So-Lo

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So-Lo
Studio album by
Danny Elfman
ReleasedNovember 1984
RecordedApril 1983; July 1984
StudioGround Control (Santa Monica)
Genre
Length38:34
LabelMCA
ProducerDanny Elfman, Steve Bartek, Paul Ratajczak
Danny Elfman chronology
So-Lo
(1984) 		Big Mess
(2021)
Oingo Boingo chronology
Good for Your Soul
(1983) 		So-Lo
(1984) 		Dead Man's Party
(1985)
Singles from So-Lo
  1. "Gratitude / Tough As Nails"
    Released: 1984

So-Lo is the debut studio album by American musician Danny Elfman, released in 1984 by MCA Records. Recorded primarily by Elfman,[1] but also featuring the members of his band, Oingo Boingo, it was recorded when Elfman was offered a solo contract with MCA after the band had been dropped from I.R.S. Records.[2] The album marked the band's last release to feature bassist Kerry Hatch and keyboardist Richard Gibbs.

Background

So-Lo was produced during a hiatus for Oingo Boingo, following the departure of Hatch and Gibbs. Elfman described the album as "a chance to experiment with slower tempos"[3] and added that "it was fun to do some ballads and try to snap out of that image that a lot of people have of me just writing real fast (...) tunes."[1]

While much of the instrumentation features synth programming from Elfman, Oingo Boingo's remaining members all performed on the album,[1] with Flea of the then-recently formed Red Hot Chili Peppers providing "additional bass guitar". The track "Lightning" had been recorded in 1983 for Good For Your Soul[citation needed] while Hatch and Gibbs were still with the band.

Despite rumors at the time of the band breaking up, Elfman later stated that So-Lo was "not made out of frustration" and that he was more committed to the group than ever before.[1] However, a 1987 article published in BAM magazine, in which Elfman was interviewed about the band's past, suggested that Oingo Boingo had in fact considered disbanding in 1984.[4]

In 2020, Oingo Boingo guitarist Steve Bartek stated that So-Lo was "mostly a band record", but that MCA "wasn't particularly interested" in Oingo Boingo and so had signed Elfman as a solo artist. However, Elfman wanted to continue the band and convinced MCA to change his recording contract to Oingo Boingo following the release of So-Lo.[2]

Release

Original vinyl and cassette releases contained an alternate, earlier mix of the opening song, "Gratitude". Among other differences, this 5:04 mix included a spoken verse cut from all other versions; this was also the version used on the soundtrack to the film Beverly Hills Cop (1984).[5] The original CD release contained the full 5:12 album mix.

The missing verse is as follows:

I used to eat people like you for breakfast
I used to fly, high up in the sky
I used to chew up rocks and spit out gravel
I had a heart as cold as ice

This verse was retained for live performances of the song, sometimes with slightly different lyrics,[6][7] and was also featured on the re-recording of the song for Boingo Alive in 1988.

The 12-inch single release for "Gratitude" used a shorter 4:42 mix, parenthetically named the "Short Version", and the accompanying music video featured an even shorter 4:08 edit. Confusingly, CD releases erroneously titled the 5:12 album mix as the "Short Version", while later vinyl reissues replaced the album mix with the 12-inch "Short Version".

In 2014, So-Lo was reissued on CD by Varèse Sarabande, with one bonus track.[8] In 2022, a remaster was issued by Rubellan Remasters as an expanded edition CD with five bonus tracks, as well as a colored vinyl LP.[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Danny Elfman

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Gratitude" (5:04 early vinyl & cassette; 4:42 "Short Version" on later issues)5:12
2."Cool City"3:26
3."Go Away"4:00
4."Sucker for Mystery"5:15
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."It Only Makes Me Laugh"4:03
2."The Last Time"4:07
3."Tough as Nails"4:35
4."Lightning"3:44
5."Everybody Needs"3:50
Total length:38:34
2014 CD bonus track
No.TitleLength
10."Gratitude (Single Edit)" (Video Edit)4:08
2022 CD bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
10."Gratitude (Original Version)"5:05
11."Gratitude (Extended Dance Version)"6:44
12."Gratitude (Single Version)"4:04
13."Gratitude (Tornado Version)"7:02
14."Gratitude (Short Version)"4:47

Personnel

"The Cast"

Additional musician

  • The liner notes on some versions (including the 2014 CD reissue) list "Special Thanx" to "Michael Flea for his extra bass work."

Technical

  • Steve Bartek – co-producer, arrangements
  • Danny Elfman – co-producer, arrangements
  • Paul Ratajczak – co-producer, engineer
  • Spozzi the "Spazz" – assistant engineer
  • Laura Engel – production assistant
  • Greg Fulginiti – mastering
  • Georganne Deen – art direction, illustration
  • Aaron Rapoport – photography

References

  1. ^ a b c d Willman, Chris (1985-01-03). "Oingo Boingo's Elfman Tries a 'So-Lo' Album". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. ^ a b Bartek, Steve (October 18, 2020). "Richard Blade interviews Oingo Boingo Former Members". YouTube. Richard Blade. Event occurs at 42m 13s. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  3. ^ The Elfman Zone - Denver Post Article 1986
  4. ^ Darling, Cary (5 May 1987). "Oingo Boingo's Difficult Teenage Years". BAM.
  5. ^ Beverly Hills Cop I 07. Danny Elfman - Gratitude
  6. ^ Oingo Boingo - Gratitude - Universal Amphitheatre 1993.01.16
  7. ^ Boingo at The Palace-Gratitude
  8. ^ "Danny Elfman's 'So-Lo' album reissued on CD after more than a decade out of print". Slicing Up Eyeballs. December 11, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Duquette, Mike (November 4, 2022). "Rubellan Puts Flesh N' Blood Into Next Wave of Oingo Boingo Reissues on CD, Vinyl (UPDATED PRE-ORDER LINKS)". The Second Disc. Retrieved November 5, 2022.