass mic’d or DI adding a Moog.
In the late sixties, The Moody Blues used a melotron to replicate massed strings. The Beatles used a melotron as well. Those flutes opening “Strawberry Fields”? Melotron. Later the Fairlight entered the recording scene. The Linn drum machine was used pretty extensively. Hit “Jack and Diane” uses a Linn. Jeff Porcaro put drums and percussion for “Africa” on a loop.
My point is, there’s a meme developing dividing music into good…no effects no gimmicks just a pristine live and recorded world and “evil”…faked, auto tuned, trickery in live and recorded performances.
Danny Elfman is a terrific singer. Oingo Boingo is a superb band. I wasn’t there that night but what we are hearing on the video is suspiciously a bit too perfect. The Ritz (Webster Hall) has an excellent sound system. I have no doubt Oingo Boingo sounded great there.
Simple question?
Was the delay on his voice added “on the spot” at the board FOH or later when the sound was mixed in preparation for release via record or MTV?
Likely, it was applied that night.
Steve Lukather had a great quote to the effect that technology is great as another “tool” for musicians when used by creative people who know what they are doing.
Trust me, they sounded that amazing IRL. It wasn't just bc of post-editing or the mixing board. Oingo Boingo was famous for being a vintage style big band orchestra and avant garde street performers as the Mystic Knights back before they ever became a rock band, so they were all incredible musicians with years of experience. I just kind of laughed the entire time I was watching the video because this guy just discovered Oingo Boingo and it blew his mind, and this isn't even early OB where the band is playing faster, even more prog rock and ska inspired material and playing Balinese gongs. I especially love his bewildered commentary on John Avila, bass player extraordinaire. John would probably fly like a bird if he wasn't weighed down by his instruments.
@@rosenyne I agree with you they were a great band. One of my favorites. However, I think you may be missing my point.
I am commenting about the “sound” on the video here, not the performance.
This was part of a TV series, “MTV Live at the Ritz” what is heard here, is a carefully recorded and mixed and mastered sound. Not raw recorded sound. It is “too perfect” too balanced. This is not likely exactly as heard were you in the audience.
There’s an earlier “rougher” version with lots of crowd noise. For eg Bartek’s opening guitar is edgier not as clean.
Other MTV “live from the Ritz” videos here also are “too clean, too balanced” and as one who posted the GnR show noted “heavily compressed” for You Tube. The concerts likely had to be compressed for radio (WLIR) and MTV.
Again, I am referencing “sound” not performance.
Just stumbled on this. A friend inSoCal was psyched about this band called the Mystic Knights Of The Oingo Boingo and their insane theatrical shows. By the time I moved back to the Bay Area, I heard Danny on a local college radio talking about their new EP and shortened name. He did many interviews at Foothill College. I was a huge fan from 1980, and saw them many times until they split in the early 90’s. I most like their first 3 albums, by Deadman’s Party they were getting commercial, and slowly lost their way as many do. They built those gourd percussions for their second LP. One of the best live bands ever.
And not to forget, no fckn phones in audience👏🏻👍🏻✌🏻
I saw Oingo Boingo at the Ritz in 1985 - no idea if it was this this date or not - but they were renowned for their live performances. Even so, they were not super popular - more of a niche band, and among my cohorts in high school there were maybe 10 of us who were into them. The Ritz is not a large venue by any stretch. Iconic? absolutely! but it was a very far cry from Madison Square Garden. I think the clip I watched was about 30 minutes long, but I can attest that the show I saw, they played for close to three hours, with quite a few encores and they were thoroughly sweaty and completely (though very happily!) exhausted when they finally left the stage.
Anyway, I can say with all honesty that it is SO depressing to me that you think it is so extra special: that a band actually knows how to play their instruments, that they can actually sing, that they can put their hearts into the performance and engage with the audience in a personal way...all of that. Hell, I saw Slayer a few years ago on their farewell tour - they were borderline geriatric at that point - and they still killed it. With none of the "assists" you are talking about. What - are you guys only listening to Taylor Swift or something? I have a feeling there are plenty of good live bands out there, but you HAVE TO GO SEEEEEEE THEM. Smaller venues have always been better. Get out and about - you might be surprised at what you find.
As a matter of fact, the majority of 80’s bands didn’t wear earpieces. SoftCell, Human League, haircut 100, Fear, Gary Numan… the greats. They didn’t need extra stuff, voice enhancements, a lap top with all the beats and sounds, etc. All of us growing up in the 80’s are still loyal to their good music….
Bop till ya drop and shank till ya ranks… KEEP SKA ALIVE!!!
"The guy...". THE GUY?!?! A goddam genius and you call him "the guy." Good lord man. One of the top 3 live acts of all time. Welcome to the rabbit hole man.
maybe the problem today is that some musicians just aren't putting in the work to get to the talent level of the musicians in Oingo Boingo. There is no easy way to be really good. No musician ever should be using Auto tune for anything, studio or live. Work on your vocal skills, or give up the mic. So many bands today have no clue how to perform. They are generic and boring.
I have so many great memories with Oingo Boingo. I was lucky enough to see when I was in the Marine Corps live around 87 at San Diego State. They played so hard and fast the drummer passed out. I was all into New Wave music then and Dead Man’s Party whenever I see or hear them. Of course the Bass Player stole the show. We rock. Thanks for the video
This guy has more salt and pepper than I do, yet he's surprised out how good Oingo Boing is and talks as if he's never heard of them?! That band is absolutely legendary and were huge in the New Wave scene! And the bass player is the equally legendary John Avila.
I don't always like to The Police but when I do, it's Oingo Boingo. It wasn't The Police that drove me into punk and ska, these lovely lads. Back in their day OB was the truest of way alternative (should've) represented.
I recall thinking how much they sounded as good as their albums back at the Greek Theatre, in the summer of 1984. I am sorry he chose Dead Man's Party to make his point but understand why: it is a lot more cogent and less complicated rhythmically with basically "subservient/augmenting horn lines" as opposed to the first three albums which had complex rhythms and interacting/interweaving horns that did more than just play highlights. Otherwise, pretty good points here but a bit obvious. He makes a big deal about Danny using his finger on his ear to hear the frequency of his intonation as being the "First time he has done this." Really? He does make great compliments about the bass player jumping about but that is hardly unique. Too bad he does not include examples far more indicative of their musical talent like again, on the earlier albums, specifically the first two.
Bassist John Avila had just joined the band around 1985 and (I believe) was the youngest member. He definitely brought new energy!
You are not- by any stretch of the imagination - a young man. How is all of this so amazing to you? This is how live music was for decades - DURING your lifetime.
Having said that, it's adorable when folks discover the wonders of Oingo Boingo for the first time.
Johnny Vatos is a tight drummer. He'd screw with Danny by obviously slowing down songs. Most of the time he was probably a bit fast. So much they would run through their playlist on New Year's Eve and have to play a few songs to fill time before midnight. I heard 'Heard It Through the Grapevine' a few times. The horn section played other percussion instruments throughout concerts. Steve Bartek is always tight on guitar. His solos are so eclectic. He does the arranging for Danny's movie scores. Yes, I'm a fan.
saw them every year or more in the 80s. went to their farewell concert. they were HUGE in so cal. oddly, not so much even in no cal. i went to berkeley and people would be like "i know oingo boingo. dead man's party." and you just knew they didn't really know. OB were so connected to the audience. when danny elfman did nightmare before christmas at the hollywood bowl, we were going and i told my boyfriend they'd play an OB song and he didn't believe me. and sure enough, opened with dead man's party. worse sounding dead man's party but i didn't care. love them so much. a friend who worked at Sam Goody's told us that they'd have to pretend to have preorders for OB because corporate ordered and distributed evenly to all stores (mind boggling to me as i once worked in DVD allocating initial shipments for studios and that's a great way to waste money).
There are a lot of important qualities to being an artist; you don't have to be a good performer to have good music, so long as you are good with composing. You don't need to be a good singer; Bob Dylan isn't much of a singer, he's a songwriter, he has good lyrics and that's enough. Being a sick performer like Oingo Boingo is a skill. Turns out they also have amazing writing behind them too. The problem comes when there is no performance value, no compositional value, no lyrical value. There's nothing there. Before digital music took off, everyone was at least held to the standard of performing live. New artists who make music digitally and aren't performers (myself included) can have good music, but it's not required. There is no safety net.
Ween doesn't use backing tracks or autotune in 2023.
this type of live show was also something awesome i got to experience from another amazing band.... A Silver Mount Zion. I highly recommend checking them out. amazing. but very much not pop.
Danny Elfman is the most important person in music of the past century. He has touched more souls than anyone could have ever dreamed. He is everywhere. he did it all in stealth. There is nobody that is more music. AI will never capture the soul of danny elfman. Congratulations for trying. Danny didn't break the rules - he made them.