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Who is Boney M.?


MindCrime

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To be honest, they're not what I think of when I hear the term "disco", which I perceive more as an essentially American phenomenon; an evolution of 70s funk music, which appealed (initially) to a predominantly adult audience, or at least those old enough to get a sweat on in night-clubs/discotheques. Those responsible for the musical side of "disco" were often experienced and gifted musicians/vocalists with their roots in soul & funk, and scarcely deserving of the disdain reserved for them, once "disco" was cheapened by the commercial successes of second-rate exponents. Though there are plentiful examples, a good one that springs to mind is Chic; great disco band, great musicians, hugely influential in a very positive sense. Similarly, Funkadelic...

Boney M are an example of a band created to capitalise on a "boom" in the market, for "fun bands for young people to dance to", in the wake of such overtly commercial successes as The Village People, which typify the endearing whimsical silliness of the times, rather than qualities of musical excellence. Therefore, whilst having some musical features in common with late 70s disco, they exploited commercial gimmickry, and played simplistic pop music geared towards a much younger audience, more likely to be accessing playgrounds than nightclubs. Crucially; it was also simple and harmless enough for your nan to join in. If you doubt what I'm saying; their most commercial (and most successful) hits, included "Rivers Of Babylon" included "Hooray! Hooray!It's A Holi-Holiday!" and "Brown Girl In The Ring", which are characterised by nursery-rhyme singalong simplicity and reggae/calypso influences, rather than up-tempo danceability.

At a push, I'd describe Boney M as Euro-disco.

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Similarly, Funkadelic...

I'm not sure that the Funkadelics or any of George Clintons bands were disco...

No, you're right. I didn't explain myself very well. I was using them as an example of a band of gifted funk musicians playing dancefloor-orientated music, but whose excellent contribution to music may have been demeaned by a subsequent association with the lumpen term "disco", a genre whose features may have included some stylistic similarities with 70s funk, alongside all manner of additional tawdry nonsense.

"One Nation Under A Groove" was a massive dancefloor hit over here, and topped "the disco chart" in 1978, (arguably the peak year of the disco boom.) If a track could fill a disco dancefloor at the height of discomania, and topped the "disco" sales chart, it's not unreasonable to consider it "disco", is it? :P

As with any other genre-specific chart, there was a mixture of trash and treasure. Never much of a disco fan myself (at the time), it has taken me a few years to appreciate the treasures amongst the trash.

I guess my point was that there was "disco" - essentially designed to fill dancefloors, but which might nonetheless be appreciable by the "musical purist", (some pretty good, creative stuff played by technically-gifted musicians), and there was a cheap, crap, cash-in form of the genre, most of which was lowest common-denominator kitsch nonsense. Not being a musical snob, and being a fan of absurdity in pop as well as in life, I can readily appreciate some of the latter as well as the former.

When I get chance, I might draw up my "Disco Top 20" for folks to pick apart. :)

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At a push, I'd describe Boney M as Euro-disco.

ah, I see now - I always considered "Disco" the generic term and stuff like "Euro Disco", "Italo Disco", etc. as specific subgenres within that style (as opposed to "came after")

that's probably because I was not a part of the time and not a fan either

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I think of them more as Euro-Pop, along the lines of ABBA, but I guess Euro-disco fits too. Putting them in the same crap class as Rick Dees, Village People, and Lipps Inc. is just downright insulting.

I never mentioned any particular bands(except Funkadelics)And I never would put ABBA in rhe same league as Village People or Rick Dees :laugh: I've always liked the Bee Gees (not all of the disco stuff)but,they survived...

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To be honest, they're not what I think of when I hear the term "disco", which I perceive more as an essentially American phenomenon; an evolution of 70s funk music, which appealed (initially) to a predominantly adult audience, or at least those old enough to get a sweat on in night-clubs/discotheques. Those responsible for the musical side of "disco" were often experienced and gifted musicians/vocalists with their roots in soul & funk, and scarcely deserving of the disdain reserved for them, once "disco" was cheapened by the commercial successes of second-rate exponents. Though there are plentiful examples, a good one that springs to mind is Chic; great disco band, great musicians, hugely influential in a very positive sense. Similarly, Funkadelic...

Boney M are an example of a band created to capitalise on a "boom" in the market, for "fun bands for young people to dance to", in the wake of such overtly commercial successes as The Village People, which typify the endearing whimsical silliness of the times, rather than qualities of musical excellence. Therefore, whilst having some musical features in common with late 70s disco, they exploited commercial gimmickry, and played simplistic pop music geared towards a much younger audience, more likely to be accessing playgrounds than nightclubs. Crucially; it was also simple and harmless enough for your nan to join in. If you doubt what I'm saying; their most commercial (and most successful) hits, included "Rivers Of Babylon" included "Hooray! Hooray!It's A Holi-Holiday!" and "Brown Girl In The Ring", which are characterised by nursery-rhyme singalong simplicity and reggae/calypso influences, rather than up-tempo danceability.

At a push, I'd describe Boney M as Euro-disco.

I've never told you this, man, but I love reading your posts. They rule! They make me laugh, they make me cry, they make me appreciate disco...well, somewhat. Keep it up, man!

:afro: :afro: :afro: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

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Boney M are an example of a band created to capitalise on a "boom" in the market, for "fun bands for young people to dance to", in the wake of such overtly commercial successes as The Village People, which typify the endearing whimsical silliness of the times, rather than qualities of musical excellence.

I like that analysis.

"Euro-disco", for Boney M and the rest what was perduced at that time in Munich and surroundings (Donna Summer e.g.), hmmm, OK. Second wave, Europeans trying to copy the succes formula.

What about the third wave, the "Stock Aitken Waterman" tsunami that chased rock Å„ roll from the chart lists, early 80Å›? Anybody any qualification for that?

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