Best From Artist 94 - Boney M

[paul]

I've been avoiding these artist like the plague. The main reason being I know so little about them. I remember my older sister had one of their albums with them climbing something like a rope up to a spaceship or something. That's the extent of my knowledge. As for their music, help me here. I vaguely remember Rasputin but based on their apparent popularity including occasional mention here, I figure they must have more than that. So...what say y'all?

[QUINNY]

As a DJ I also avoided them like the plague, but they did have one record which I did play willingly.

Do Ya Wanna Bump (part II).
Loosely based on the Skatallites - Guns Of Navarone/ Prince Buster - Al Capone (and maybe a few more tracks) this was the first record I saw from them and was successful for me with all dancers, including the hipper element.

Daddy Cool had me suspicious of them and from then on they were a band I tried not to hear requests for.

[BrunoRepublic]

Boney M was the creation of Frank Farian, who later went on to bring Milli Vanilli to the world. They were huge in Europe, but never really caught on in North America aside from their Christmas album (which amazingly enough, is still in print here) and Rasputin... which is horribly cheesy, but undeniably catchy. I heard it a couple of times back in the day, didn't know who did it, but the melody stuck with me for years... until one day, a friend of mine who was temporarily without a turntable asked me to put a few of his records onto cassette for him. Rasputin was one of them and I recognized it instantly...

Myself, I like the opening retrofuturistic track of "Nightflight to Venus". I have a few more of their albums, but I've never really listened to them.

[paul]

Thanks guys.
How did i know Quinny would be less than enthusiastic about Boney M! :lol:

[markydefad]

GAG ME WITH A DEAD DONKEY DICK!!!!!

INSIPID DRECK OF THE LOWEST ORDER!!!!

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

OK, if ya put a gun to my head & I have to pick one...their cover of "Sunny" --only because it was used in one of my fave movies "Boogie Nights" (right after the knockout opening sequence featuring "Best Of My Love").

They named one of their hits "Ma Baker" when it was about "Ma BARKER" (Shelley Winters played her in the Roger Corman flick); Duh....you write a song about a famous criminal and ya spell her name incorrectly????? DUH!!!! :o :o :o

[SandraDee]

'He Was a Steppenwolf' was OK in a very vaguely 'Papa Was A Rolling Stone'-kinda way. :-? I must admit to 'Gotta Go Home' being a guilty pleasure despite the steel drums! :oops:

[Svend]

I'll blushingly confess I like some of their stuff, but usually not the hits. "A Woman Can Change A Man" has a kind of zippy charm (it was the flip of the dreadful "Ma Baker," I think), "Barbarella Fortuneteller" is mad catchy, and "Daddy Cool" is just delirious nonsense--is she singing about her sugar daddy?

Apparently the basso male voice on their records is actually Frank Farian, not the slender, broody fellow seen on the album covers...

Forgive me!

[paul]

GAG ME WITH A DEAD DONKEY DICK!!!!!

INSIPID DRECK OF THE LOWEST ORDER!!!!

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
And ta think, your first sentence gave me the impression you liked 'em Marky...just kidding mi amigo :D

[markydefad]

OK, Pauley Walnuts... :P

BORE ME TO DEATH WITH BAD BONER-M!!!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Is that better?

[paul]

OK, Pauley Walnuts... :P

BORE ME TO DEATH WITH BAD BONER-M!!!!!!!! :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Is that better?

Not quite the same impact but very creative 8)
Boney M seems to be an acquired taste for those who seem to like them.

[K-Bee]

And now the question is...does anyone even like Boney M at this forum?
I find it rather funny that what is considered a typical disco era band by almost everybody is hated so much at a disco forum :lol: Can't say I disagree with any of ya though

[the whistler]

I didn't mind Boney M's stuff :oops:

My all time favourite Boney M track is "Young Free and Single" :D

[markydefad]

I always thought Boney M were the European version of the American cartoon group--The Archies. But not as good. :P

I have to admit I only know a few songs....and I did actually BUY a Greatest Hits CD that I dared play at work and my co-workers asked "What the f..k I was playing?" :oops: :oops: :oops:

Maybe it's an American/European thang. You think Jerry Lewis is a genius too, right? And you still like Mickey Rourke? And David Hasselhoff???? :lol: :lol: :lol: :o

[paul]

So Marky, your coming out the closet and admitting you bought a Best of cd...Markeee :lol:

[markydefad]

Yes Paul...I wanted to hear with my own ears...if there were any worthy tracks unknown to me. Can't say I heard any that I much wanted to hear again. :o

Let's put it this way...

ABBA & Boney M were both successful European pop groups...

I know ABBA; ABBA are faves of mine--and Boney M is no ABBA. Not even close. They are the bus & truck tour ABBA--playing dinner theatres in Walla Walla or Des Moines or Topeka. :P :P :P :P :P

[NickNack]

I must have thrown it all or gave it all away. I can't find one 12", lp, nothing. Plus, all the titles you guys mention mean absolute 'zero' to me. I know the name of the group, but that's it. :o

[Videoskooter]

I like Boney M ! But I prefer the early hits when they made the real Eurodisco. "Baby do you wanna bump (Album version)" is still a weekly visitor in my player. And not to forget the first hits: Sunny, Daddy Cool, Rasputin and the the record that leadsinger Bobby Farell made with Gilla: "Gentlemen callers not allowed". The later poppy stuff is not my cup of tea.

[sirius]

Dear Friends!
Sure I like Boney M. too! More than these terrible swedish
fishy combo called ABBA or the lousey SaturdayBeeGees.
Here some trax I still enjoy:
1)Baby Do You Wanna Bump
2)Daddy Cool
3)Take The Heat Off Me
4)Silent Lover
5)Nightflight To Venus
6)Dancing In The Street
7)In A Gadda Da Vida(12"-Version)

But for sure they had terrible songs like "Rivers Of Babylon",
"Brown Girl In The Ring" or ballads like "El Lute".
Boney M. is a EuroDiscoCombo with lots of carribean feeling
and catchy songs, but nothing more. Frank Farian is one
of the most genius producers and sang about 40% of the
Boney-M.-Songs. He was also responsible for Eruption,
Precious Wilson, Gilla, the ridiculous Milli Vanilli or No Mercy.
He sold more records than any other producer on this
world...
BONEY M. were LIZ MITCHELL(the Main Voice)
MARCIA BARETT(about 20% Vocals)
MAIZIE WILLIAMS(no vocals)
BOBBY FARREL(no vocals)
FRANK FARIAN(the rest of the vocals)
I saw BONEY M. live in the 70ies and everybody of the group
had to sing live, and it was real good!!!Believe Me...
Cosmic Love & Kisses From SIRIUS & DARKTUNES...

[sfbeary]

acts of trashy genius:
Daddy Cool
Sunny
Rasputin
Nightflight to Venus

guilty pleasures:
Rivers of Babylon
Ma Baker
Painter Man
Still I'm Sad
Felicidad
Baby Do You Wanna Bump
Children of Paradise
My Friend Jack
Kalimba de Luna
Oceans of Fantasy

low-level annoyance:
Belfast
Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord
Gotta Go Home
El Lute
I See a Boat on the River

makes me want to kill:
Brown Girl in the Ring
Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday
I’m Born Again
We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)

[Videoskooter]

And not to forget: "Love for sale"! And their cover of "Fever" was also great. But the ultimate 12" is the one where Nightflight to Venus is mixed with Rasputin.
And the other band Sirius was referring to, Eruption, well, "I can't stand the rain" and "Party Party" were massive here!

[Sami M]

I used to like Boney M a lot as a child, during the seventies/early eighties. Later on I found most of it somewhat childish/camp. I still sometimes listen to tracks like Sunny, Fever, Never Change a lover In the Middle of the Night, Margarita.

[SandraDee]

It always struck me that Boney M's fanbase (here in the UK anyway) seemed mainly under 12 year olds or over 60 year olds! I absolutely loved 'Daddy Cool' in '76 'cos I was 11 then but by the time of 'Rivers Of Babylon' in '78 I hated most of their stuff 'cos I was a much more sophisticated 13 year old!

[Nano]

Rasputin rules! 8)

(OK, I was 13 at the time, but I still had my own -tender- judgement. I hear that song now and still think it's a perfect "historic pop" piece, the best on that kind of stuff they invented. Ma Baker is another on that "period" style.)

Now, I still like "Rasputin" because I liked then, or are they still good? Don't know. I reckon a theory of mine goes like this: all music critics use their power to justify/legitimate the pop trash they listened to when they were kids. There you have, for example, early Rolling Stone writers doing huge essays on Motown or Jackie Wilson, or nineties writers stating that Marc Bolan was God, an also some nowadays guys celebrating some disco acts. :)

Did you know Boney M. did a dance version of Bob Marley's "No woman no cry" in 1976? It's in their "Take the heat off me" LP and I kinda like it, bubblegum arrangements and all.

For me, they went down with "Hooray! Hooray!" and later singles repeating the "Rivers of Babylon" formula. But then, you can't really blame Frank Farian... He never wanted to be Curtis Mayfield. :D

[SandraDee]

I reckon a theory of mine goes like this: all music critics use their power to justify/legitimate the pop trash they listened to when they were kids. There you have, for example, early Rolling Stone writers doing huge essays on Motown or Jackie Wilson, or nineties writers stating that Marc Bolan was God, an also some nowadays guys celebrating some disco acts. :)
:D

Interesting point Nano; I've noticed that too!

[Bastian78]

And now the question is...does anyone even like Boney M at this forum?
I find it rather funny that what is considered a typical disco era band by almost everybody is hated so much at a disco forum :lol: Can't say I disagree with any of ya though

i love them alot ! i love Ma Baker, Rasputin, I see a boat on the river, motherless child, El Lute, etc.

I also love their Christmas song........with Mary's boy child (best versin of Mary's boy child) and Feliz Navidad.