Oceans of Fantasy continues very much in this vein: Gotta Go Home mixes a wordless singalong hook, an insistent dance beat, and some exotic steel drumwork to create a reggae-styled slice of bubblegum disco, while Bye Bye Bluebird transforms what could have been a ballad into a bouncy pop tune by raising the tempo and adding an elastic bassline.After German record producer Frank Farian (born in 1942) recorded the single Baby Do You Wanna Bump (which was successful in Holland and Belgium), he created Boney M.March 25, 1951, Monserrat, West Indies), and Bobby Farrell (b.
Daddy Cool reached the U.K. Top Ten in February 1977, followed in April by a remake of Bobby Hebbs Sunny. In July, Ma Baker just missed the U.K. Belfast hit the Top Ten in December. Their music continues to sell well in Europe, with a compilation hitting the U.K. Top Ten in 1994. Farian went on to create the late-80s dance sensation Milli Vanilli. A club staple in Europe, the band also had a fair amount of success in the United States, although, good as they could be, they remained for the most part on the fringe. We are rewarded with both Marys Boy Child and the less-than-stellar Hooray Hooray, Its a Holi-Holiday. Although they never found much success in the United States, they were a phenomenon overseas during the late 70s and this album makes it easy to understand why. They were the right group at the right time -- their unique combination of rocksteady disco rhythms and infectious bubblegum pop hooks created a sound that anyone in any country could easily grasp and find appealing. The big hits from this album were Sunny, a pulsating, string-drenched update of Bobby Hebbs pop-soul classic, and Daddy Cool, a relentless groove that combines staccato violin stabs, mariachi horns, and an aggressive drum attack to create an irresistibly catchy dance-pop ditty. The other tracks offer a similar mix of poppy originals and odd covers: Got a Man on My Mind combines reggae rhythms and choral vocals to great effect and Boney M.s cover of Bob Marleys No Woman, No Cry may seem preposterous in concept but works thanks to its effective combination of soulful vocals and slick instrumentation. Take the Heat Off Me wont win any new fans to the disco cause, but it remains an effective and likable slice of Euro-disco at its most effervescent. By no means complete, this collection provides a good introduction to Boney M for American audiences, especially those who enjoy 1970s dance music, Europop, and ABBA. Finally, the collection ends with a decent 2001 remix of Daddy Cool and a Mega Mix, although this reviewer would have preferred other singles, such as Bahama Mama or I See a Boat on the River. Boney M Discography Series Of HeavyThe songs are still very much disco tracks with an emphasis on bubblegum pop hooks, but Farian works some interesting musical flavors into the mix: Painter Man (a cover of a track by mod rockers Creation) effectively pits a series of heavy, distorted hard rock guitar riffs against its danceable beat, and Brown Girl in the Ring adds some distinctive steel drums into its rhythmic calypso-pop mixture. However, the oddest and most unusual and interesting combination of musical elements arrives with Rasputin, a tribute to the legendary Russian historical figure that uses balalaikas to create its textured rhythm guitar hook. Nightflight to Venus also spawned a major international hit with Rivers of Babylon, which mixes religious lyrics and a folk song melody with a pronounced beat to create an instantly accessible pop hymn. The other tracks include a few less than colorful moments (Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night could have been performed by any disco outfit), but Nightflight to Venus is an overall success thanks to the groups strong harmonies and the slick production from Farian, which keeps everything moving at a fast clip. The end result is one of the strongest albums in the Boney M. Like its predecessor, Love for Sale also scored some notable international hits: Ma Baker is a colorful gangster story that boasts a stuttered vocal hook guaranteed to stick in the listeners head, and Belfast is an up-tempo dancefloor stormer that works some surprisingly heavy sounding power chords into the groups slick dancefloor sound. Frank Farians slick, lush production ensures that the album is a slick piece of ear candy from start to finish. However, the album tracks are not as consistent this time out: the cover of Creedence Clearwater Revivals Have You Ever Seen the Rain benefits from an effective rhythm guitar hook but the up-tempo arrangement robs the song of its emotional power, and Gloria Can You Waddle, while catchy, is little more than a rewrite of the groups early European hit Baby Do You Wanna Bump. With these criticisms in mind, the album still offers enough strong tracks to please Boney M.s fan base. The most interesting of these is a ballad style cover of the Yardbirds Still Im Sad, which transforms this rock song into an effective mood piece dominated by the groups Gregorian chant-like humming.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |