The Best of Boney M.

Last updated
The Best of Boney M.
Boney M. - The Best Of.jpg
Greatest hits album by
Released1997
Recorded1976–1979, 1988
Genre Eurodance, pop, Euro disco
Length71:40
Label Camden/BMG (UK)
Producer Frank Farian
Boney M. chronology
Best in Spain
(1996)
The Best of Boney M.
(1997)
Norske Hits
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg link

The Best of Boney M. is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG UK's midprice label Camden in 1997.

Contents

This compilation includes material from original albums Take the Heat off Me , Love for Sale and Nightflight to Venus . It also features edited versions of hits from 1980 compilation The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits as well as tracks from remix album Greatest Hits Of All Times - Remix '88 .

Track listing

  1. "Rivers of Babylon" (Farian, Reyam) - 3:47
  2. "Ma Baker" (Farian, Jay, Reyam) - 4:37
    • Original album/single version
  3. "Rasputin" (Farian, Jay, Reyam) - 5:54
    • Original album version, cold-start
  4. "He Was a Steppenwolf" (Farian, Jay, Klinkhammer) - 6:53
    • Original album version
  5. "Daddy Cool" (Farian, Reyam) - 3:29
    • Original album/single version
  6. "Motherless Child" (Farian, Mitchell) - 4:59
    • Original album version
  7. "Brown Girl in the Ring" (Farian) - 4:04
    • Original album/single version
  8. "Sunny" (Bobby Hebb) - 3:17
  9. "No Woman, No Cry" (Ford, Bob Marley) - 3:38
  10. "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" (Farian, Jester Hairston) - 4:25
  11. "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday" (Farian, Jay) - 3:12
  12. "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" (Björklund, Forsey, Jay) - 5:35
    • Original album version
  13. "Voodoonight" (Sgarbi) - 3:33
    • Original album version
  14. "Still I'm Sad" (McCarty, Samwell-Smith) - 4:36
    • Original album version
  15. "Nightflight to Venus" (Farian, Jay, Kawohl) - 4:49
    • Original album version, fade-out
  16. "Heart of Gold" (Neil Young) - 4:00
    • Original album version
  17. "Gotta Go Home" (Farian, Jay, Klinkhammer) - 4:40

Personnel

Production

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [1] Platinum70,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [2] Gold20,205 [2]
United Kingdom (BPI) [3] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boney M.</span> German disco group

Boney M. are a disco group that specialises in R&B, reggae, disco and funk, created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica, Maizie Williams from Montserrat, and Bobby Farrell from Aruba. The group was formed in 1976 and achieved popularity during the disco era of the late 1970s. Since the 1980s, various line-ups of the band have performed with differing personnel.

<i>Nightflight to Venus</i> 1978 studio album by Boney M.

Nightflight to Venus is the third studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M., and was released in July 1978. The album became a major success in continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada, topping most of the album charts during the second half of 1978 and also became their first UK number one album. In Canada, it received a nomination for a 1980 Juno Award in a category 'International Album of the Year'.

<i>Gold – 20 Super Hits</i> 1992 greatest hits album by Boney M.

Gold – 20 Super Hits is a 1992 greatest hits album by group Boney M. Shortly after record label PolyGram had acquired the rights to the ABBA back catalogue and had issued the multimillion-selling hits package Gold: Greatest Hits, BMG and producer Frank Farian followed suit with Boney M.'s Gold – 20 Super Hits which resulted in their best chart entry in the UK and most other European countries since 1980's The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits.

<i>Oceans of Fantasy</i> 1979 studio album by Boney M.

Oceans of Fantasy is the fourth studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. Released in September 1979, Oceans Of Fantasy became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features the hits "El Lute / Gotta Go Home" and "I'm Born Again / Bahama Mama".

<i>Love for Sale</i> (Boney M. album) 1977 studio album by Boney M.

Love for Sale is the second studio album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. The album includes the hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". It also includes three covers: "Love for Sale", "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", and "Still I'm Sad".

<i>The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits</i> 1980 greatest hits album by Boney M.

The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits is a greatest hits album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M., issued in 1980, which contained all their biggest hits up until that point, including non-album singles "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" and "Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday", album tracks from Take The Heat Off Me, Love for Sale, Nightflight to Venus and Oceans of Fantasy as well as their most recent double A-side single release "I See a Boat On the River"/ "My Friend Jack".

<i>Ten Thousand Lightyears</i> 1984 studio album by Boney M.

Ten Thousand Lightyears is the seventh studio album by Boney M. and the first to feature new member Reggie Tsiboe, who had taken over Bobby Farrell's role as the band's leading man in early 1982.

<i>Kalimba de Luna – 16 Happy Songs</i> 1984 compilation album by Boney M.

Kalimba de Luna – 16 Happy Songs is a compilation album by Boney M. released in late 1984. On the strength of two carbon-copy cover versions, "Kalimba de Luna" and "Happy Song" which gave Boney M. their first Top 20 hits in Germany in three years, this compilation was rush-released in November 1984. Besides the 12" versions of the two singles, the latter marking Bobby Farrell's return to the band but neither featuring Liz Mitchell or Marcia Barrett, the compilation includes 3-minute edits of tracks from albums Boonoonoonoos and Ten Thousand Lightyears as well as non-album singles "Children Of Paradise"/"Gadda Da Vida" (1980), "Felicidad (Margherita)" (1981), "Going Back West" (1982) and "Jambo - Hakuna Matata " (1983), as well as a new remix of "Calendar Song" from the Oceans Of Fantasy album. Just like in the case of 1980 compilation The Magic Of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits, many of these edits were to re-surface on a number of hits compilations in the future, the latest being 2007 Sony-BMG release Hit Collection.
The "Happy Song" single was originally released under the name 'Boney M. with Bobby Farrell & the School-Rebels' and this compilation as 'Boney M. with Bobby Farrell'.

<i>The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits</i>

The Best of 10 Years – 32 Superhits also known as 32 Superhits - Non-Stop Digital Remix is a remix album by Boney M. released in 1986.

<i>More Gold – 20 Super Hits Vol. II</i> 1993 greatest hits album by Boney M.

More Gold – 20 Super Hits Vol. II is a 1993 greatest hits album by Boney M. Producer Frank Farian issued More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II containing the remainder of Boney M.'s best known songs – again most of them appearing in remixed or overdubbed form but credited as the original versions – as well as four new recordings featuring lead singer Liz Mitchell. Two singles were released from the album in Europe, "Ma Baker Remix '93" and "Papa Chico", the latter credited as "Boney M. featuring Liz Mitchell" and released in early 1994.

<i>The Greatest Hits</i> (2001 Boney M. album) 2001 greatest hits album by Boney M.

The Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG in the United Kingdom in late 2001.

<i>The Magic of Boney M.</i> 2006 greatest hits album by Boney M.

The Magic of Boney M. is a greatest hits album of recordings by Boney M. released by Sony BMG in October 2006.

<i>Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix 88</i> Remix album

Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix '88 is a remix album by Boney M. released in 1988. Boney M.'s new manager at the time, Simon Napier-Bell, succeeded in persuading the four original members to briefly reunite and promote this remix album. The man employed to re-arrange the original hits and create new interest in the band was PWL's Pete Hammond, who previously had remixed many of the Stock Aitken Waterman stable's chart-topping hits with Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and Bananarama. Five of the tracks also feature new lead vocals by Liz Mitchell. In early 2021, Hammond recalled the following about the '88 remix project, explaining the new vocals: "The 2inch 24 track multi-track tapes were sent to PWL by Frank Farian of Far Music. Apparently, they had lost some of the original recordings—four songs if I remember correctly—and had to record four new versions; they were musically incomplete but good enough for me to overdub and remix". The remix project spun off three fairly successful single releases, "Rivers of Babylon ", "Rasputin " and the 1988 "Megamix", which would appear on the follow-up album issued a year later, and created the first wave of Boney M. nostalgia in Europe.

<i>20th Century Hits</i> 1999 remix album by Boney M.

20th Century Hits is a remix album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG in 1999. This remix project which was credited as 'Boney M. 2000' spun off a series of new single releases; "Ma Baker – Somebody Scream" in early 1999 and previously included on French compilation Ultimate, "Daddy Cool '99" featuring Mobi T., "Caribbean Night Fever / Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" and "Sunny".

<i>The Collection</i> (1991 Boney M. album)

The Collection is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by label BMG-Ariola in 1991.
The Collection was part of BMG's first mid-price CD campaign, the company released many Collections containing back-catalogue material by artists ranging from Modern Talking, Imagination and Amanda Lear to Chuck Berry, Glenn Miller and Elvis Presley.
The majority of the tracks on this release are taken from 1980 compilation The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits, subsequently most of them appear in slightly edited form.
BMG-Ariola France has re-issued this compilation with new artwork as Cristal Collection in 1994 and as Sunny, Daddy Cool, Rivers Of Babylon and L'Essentiel, both in 2001.

<i>Daddy Cool – Star Collection</i>

Daddy Cool – Star Collection is a compilation of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG-Ariola's mid-price label Ariola Express in Germany in 1991.

<i>The Complete Collection</i> (Boney M. album) 2000 compilation album by Boney M.

The Complete Collection is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG/CMC Records in Denmark in late 2000.

<i>Norske Hits</i> 1998 compilation album by Boney M.

Norske Hits is a compilation album of recordings by Boney M. released by BMG-Ariola in Norway in late 1998.

<i>Christmas with Boney M.</i> 1984 compilation album by Boney M.

Christmas with Boney M. a.k.a. (New) Christmas with Boney M. is an aborted second Christmas album turned into a compilation. The album was exclusively released in South Africa where the group's popularity—contrary to the rest of the world—remained high during the early 80s. The album is a sought-after item for Boney M. collectors since it includes the original recording "Mother and Child Reunion" with Reggie Tsiboe and La Mama which was remixed and overdubbed with additional vocals for a 1985 charity single for Ethiopia, released by Frank Farian Corporation. The album has never been released on CD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6 Years of Boney M. Hits</span> 1982 single by Boney M.

"6 Years of Boney M. Hits " is a greatest hits medley by Boney M., inspired by the success of the hit medleys by Stars on 45. Originally released on the B-side of the band's 1981 Christmas single "Little Drummer Boy", the single was flipped over in January 1982 with the medley as an A-side. While failing to chart in Germany, the medley reached #6 in the Spanish charts and was also an A-side release in France and Japan. The 12" version featured a faded version on the German pressing and an unfaded version on the French pressing, while the UK version was extended with their Christmas chart-topper "Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord".

References

  1. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Boney M" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland . Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  3. "British album certifications – Boney M – The Best of". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 27 November 2019.