“There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
Most people look at him with terror and with fear
But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear
He could preach the Bible like a preacher
Full of ecstasy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire.”
Rasputin lyrics
Introduction
In the late 1970s, two bands ruled the music airwaves, Abba and Boney M. One survived the test of time, and the other became a treasured memory, seldom played now. Boney M was probably one of the most quirky and avant-garde bands ever formed. Based in Germany with a Caribbean mix, Boney M was unique because rather than being all male or female, it was a combination of both sexes, made up of girl, girl, and boy. A brilliant mix of Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams, Bobby Farrell and Liz Mitchell. It was a group with a fan base across age ranges, one that used outdated hipster 60s in its lyrics, combining flamboyant dress sense and hairstyles with breathtaking dancing. Who else could get away with singing about Rasputin, Al Capone and the Rivers of Babylon? You can still hear echoes of their work when someone requests ‘Daddy Cool’, ‘Sunny’ or ‘Brown Girl in the Ring’ at a karaoke or a wedding. Bobby Farrell’s deep and mesmeric voice resonated across the room. Dreamed up by the German pop producer Frank Farian, Frank came up with the band’s name while watching an Australian detective show featuring a character named Napoleon Bonaparte. Farian himself didn’t even exist. He was a character created by one Franz Reuther, a former chef who had already spent a decade trying and failing to be a big noise as a pop Svengali. A band that would take pop fantasy to its limits.
Something Different
Trawl through the music archives, and every time you get to Boney M, you will see how big they were, especially in Germany, playing sell-out concerts. However, Bobby Farrell and Maizie Williams mimed live. The mix of bass guitar, drums and an occasional outing of steel drums made this band dominate the music scene between 1977 and 1979. They were the masters of parody and could even pull off a cover version of Bob Marley and the Wailers ‘No Woman No Cry’ in 1978. Yet, they were not always a success. Their first attempt in 1974 in 1974 was a flop, and it took until 1976, with the release of the album ‘Take the Heat off Me’ with the tracks ‘Daddy Cool’ and ‘Sunny’, for their careers to rocket—the first of eight albums. The band is hugely popular in Russia, India, China, and South Korea and sold over 100 million records worldwide. The band still performs occasionally with its surviving members. Its creator, Frank Farian, died at the age of 82 in 2024, while Aruban Bobby Farrell spookily died from heart failure at the age of 61 on the same day, 30 December, as Rasputin in St Petersburg in 2010. Rasputin died 94 years earlier. He is survived by members Liz Mitchell, who joined the band in 1987, and Maizie Williams, the longest-serving member. A band that had style, groove and all the dance moves. One that summed up the music vibe of the 1970s. Bobby Farrell once said that the M in Boney M could stand for any of the following: Mother, Meditation, Money, Misery and Mysterious.
