Despite starting out as a musical theater troupe, the Los Angeles-based group Oingo Boingo managed to transition into a new wave band that would go on to be regarded as a band that'd have great influence on other future generations of musicians. Initially formed under the name of The Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo in 1972 by Richard Elfman and a revolving cast of musicians/performers, the band would play an extremely eclectic style of music ranging from Russian ballet music to Balinese gamelan material. The group would oftentimes have as many as 15 musicians on stage playing up to 30 different instruments. As Elfman's interest began to shift toward film-making, control of the group would be handed over to his younger brother Danny, who would steer the group toward becoming a solidified rock band. Shortening its name to simply Oingo Boingo, the group released its debut album, Only a Lad, in 1981 and the LP would go on to receive favorable reviews. Throughout the 1980s the band becamee a recognizable staple of the new wave scene with popular singles like "Dead Man's Party" and "Weird Science." Oingo Boingo called it quits in 1995.
