Who loves Boney M,. one of the greatest German disco groups of all time. Heres the shocking fact, they are not German at all.

Inserted text from a post I did in April.

Its true the rest though, the singing was actually all Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, the two ladies with the big afros and full on make up in the early days. Both of them were living in London but originally from Jamaica when they were discovered and that's why their English is perfect for a German group. Yes male vocals in songs like Daddy Cool and Rasputin are totally Frank Farian, (Although the fake vocals in Milli Vanilli song were mostly Charles Shaw an African American living in Germany and not Farian or Rob and Fab).

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Originally Frank Farian recorded a song called "Baby do you wanna bump" with a disco beat backing it in 1974, and it was a surprise hit in Netherlands and Germany in early 1975, seeing the success of dance and disco music in Europe, he decided to record more this time with a backing group to do this appearances and publicity. Seeing the success of Black dance music in the USA (George Macrae, Isaac Hayes, Barry White, Hues Corporation, Kool n the gang etc) and the UK (Hot chocolate), he decided he wanted Black people to be the group, preferably English speaking ones.

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He then decided that at least 1 or 2 them could sing and the others could just fake it, as he was writing and making all the music. He discovered Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett as both had been in productions of Hair (Just like Donna Summer was discovered by Girogio Moroder!). However the other 2 discoveries Bobby Farrell, whom hediscovered DJing and dancing to American disco records in Amsterdam, realised he had limited vocal ability and Maizie was merely there to add some sex to the group.

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Finally in 1975 they recorded the first album, which featured him and the 2 female singers on the vocals. Bobby and Maizie were only added after the music for the first album was recorded. Both were in the steamy photo session for the album "Take the heat of me" showing them in towels half naked leaning over each other. This steamy cover and the one on the next album would limit the appeal in conservative USA.

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The album had a huge hit with Daddy Cool and the next album was an even bigger success with a steamier cover, showing them half naked with whips and chains, in some bizarre jungle bondage orgy. Needless to say a new edition with a less sexual cover was issued (All dressed in gangster clothes to promote the single Ma Baker). It had the hits Sunny, Belfast and Ma Baker.

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The next 2 albums were huge smashes with 3 #1 hits (Rasputin, Rivers, Mary's Boy Child) and 3 other Top 10's. They also went to Russia in late 1978 and have remained popular there ever since. In 1980 they slowed down and 1981's Boonoonoos was a flop even though the music on songs like Malalaika is excellent and notdisco tinged at all. Bobby left after this album.

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Bobby merely wanted to dance and be the DJ. He was from Aruba, a Dutch colony and could speak English, but generally did not sing. Farian wanted him in the group for his dancing skills and physical presence (He looked cool with the afro with the wedge missing and the body popping moves he did). He left the group in 1981 and was replaced by Reggie Tsiboe, a Ghanaian living in London who did sing and provided the vocals on songs like "Kalimba Da Luna" and their 1984 and 1985 albums. The Christmas album was also re-recorded with Reggie's vocals.
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And yes the fourth member of the group was Maizie Williams from Montserrat, who was added to the group as she was stunningly beautiful in a leggy Iman/Tyra Banks way. She did not sing, although like Bobby some songs have their backing vocals deep in the mix. She merely danced and Lipsynched like Bobby.

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So 95% of the vocals were Liz and Marcia, who both had full voices and now both tour with alternative line ups of Boney M!! Bobby died a couple of years ago. Boney M broke up in 1986 and reformations since consist of only 1 or 2 original members and many new ones. The last 3 albums were patchy with different singers and groups on the songs, the most bizarre was an 1984 single called "Happy song" which was apparently Bobby Farrell and the school rebels, a group of pre pubescent Italian children, whose grasp of the English language was laughable at best, only Kalimba da Luna was a fairly good song with the line up of Boney M we know and love. Megamixes and a revival in 19992 bought some more success and a really bad remix album from 2000 also kept their memory alive.

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I only know this stuff, as they are one of my favourite groups and Boney M were huge in Europe and the British world. For instance "Rivers of Babylon" was number 1 for 14 weeks here and 5 weeks in the UK, but barely troubled the charts in the USA.

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Best Songs

1. Rivers of Babylon

2. Daddy Cool

3. Rasputin

4. Its a holi holi Holiday

5. Sunny

6. Malaika

7. Marys Boy Child/Oh my lord

8. Painter man

9. Felicidad.

Who else loves Boney M.

I loved them back in the day. I was young and needed the money

From Daddy Cool to Malaika(76-81) I thought they were the best. I loved the sound, the production, the girls' voices...

I remember buying Oceans Of Fantasy and reading the credits (we used to read everything on the LP those days) and being shocked...not shocked, puzzled as it stated shamelessly who sang (and who didn't) on every song. That's when I discovered Bobby just lypsinched and DANCED and you know what? I didn't mind. I enjoyed the music and kept doing it and buying their albums.

I love disco music, and Boney M has made 4 just brilliant classic disco songs:

1. Daddy Cool
2. Ma Baker
3. Sunny
4. Rasputin

Love For Sale,
Nightflight To Venus

These are 2 great disco albums.