Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

Boney M. discography

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Studio albums
  
8

Singles
  
38

Compilation albums
  
38

Boney M. discography

The discography of Boney M. includes 8 studio albums, 38 compilation and remix albums, and 38 singles.

Contents

Videography

  • Gold - VHS/VCD (in Hong Kong) (1993)
  • Gold DVD (2001, Europe)
  • Greatest Hits (2001, UK)
  • Special Edition (2002, South Korea)
  • Special Edition EP (2003, UK)
  • The Magic of Boney M. (2006)
  • Fantastic Boney M. - On Stage and on the Road (2007)

    • Covers of Boney M. songs

  • American rock'n'reel group Boiled in Lead covered "Rasputin".
  • Shortly after the worldwide success of the Nightflight to Venus album, disco/soul singer-songwriter, Millie Jackson covered "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night'" (a Marcia Barrett lead vocal) for her 1979 album, A Moment's Pleasure. It was released as a single and became a Top 40 R&B chart hit for Jackson, peaking at #33.
  • "Silent Lover" (a Marcia Barrett lead vocal) was covered in 1980 by disco project El Coco for the album "Revolución".
  • Gilla - also produced by Frank Farian - covered "Sunny", "No Woman No Cry" and "Belfast" on her album Zieh mich aus as well as "Rasputin" as a single in 1978.
  • In 1978, German singer Bruce Low covered "Rivers of Babylon" in German as "Die Legende von Babylon", using Boney M.'s original backing track. His version reached #3 in the German charts.
  • Austrian duo and Eurovision Song Contest participants Waterloo & Robinson covered "Brown Girl in the Ring", using Boney M.'s original backing track (and Marcia Barrett's original "Tra la la la" backing vocals).
  • In 1979, Michael Holm covered "El Lute" in German, also using Boney M.'s original backing track with Farian singing backing vocals. His version peaked at #11 in the German charts.
  • Roland Kaiser also covered "El Lute" in German in 1979 as well as a German version of "I'm Born Again" under the title "Im Dunkel der Nacht".
  • Ricky Martin covered "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" in Spanish on his 1993 album "Me Amarás".
  • Frank Farian also produced a German version of "Felicidad (Margherita)" by Anette Anke und Andrea to coincide with Boney M.'s release of the song, 1980.
  • German schlager orchestra Cliff Carpenter's Orchestra made numerous instrumental versions of Boney M.'s hits with a horn section playing the melody line on top of Boney M.'s original backing tracks. In 1982, 12 of these recordings were gathered on the compilation "Cliff Carpenter Plays Boney M. Hits".
  • The Finnish folk metal band Turisas have played a cover of "Rasputin" at several live events. They released this cover as their debut single August 2007. They have also released it on a re-release of their album The Varangian Way.
  • UK punk rock band Belisha have also been covering "Rasputin" for about 2 years, and riotous live performances at festivals across Europe in 2007 have seen the entire crowd joining in with Russian style dancing, both on stage with the band, and in the audience.
  • Placebo covered "Daddy Cool" in 2003 for the bonus disc of their Sleeping with Ghosts album.
  • Peaches (Swedish duo) also covered "Daddy Cool" in 2004.
  • Liz Mitchell and Russian singer Alexander Buynov covered "Rasputin" in 1996 for a Russian compilation album.
  • Marcia Barrett did a solo version of "Rivers of Babylon" in 2001 which was aired on Dutch radio but ultimately never released.
  • Bobby Farrell released his own version of 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump' in 2006 on The Bump EP.
  • The Latvian cello trio Melo-M covered "Daddy Cool" in 2007, featuring Maizie Williams on vocals (hitting the No.1 spot on the Latvian LMK Charts).
  • The Spanish group Fangoria recorded a cover version of "Rasputin" (sung in Spanish) in 1996 which was also included on BMG-Ariola compilation Best in Spain.
  • Also on the same Best in Spain album, Fangoria singer 'Alaska' sings "Ma Baker" (this time in English) with Killer Barbies as backing group.
  • Their song "Ma Baker" has been widely covered. One of the more unusual covers is Knorkator's version, which changes the disco/pop tunes for heavy guitar riffs. According to BBC, the "Mum-mum-mum-mah" hook used in the Lady Gaga song Poker Face is sampled from Ma Baker."
  • Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles covered "Brown Girl in the Ring" on their 2006 album Here Comes the Big Red Car.
  • Techno/rave act Vinylshakerz covered "Daddy Cool" on their 2006 album "Very Superior".
  • The US ska/punk band Sublime covered "Rivers of Babylon" as a Bonus Track on their first album, 40 Oz. to Freedom.
  • US Powerpop/Ska band Attila and the Huns recorded a reggae version of "Mary's Boy Child" based on the Boney M. version for their 2007 Christmas CD "Christmas Socks"
  • British ska-punk band Sonic Boom Six recorded a version of "Rasputin" in 2010.
  • Finnish pop/rock/punk band Sleepy Sleepers covered Rasputin on their 1979 album The Mopott Show. This version is an obscene parody of the original.

    • Songs that were re-worked into Boney M. titles

    Frank Farian's right hand Hans-Jörg Mayer (aka Georg Reyam) sought out songs from all over the world, mainly public domain (non-copyrighted) folk tunes, and rewrote them for Boney M.

    Borrowed themes

  • The first Boney M. recording "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" (1975) is based on Prince Buster's "Al Capone" (1967).
  • "Motherless Child" (1977) is a rewrite of "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child".
  • "Ma Baker" is a rewrite of a Tunisian traditional song, Sidi Mansur.
  • "Nightflight to Venus" (1978) with its characteristic drums, the rock guitar theme, and the march interludes, was rewritten from Cozy Powell's #1 hit "Dance with the Devil" (1974).
  • "Rasputin" (1978) features a melody line present in both a Serbian ("Ај, русе косе цуро имаш") and Turkish traditional ("Üsküdar'a Gider İken / Kâtibim").
  • "He Was a Steppenwolf" (1978) borrows arrangement-wise from The Temptations' lengthy epic "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972).
  • "Brown Girl in the Ring" (1978) is a traditional Caribbean nursery rhyme and uses an arrangement from Malcolm's Locks "Brown Girl" (1975).
  • "Dancing in the Streets" borrowed the arrangement from the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancing" and the hookline "Keep on dancing in the streets" is melodically similar to The Beatles' "What's the word I'm thinking of" "(The Word)"
  • "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (1979) is a rewrite of "Polly Wolly Doodle".
  • "Gotta Go Home" (1979) was a rewrite of German band Nighttrain's "Hallo Bimmelbahn" (1973), while the middle-part 'Doo-doo-doop, doo doo doo doo doop' (sung by Farian in his head voice) was borrowed from The Beatles in Hello, Goodbye (1967) as 'hey-la, hey helloa'.
  • "No More Chain Gang" (1979) borrows the bridge 'Then one night he laid in waiting' from folklore "St. James Infirmary Blues" and an arrangement inspired by Johnny Wakelin's "In Zaire" (1976).
  • "I'm Born Again" (1979) is based on an Irish traditional ("Buachaill Ón Éirne").
  • Both "Boonoonoonoos" and "Ride to Agadir" (1981) contain a theme taken from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)", "The Happiest Days of Our Lives" and "Run Like Hell" (1979).
  • "Train to Skaville / That's Boonoonoonoos" (1981) is partly inspired by the #1 hit Pop Muzik (1979) by M (the walking bass, the rap parts, and 'Boo-Boo-Boo-Boonoonoonoos' - 'Pop Pop Pop Muzik').
  • "Homeland Africa (Ship Ahoy)" (1981) borrows the chorus and lyrics from The O'Jays' "Ship Ahoy" (1973).
  • "Children of Paradise" (1980) is based on Younès Mégri's "Lili Twil" (19??).
  • "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (1981) borrows not only the title from the well-known Christmas song but also a theme from Don Williams' "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" (1977) and also has a strong resemblance to Jona Lewie's "Stop the Cavalry" (1980).
  • "Exodus (Noah's Ark 2001)" (1984) features a guitar theme borrowed from The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (1972) while the chorus borrows from Bob Marley's "Exodus" (1977).
  • "Wild Planet" (1984) is based on Hungarian rock band Omega's "Ajanlott Utvonal" (1982)
  • "Future World" (1984) is based on Hungarian rock band Omega's "Tízezer lépés" (10,000 Steps) (1969).
  • "Somewhere in the World" (1984) borrows the hook line from Paul McCartney's "Tug of War" (1982) (the specific chorus line In another world).
  • "Bel Ami" (1984) features an arrangement and brass intro very similar to Mezzoforte's "Garden Party" (1983).
  • "The Alibama" is reworked from a South-African standard "Daar kom die Alibama."
  • "Living Like a Moviestar" (1984) features a flute theme from Jeff Wayne's "The Eve of the War" (1978).
  • "Todos Buenos" (1985) is rewritten from Titanic's "Sultana" (1971).
  • "Sample City" (1985) features the same chord pattern as "I Can't Stand the Rain" (1973), the Ann Peebles classic and a 1978 hit single for Farian's soul band Eruption.
  • "Bang Bang Lulu" (1985) is a traditional folklore.

    • Cover versions

  • "Take the Heat Off Me" (1976): Marcella Bella - "Nessuno mai" (1974) (Gilla - "Mir ist kein Weg zu weit" (1975))
  • "Sunny" (1976): Bobby Hebb - "Sunny" (1966)
  • "No Woman No Cry" (1976): Bob Marley & The Wailers - "No Woman, No Cry" (1974)
  • "Fever" (1976): Little Willie John - "Fever" (1956)
  • "Got a Man on My Mind" (1976): Frank Farian - "Am Samstagabend" (1976)
  • "Lovin' or Leavin'" (1976): Gilla - "Lieben und frei sein" (1975)
  • "Love for Sale" (1977): Libby Holman - "Love for Sale" (1945)
  • "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" (1977): Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (1970)
  • "A Woman Can Change a Man" (1977): Frank Farian and also Gilla - "Laß mir Zeit, Dich zu lieben" (1975)
  • "Still I'm Sad" (1977): The Yardbirds - "Still I'm Sad" (1965)
  • "Painter Man" (1978): The Creation - "Painter Man" (1966)
  • "King of the Road" (1978): Roger Miller - "King of the Road" (1965)
  • "Rivers of Babylon" (1978): The Melodians - "Rivers of Babylon" (1970)
  • "Heart of Gold" (1978): Neil Young - "Heart of Gold" (1972)
  • "Mary's Boy Child" (1978): Harry Belafonte - "Mary's Boy Child" (1956)
  • "Gotta Go Home" (1979): Nighttrain - "Hallo Bimmelbahn" (1973)
  • "Hold On I'm Coming" (1979): Sam & Dave - "Hold On, I'm Comin'" (1966)
  • "Two of Us" (1979): The Beatles - "Two of Us" (1969)
  • "My Friend Jack" (1980): The Smoke - "My Friend Jack" (1967)
  • "Gadda-Da-Vida" (1980): Iron Butterfly - "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968)
  • "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1980): Massara - "Margherita" (1979)
  • "That's Boonoonoonoos / Train to Skaville" (1981): The Ethiopians - "Train to Skaville" (1967)
  • "I Shall Sing" (1981): Art Garfunkel - "I Shall Sing" (1973)
  • "Ride to Agadir" (1981): Mike Batt - "The Ride to Agadir" (1977)
  • "Malaika" (1981): Miriam Makeba & Harry Belafonte - "Malaika" (1965)
  • "Sad Movies" (1981): Sue Thompson - "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" (1961)
  • "Feliz Navidad" (1981): José Feliciano - "Feliz Navidad" (1970)
  • "The Carnival Is Over" (1982): The Seekers - "The Carnival Is Over" (1965)
  • "Going Back West" (1982): Jimmy Cliff - "Going Back West" (1974)
  • "Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems)" (1983): Them Mushrooms - "Jambo Bwana" (1982)
  • "(I Need a) Babysitter" (1983): Mahjun - "Baby-sitter" (1980)
  • "Dizzy" (1984): Tommy Roe - "Dizzy" (1969)
  • "Kalimba de Luna" (1984): Tony Esposito - "Kalimba de Luna" (1984)
  • "Happy Song" (1984): Baby's Gang - "Happy Song" (1983)
  • "My Chérie Amour" (1985): Stevie Wonder - "My Cherie Amour" (1969)
  • "Dreadlock Holiday" (1985): 10cc - "Dreadlock Holiday" (1978)
  • "Stories" (1990): Izit - "Stories" (1989)
  • "Time to Remember" (1993): La Mama - "I'll Be Your Woman" (1982)
  • "Papa Chico" (1993): Tony Esposito - "Papa Chico" (1985)

    • References

    Boney M. discography Wikipedia
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