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.
Title
Length
1.
"Gratitude" (5:04 early vinyl & cassette; 4:42 "Short Version" on later issues)
