Released July 26, 1983 Release date 26 July 1983 Label A&M Records | Length 41:42 | |
Recorded Baby O Recorders and Crystal Industries, January 1983 - June 29, 1983 Similar Oingo Boingo albums, Ska albums |
Good for Your Soul is the third album by Oingo Boingo, released in 1983. It was the band's last album to be released on A&M Records. It was produced by Robert Margouleff. The record continues the unorthodox arrangements that the band had become known for, while moving in a softer direction than their previous work.
Contents
Music
Frontman Danny Elfman had become tired of fans' and critics' expectations that he consistently write high energy, fast-paced songs, as well as his frequent use of falsetto in his singing, and therefore decided to bring a new level of diversity to the songwriting of the album. The songs "Fill the Void" and "Nothing Bad Ever Happens" are particularly significant for showcasing the band's African and ska influences and well as Elfman's change in vocal style. The subject matter of the lyrics is also darker in Good For Your Soul than on previous releases, such as themes of the supernatural in "Dead or Alive" and the warped love ballad "Pictures of You".
Several pieces were recorded as demos but omitted from the final track listing and remain officially unreleased, including "All the Pieces," "Waiting for You," "I Can't Pretend" and "Freak Show." One outtake, "Lightning," was resurrected for Danny Elfman's So-Lo. The song "Lost Like This" was also written and recorded during these sessions, but did not surface until many years later on the 1994 album Boingo with a new orchestral arrangement. The brief instrumental track "Cry of the Vatos," named after drummer Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez, contains a back-masked message jokingly promoting Christianity to its listeners.
Track listing
All tracks written by Danny Elfman.
Personnel
The liner notes from Good For Your Soul also state:
Original Instruments: Leon SchneidermanHorn Arrangements: Steve BartekAll Horn Solos by Sluggo and DaleAdditional horns on "Vatos," "Dead or Alive" and "Wake Up" by Miles Anderson and Mario GuarneriHarmonica on "Sweat" by Jimmie WoodTrivia
Songs
1Who Do You Want to Be3:34
2Good for Your Soul3:16
3No Spill Blood3:42