Boney M is a group of Caribbean origin created in 1976 by German producer-singer-songwriter Frank Farian, real name Franz Reuther. Group originally composed of Jamaican singers Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat Island and Boby Farrell from Aruba Island.
The band name Boney M would actually be inspired by the Australian Boney series from the early 1970s. The "M" would just have been added after "Boney" because it sounded good to Farian's ears.
It’s Farian himself who will sing on the first song of the group "Baby do you wanna bump" which will be released in 1975. It’s him who will sing on all the other songs. Bobby Farrell will only serve as liners for music videos and shows. The title has achieved some success, especially in the Netherlands. And that's how Farina decides to hire a "troupe" to promote records, especially on television.
The first album "Take the heat of me" was released in 1976. Only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett participated in the vocal recording of the disc with Farian. The other 2, Williams and Farrell, being considered too bad, vocally speaking.
The beginnings are rather laborious and the group is satisfied to turn in the discotheques. It’s thanks to TV producer Michael Leckebush that it all picks up when he invites them to appear on his Musikladen TV show. It is September 18, 1976. The group, in stage costumes, performs "Daddy cool". The spectators are totally stuck and the title becomes a real phenomenon in Germany. Then very quickly becomes a real planetary phenomenon. The notoriety of the group literally explodes.
In the aftermath, “Sunny” (a cover of Bobby Hebb's title dating back to 1966), a new title that will experience almost the same level of phenomenal success as its predecessor. The band then became one of the biggest phenomena of the moment and album sales exploded overnight.
A year later in 1977 released the album "Love for sale", album which will do even stronger than its predecessor. The sales scores are mind-blowing, in particular thanks to the flagship title “Ma baker”, a title which will be almost N° 1 everywhere in the world. And to a lesser extent the title “Belfast” which will however record impressive sales scores.
But it is the year 1978 which will remain as their best vintage with the album "Nightflight to Venus", album of all records and from which will be extracted 3 gigantic hits that are "Rivers of Babylon", "Rasputin" and "Mary's boy child - Oh my lord ”. Boneymania is global and the group reigns almost without sharing on all Dancefloor. So much so that the group will even have their pass to tour the former Soviet Union, an exceptional thing for the time.
1979 saw the release of the Single “Hooray ! Hoorya ! It’s a holi-holiday” which also prances at the top of the Charts, although its level of success does not compare to titles released the previous year. The album "Oceans of fantasy" was immediately released, which despite its level of success almost equivalent to the others, marks a first deceleration of the group compared to the two previous years. Album from which the main track "Gotta go home" will be extracted. Notorious success but well below the level of the previous ones.
The transition to the 80s will prove to be more complicated to manage than expected. The Boney M phenomenon is starting to wane and the competition is getting tougher.
This does not prevent them from recording new impressive sales scores on the compilation "The magic of Boney M - 20 golden hits" which was released in 1980. The biggest title of which will be the unreleased "I see a boat on the river". Another Single, “Children of paradise”, outside of an album, was also released the same year and was very successful.
The year 1981 saw the release of the album "Boonoonoonoos", album of the rupture. First by declining sales scores and especially by the dismissal of Bobby Farrell deemed more reliable enough. A dismissal that will deprive the group of any new stage performance, hence the mediocre sales scores.
Reggie Tsiboe replaced Farrell from 1982 but the copy is not worth the original. And even though Farrell didn't actually sing, his stage performances were a big part of the success of any new song. Suddenly, all the titles that will come out in 1982 and 1983 will only experience fairly limited sales scores, slowly but surely relegating the group to oblivion.
The album "Ten Thousand Lightyears" which came out in 1984 was only going to perform in Germany and would not produce any famous hits. On the other hand, the compilation “Kalimba de luna - 16 happy songs”, which came out the same year, will produce their last major hit “Kalimba de luna”. Which is in truth a luxury award winning Tony Esposito title. And to a lesser extent, "Happy Song", a new luxury cover of the Baby’s Gang title, will also be quite successful. Farrell takes the opportunity to return to the group.
A last album "Eye dance" was going to be released in 1985 but Farian's level of inspiration, as well as his level of involvement, were at an all-time low, the result was irrefutable : dismal failure. Thus permanently sealing the end of the group. And the Single "Young, free and single" which will be released the same year will not change that.
Either way, Bony M will forever remain one of the major groups of the late 20th century, not necessarily for the musical quality of their tracks but above all for their almost unmatched ability to make people dance. And that, few groups can say the same !
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
Baby do you wanna bump 1975
Daddy cool 1976
Sunny 1976
Ma Baker 1977
Still I'm sad 1977
Belfast 1977
Rivers of Babylon 1978
Brown girl in the ring 1978
Rasputin 1978
Mary’s boy child – Oh my Lord 1978
Heart of gold 1978
Dancing in the street 1979
Painter man 1979
Voodoonight 1979
Hooray ! Hooray ! It’s a holi-holiday 1979
Gotta go home 1979
I’m born again 1979
80s Decade :
I see a boat on the river 1980
My friend Jack 1980
Children of paradise 1980
Felicidad 1980
Malaika 1981
We kill the world 1981
Little drummer boy 1981
The carnival is over 1982
Going back west 1982
Zion's daughter 1982
Jambo – Hakuna Matata (no problems) 1983
Somewhere in the world 1984
Kalimba de luna 1984
Happy song 1984
My chérie amour 1985
Young, free and single 1985
Bang bang Lulu 1986
Everybody wants to dance like Josephine Baker 1989
90s Decade :
Stories 1990
Papa Chico 1994
2000s Decade :
Felicidad America 2009
Tracks :
1975 ... here comes what will become one of the biggest dance phenomena of all time. But at this point, no one knows yet. Not even them ...
1976 ... the Dream Team ! 3 charming singers to ensure the vocal part, 1 crazy real-false singer to put on the show, a perfect alchemy that will do wonders. Starting with this awesome title. CULT !
1976 ... it's now a flood of incredible Dance hits that will descend on the world and set fire to all the Dancefloor on the planet for 10 years...
1977 ... we take the same ones and start over. Nothing and nobody will be able to stop this Boneymania which literally overwhelms the whole world. A-MA-ZING !
1977...surprisingly some titles will still 'pass through'. Anyway, nothing to worry about them at this stage, that's for sure...
1977 ... the 'little' mega hit of the year. But it is for a better start the following year with this time no longer 2 intergalactic hits, but 3 !
1978 ... their 'Mona Lisa'. The mega hit of the mega hits ! Here they are quite simply the biggest hit of all their discography and surely one of the biggest Dance hits of all time !
1978...impossible to compete with the previous jewel but this title will come out of it all the same hands down. The essential is preserved...
1978...they do it again directly on the mega hit side with this title with a completely surreal theme where Farrell can give it his all in the totally crazy side...
1978 ... exceptionally, here they are in Intimist mode on a title all in finesse and softness. A title or Farrell this time looks very pale...by force of circumstances...
1978 ... a title that will not go out in Single but that it would have been a shame to hide. So here it is back in light as it should ...
1979...the first title of the year 1979 will go somewhat unnoticed. There won't be many like that, but there will still be...
1979...a beginning of the year 1979 when we see them really struggling, which is inexplicable to say the least. So, underlying trend or temporary air hole ? Good question...
1979...a title that will only be released in Japan, hence a necessarily very limited influence. Surprisingly restrictive strategy...
1979 ... conversely, this allows the group to instantly regain its place as the undisputed leader of the planetary dancefloor. We knew that the slack was not going to last !
1979 ... still one of the most emblematic titles. A very special inspiration dedicated only to Dance and which produces incredible hit on incredible hit
1979 ... it is always very astonishing to see them in Intimist mode. A mode completely out of step with what made their fortune and their glory. And it works too !
1980 ... the change of decade will prove to be more complicated to manage than expected. Fashions, tastes, just like mentalities are changing and the group will have trouble keeping up ...
1980...no severe unscrewing in the Charts for the moment but they will still have to be careful. They will have to reinvent themselves and quickly...
1980 ... they still line up hit after hit but they no longer play in the Champions League. A demotion that will be almost irreversible ...
1980 ... the last hit of the year. The group clings, resists and stays afloat. But for how much longer ...
1981 ... the decline is underway, it is inevitable. But what the group offers is always nice and we are largely satisfied ...
1981 ... a completely separate title, totally out of step with their usual style. When the group embarks on humanitarian work, the result is...confusing !
1981...they revisit here the famous 'Carol of the drum' dating from 1941 and composed by Katerine Kennicott Davis. A version which, in my opinion, holds up very well and which above all allows them to show another facet of their talent...
1982...in the series of luxury covers, they are now revisiting the Seekers title dating from 1965. And as before, the result is more than up to par !
1982...unfortunately the more it goes and the less it goes. The top of the Charts disappears more and more from the horizon line. The group is only a shadow of himself...
1982...a year 1982 which will not remain as their best Vintage on the Charts side, that's clear. Even special Christmas titles can't bring them back in the race...
1983 ... we even border on caricature. The group is more out of step with its time and its style is really starting to look outdated ...
1984 ... when we thought we were seeing the definitive exit door for the group, here he is raising its head in a spectacular way to say the least. Like what, nothing is ever finished...
1984 ... then arrives this title, the title of the last chance which allows them to recover temporarily and in a brilliant way to the leading pack. But it's not going to last ...
1984 ... in a style much more in line with the new dance standards of the time. Unfortunately, it is already too late for the group ...
1985...new luxury cover this time with this revisited version of Stevie Wonder's title dating from 1969. Nice once again but not enough to hope for a possible comeback...
1985 ... the last 'little' hit of an absolutely exceptional adventure which will have left in the musical history of the XXth century a multitude of anthology Dance titles. What a feat !
1986...the adventure will continue a little bit but far, very far from rhinestones and sequins. It is clear that the group does more some figuration now...
1989...they even tried the Hi-NRJ mode, hoping that it could reverse the course of time. But again, that won't change anything...
1990...they will even attempt the transition to the 90s. And on this one, the result will exceed expectations in an unexpected way...
1994... after 'Kalimba de Luna', they once again cover a title by Tony Esposito, a title dating from 1985. The success will not really be there this time...
2009...we thought the case was definitely over and here they are back almost 15 years later. A totally unexpected return that will delight grassroots fans to the highest degree...
Top Bonus : Kalimba de luna, the original. We see that the Boney M version is copied to perfection
Top Bonus : 2021...an ultra Dance version of a title that was already more or less. Or how to make new with old...
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