Search - Danny Elfman :: Forbidden Zone: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Elfman's First Soundtrack

Solo Goodspeed | Granada Hills, CA United States | 03/04/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...... and in many ways, still one of his best. It is just so sad that the only place you can find the film this music is from is either Ebay or the odd cult sections of random video renters.Before the band Oingo Boingo, Danny Elfman and his brother Richard founded The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, which was more of a theatrical troupe than a straight ahead band. It has even been said that the very band was formed as part of Richard Elfman's film project. To watch these guys (and girls) do their thing was like watching an NC-17 rated Betty Boop cartoon on acid, a totally rude and hilariously brilliant musical performance experience. The film "The Forbidden Zone" is/was the only cinematic testament to the existence of this wonderfully weird ensemble, which Maestro Danny evolved into the better known new wave big band Oingo Boingo when the brothers parted ways.One can get sort of an idea as to the energy of this lost treasure of a film from the soundtrack selections. A highlight is Danny's take on Cab Calloway in Minnie the Moocher, which was a staple of the Mystic Knights' original performances. Another is actress Susan Tyrell's performance of "Witch's Egg", which she also penned the lyrics for. There are also the wonderful instrumental intervals, which range from punchy funky cartoonish to surprisingly beautiful (the blatantly Satie-ish love theme), and of course the title theme, the style of which was to determine the rock direction of Boingo.It is tempting to delve further into this album and cover more of the film it is from, but there is not much point if the film isn't even available. At least we still have the music. An interesting thing to do is to compare the material on this disc to the soundtrack of "The Nightmare Before Christmas"; not surprisingly, a lot of similarities find their way out of these two otherwise different-as-night-and-day Elfman outings. But then, that's always been a strength of his, this chamelion-like tendency in music. One can't help but hope that he's got another musical or two in store for us on his own, dark personal project board.In the meantime, cross your fingers (and maybe even start a petition or two) for the imminent release of "The Forbidden Zone" on DVD."

Danny Elfman's "Forbidden Zone" an avant-garde homage...

Darkman726@AOL.com or Kyle Beach | Indiana, United States | 07/07/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Richard Burton's 1980 film "Forbidden Zone" was an avant-garde homage to pre-production code Max Fleishcer cartoons. He called upon his brother Danny, of the soon-to-be-legendary (Mystic Knights of) Oingo Boingo to score the film, and write the songs of the musical. He was allowed only two weeks for the task. The maddening, frenetic pace of working within such a time constraint is apparent with the inherent genius of the songs. Danny himself has a cameo in the film as Satan, presented here as a big band leader a la' Cab Calloway. This album is not only a must for Oingo Boingo and Danny Elfman fans alike, but for fans of cult cinema, and anyone with a wild streak in them."

An excellent soundtrack for a hilarious movie

Skye Knighton | Los Angeles, CA United States | 06/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that this soundtrack is just as good as his today shows what a bargain Richard got him for. Amazingly, Richard himself still has a few copies of the film available from his website (I got one myself). The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo make their stunning appearance with Danny Elfman as Satan, along with a musical number.The music itself varies from insane to moving, as he puts songs appropriately with the scenes. He took a song off this album for his "Music for a Darkened Theater Vol. 1" the Love Theme. This is still my favorite from this album, but the other songs deserve their due.The title theme fits the movie well, but stands well on its own. If you saw the Dilbert TV show, you'll recognize it: they are the same song.And the aforementioned "Alphabet Song" is a classic. Once you see the movie, you'll know why its so catchy!"