Josephine Baker - Boney M

Boney M officially disbanded after the commercially unsuccessful and ininspired album 'Eye dance' (1985). From that point, several different versions of the group were formed. The classic line-up reformed in 1988 for the album 'Greatest hits of all times - remix 88', but this reunion didn't last very long: within the year Liz Mitchell left the group, to be replaced by Madeleine Davis.

This line-up recorded the single 'Josephine Baker', without the band's original producer Frank Farian's knowledge or approval. He threatened the group with legal action, and so the single was quickly withdrawn. Bobby Farrell re-recorded the song for this 1991 single credited to Boney M. feat. Bobby Farrell, since he won the rights to use the name Boney M. in Holland where he lives. The title was changed simply to 'Josephine Baker'. The single was a charity single in support of The Josephine Baker Children's Foundation, but did not chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4479
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, January 30, 2010
Cost: 0,5 euro
Tracks: 'Josephine Baker' / 'Shame and scandal'

Somewhere in the world - Boney M

With Bobby Farrell out of the line-up of Boney M and new male singer Reggie Tsiboe in, the group was facing difficult times. With already three singles landing outside of the top 40 in Germany, 'Somewhere in the world' was the fourth attempt at having more success - but another failure.

'Somewhere in the world' was the first and only single from Boney M's seventh studio album 'Ten thousand lightyears'. The single only reached number 49 in the German singles chart and failed to chart anywhere else. Though unremarkable, this track is still quite beautiful and features the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

My collection: 7" single no. 4466
Found: Fun Records, Berlin, received January 28, 2010
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Somewhere in the world' / 'Exodus (Noah's ark 2001)'

Little drummer boy - Boney M

By the end of 1981, Boney M was in a little trouble. They'd recorded the album 'Boonoonoonoos', originally scheduled for release in November 1980, but released almost a year later because of the recording sessions dragging on. Boney M's 'Christmas album' was released almost at the same time in November 1981. By that time, male member Bobby Farrell was fired from the group due to his unreliable working discipline.

It did not hinder the Christmas album so much, as it became a holiday favourite for all the band's fans. The single 'Little drummer boy' was a bit of a secret though. I never saw it back in 1981, and last January I saw it for the first time in my life. Boney M's version of this traditional is pretty decent, but the medley of hits on the B-side is the real treat here.

My collection: 7" single no. 3568
Found: La La Land, January 31, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Little drummer boy' / '6 years of Boney M hits - Boney M on 45'

The Summer Megamix - Boney M

The height of Boney M's success was gone, vanished by the end of the Eighties. Still, someone thought it would be a good idea to release a 'Summer Megamix', consisting of their biggest summer hits: 'Sunny', 'Ma baker', 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday', 'Gotta go home' and 'Kalimba de luna'. The megamix was made by Michael Newman and Charles Key B, together with Pete Hammond from Pete Waterman Limited.

The single was, as far as I know, only released in France, peaking at number 11 in the French singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4280
Found: Record fair, Utrecht, November 21, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'The summer megamix' / 'The calendar song'

Megamix - Boney M

When Abba had a comeback of sorts with the 'Abba Gold' compilations in the early Nineties, other acts followed suit. 'Boney M Gold' was released in 1992, and this single was released to promote the compilation. It was a megamix of five big Boney M hits: 'Rivers of Babylon', 'Sunny', 'Ma Baker', 'Daddy Cool' and 'Rasputin'.

At a time when Seventies acts were anything but cool, this Megamix was a surprise hit, peaking at number 13 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 4074
Found: Marktplaats.nl, September 25, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'Megamix' / 'Bang Bang Lulu'

We kill the world - Boney M

The word 'ill-advised' comes to mind whenever I hear this song. Several ill-advised things happened with this single. First of all, Boney M sang a song about nuclear weapons, which is a very serious subject and not necessarily compatible with their variety of carefree dance music. Then there's the last two minutes of this song, performed with a children's choir. Much too saccharine. And then there was the unfortunate dismissal of Bobby Farrell, rendering the band unable to promote the single.

The single was taken from Boney M's 1981 album 'Boonoonoonoos' and reached number 25 in the Dutch Top 40 and number 39 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 4022
Found: Vinylfabriek, Haaksbergen, September 14, 2009
Cost: 1 euro
Tracks: 'We kill the world' / 'Boonoonoonoos'

Sunny - Boney M

'Sunny' was originally written and performed by Bobby Hebb in 1966. It was covered by Boney M in 1976, and released as a single from their debut album 'Take the heat off me', following their breakthrough single 'Daddy cool'. Hebb himself released a disco version of the song, also in 1976, and had minor success on Billboard's R&B chart.

Boney M's version topped the charts in Germany and the Netherlands and reached number 3 in the UK. The track was remixed in 1988 and 1999, but when released as singles they didn't have the same amount of success. While Liz Mitchell sang the original lead vocals on Boney M.'s version, original member Maizie Williams recorded a solo version in 2006.

My collection: 7" single no. 183
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1982
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Sunny' / 'New York City'

Malaika - Boney M

Malaika means 'Angel' in Swahili. The song was first recorded by Kenyan musician Fadhili William and his band Jambo Boys in 1960. In 1981, the song was covered by Boney M for their album 'Boonoonoonoos'. The single reached number 13 in the German charts and number 20 in the Dutch Top 40.

These lower placings were a first sign of Boney M's popularity decreasing. In the Netherlands, they would never reach the top 20 again (except for a Megamix released in 1993, which reached number 13).

My collection: 7" single no. 86
Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1981
Cost: 6 guilders
Tracks: 'Malaika' / 'Consuela Biaz'

Kalimba de luna - Boney M

'Kalimba de Luna' was originally released as a single by Italian musician Tony Esposito in 1984. It was covered almost instantly by Boney M for the German market. The lead vocals were performed by new group member Reggie Tsiboe, who was originally scheduled to release it as a solo single. The plans were changed, and 'Kalimba de luna' became a new Boney M single, released in the autumn of 1984.

Neither Liz Mitchell nor Marcia Barrett sang on this recording - the backing vocals were done by producer Frank Farian, Amy & Elaine Goff, and vocal group La Mama (Patricia Shockley, Madeleine Davis and Judy Cheeks). The single became Boney M's first hit single in three years, peaking at number 27 in the Dutch Top 40.

My collection: 7" single no. 246
Found: Cochem, Germany, October 1984
Cost: - (present)
Tracks: 'Kalimba de luna' / '10.000 lightyears'

Rivers of Babylon - Boney M

'Rivers of Babylon' is a song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of The Melodians in 1972. It is based on the Biblical hymn Psalm 137, a hymn expressing the yearnings of the Jewish people in exile following the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The rivers of Babylon are the Euphrates river, its tributaries, and the Chebar river. The song also has words from Psalm 19:14.

The song was covered in 1978 by Boney M, with a version that was released as a single. In the UK Boney M. sold more than 1,985,000 copies of the song, making the single officially three times platinum and one of the all-time best-selling singles in the UK. It was also the group's only significant US chart entry, peaking at number 30 in the Pop charts. Some controversy arose when the first single pressings only credited Frank Farian and Reyam (aka Hans-Jörg Mayer) of Boney M; after an agreement with Dowe and McNaughton, these two were also credited on later pressings.

My collection: 7" single no. 71
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1980
Cost: 1 guilder
Tracks: 'Rivers of Babylon' / 'Brown girl in the ring'

I see a boat on the river - Boney M

Not long after the American band Styx released their single 'Boat on the river', Boney M released 'I see a boat on the river'. It was another big hit for the band, reaching number 7 in the Netherlands. The track appeared on the compilation album 'The magic of Boney M', along with the B-side, 'My friend Jack'. This track was released as an A-side in the UK, but only made number 57 there.

My collection: 7" single no. 47

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'I see a boat on the river' / 'My friend Jack'

Belfast - Boney M

'Belfast' was originally written by Drafi Deutscher for Marcia Barrett while she was still performing as a solo artist in the early Seventies. Boney M performed the song live because they didn't have enough of their own material yet, and it proved to be an audience favourite. This gave producer Frank Farian the idea to record it anew.

However, because of the politically tinted lyrics ('when the hate you have for one another's past') he first recorded it with Gilla in German. It still appeared on Boney M's 1977 album 'Love for sale' and ended up being a single for them. It peaked at number 9 in the UK and number 3 in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 3682

Found: La La Land, Den Haag, April 25, 2009

Cost: 1 euro

Tracks: 'Belfast' / 'Plantation boy'

Rasputin - Boney M

A disco song about Russian history, now there's something that hadn't been tried before! Boney M recorded and released 'Rasputin' in 1978, a song about Grigori Rasputin who alledgedly healed Tsarevich Alexei of Russia from haemophilia in the first years of the twentieth century. While 'Rasputin' accurately indicates that unfavorable rumors damaged Grigori's reputation, there is no verifiable evidence to suggest that he had an affair with Alexandra.

'Rasputin' peaked at number 8 in the Netherlands and number 2 in the UK. In the Netherlands, the B-side was 'Painter man', which was released as an A-side in the UK, peaking at number 10. The B-side of 'Rasputin' in the UK was 'Never change lovers in the middle of the night'. I bought the UK single back in 1981 and got the European pressing recently. Both B-sides are here for your enjoyment.

My collection: 7" single no. 100 / 7" single no. 3642

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1981 / Record fair, Utrecht, April 18, 2009

Cost: 1 guilder / 0,8 euro

Tracks (1): 'Rasputin' / 'Painter man'

Tracks (2): 'Rasputin' / 'Never change lovers in the middle of the night'

Gotta go home / El Lute - Boney M

In 1979 Boney M released their fourth album 'Oceans of fantasy'. The album contained two hit singles, of which 'Gotta go home / El Lute' (a double A-side single) was the first. 'Gotta go home' is an upbeat summer track, released just in time for the season. The track 'El Lute' was based on the life of Spanish outlaw and writer Eleuterio Sánchez.

The single was another hit for the German band, reaching number 12 in the UK and number 2 in the Netherlands. I bought the single while it was still in the charts. As young as I was, Boney M had an irresistible appeal to me.

My collection: 7" single no. 58

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1979

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Gotta go home' / 'El Lute'

Felicidad - Boney M

Boney M released the single 'Felicidad' in 1980. The song was not included on any studio album. It was a cover of one hit wonder Massara's 'Margherita'. The single peaked at number 6 in Germany, but failed to chart in other countries.

Due to a frosty relationship to the group's members at the time, producer Frank Farian tried to record it with session singers Cathy Bartney, Patricia Shockley and Madeleine Davis plus himself only on vocals. He was then forced by record company Hansa to overdub Boney M. singers Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett's vocals.
My collection: 7" single no. 81
Found: Vienna, July 1980
Cost: nothing (present)
Tracks: 'Felicidad' / 'Strange'

Children of paradise - Boney M

'Children of paradise' was released as a single in autumn of 1980 to fill the gap between Boney M's 1979 album 'Oceans of fantasy' and the 1981 album 'Boonoonoonoos'. The single featured the religiously-inspired title track and a disco cover of the 1968 psychedelic track 'In a gadda-da-vida' by Iron Butterfly.

As usual, the single became a Europe-wide hit for Boney M. I bought the single as soon as it came out. Aged 10, I bought all of Boney M's singles at the time.

My collection: 7" single no. 73

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1980

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'Children of paradise' / 'Gadda-da-vida'

Download: here

Baby, do you wanna bump - Boney M

Frank Farian (Franz Reuther), a German schlager singer, wasn't happy with the choice of material his record company wanted him to sing. He went into the studio in December 1974 and recorded the single 'Baby, do you wanna bump', singing the title in a deep voice (entirely studio created) as well as performing the high female chorus vocals in his falsetto voice. The music was based on Prince Buster's 'Al Capone' (1967).

When the single was released, it was credited to 'Boney M'. Farian had been watching an Australian detective show, in which the lead character was called Boney, and Farian decided that this would make a good name for a group, and added the M. After a slow start it became a hit in the Netherlands, reaching number 14 in the Dutch Top 40 in January 1976. Because of this success, Farian decided to hire a team to 'front' the group for TV performances. Thus the group was born!

My collection: 7" single no. 3178

Found: Record fair, February 19, 2000

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Baby, do you wanna bump (part 1)' / 'Baby, do you wanna bump (part 2)'

Download: here

I'm born again / Bahama Mama - Boney M

Released as a double A-side in December 1979, 'I'm born again' / 'Bahama mama' was another single in the successful run of singles Boney M had had since 1976. However, it was the first single since then that didn't reach the top 10 in the Netherlands. Perhaps the Christmas-tinted 'I'm born again' was a bit too sappy for the Dutch audience. The more uptempo 'Bahama mama' was a bit unsurprising. Aged nine and an avid Boney M fan, I had no problem buying this single as soon as I could.

My collection: 7" single no. 37

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1979

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'I'm born again' / 'Bahama mama'

Download: Album 'Oceans of fantasy', including both tracks

Mary's boy child - Boney M

'Mary's boy child' was written by Jester Hairston in 1956. It was first recorded by Harry Belafonte for his album 'An Evening with Harry Belafonte'. It was recorded, also in 1956, by Mahalia Jackson.

The most famous cover of the song was made by Boney M in 1978. Coupled with 'Oh my lord', a segment written by Frank Farian, it rose to the top of the charts in the UK in December of that year. In Holland, it did almost equally well, reaching number three. I bought my copy of the single for a discount price in the summer of 1979.

My collection: 7" single no. 16

Found: London, 1979

Cost: 10p

Tracks: 'Mary's boy child' / 'Dancing in the streets'

Download: Album 'Nightflight to Venus', including both tracks

Daddy Cool - Boney M

One of the greatest lines in pop music is 'She's crazy like a fool / What about it Daddy Cool?'. It was presented to the world by Boney M, the group brought together by Frank Farian, the fraudulent German producer who preferred to work with people who could perform songs rather than sing them.

'Daddy Cool' was one of many hits that were part of the European disco craze in the second half of the Seventies. The B-side was a disco cover of Bob Marley's classic 'No woman no cry'. It was a Europe-wide success, one that Boney M kept building on until the bubble burst in 1984.

My collection: 7" single no. 1633

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 18, 1992

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Daddy Cool' / 'No woman no cry'

Download: Album 'Take the heat off me', including both tracks