Boney M. Album: “Magic of Boney M. [1980]”

This collection contains the pop-disco group Boney M's greatest hits from their heyday in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The styles include hardcore disco (Daddy Cool, Sunny) and bouncy reggae like Rivers of Babylon (a remake of a

song) and Brown Girl In The Ring. (As a 2-sided hit single, this was one of the biggest hits in the UK in 1978 and stayed on the charts for ages).

More buoyant reggae can be found on Hooray Hooray, No Woman No Cry and their lovely Christmas song Mary's Boy Child. There's also pure pop like Rasputin, Painter Man and El Lute. Besides the aforementioned songs, other great numbers include of course the brilliant Ma Baker (which tells the story of Chicago gangster Ma Barker) and the deceptively airy Belfast which commented upon the troubles in Ulster. (Disco music wasn't meant to be serious).

Like ABBA, Boney M made superb pop music. All the songs have aged well and it's good to hear dance music with personality again. Although the tracks are not arranged chronologically, this is a great compilation, well worth the price.

If you want the original material with Boney M., then stay FAR away from this release.

It's a re-release of the 1992 compilation "Gold" with a few changes.

It's yet another compilation that's including edits and remixes. How can it be so hard to get the original single-versions or LP-versions on a compilation? If Sony Music had had a little interest in Boney M. it would not have been difficult at all. It however seems to be all about easy money.

The compilation starts out with "Daddy Cool". Strangely enough they have managed to include the original 1976 version of this track and not the remixed version from the "Gold" compilation from 1992.

Sony Music seems to enjoy the use of the "Gold" compilation from 1992 when putting together new compilations. Note! All tracks from the "Gold" compilation are remixes as the tracks have been added extra drumbeats and hi-hats. Most are edits as well!

Some reasons to stay away from "The Magic Of Boney M.":

"Sunny" is not the original 1976 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

"Rivers Of Babylon" is not the original 1978 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

"El Lute" is an edited and remixed version from "Gold" running 3:58 minutes. The original 1979 single version is 5:09 minutes. The original LP-version is 5:50 minutes.

"No Women No Cry" is not the original 1976 single- or LP-version which is running 5 minutes. It's an edit as well as a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation running 4:20 minutes.

"Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi- Holiday" is not the original 1979 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation

"Rasputin" one of their greatest singles, is neither the 1978 single-version nor the LP-version. The original single-version is 4:43 minutes. Here is another edit and remixed version from "Gold" running only 04:25 minutes.

"Painter Man" is not the original 1978 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

"Belfast" is not the original 1977 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

"Brown Girl In The Ring" is not the original 1978 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold"

compilation.

"Kalimba De Luna" is not the original 1984 version. It's an edit and remixed version from the 1992 "Gold"

compilation running 4:13. Original singe-version is running 4:31.

"Happy Song" is yet another edit and remix from the "Gold" compilation running 3:56 minutes. The original single version is running 4:18 minutes.

"Still I'm Sad" is not the original 1977 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

And now to the real DISASTER! "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" one of the group's biggest hits ever is also included in an edited and remixed version. The original single version that went to no. 1 in England in 1978 was running 5:43 minutes - a true master piece. The version included on this compilation is ONLY 4:01. Yet another edit and remixed version from the "Gold" compilation. It honestly stinks. In the included version Maria and Joseph never makes it to Bethlehem which means that Jesus never was born and there's therefore actually nothing to sing about! Over half of the story has been cut out. How is that possible?

"Baby Do You Wanna Bump" is not the original 1975 version. It's an edited and remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

"Felicidad": Here included in an edited 2:52 minutes version, remix of course. Yet again from the "Gold" compilation. The original single version is running 4:33 minutes.

"Gotta Go Home": Here included in an edited 2:50 minutes version. Yet again from the "Gold" compilation. The original single version is running 4:01 minutes. The original LP-version is: 3:45 minutes.

"Ma Baker" is not the original 1977 version. It's a remixed version from the 1992 "Gold" compilation.

Track 19 and 20 is a remix and a new recording. None of them worth mentioning at all. They should have left them out so the full versions of the original single-versions or LP-versions could have been used instead.

Edits - No thank you!

Remixes - No thank you!

Original material - Yes, please!

Ah, the magic of Boney M indeed! To some "serious" music listeners this was nothing but disposable, lightweight pop music, but those misanthropes miss the point of it all. Boney M never aspired to be some sort of critic's darling capable of recording complex concept albums with deep lyrical content. This was just very good pop music with a clear tilt towards dance and disco. Fun and catchy, it was hard not to get hooked by songs as good as "Daddy Cool" ... "Brown Girl In The Ring" ... "Rasputin" ... "Ma Baker" or their classic cover of "Rivers Of Babylon." And of course there are plenty of more songs on here that bring back good memories of fun times. One reviewer blasted this compilation for not having the complete original versions, but mostly edits and remixes. I can understand such a complaint, but I didn't listen to this band back when they first released music, so I guess I'm not as disappointed not to have the original versions. But what you get on this collection should more than satify the casual fan.

Excellent rendition of several of their famous songs with some not heard so often. It is nice to listen to the unfamiliar and gain an appreciation of them.