Relive those disco nights with Boney M. hits
View(s):Remember Daddy Cool, Brown Girl in the Ring and Rivers of Babylon? Boney M. were the disco-kings of the late ’70s with their toe-tapping beats blasting at every party. The Euro-Caribbean band comprising Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba was formed in 1976 by German record producer Frank Farian and sold more than 80 million records in their heyday.
Liz Mitchell: Soon in Colombo
Boney M. first broke into the music world with “Daddy Cool” when late summer 1976, they appeared on the German TV show Musikladen. It reached No.1 in Germany, and “Sunny” followed. “Daddy Cool” reached No.1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Austria and both were also Top 10 hits in the UK. Boney M. were on their way.
1978 was the group’s best year. Their double A-sided single, “Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring”, swept through Europe, reaching No. 1 in many countries. One of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK it was their most successful single in the United States, reaching No. 30 on the U.S. pop singles chart.
With Nightflight to Venus their next album came hits such as “Rasputin” and “Painter Man”. Their Christmas release “Mary’s Boy Child – Oh My Lord” made it to the top in the UK and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there.
“Hooray! Hooray! It’s a Holi-Holiday”, which became another Top 10 hit across Europe followed in 1979 along with their fourth album, Oceans of Fantasy, containing two hit singles – “Gotta Go Home”/”El Lute” and “I’m Born Again”/”Bahama Mama”. Oceans of Fantasy reached No.1 in the UK and was certified Platinum, though their run of Top 10 singles had now ended with “Gotta Go Home” peaking at no.12 and “I’m Born Again” peaking at 35.
In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits, which also contained two new songs, “My Friend Jack” and “I See a Boat on the River”. It made the No. 1 spot in the UK, but turned out to be their last big-selling album in the UK.
The group went their separate ways after their 10th anniversary in 1986.
Enjoy your favourite Boney M. songs from the past with Boney M, featuring Liz Mitchell – the band’s original lead vocalist accompanied by the full 8-piece band, live in Sri Lanka on June 16 at SLECC. Tickets are priced at Rs 5000, Rs 7, 500, Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 and are available at the Events desk at the Galle Face Hotel or on www.bookmyshow.com. More details are available on http://www.avpr.lk/boneym/ and events@avpr.lk or call 0112 699215.
In their heyday: Boney M. in concert