Pop legend Boney M. (part 3)

Третья часть документального телешоу компании ARD о самой успешной поп-группе в истории музыкальной индустрии Германии.

Ведущая солистка Boney M. Лиз Митчелл (Liz Mitchell) вспоминает легендарный 1978 год, когда группа достигла наивысшей точки популярности.

Тогда проект Фрэнка Фариана (Frank Farian) побил все мыслимые рекорды по продаже своих альбомов и синглов, что обеспечило попадание Boney M. в Книгу рекордов Гинесса.

"Nightflight To Venus", вышедший именно в 1978, по сей день входит в первую десятку самых продаваемых альбомов Германии всех времён (данные статистической службы MediaControl).

Несколько синглов (включая монстр-хит "Rivers of Babylon", до сих пор удерживающий первенство по продолжительности нахождения на пике топ-чарта ФРГ), сопровождавших выход этого LP, попали на первые места в Великобритании и множества других стран.

Специальный рождественский сингл "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord", выпущенный накануне 1979 года, стал самым быстропродаваемым в истории музыкальной индустрии (более 240 тысяч копий за один день!).

В том же году Boney M. породили ещё одну мировую сенсацию, прорвав "железный занавес", разделяющий тоталитарный коммунистический блок и страны свободного мира.

6 декабря группа прилетела в столицу СССР (тогдашней цитадели коммунистической империи, наводившей ужас на демократические страны), чтобы дать 10 аншлаговых концертов в Центральном киноконцертном зале "Россия", который находился по соседству с Красной площадью.

Многие источники утверждают, что гастроли Boney M. в Москве стали возможны благодаря личной санкции генсека Леонида Брежнева, поскольку артистам был оказан поистине царский приём на государственном уровне.

В Лондон был направлен спецрейс "Аэрофлота", чтобы доставить группу и её обслуживающий персонал в Москву, а непосредственно к трапу самолёта были поданы правительственные лимузины "Чайка", что по тем временам было просто невероятным знаком расположения по отношению к западным артистам...

Boney M. - the most successful pop music export in the history of Germany. To date, worldwide sold 160 million copies of their albums and singles.

The first track under the name Boney M singer, composer and producer Frank Farian (real name Franz Reuther) recorded independently. It was in late 1974. All voices (male and "female") belong to him. After the success of the single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump?" Farian was invited to speak at the Dutch television. But Frank Farian was known as a singer of German hits. So he decided to put together an exotic group to promote their new black music. After a few changes, in 1976, was formed the final line-up. These were people from the Caribbean islands: Liz Mitchell (Jamaica), Marcia Barrett (Jamaica), Maizie Williams (Monserratt) and Bobby Farrell (Aruba).

*In 1982, in the group came a new singer and musician Reggie Tsiboe (he was born in Ghana, but at age 11 his father sent him to study in London).

All four of them have already worked in the entertainment business. Liz Mitchell played in the musical "Hair" and sang in the pop-choir The Les Humphries Singers. Marcia Barrett has worked in clubs as a dancer and singer. She also occasionally performed together with the popular German star. Maizie Williams was a photographic model. In the early 70's, she won a beauty contest in the UK. Bobby Farrell worked as a dancer and DJ in Hanover.

Boney M.'s first album, Take the Heat off Me, was released in 1976. It contained tracks that Marcia Barrett had already recorded with Farian, including the title track and "Lovin' or Leavin'", both of which were previously recorded in German by another Farian act, Gilla. As Maizie Williams' voice wasn't considered suitable for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell performing "No Woman No Cry" didn't work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own studio-enhanced voice to create the Boney M. sound.

The album's commercial performance was initially lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs and even country fairs to earn a reputation for themselves. The group's big break came when, at the end of summer 1976, German television producer Michael 'Mike' Leckebusch (of Radio Bremen) requested the group for his show Musikladen. Boney M. appeared on the live music show on 18 September 1976, after 10 pm and in their daring stage costumes, where they performed the song "Daddy Cool". The song quickly went to no.1 in Germany, with the album following the success of the single. Another single, "Sunny" (a cover of the 1966 Bobby Hebb song) gave the group their second no.1 hit. The group's popularity had also grown throughout Europe, with "Daddy Cool" reaching no.1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and Austria. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK, which would become one of their biggest markets.

In 1977, Boney M. released their second album "Love for Sale" (N13 in UK and entered the top 10 in many other countries), which contained the hits "Ma Baker" and "Belfast". The group embarked on their first major concert tours with a live band of musicians called 'The Black Beauty Circus' (given their name after Maizie Williams' first band, 'Black Beautiful People'). Love for Sale was certified Gold a year after its release in the UK. Both singles from the album reached no.1 in Germany and the UK Top 10.

1978 was the biggest year for Boney M. They released a new double A-sided single, "Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the Ring", which became a massive hit all over Europe, reaching No. 1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. It also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at No. 30 on the U.S. pop singles chart. Following this came their biggest-selling album, Nightflight to Venus, which spawned further hit singles with "Rasputin" and "Painter Man". Continuing with their success, they released "Mary's Boy Child - Oh My Lord", which was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the United Kingdom and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there. Also during 1978, Boney M. made a much publicized promotional visit to the Soviet Union, one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so, although tracks like "Rasputin" were not released in the Soviet Union due to their lyrics.
Boney M's album "Night Flight to Venus" was one of the best selling in the world.