Dark at the End of the Tunnel
| Dark at the End of the Tunnel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 20, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | May 1989 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:46 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Danny Elfman, Steve Bartek, John Avila | |||
| Oingo Boingo chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dark at the End of the Tunnel | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Los Angeles Times | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Dark at the End of the Tunnel is the seventh studio album by American new wave band Oingo Boingo, released in 1990.
Music[edit]
Dark at the End of the Tunnel marked Oingo Boingo's move toward a more pure pop sound, eschewing the hyper, frantic style exemplified on previous records for a more mainstream, less formally innovative approach, with an emphasis on emotional, positive lyrics.[1][2]
By the time of the album's recording, frontman Danny Elfman had become a famed film composer, particularly in collaboration with Tim Burton. Two tracks on the album had previously emerged on movie soundtracks: an early recording of "Try to Believe" first appeared as an instrumental during end credits of the 1988 film Midnight Run (scored by Elfman), and a vocal version, attributed to "Mosley & The B-Men", was released on the film's soundtrack album; similarly, a different mix of "Flesh 'N Blood" had first appeared in the 1989 film Ghostbusters II and on its soundtrack.[2]
"When the Lights Go Out" peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in March 1990.[4]
Artwork[edit]
The cover art of the album depicts a portion of a painting entitled "Volcano", by artist Peter Zokosky.[5]
A promotional version of the album was released on a vinyl picture disc, with one side featuring the album cover and the other side featuring a color photograph of the band.
Reissue[edit]
In 2022, Rubellan Remasters announced that they would be issuing a remastered version of Dark at the End of the Tunnel on both colored vinyl and CD, the latter as an expanded edition with four bonus tracks.[6]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Danny Elfman
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "When the Lights Go Out" | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Skin" | 4:43 |
| 3. | "Out of Control" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Glory Be" | 5:03 |
| 5. | "Long Breakdown" | 4:39 |
| 6. | "Flesh 'N Blood" | 4:19 |
| 7. | "Run Away (The Escape Song)" | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Dream Somehow" | 4:39 |
| 9. | "Is This" | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Right to Know" (CD/cassette exclusive bonus track) | 3:58 |
| 11. | "Try to Believe" | 4:33 |
| Total length: | 47:46 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Out of Control (Funky Vocal Mix)" | 7:15 |
| 13. | "Flesh 'N Blood (Extended Version)" | 5:39 |
| 14. | "Try to Believe ("Midnight Run" Soundtrack Version)" | 4:18 |
| 15. | "Out of Control (Power Mix)" | 4:20 |
Personnel[edit]
Oingo Boingo
- Danny Elfman – vocals
- John Avila – bass guitar, vocals
- Steve Bartek – guitars
- Carl Graves – keyboards, vocals
- Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez – drums, percussion
- Sam Phipps – tenor and soprano saxophones
- Leon Schneiderman – baritone sax
- Dale Turner – trumpet
Additional musicians
- Bruce Fowler – trombone
- Ralph Grierson – piano
- Kenny Kotwitz – accordion
- Brian Mann – accordion
- Yvonne S. Moriarity – French horn
- Maxine Waters – additional vocals ("Try to Believe")
- Julia Waters – additional vocals ("Try to Believe")
Technical
- Chris Lord-Alge – mixing
- Talley Sherwood – second engineer
- Bill Jackson – engineer
- Jeff Lord-Alge – engineer
- Jim Scott – additional engineering
- Csaba Petocz – additional engineering
- Brian Soucy – assistant engineer
- David Cragin – studio assistant
- Greg Fulginiti – mastering
- Vartan – art direction
- DZN, The Design Group – design
- Dennis Keeley – photography
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Dark at the End of the Tunnel". AllMusic. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ a b c Willman, Chris (February 25, 1990). "Oingo Boingo Dark at the End of the Tunnel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 518.
- ^ "Oingo Boingo". Billboard.
- ^ "The Artwork of Peter Zokosky: Paintings".
- ^ 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.
