mystic knights of gratitude

Most people realise that before he became one of the most respected and well-known composers of modern cinema, Danny Elfman had already lived a full and moderately succesful life. The son of novelist Blossom Elfman, he was born May 29, 1953 in Amarillo, Texas; raised in Los Angeles, he and brother Richard relocated to France in 1971, where he joined and toured extensively with the avante-guard theater troupe, Grand Magic Circus. Elfman subsequently moved on to Africa, returning to the US only after battling a bout with malaria; he then reunited with Richard, who had directed the 1980 film The Forbidden Zone and asked Danny to compose the score (as well as act the role of Satan). Assembling a band dubbed the Mystic Knights of Oingo Boingo, Elfman recorded the movie's soundtrack; abbreviated to simply Oingo Boingo, the group remained a going concern following the project's completion, and released albums throughout the 80s- some had moderate success, including the theme to Weird Science. By the late 80s, Danny had struck up a friendship with director Tim Burton and the rest is history. Pee Wee, Simpsons, Batman, Beetlejuice, etc etc forever.

However, in 1984, unbeknownst to most people, Danny issued a solo album, called So Lo. Sonically, it may as well be an Oingo Boingo album. The highlight of the album is Gratitude, which eventually also ended up on the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack. Here is a fine remix...

Danny Elfman - Gratitude (Tornado Version)