четверг, 7 июня 2007 г.

Boney M – 1984 - Ten Thousand Lightyears




Boney M – 1984 - Ten Thousand Lightyears

Label: Ariola Eurodisc S.A.
Catalog#: I-206.200
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Spain
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: Electro, Disco

Tracklisting:

A1 Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001)
A2 Wild Planet
A3 Future World
A4 Where Did You Go
A5 10.0000 Lightyears
A6 I Feel Good
B1 Somewhere In The World
B2 Bel Ami
B3 Living Like A Moviestar
B4 Dizzy
B5 The Alibama
B6 Jimmy
B7 Barbarella Fortuneteller

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com

The first album featuring new member Reggie Tsiboe was released May 1984 but had originally been scheduled for release Autumn 1983 with another African adaption "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" released as the first single. The excellent new recording was driven by a heavy drum beat, loaded with percussion, handclaps, flutes and steeldrums with lead vocals by Farian and Liz, and backing vocals by Liz, Marcia and Reggie, but it was not what the fans wanted, and "Jambo" reached only a disappointing # 48 on the German charts. New songs were recorded, some were scrapped - among those "Jambo" and a cover version of Paul Simon's "Mother And Child Reunion" - and whereas the original concept of the album seemed to have been more in the vein of Boonoonoonoos, it had now evolved to a semi-concept science-fiction album instead. 10.000 Lightyears opened with "Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001)", a song that deliberately borrowed the guitar theme from "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" (which Farian had just recorded with Precious Wilson) and the chorus from Bob Marley's "Exodus" ... nonetheless, a fantastic recording with a sharp, clean, electronic rock sound, lots of sound effects and really taking Boney M. into the 1980s, with a story line of the world's population having to emigrate on Starship "Noah's Ark 2001" to a new and better world. On board the ship, they are welcomed by a mystery voice of the "Wild Planet", a bouncy, sci-fi, hi-NRG track. "Future World", a mid-tempo track with a heavy beat and a great chorus, expresses the hopes and expectations to this new and better world, 10,000 lightyears away. In the dreamy title track featuring angelic vocals by sisters Amy & Elaine Goff on the chorus, the narrator however is woken by the alarm clock to discover it was all just a wonderful dream. "Somewhere In The World", a beautiful mid-tempo song featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra, concludes this tale. With lead vocals by Liz and harmony vocals by Marcia, the song was also released on single, backed with "Exodus", to accompany the album. Alas, it peaked only at #49 in the German singles charts. The remaining songs were all but one original material. "Where Did You Go" was a classy adult ballad composed by Dietmar Kawohl. The irresistible hook to "I Feel Good" makes it a missed opportunity for a single release as does the final track, sung by Reggie, "Barbarella Fortuneteller". Many of the tracks on side 2 remain, although enjoyable, mostly filler tracks, like the joyous, brass-loaded "Bel Ami", the melancholic "Living Like A Moviestar" which was planned as the second, but never materialized, single off the album; the low-key "Alibama" and the 1982 re-recording of "Jimmy" which had been scheduled as the 3rd single off Boonoonoonoos, April 1982. The only cover version on the album was a re-make of "Dizzy", described as "a masterpiece for the disco scene, a teeny-flipper with a firework of technically polished tone tricks!" and a song about which Farian told in the promotional booklet: I couldn't get the thought out of my head to bring out a solo record with myself, but I simply didn't have the right song [...] In a short time a specially produced maxi single will be released with an extended club mix version, digitally recorded and mastered, with the song "Dizzy" by singer Frank Farian together with Sandy Davis. Sandy Davis also did the lead vocal of the demo version of "The Alibama" which - apparently by mistake - snuck out on the promotional LP release which featured different mixes of some of the songs, most notably "Future World" and "10.000 Lightyears", the latter even including an extra verse: 'Reality comes knocking at my door / I face the same obligations once more / Dreams took me 10.000 lightyears away / I'd give all I've got if that's where I could stay' which was cut off the commercial version. Although the LP reached #23 in the German charts, 10.000 Lightyears hardly charted elsewhere and failed to be a triumphant come-back for Boney M. despite being a highly enjoyable and diverse album. Liz Mitchell was now in focus even more, taking the lead on 11 out of 13 songs, it was ironic that Farian - now having three great singers in the group - didn't take advantage of those possibilities and proving that Boney M was more than just a plastic band as often critized those days by the press. Although Reggie sang lead on "Barbarella Fortuneteller", both he and Marcia were relegated to being backing singers only.

Boney M – 1981 - Boonoonoonoos


Boney M – 1981 - Boonoonoonoos
Label: Carrere
Catalog#: 67.815
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: France
Released: 1981
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Christian Kolonovits , Geoff Bastow , Giorgio Sgarbi , Harry Baierl , Stefan Klinkhammer
Bass - Dave King , Günther Gebauer
Drums - Curt Cress , Keith Forsey
Engineer - Tammy Grohe*
Guitar - Helmut Rulofs , Johan Daansen , Mats Björklund
Keyboards - Harry Baierl , Kristian Schultze , Max Greger Jr.
Orchestra - London Philharmonic Orchestra, The (tracks: A4)
Producer - Frank Farian
Saxophone - Dino Solera (tracks: A5, A6) , Tom Scott (tracks: A1, B5)
Notes: Contains a color Super-Poster.
Rating: No votes yet. Rate It
Submitted by: ZeldaZonk

Tracklisting:

A1 Boonoonoonoos (4:37)
A2 That's Boonoonoonoos / Train To Skaville / I Shall Sing (5:56)
A3 Silly Confusion (7:12)
A4 Ride To Agadir (5:09)
A5 Jimmy (3:52)
A6 African Moon (2:50)
B1 We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World) (6:28)
B2 Homeland Africa (Ship Ahoy) (4:20)
B3 Malaika (2:48)
B4 Consuela Biaz (3:50)
B5 Breakaway (3:45)
B6 Sad Movies (3:22)
B7 Goodbye My Friend (5:10)

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com

Boney M.'s 5th studio album had originally been planned for release November 1980. Several tracks had been recorded in the summer of 1980 in Nice, and two new tracks, "Children Of Paradise" / "Gadda Da Vida" were released as the intended flagship single in September. The singled reached #11 in Germany but Farian apparently was not completely satisfied with the material for the new album, and November didn't see the release of a new Boney M. LP. A new single was released instead, a cover version of Massara's 1979 South-European hit "Margherita (Love In The Sun)". In some countries, however, it was decided not to release the single since Massara's original version had already been a hit there - so it was not released in the UK, Spain or Italy and therefore didn't made it on the album too. With Farian deciding not to include the four songs that had been released on singles in the autumn, the album was once more postponed to record more material in the spring. One of the songs of these spring '81 sessions was a lovely rendition of the kisuaheli song "Malaika" with a beautiful acapella intro by Liz & Marcia in harmony. The mix used on the first pressings was rather low-key and finished with a key-change drums & claps part with the girls chanting "Malaika na kupenda malaika' before the song faded. It was remixed for the 12" single, and an edited, more up-beat version was used on the next pressings. It would be further edited for the resulting album, the LP versions being just 2:48 whereas a longer 3:27 mix was included on the MusiCassette and the 1994 CD re-issue. "Malaika" was another double-A-side single, and the other side was the story of "Consuela Biaz", somewhat reminiscent of "El Lute" with its pan flute part. Liz has named this one of her very best performances, and it's also favourite of many fans. The early pressings of the single featured Farian singing one line "Tell me, is our dream about to end?" before the second verse, but this was left out of later pressings. Just like "Malaika", "Consuela Biaz" was also edited for the LP on which a 3:50 mix was included, the MusiCassette contained a 4:36 mix. Strangely, the full-length 5:18 mix was only released on the French 12" single and the Hungarian 7" single! "Malaika" reached #13 in Germany, in Spain it climbed into the Top 10, but it was not released in the UK. In May, Boney M. flew to Jamaica to perform in a big benefit concert as well as to record a TV-special with their new, yet unreleased songs off the new album. The new Boney M. album was now finally completed and released along a new single on 1st September 1981 with the album finally being released 1st November 1981 with a different photo on the innersleeve. The edition was however immediately withdrawn since a huge picture on the innercover with Boney M. in the Ocho Rios waterfalls showcased Liz in all-soaked clothes. The new double-A-side single "We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)" c/w "Boonoonoonoos" marked a musical departure for Boney M. 'We Kill The World' was a song composed by Italians Giorgio & Giusella Sgarbi (who had also composed "Voodoonight" for Boney M.), it revealed a change in style with its rock-oriented beat and Marcia Barrett doing the edgy lead vocals. It was ingeniously coupled with a slow mid-tempo part "Don't Kill The World", written by Farian, which would be sung by a young boy Bryan Paul. The choir parts also featured the three La Mama ladies. "We Kill The World" did slightly better in Germany than "Malaika" had done, reaching #12. In Spain and South Africa, the single topped the charts but in general Boney M. suffered from the fact that Bobby was fired soon after the single and album were released, preventing them from promoting it properly. The album opens with the mysterious title track "Boonoonoonoos", a great mid-tempo track with a yearning melody line and beautiful harmony vocals by Marcia and Liz. It would effectively break into the joyous tongue'n cheek "Train To Skaville" jam with additional parts ("That's Boonoonoonoos") written by Farian & Rainer M. Ehrhardt. The track featured crazy rap parts by Bobby, thus making his debut on record. A spoken part by Maizie (also making her debut in the studio) "Ska ska ska Jamaica ska" which was used in the film they taped on Jamaica was not used in the final mix - it was a missed opportunity to actually have a track featuring all four members of Boney M. The last part of the medley was "I Shall Sing" with a barrel organ part before Liz sings the first verse to drum & claps only. The full-length 12:18 mix of the medley would only be available on the French limited edition double album set, an 11:14 mix was issued on the German 12" single and 2LP, and on some album pressings, whereas others featured a 10:35 mix which is also the one issued on the CD release. The next song "Silly Confusion" also took the sound of Boney M. into completely new territories. The 7-minutes, Giorgio Moroder-style opus was a dreamy, nearly psychedelic track. Frank Farian and Liz Mitchell took shares in the verses whereas Marcia did the vocals on the chorus. The vocals for this song had been recorded in Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Studio in Jamaica. The song suddenly breaks down into an experimental synthesizer part on which La Mama did the vocals, including an operatic finale! A very rare German LP-pressing features a somewhat different mix of the second part. The next track was also a musical tour-de-force, a cover version of Mike Batt's "Ride To Agadir", which was also one of the songs for which a dreamy video sequence was taped on Jamaica. It opens with an acapella part by Farian, soon joined in by Marcia & Liz in beautiful harmony before the music starts with a Pink Floyd-inspired, guitar-loaded beat with a grandiose orchestration by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (who also played on Mike Batt's original 1979 version). After this bombastic song, "Jimmy" opens with a simple guitar line with a sax theme. A nice little track, composed by Farian and guitar player Johan Daansen, sung by Liz who also co-wrote the lyrics with Brad Howell, the secret lead singer of Milli Vanilli some years later on. A more up-tempo version of "Jimmy" would be recorded in spring 1982, intended to be the third single off Boonoonoonoos but it was eventually not released before May 1984 when it was included on the 10.000 Lightyears album. Side 1 closes with the reggae title "African Moon", a track recorded in Nice in the summer of 1980, and also one of the 'dream' sequences taped on Jamaica with Boney M. sailing on rafts on a river. The LP mix was a 3-min. edit, the full-length 4:12 mix was only released on the Limited Edition 2LPs. The song was remixed for the B-side of the "Jambo" single 1983, and a fantastic 6:39 version with a long instrumental part was released on the accompanying 12" single. Side 2 opens with "We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)", followed by one of the 1980 recordings "Homeland Africa (Ship Ahoy)", a yearning track with a haunting, melancholic melody line with distant ghostly vocals by Liz, Marcia and Farian. It was also one of the dream sequences of the TV-special. The song was followed by the edited versions of the "Malaika" / "Consuela Biaz" single - (the very first album pressings featured a reverse running order: "Homeland Africa", "Consuela Biaz", "Malaika"), followed by "Breakaway", a lazy slow funk track with a lengthy jazzy sax solo, originally one of the tracks written by Kelvin James for Marcia Barrett's aborted solo project. Although it still featured Marcia's backing vocals, Farian had re-recorded the lead vocal by himself. The next song is a pleasant but forgettable version of "Sad Movies" with Liz Mitchell on lead vocals. More remarkable is the immensely sad closing track "Goodbye My Friend" with a troubadour-like verse, sung by Liz, about a soldier boy marching off for war, followed by tribal chant chorus. After the second chorus, there's a slow funeral marchdrum part with distant choir vocals (by Farian) before the chorus is finally repeated. Boonoonoonoos remains Boney M.'s very most ambitious album, a fantastic musical Caribbean-African fantasy ...There are numerous different pressings of the album, and worth seeking out are Limited Edition double-album sets released in Germany, France and the UK ofwhich the French 2LP includes the very longest version.

Boney M – 1979 - Oceans Of Fantasy






Boney M – 1979 - Oceans Of Fantasy

Label: Hansa
Catalog#: 200 888-320
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 1979
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Chr. Kolonovits* , K. Forsey* , M. Cretu* , St. Klinkhammer*
Artwork By [Art Direction & Design] - M. Vormstein
Artwork By [Illustration] - Jürgen F. Rogner
Bass - G. Unwin* , R. Besser*
Drums - K. Forsey*
Engineer - Fred Schreier , Michael Bestmann , Tammy Grohé
Guitar - M. Björklund* , N. Woodland*
Keyboards - M. Cretu*
Other [Prod. Assistant] - Rainer M. Ehrhardt
Photography - Didi Zill
Producer - Frank Farian
Saxophone [Alto] - Lisa Gordanier
Saxophone [Baritone] - Lance Burton
Saxophone [Tenor] - Bobby Stern
Trombone - Geoff Stradling
Trumpet - Jim Polivka , Scot Newton
Notes: Gatefold picture sleeve with inner 24" x 24" fold.
Tracks B1-B3 are listed on cover in order: B2, B3, B1

Special thanks to the Original Trinidad Steel And Showband

Recorded and mixed:
Europasound Studios (Friedrichsdorf)
Union Studio, Munich

Tracklisting:

A1 Let It All Be Music (5:33)
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Liz Mitchell , Marcia Barrett , Precious Wilson
Written-By - W.S. van Vugt*

A2 Gotta Go Home (3:45)
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Liz Mitchell , Marcia Barrett
Written-By - Farian* , Jay* , Huth* , Huth*

A3 Bye Bye Bluebird (4:47)
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Frank Farian
Written-By - Farian* , Jay* , Reyam*

A4 Bahama Mama (3:33)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Marcia Barrett
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Liz Mitchell
Written-By - Farian* , Jay*

A5 Hold On I'm Coming (4:05)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian
Lead Vocals [Featuring], Backing Vocals - Precious Wilson
Written-By - Porter* , Hayes*

A6 Two Of Us (3:18)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Marcia Barrett
Lead Vocals - Liz Mitchell
Written-By - Lennon* , McCartney*

A7 Ribbons Of Blue (2:01)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Marcia Barrett
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Liz Mitchell
Written-By - Forsey*

B1 Oceans Of Fantasy (5:26)
Effects [Special Sound Effects] - Ludwig Rehberg Jr.
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Frank Farian
Saxophone - Benny Gebauer , Dino Solera
Trombone - Georg Delagaye*
Trumpet - Etienne Cap , Karl Bartelmes , Walter Raab*
Written-By - Zill* , Kawohl* , Jay*

B2 El Lute (5:09)
Backing Vocals - Marcia Barrett
Lead Vocals - Frank Farian
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Liz Mitchell
Panpipes - Dino Solera
Written-By - Farian* , Jay* , Blum*

B3 No More Chain Gang (5:51)
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Liz Mitchell , Marcia Barrett
Written-By - Farian* , Jay* , Ehrhardt*

B4 I’m Born Again (4:08)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian
Lead Vocals - Liz Mitchell
Written By - Rulof
Written-By - Jay*

B5 No Time To Lose (3:26)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Liz Mitchell
Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals - Marcia Barrett
Written-By - Farian* , Jay* , Klinkhammer*

B6 Calendar Song (January, February, March...) (2:47)
Backing Vocals - Frank Farian , Marcia Barrett
Lead Vocals - Liz Mitchell
Written-By - Farian*

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com

After the enormeous success of Boney M.'s third album 'Nightflight To Venus' that spent 65 weeks on the UK charts, expectations were sky high to Boney M.'s fourth LP, and the release would also be postponed several times until finally seeing the light of day in September 1979. The album opens with 'Let It All Be Music', a disco-rock stomper with solo parts by Farian, Boney M. singers Liz Mitchell & Marcia Barrett, and Special Guest Star, Precious Wilson, who also delivered goosebumping finale, crying out on top of her lungs. Precious Wilson had just left Eruption for a solo career, and Farian thought that a showcase on a Boney M. LP provided the perfect showcase. 'Gotta Go Home' which was the flagship single with 'El Lute' as a double A-side, another frenetic disco track with oil drums as a hint to Boney M.'s Caribbean roots. Although both songs became hits, it was the first single in the UK (save 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump') that failed to reach the Top 10, peaking on #12. Mastermind Frank Farian had had severe problems with dancer Bobby Farrell who wanted to sing for real on the albums, and he would show off on this L.P. that the vocals of Boney M. were only done by himself, Liz Mitchell, and Marcia Barrett (the original L.P. even features track-by-track vocal credits), thus he even would duet with himself on 'Bye Bye Bluebird', a tight, funky disco track with flute and sax solos, singing with his falsetto harmonies versus his deep male voice. 'Bahama Mama' is a catchy, yet somewhat average disco track about Bahama Mama who has six daughters whom she can't get married, it was released as the second single back-to-back with 'I'm Born Again' and also released in an extended version on the 12" single. Next is Precious Wilson's first solo single, an excellent funky cover of 'Hold On I'm Coming' with Farian on the backing vocals. Farian was hoping that the inclusion on the album would support the single but it did disappointingly. 'Two Of Us' is a surprising reggae-ish version of one of the lesser known songs in The Beatles' catalogue before side 1 closes with one of Boney M.'s most romantic songs, the country-flavoured 'Ribbons Of Blue', penned by their drummer Keith Forsey. It had been issued earlier that year as the B-side of the non-album single 'Hooray Hooray It's A Holi-Holiday', but due to space limitations on the album, it is only a 2-min. edit version, sadly BMG missed to include the full 4-min. version on the CD.Whereas side 1 of the album is much dominated by a disco beat, side 2 is more diverse, opening with the magnificent title track, a funky, almost Earth Wind & Fire-esque opus. But there is a touch of bitterness asFrank Farian sings once more (like in Bye, Bye Bluebird) all the vocals himself! The ladies could have brought in these two songs for sure more a more drarmatic, vivid appeal into it. After the title track follows 'El Lute' (the first single), a beautiful mid-tempo song, somewhat reminiscent of ABBA's 'Fernando'. Strangely, this song was left off the album in favour of 'Hooray! Hooray!' on the South-American albums. The mood shifts on 'No More Chain Gang' with its heavy, monotonous drum beat and fat guitar riffs, after which the accordion intro of the next song 'I'm Born Again' is effectively surprising. This soft song with Liz Mitchell on the lead vocal was released in the fall of 1979 as the second single and was apparently thought as the ideal single for the Holiday season but in the UK, it reached only a disappointing #35. Marcia Barrett sings vibrantly the funky 'No Time To Lose' about her man being free again and coming home to her before the album closes with a Calypso flavoured version of a South African traditional, 'The Calendar Song', a song which is still popular today. Although 'Oceans Of Fantasy' isn't quite as magical as the previous 'Nightflight To Venus'-LP, it is still a bonafide album with an outstanding production and sound. It's a shame, though, that BMG hasn't made an effort to reproduce the stunning LP poster cover in the CD booklet. The album was also released on Picture Disc in Germany - fans should furthermore be aware that there exists three different Hansa pressings, the first one containing somewhat longer versions of nearly all the tracks.

Boney M – 1978 - Nightflight To Venus





Boney M – 1978 - Nightflight To Venus

Label: Hansa
Catalog#: 26 026 OT
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Germany
Released: 1978
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By - Christian Kolonovits , Johan Daansen , Mats Björklund , Michael Cretu , Stefan Klinkhammer
Artwork By [Design] - Dengler/Kohlmeier
Engineer - Fred Schreier , Hartmut Pfannmüller , John Lund , Tammy Grohé
Photography - Didi Zill

Notes: As usual the Boney M LP came with fake timings. There are 4 pressings of this LP. The most significant difference is the length of Nightflight To Venus. On the very first (and impossible to find) German pressing it was 7:09 min., the second pressing was 5:55 min., the third 4:58 min. & the final and most common 4:46 min. The timings given here are for the fourth pressing.

Tracklisting:

A1 Nightflight To Venus (4:58) Written-By - D. Kawohl* , F. Farian* , F. Jay*
A2 Rasputin (5:50) Written-By - F. Farian* , F. Jay* , Reyam*
A3 Painter Man (3:17) Written-By - E. Phillips* , K. Pickett*
A4 He Was A Steppenwolf (6:51) Written-By - F. Farian* , F. Jay* , S. Klinkhammer*
A5 King Of The Road (2:35) Written By - Burlington , R. Miller
B1 Rivers Of Babylon (4:18) Written-By - Dowe* , F. Farian* , Reyam* , McNaughton*
B2 Voodoonight (3:31) Written-By - Sgarbi*
B3 Brown Girl In The Ring (4:00) Written-By - F. Farian*
B4 Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night (5:33) Written-By - F. Jay* , K. Forsey* , M. Bjorklund*
B5 Heart Of Gold (4:00) Written-By - N. Young*

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com

This 10+ million selling album was one of the best-sellers from 1978, rivalled only by 'Saturday Night Fever'. Although Boney M. was always considered a disco act, and this album was released at the height of the disco fever, 'Nightflight To Venus' - containing no less than 4 UK Top 10-hits - is actually so much more than just another disco record; this album takes Boney M. into a wonderworld of fantasy ... the mysterious title track opens with a robot voice inviting the listener on a night flight to Venus on board the starship Boney M., breaking into a hypnotizing drum beat with space effects, a catchy guitar riff, suddenly changing into a military march theme, and then back to the basic beat, while the robot voice continues with technical details on the voyage to Venus ... the very first and LP-pressing contains a 7:00 version (also telling about "Moon City" and the cool-down of Venus' atmosphere from 450 degrees to the current pleasant 75 degrees), but that edition - which also featured a poster - was quickly withdrawn, and is very hard to find. A second edition was released, and the title theme had been edited to a 5:55 version, a superior mix and arguably the best version. It was once again edited to 4:58, released in several countries, and then finally Farian settled on a 4:46 version which is the most common mix, and also the one that was released on the CD re-issue. 'Nightflight To Venus' flows nicely into the next tale, the story of 'Rasputin', 'Russia's greatest love machine', an edit of which was the second single off the album, and a huge hit everywhere but in the US. A gorgeous piece of a disco theme with its kitchy kozak parody and not least Farian's concluding 'Oh those Russians!' ... the full-length 6:39 version was only released on the withdrawn first pressing of the album but it also snuck out on a few British pressings. Boney M.'s two previous albums had proved that they could do the least expected cover versions, and covering psychedelic UK band Creations 'Painter Man' in a raunchy guitar-loaden rock stomper was no exception to the rule! In Germany, the song was put on the B-side of 'Rasputin', but in the UK, it was released as a single by itself and reached the UK Top 10, February 1979, and it remains a very popular Boney M. track. Then starts the strange tale of the lonesome 'Steppenwolf' man, a 7-minute-piece – and incident or not, very similar to the Temptation classic "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" – with a heavy dragging beat, dramatic string orchestration, haunting echo-laden trumpets, and the two Boney M. divas Liz Mitchell & Marcia Barrett singing in unison in a cold staccato. Marcia Barrett leads a wonderful mid-tempo disco version of 'King Of The Road' that nicely rounds off side 1, a small gem of a recording! Side 2 opens with the first single off the album, 'Rivers Of Babylon' which was a landslide of a single, and actually the best-sold single in Britain just next to Paul McCartney & Wings' 'Mull Of Kintyre'. Boney M.'s adaption of this traditional proved pure magic, the 7" kept the top spot of the UK charts for 5 weeks and gave the group their only US #30-hit. In the US, this was also released in a 7:15 extended version, featuring a small impro part by Liz Mitchell, unavailable elsewhere. Just as the single was dropping out of the UK Top 20, DJ's started playing the B-side which was an adaption of a Jamaican nursery rhyme 'Brown Girl In The Ring' ... and this calypso theme with Liz Mitchell's charming vocals and Marcia's answer-back 'tra-la-la's shot to the UK #3. 'Voodoonight' was a song that was released as an A-side in Japan, an eery mid-tempo disco song with a dark-voiced 'Voodoonight' chant. Every trace of kitsch is however wiped off with the sophisticated, mature 'Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night', elegantly arranged with Marcia Barrett on lead vocals. Sheer class, that's what it is, one of Boney M.'s best tracks ever, as is the closing track,Neil Young's 'Heart Of Gold'. Liz Mitchell & Marcia Barrett's voices blend wonderfully on the acapella intro, leading into a stunning interpretation which keeps true to the original spirit of the song, another piece of pure magic and a fitting end to Boney M.'s most successful album! This 1994 CD re-issue would have benefitted from enclosing their mega-selling 1978 Christmas single 'Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord' as a Bonus Track, as well as its B-side, the funky disco stomper 'Dancing In The Street' (with all vocals by producer Frank Farian) that was issued as an A-side in the U.S. to coincide with Boney M.'s first promotional tour statesides, Spring 1979 (although this never brought the group its much deserved breakthrough in the US). Also, one could wish that BMG had enclosed the innercover group photo from the original LP in the booklet as well as the postcard photos of the fab four individual members.

Boney M - 1977 - Love For Sale





Boney M - 1977 - Love For Sale

Label: Hansa
Catalog#: 28 888 OT
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: Germany
Released: 1977
Genre: Electronic
Style: Disco
Credits: Producer - Frank Farian
Notes: GEMA
LC 0835

Tracklisting:

A1 Ma Baker (4:10) Written By - Farian / Reyam / F. Jay
A2 Love For Sale (5:10) Written By - C. Porter
A3 Belfast (3:40) Written By - D. Deutscher / J. Ménke / J. Billsbury
A4 Have You Ever Seen The Rain (3:35) Written By - J. C. Fogerty
A5 Gloria, Can You Waddle (4:00) Written By - F. Farian / Reyam
B1 Plantation Boy (4:58) Written By - T. king / F. Jay
B2 Motherless Child (5:00) Written By - F. Farian / Mitchell
B3 Silent Lover (4:30) Written By - K. Forsey / F. Farian / F. Jay / Bjorklund
B4 A Woman Can Change A Man (3:34) Written By - F. Farian / F. Jay
B5 Still I'm Sad (3:42) Written By - S. Smith / McCarthy

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com

Opening with a snarling 'Freeze, I'm Ma Baker, put your hands in the air and gimme all your money', the album takes off with the story of gangster Ma Barker, whose name has had the 'R' erased for phonetic reasons, a rousing bass line along with the same gimmick percussion that was used in 'Daddy Cool' (the producer Frank Farian playing on his teeth with a pen and 'tick-tocking' orally), and a pounding, military disco beat, with hard-edged vocals by Marcia Barrett and Liz Mitchell answering back to the deep male voice (sung by Farian). The single topped the charts all over Europe, in the UK it was hold back from the top spot only by Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love'! Following 'Ma Baker' is the album title track, a sophisticated disco re-make of Cole Porter's classic, brilliantly and intriguingly arranged by Stefan Klinkhammer, who seems to grew over himself by re-arranging Jazz standarts. The song was also intended as the second single off the album; it was, however, decided to release 'Belfast' instead which was the first Boney M. single to feature lead vocals by Marcia Barrett. Farian at first wasn't too sure that this song suited a Boney M. album as the song thematising the Civil War in Northern Ireland, so the song had first been released in German by his other act Gilla. It was however a song that had been originally written for Marcia when she was a solo artist in the early 70s, so Farian added her version to the album in the last minute (There are test pressings of the album without it!) It became another Top 10-hit across Europe, including in the UK where it caused some controversy because of the lyrics. Liz Mitchell leads the next song, a cover version of Cleerance Clearwater Revival's 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain', with a charming Jamaican flavor to her vocals. Frank Farian takes the lead on the closing track of side 1, the disco stomping 'Gloria Can You Waddle' with backing vocals by Black Beauty Circus, the band who'd accompany Boney M. on their subsequent tour. Side 2 opens with a lovely mid-tempo-with-a-reggae-feel track 'Plantation Boy', then leading on to another surprising cover version, this time the gospel standard 'Motherless Child' turned into a 4/4 stomping disco hymn, and another highlight of the album with its complex musical arrangement, the unique sound of Liz Mitchell's lead vocal, and the chanting chorus. 'Silent Lover' is a wonderful, much underrated, funky gem with excellent, sexy and jazzy vocals by Marcia Barrett who sighs and pleads for her silent, secret lover to be there when she wants him ... Farian re-wrote his own 'Laß mir Zeit, dich zu lieben' into A Woman Can Change A Man', returning to the disco beat before a surprisingly eery, melancholic 'Still I'm Sad' featuring one of the most mesmerizing vocal performances by Liz Mitchell, closes the album.

Boney M - 1976 - Take The Heat Off Me


Boney M - 1976 - Take The Heat Off Me

Label: Hansa
Catalog#: 27 573 OT
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Germany
Released: 1976
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: Disco
Credits: Arranged By, Conductor - Stefan Klinkhammer
Producer - Frank Farian

Tracklisting:

A1 Daddy Cool (3:26) Written By - Farian / Reyam
A2 Take The Heat Off Me (4:46) Written By - Bigazzi
A3 Sunny (4:00) Written By - Hebb
A4 Baby Do You Wanna Bump (6:53) Written By - Zambi
B1 No Woman No Cry (4:59) Written By - Marley
B2 Fever (4:00) Written By - Davenport / Cooley
B3 Got A Man On My Mind (3:25) Written By - Farian / Jay
B4 Lovin' Or Leavin' (4:29) Written By - Farian / Jay

Codec: Lame 3.92
Quality: CBR, 320kbps, stereo

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Review by Søren Jensen http://rateyourmusic.com

Boney M.'s 1976 debut LP is a very well-crafted album. It opens with the sensational "Daddy Cool" which was the first 'real' Boney M. single, full of gimmicks, opening with Farian playing his teeth with a pen, as well as 'tick-tocking' orally. Producer Frank Farian's deep-voiced male part is answered back with fresh female vocals by Liz Mitchell & Marcia Barrett, and the driving beat, the simple and memorable lyrics and the catchy chorus proved the perfect combination for a hit! The second single off the album was a beautiful up-tempo cover version of "Sunny" in the typical Boney M sound with the two voices of Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett perfectly blending together and Liz Mitchell singing in a charming way the solo partitures of the song. Marcia Barrett takes her share of the lead vocals on two tracks that were in fact remixes of two songs that Farian had recorded the previous year in German with Gilla. Marcia, however, oozes with cool elegance on "Take the Heat off Me", whereas she really blasts off the roof on the closing track "Lovin' Or Leavin'", which is a storm of a song, a real funky powerhouse. An over-long version of the 1975 debut single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump? (Part I & II)" (with choir vocal overdubs by Liz & Marcia) closes side 1 but falls below the standard of the remaining titles. Farian had to remove this track off the albums distributed by Warner Bros. (the UK, the USA/Canada, Japan) since the single had been released by different labels, Creole Records in the UK and MAI Records in the US. Instead he included "Help Help", an extended remix of Gilla's hit single of the same name, including only Farian's falsetto and deep vocals. A re-make of one of Farian's own songs "Am Samstagabend" was turned into the incredibly charming reggae title "Got a Man on My Mind", lovingly sung by Liz Mitchell, who also takes the lead vocal on the two remaining cover versions: the sultry "Fever" and Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry" which remains one of the most popular Boney M. tunes to this day.

Boney M - English




Boney M
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Boney M. was a pop and disco group, comprised of four West Indian singers and dancers and masterminded by West German record producer Frank Farian, and who were successful during the 1970s. They sold nearly 150 million albums worldwide.

Boney M., with their bubble-gum infectious tunes, became one of the few Western groups at that time to become well-known outside of the West, including Africa, Arab countries, Iran, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the USSR. To this day, along with Swedish pop group ABBA, they are among the most widely known 1970s Western music acts in these regions.

History

Frank Farian recorded the single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?" in 1975, performing the sparse vocals of the song himself. Released under the name Boney M., it became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire a team of dancers and vocalists to 'front' the group, so it was created thereafter, and made up of four West Indian artists working in London, Germany and the Netherlands: singers Marcia Barrett and Liz Mitchell, model Maizie Williams, and DJ Bobby Farrell.

The line-up of the group went through numerous changes, Maizie Williams being the only original member that remained. Not satisfied with merely miming to Farian's songs, one of the members, Claudja Barry, left on short notice in February 1976 – days before the group was scheduled to appear on a local television gig in Saarbrücken. Liz Mitchell, then an unemployed singer and formerly a member of the Les Humphries Singers, was brought in as a temporary replacement for the gig, under the recommendation of Marcia Barrett. Farian was impressed with her performance, and she went on to record Boney M.'s first LP, Take The Heat Off Me, along with Marcia Barrett, who had already recorded some songs with Farian for the album; these were the title track, and "Lovin' Or Leavin'".

The commercial response to the album was lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs and even country fairs, to earn a reputation for themselves. The group's big break came when, at the end of that summer, music-TV-producer Michael 'Mike' Leckebusch of Radio Bremen, requested the group for his show Musikladen. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on September 18, 1976, after 10pm, in their now trademark daring costumes; by the end of the following week, "Daddy Cool" became Germany's #1 single in the charts. The album was to follow the success of the single.

In 1977, Boney M. released their second album Love for Sale, and this contained further hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". Neither Love for Sale nor Take The Heat Off Me did very well in the UK Album chart, due to their rather risqué covers. In 1978, Boney M. had their biggest year: they released a new single, "Rivers of Babylon", which became a massive-selling single all over Europe and #1 in the UK Singles Chart. It also became their most successful single in the United States of their five singles to make the Billboard Hot 100. "Rivers of Babylon" peaked at number 30 on the U.S. pop singles chart. Next came their biggest-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, which spawned a further single "Rasputin". Continuing with their success, they released "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord", which was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the UK. Also during 1978, Boney M. toured the Soviet Union.

The year 1979 saw Boney M. release their fourth album, Oceans Of Fantasy, containing two hit singles – "El Lute"/"Gotta Go Home" and "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama". The track "No More Chain Gang", one of a number of black freedom songs the group recorded, exemplified Boney M.'s mix of white and black music – the producer Farian is white, and the singers are black. They also released another hit single, "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday". In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, The Magic Of Boney M., which also contained two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See A Boat On The River". This album made the #1 spot in the UK, and was their last big UK-seller until "Boney M. Megamix" in 1992. American-born singer Madeleine Davis, who was one of the group's recording backing vocalists, replaced Liz Mitchell for live concerts, because Liz wished to promote her solo career, rather than join Maizie, Marcia and Bobby on stage. She appeared in the video, "The Summer Mega Mix" and became a member of Marcia / Maizie and Bobby's Boney M. for the single release "Everybody Wants To Dance Like Josephine Baker".

Despite his success with Boney M., controversy followed the group's founder, Frank Farian, in what was to foreshadow his fakery involvement with Milli Vanilli. Bobby Farrell – the male face of the group – and Maizie Williams contributed to studio recordings, but, for reasons only known to Farian, were apparently left off the final mixes, while their numerous and highly competent live performances from 1977 onwards were never in any doubt. Almost all of the male vocals, along with some of the choir sections in songs such as "Dancing In The Streets" and "Bye Bye Bluebird", were performed by Farian himself. Farrell, as Farian had finally admitted on German television in 2003, had been chosen for his personality and innovative dancing. However, in Germany, it was considered acceptable that 'producer music' just works this way.

As of 2006, Liz Mitchell is currently touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which is the only official line-up supported by Farian (the court ruling of 1990 stated that all four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows), as well as releasing solo albums. Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums, and Maizie and Bobby are touring with their own Boney M. groups which is not what Farian wants as he only allowed Liz Mitchell to use the name Boney M. Bobby Farrell recorded his own Boney M. tribute album in 2005, and Maizie Williams released her first solo album Christmas 2006. Maizie Williams releases her version of "Sunny" as a single February 2007, while Madeleine Davis is currently working on a solo jazz CD to be released in 2007.

A musical based on the music of Boney M., Daddy Cool, is now open in London, with a second show opening in Berlin in April 2007.

In October 2006, pop singer Peter Wilson, who during the mid-90's scored a couple of Top 40 hits in his native Australia, recorded a brand new song, co-written by Frank Farian, which is to be included on his forthcoming album, "Follow Me" – due for release in mid-2007. The song entitled "Doin' Fine" is described as paying tribute to the 'sound' of Boney M. and features the infamous string arrangement from their number 1 hit, "Daddy Cool".

In a sign of their continued popularity in South Asia, a concert by Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) was a featured attraction at the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which took place on 23 November 2006 in Panaji, the state capital of Goa, India. The group is also popular in the Vietnamese Diaspora, and was recently featured in Thuy Nga music productions.

In the UK, a new album of their greatest hits, entitled "The Magic Of Boney M." was released via BMG on 27 November 2006. Special additions to this release were a Mousse T remix of "Sunny" and a brand new song from 2006, featuring Liz Mitchell, entitled "A Moment Of Love".

On 3 April 2007, Boney M.'s first four albums were re-released to compact disc for the very first time in the US music market since their original releases.

Bobby Farrel's Boney M. will be doing a big concert in Ra'anana, Israel in May 2007. Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell will be doing a big concert tour in Germany in November 2007, playing live with band.

Line-Ups
The Official Line-Up:


Liz Mitchell, Lead and backing vocals (frontwoman of the group) (1976–)
Marcia Barrett, Lead and backing vocals (1976–)
Maizie Williams, Dancer, vocals (1975–)
Bobby Farrell, Dancer, rap, vocals (1976–82, 1984–)
Reggie Tsiboe, Lead and backing vocals (1982–86, 1989-90)
Other members before and after the classic period of the group:

Claudja Barry, Backing vocals (1975)
Sheila Bonnick, Backing vocals (1975 and 1994-2003 as a member of Maizie Williams' line-up)
Madeleine Davis, Backing vocals (1982–86 and 1989-90)
Patricia 'Lorna' Foster, Backing vocals (1992- as a member of Liz Mitchell's official line-up)
Carol Grey, Backing vocals (1992- as a member of Liz Mitchell's official line-up)
Tony 'Tony Tony' Ashcroft, Dancer, rap (1994- as a member of Liz Mitchell's official line-up)

All Albums

Take The Heat Off Me (1976)
Love for Sale (1977)
Nightflight to Venus (1978)
Oceans Of Fantasy (1979)
The Magic Of Boney M. (1980)
Boonoonoonoos (1981)
Christmas Album (1981)
Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984)
Fantastic (1984)
Kalimba De Luna (1984)
Eye Dance (1985) — Boney M. featuring Bobby Farrell
The Best Of 10 Years (1986)
The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986)
Greatest Hits Of All Times - Remix (1988)
Greatest Hits Of All Time - Remix Vol 2 (1989)
Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992)
The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs Of The World (1992)
More Gold (1993) — incl. 4 brand new songs
20th Century Hits (1999) — released with "Boney M. 2000" as group name
Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000)
25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000)
Greatest Hits (2001)
The Magic Of Boney M., (2006) — incl. a new track "A Moment Of Love", and a remix of "Sunny" by Mousse T. This album is not the same as the 1980 release with the same name.