Original Album Classics

new item at great price

Whilst these are not sparkly new digitial remasters - in fact they appear to date back to the original vinyl releases as there's still a tiny tape dropout on the beginning of 'Brown Girl In The Ring' - they have not been over-EQed or squashed flat with massive compression and brick-wall limiting. In addition to other reviews I have the UK vinyl of 'Take The Heat Off Me' so have 'Baby Do You Wanna Bump' as a bonus - although it's not outstanding. So of the extras are nice too. Great value, brilliiant pop.

Sound quality is great, I had a couple of albums on vinyl which are great but now the whole collection at a good price, very happy with my purchase 😀

From 1976 onwards, Boney M were a strong presence on the pop charts, as well as regular guests on the BBC’s defunct weekly showcase ‘Top of the pops’. After all the compilations and remixes, these original studio albums are (mostly) the real deal. The sound of the bass guitar is particularly impressive on the first two disco-era releases. Take the heat off me (1976) Boney M’s debut album contains the standout hits ‘Daddy Cool’ (not to be confused with ‘Daddy Cool / the girl can’t help it’ by Darts) and ‘Sunny’ (a 1966 hit for Georgie Fame). After the singles, the best moments are the title song (with a fuzzy guitar) and a version of Bob Marley’s ‘No woman no cry’. Some titles are good productions rather than great songs. The overfamiliar tune ‘Fever’ has been recorded by Peggy Lee, Elvis Presley and Madonna. Before the producer Frank Farian assembled the group, he performed all the vocals on the lengthy ‘Baby do you wanna bump’ (6:53) himself. Strangely, a different song ‘Help, Help’ is listed on the original sleeve. The bonus tracks ‘New York City’ and ‘Perfect’ sound very much like B sides. Love for sale (1977) It is not surprising that the well-produced ‘Ma Baker’ was a hit single. As a teenager in 1977, its groovy rhythm sounded fresh and different. I can’t name the (female) singer on the single ‘Belfast’ (I only recognize the voices of Liz Mitchell and Bobby Farrell). ‘Gloria can you waddle’ may be based on the Van Morrison composition ‘Gloria’. The running-times on this CD don’t match the timings shown on the original sleeve. Have the studio boffins tampered with the music? Obviously if a track was edited in the first place (to fit onto vinyl), I don’t mind having the full, unedited take this time. A good version of ‘Still I’m sad’ (recorded by the Yardbirds) has now gained an extra minute, whereas the Creedence Clearwater Revival song ‘Have you ever seen the rain’ (2:38) has actually lost a minute! Who decided to add two nineties tracks to ‘Love for sale’? The 1999 remix of ‘Ma Baker’ is not only a travesty, it is devoid of any ‘time & place’ magic. Night flight to Venus (1978) This commercial blockbuster features the massive-selling singles ‘Rivers of Babylon’ / ‘Brown girl in the ring’ and ‘Mary’s boy child’. The musical tension created by the opener ‘Night flight to Venus’ makes the hit single ‘Rasputin’ sound dynamic and satisfying. Although the pleasure continues with ‘Painter man’, the plodding ‘He was a Steppenwolf’ (6:50) is a musical kill-joy. The American oldie ‘King of the road’ by Roger Miller is an unusual choice for the group to cover. The same might be said for Neil Young’s ‘Heart of gold’, which is the better of the two. Titles such as ‘Voodoo night’ and ‘never change lovers in the middle of the night’ might be regarded as ‘album filler’. ‘Dancing in the streets’ (not the Martha Reeves hit) sounds like a bonus B side. Oceans of Fantasy (1979) Due to the clean production and lengthy playing-time, the CD format suits ‘Oceans of fantasy’. This hour-long release would benefit from the removal of tracks such as ‘No more chain gang’ (5.22) and ‘No time to lose’ (2:54). Including the title-track, the album has 6 standout songs: ‘Gotta go home’ and the Abba-style ballad ‘El Lute’ became a double A side single. The single ‘I’m born again’ (sung by Liz) reminds me of ‘My oh my’ by Slade. ‘Bahama mama’ retains the group’s trademark sound. ‘I see a boat on the river’ is terrific Euro-pop. The songs covered by Boney M are often surprising (such as ‘King of the road’). ‘Oceans of Fantasy’ features the Beatles song ‘Two of us’, a sixties psychedelic song called ‘My friend Jack’, and ‘Hold on I’m coming’ (recorded by Tom Jones and Michael Bolton). Boo noo noo noos (1981) I haven’t heard this album since 1981/82. Back then, the number of tracks crammed onto vinyl probably reduced the amplitude or volume by 50% (where the music exceeds 20 minutes per side), which makes it suitable for the CD format (especially if it was digitally recorded). Clocking in at an indigestible 70:30, this is the longest disc in the box, partly because two very listenable bonus tracks have been added. With reggae & calypso rhythms, and titles such as ‘African moon’, ‘Homeland Africa’ and ‘Malaika’, the album has an Afro-Caribbean flavour. For me, side 2 (as it was on vinyl) is the most enjoyable; where a number of titles feature Liz Mitchell’s distinctive voice (‘Consuela Biaz’ for example). Side 1 has some longer pieces such as a 6 minute medley (why didn’t they just record ‘I shall sing’ as a straight song the way Art Garfunkel did?). Due to a lengthy coda, ‘Silly confusion’ lasts for over 7 minutes. Such was the popularity of Boney M; the death of Bobby Farrell was covered on the prime-time evening news. Sadly, others such as Dave Greenfield of the Stranglers, or Dominic Grant from Guys ‘n’ Dolls did not receive the same attention.

Amazing collection, amazing price

The best from a group that should always be remembered for their contribution to fun. disco music. Songs like Gotta Go Home are as fitting in clubs today as ever (the song that Duck Sauce sampled for Barbara Streisand).

Great collection of Boney M

Originally I bought this set for our daughter because she was a child during their era. She didn't get it. Having had a busy life when the children were young, this style of music tended to escape my attention. Now that I'm retired I can appreciate how good Boney M were. I defy any listener to sit still when their music is in the air. Like all good works, their style is timeless and, half a century later, it ought to get more air time than it does.

Imprescindible para los apasionados de este gran y mítico grupo ochentero,no puede faltar en tu colección.

Supertolle Lieder, alles was man sich nur wünschen kann. Sehr empfehlenswert!

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