Christmas Album (Boney M. album)

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Christmas Album
Studio album by Boney M.
Released	October 1981
Recorded	1978, 1981
Genre	R&B, Pop music, Disco
Length	44:11
Label	Atlantic Records (UK) Hansa Records (FRG)
Producer	Frank Farian
Professional reviews
All Music Guide [1]
Boney M. chronology
Boonoonoonoos Christmas Album Ten Thousand Lightyears

Christmas Album is the sixth studio album by Boney M.. It was recorded in the summer of 1981 and released on November 23, 1981.
The album, which in certain territories was given the alternate title Christmas with Boney M., was issued just three weeks after the moderately successful Boonoonoonoos and had originally been planned as Liz Mitchell's first solo album. After the lukewarm reception of Boonoonoonoos, plans were, however, changed, and it was instead released under the name Boney M. to strengthen the band's declining commercial position.
The album includes the million-selling 1978 Christmas number one "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" and it yielded two further single releases, "Little Drummer Boy" which turned out to be a Top 20 hit in Germany. A second single was released for Christmas 1982, "Zion's Daughter" (with new member Reggie Tsiboe pictured on the cover), but failed to chart. "Feliz Navidad" was chosen as a single in Scandinavia, and Spain opted for "Jingle Bells". Ariola (Spain) furthermore issued "White Christmas" in 1983. "Christmas Album" achieved Platinum sales in 1983.
Christmas Album which was given the title Mary's Boy Child - The Christmas Album in the UK was to be the final Boney M. album release on the Atlantic Records label.
One of the biggest commercial hits of the year 1981 was the Dutch "Stars On 45" Beatles cover medley, a number one single in the US and number two in the UK. To promote the albums Boonoonoonoos and Christmas Album Frank Farian created a thirteen minute medley in the style of Stars On 45 called "6 Years of Boney M. Hits (Boney M. on 45)" which was issued as both A- and B-side singles in certain territories - in the UK it was the B-side of Boonoonoonoos 12" single "We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)", in Germany the edited 7" version was the B-side of Christmas Album single "Little Drummer Boy", and in January 1982 it was repackaged and released as the A-side.
Later in the eighties, the tracks of Christmas Album were to be remixed and re-issued as Die 20 schönsten Weihnachtslieder der Welt, The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs, The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World, Happy Christmas, A Wonderful Christmas Time and Christmas Party.

Contents 1 Track listing 2 Personnel 3 Production 4 Release history 5 CD releases 6 Single releases 7 Tracklisting "6 Years Of Hits (Boney M on 45)" medley 8 Sources and external links

[edit] Track listing

Side A:

1. "Little Drummer Boy" (Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone) - 4:27
2. "White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) - 4:19
3. "Feliz Navidad" (José Feliciano) - 3:07
4. "Jingle Bells" (James Lord Pierpont, Frank Farian) - 2:53
5. "Winter Fairy-Tale" (Instrumental) (Baierl) - 2:58
6. "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" (Jester Hairston, Lorin, Frank Farian, Fred Jay) - 5:14
   • Edited version

Side B:

1. Christmas Medley: "Silent Night, Holy Night (Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht)"/ "Snow Falls Over The Ground (Leise Rieselt Der Schnee)" / "Hear Ye the Message" (Traditional, Frank Farian, Fred Jay) - 6:25
   • The 2nd verse of "Silent Night" is sung in German on the German LP release but in English on the UK release. The full-length medley contained "Sweet Bells (Süßer die Glocken nie klingen)" which wasn't released until 1986 when the medley was remixed and overdubbed.
2. "Petit Papa Noël" (Martinet, Vincy) - 1:41
3. "Zion's Daughter (Tochter Zion)" (Traditional, George Frideric Handel, Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Helmut Rulofs) - 3:51
4. "When a Child Is Born" (Fred Jay, Zacar) - 3:20
5. "Darkness Is Falling" (Fred Jay, Helmut Rulofs) - 3:02
6. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (Catherine Courage, Frank Farian, Helmut Rulofs) - 3:54

[edit] Personnel

• Liz Mitchell - lead vocals (tracks A1-A4, A6, B1-B5)
• Marcia Barrett - backing vocals (tracks A3, A4 & A6)
• Frank Farian - lead vocals (track B6), backing vocals
• London Christmas Choir - choir
• Katie Kissoon - vocals, soprano
• Joy Yates - vocals, alto
• Helen Shappelle - vocals, soprano
• Simon Bell - vocals, tenor
• Nick Curtis - vocals, tenor
• George Chandler - vocals, baritone
• Russell Stone - vocals, bass
• Jerry Rix - additional vocals on track A1, bass
• Curt Cress - drums
• Dave King - bass guitar
• Günther Gebauer - bass guitar
• Mats Björklund - guitar
• Johan Daansen - guitar
• Harry Baierl - keyboards
• Kristian Schultze - keyboards
• London Philharmonic Orchestra - orchestra

[edit] Production

• Frank Farian - producer
• Helmut Rulofs - assistant producer
• Harry Baierl - musical arranger
• Stefan Klinkhammer - musical arranger
• Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios, London
• Steve Nye - sound engineer
• Recorded at Vigilant Studio, Nice
• Didier Utard - engineer
• Recorded at Union Studio, Munich
• Jochen Scheffer - engineer
• Recorded at Rainbow studio, Munich
• Volker Armand - engineer
• Mixed at Farian Studio
• Ariola-Eurodisc Studios - design
• Claus Lange - photography

[edit] Release history

• UK: "Mary's Boy Child - The Christmas Album": Atlantic Records K 50923.
• Germany: Hansa Records 204 300-320.

[edit] CD releases

• 1991 Germany: Hansa 254 300-222.

[edit] Single releases

Germany
7"

• "Little Drummer Boy" - 4:27 / "6 Years Of Boney M. Hits (Boney M. on 45)" (7" Edit) - 4:48 (Hansa Records 103 777-100, 1981)
• "Zion's Daughter" - 3:50 / "White Christmas" - 3:15 (Hansa 104-874-100, 1982)

12"

• "6 Years Of Boney M Hits (Boney M. on 45)" (12" Mix - edited version omitting "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord") - 11:13 / "Little Drummer Boy" - 4:27 (Hansa 600 479-213, 1981)

[edit] Tracklisting "6 Years Of Hits (Boney M on 45)" medley

7" edit:

1. "Daddy Cool"
2. "Ma Baker"
3. "Belfast"
4. "Gotta Go Home"
5. "Rasputin"
6. "Brown Girl In The Ring"
7. "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday"
8. "The Calendar Song (January, February, March...)"
9. "Baby Do You Wanna Bump"
10. "Rivers Of Babylon"
11. "Sunny"

12" mix:

1. "Let It All Be Music"
2. "Daddy Cool"
3. "Ma Baker"
4. "Belfast"
5. "Gotta Go Home"
6. "Love For Sale"
7. "Painter Man"
8. "Brown Girl In The Ring"
9. "Oceans Of Fantasy"
10. "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday"
11. "The Calendar Song (January, February, March...)"
12. "Dancing In The Streets"
13. "Bye Bye Bluebird"
14. "Baby Do You Wanna Bump"
15. "Rivers Of Babylon"
16. "Sunny"
17. "Nightflight To Venus"
18. "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord"

[edit] Sources and external links

• Rate Your Music, detailed discography
• Discogs.com, detailed discography
• All Music Guide, biography, discography etc.

v • d • e Boney M. Studio albums and main compilations (1976 – 1985) Take the Heat Off Me (1976) · Love for Sale (1977) · Nightflight to Venus (1978) · Oceans of Fantasy (1979) – The Magic of Boney M. - 20 Golden Hits (1980) · Children of Paradise - The Greatest Hits of Boney M. - Vol. 2 (1981) · Boonoonoonoos (1981) · Christmas Album (1981) · Ten Thousand Lightyears (1984) · Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs (1984) · Fantastic Boney M. (1984) · Christmas with Boney M. (1984) · Eye Dance (1985) Main compilations and remix albums (1986 – 2008) The Best of 10 Years - 32 Superhits (1986) · The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs (1986) – Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '88 (1988) · Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix '89 - Volume II (1989) · The Collection (1991) · Daddy Cool - Star Collection (1991) · The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World (1992) · Gold - 20 Super Hits (1992) – The Greatest Hits (1993) · More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II (1993) · Hit Collection (1996) · Best In Spain (1996) · The Best of Boney M. (1997) – Norske Hits (1998) · Ultimate (1999) · 20th Century Hits (1999) · 25 Jaar Na Daddy Cool (2000) · The Complete Collection (2000) – Their Most Beautiful Ballads (2000) · The Greatest Hits (2001) · The Magic of Boney M. (2006) · Hit Collection (2007) · Christmas With Boney M. (2007) · The Collection (2008) · Rivers Of Babylon (A Best Of Collection) (2008) Main single discography (1975-1990) Baby Do You Wanna Bump (1975) · Daddy Cool (1976) · Sunny (1976) · Ma Baker (1977) · Belfast (1977) · Rivers of Babylon / Brown Girl in the Ring (1978) · Rasputin (1978) · Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (1978) · Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday (1979) · El Lute / Gotta Go Home (1979) · I'm Born Again / Bahama Mama (song) (1979) · I See a Boat on the River / My Friend Jack (1980) · Children of Paradise / Gadda-Da-Vida (1980) · Felicidad (Margherita) (1980) · Malaika / Consuela Biaz (1981) · We Kill the World / Boonoonoonoos (1981)) · Little Drummer Boy / 6 Years of Boney M. Hits (1981) · The Carnival Is Over / Going Back West (1982) · Zion's Daughter (1982) · Jambo - Hakuna Matata (No Problems) (1983) · Somewhere in the World (1984) · Kalimba de Luna (1984) · Happy Song (1984) · My Cherie Amour (1985) · Young Free and Single (1985) · Daddy Cool (Anniversary Recording '86) (1986) · Bang Bang Lulu (1986) · Rivers of Babylon (Remix) / Mary's Boy Child / Oh My Lord (Remix)´ (1988) · Megamix (1988) · The Summer Mega Mix (1989) · Malaika (Lambada Remix) (1989) · Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker (1989) · Stories (1990)