Boney M. Album: “20 Schönsten Weihnachtslieder”

I looked for Boney-m Christmas music for years, after hearing the "Mary's Boy Child" medley once on radio. Now that I've found it, I listen to it daily. I love the sound. Thank you, Boney-m, wherever you are.

I remember Boney M from the days of disco (late 70s, early 80s) and wasn't a huge fan, but I admit I bought this album because the medley of Mary's Boy Child and O My Lord gets played a lot on the radio every Christmas season. Happily, the whole album is good, with the group sounding mellow (but still with a prominent beat) at the right times. For me a good Christmas CD combines some old favorites (this one has Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, The First Noel, Silent Night, etc) with some pretty but unfamiliar songs (Hear Ye the Message, Zion's Daughter, Petit Papa Noel). Boney M can sound delicate and lullabyish on a song like Petit Papa Noel or A Child Is Born, but almost anthemic and bouncy on Joy to the World and Hark the Herald Angels Sing. If you're like me, you get tired of the radio's constant play of Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Burl Ives, etc, and this is a nice alternative--still has that 'sweet' sound you expect of a Christmas CD, but also with that toe-tapping, shake-your-body quality you'd expect from a group that was part of the disco era. Incidentally, the album ends with a very rocky version of Auld Lang Syne--not only is the beat good, but you actually get to hear the 2nd and 3rd voices of that old song.

I happened to hear a sound bite from this CD on the radio - what an amazing sound! Some songs are rendered in a somewhat "calypso-style", which is generally not my favorite style, yet this has become my favorite Christmas album. You will love this music.

There's something about the subtle combination of camp and Christmas. This was a classic in my house when I was younger: my parents owned the tape, though Boney M was not quite their demographic's genre. Fond memories include listening to this as I walked through the malls in mid-December, my mother running it on a continuous loop while she did her holiday baking, and having blaring in the background on Christmas Eve while the folks hosted their annual fondue (though that says it all right there). I suppose this was a trendy album at the time, perhaps more akin to the latest offering from the Barenaked Ladies (though never as grim as "Hung for the Holidays"). It struck a chord at the innocence for the holidays, kid-friendly, spiritual -- but not overtly and in your face. Just a happy, upbeat Christmassy-type album.

No problems at all -- item was received in a timely manner and in good condition.