Only a Lad is the full-length debut album by Oingo Boingo, following their self-titled EP. The album's musical arrangements, by vocalist Danny Elfman and guitarist Steve Bartek, complete the group's switch from cabaret act to New Wave band (see Oingo Boingo - The Mystic Knights Years). Only a Lad features complex and frequently changing time signatures and keys, often incorporating harmonies borrowed from jazz and 20-century classical music, all hallmarks of Elfman's songwriting.
The album's success was somewhat limited, but, largely due to the backing of Los Angeles radio station KROQ, the album established Oingo Boingo as a permanent fixture in the Southern California music scene.
The National Review Online called "Capitalism" one of the "50 greatest conservative rock songs."[1]
"Only a Lad" is a playable track on the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.
On the cover of the album, if one looks closely at Johnny's (the "Lad's") shirt, one would see the image of the cat drawn by Louis Wain that appeared on the cover of the Oingo Boingo (EP)
Track listing
| # |
Title |
Length |
| 1. |
"Little Girls" |
3:44 |
| 2. |
"Perfect System" |
3:46 |
| 3. |
"On the Outside" |
3:39 |
| 4. |
"Capitalism" |
3:40 |
| 5. |
"You Really Got Me" |
4:40 |
| 6. |
"Only a Lad" |
3:56 |
| 7. |
"What You See" |
3:43 |
| 8. |
"Controller" |
3:24 |
| 9. |
"Imposter" |
2:59 |
| 10. |
"Nasty Habits" |
4:06 |
Musical
In 2006, Andrew Loschert wrote a musical play entitled Only a Lad.[2] The play was premiered at the 10th Annual New York International Fringe Festival and ran from August 11 to 27, 2006.
The play takes place in 1984, and is about a young man named Johnny who gets in a fight over a girl named Mary, accidentally killing someone in a drunken rage. His lawyer claims in court that he is not guilty due to mental defect - society made him do it. Despite the defense being accepted in the court, Mary wants Johnny to stand up for what he did and take responsibility.
References
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Oingo Boingo |
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Compilation albums |
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| EPs |
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