Dead Man's Party is the fifth album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1985 by MCA Records. The album contains the only two singles by the band to chart on the Billboard Hot 100: "Weird Science" at number 45, and "Just Another Day" at number 85. The album was the band's first to be certified gold for sales of 500,000 units. The album cover art is a homage to the Mexican holiday Día de Los Muertos.
Composition Elfman stated that he wrote the album's lead single, "Weird Science", spontaneously in his car, after getting a call from director John Hughes about composing a song for his upcoming film of the same name. The song went on to become the band's most commercially successful single, which Elfman later regretted, as he believed it "just didn't feel like it was really a part of [the band's] repertoire".
Session outtakes include "Not My Slave" and "New Generation", both of which were released on the band's follow-up album, Boi-Ngo, in 1987.
Reception Allmusic rated the album three out of five stars, with reviewer Rick Anderson commenting: "The sound is still maybe just a bit too uptight and over-determined, but the horn charts are more focused and sophisticated, and Elfman has matured considerably as a lyricist."
According to an issue of the Oingo Boingo Fan Club newsletter, the song "Stay" became a hit in Brazil when it became the theme song for the Brazilian telenovela Top Model. That increased the popularity of the band in Brazil. The song became part of a Brazilian compilation album named "Stay".
Reissue In 2021, Rubellan Remasters issued a remastered version of Dead Man's Party on CD with seven bonus tracks.
Track listing
2021 CD bonus tracks
Charts Chart (1985–1986)PositionUS Billboard 20095Australia (Kent Music Report)65
Personnel
Oingo Boingo Danny Elfman – vocals, rhythm guitar John Avila – bass guitars, vocals Steve Bartek – guitars Mike Bacich – keyboards John Hernandez – drums, percussion Sam Phipps – tenor saxophone Leon Schneiderman – baritone saxophone, alto saxophone Dale Turner – trumpet, trombone
Technical Danny Elfman – co-producer Steve Bartek – co-producer Michael Frondelli – mixing Bill Jackson – engineer David Leonard – engineer, mixing ("Weird Science") Stuart Farusho – second engineer (recording) Paul Levy – second engineer (recording) Mike Kloster – second engineer (recording) Judy Clapp – second engineer (mixing) Charlie Pakkari – second engineer (mixing) Laura Engel – studio production assistant Wally Traugott – mastering Larry Vigon – art direction, design Jayme Odgers – art direction, photography Celeste Williams – clay figure creation
References