Phillip Boa
| Phillip Boa | |
|---|---|
 Phillip Boa at the 2013 Amphi Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ernst Ulrich Figgen |
| Born |
18 January 1963 (age 52) Dortmund, Germany |
| Genres | Independent, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, guitarist, composer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1985-present |
| Labels | Ja! Musik, Constrictor, RCA/BMG, Polydor, Motor Music, Universal |
| Associated acts | Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub, Voodoocult |
| Website | www.phillipboa.de |
Phillip Boa (born Ernst Ulrich Figgen, 18 January 1963 in Dortmund, Germany) is a German independent music singer, guitarist and composer. His current name is unknown after two divorces and name changes. Phillip Boa lives in Dortmund, Hamburg and on the island of Malta. He has received several "Album & Single of the Week" awards in British magazines like NME, Sounds or Melody Maker. The style of the Voodooclub was described by NME in a review as "a cross between B52's and Captain Beefheart". The style of his lyrics is a mix of irony, love songs, sarcasm, often of bizarre and deranged content.
Music
In 1985, he founded the independent band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub. With their album Hair and the single Container Love, they experienced a commercial breakthrough and international recognition in 1989.
Boa's music is influenced by British punk rock[1] and new wave, its style swings between pop and avantgarde. A continuous charasteric are the catchy and melodic choruses, interrupted or alienated by atmospheric shifts. Thereby the voice of band member Pia Lund and Boa's own throaty singing contrast diametrically. After his most successful album so far, Boaphenia (1993), Boa made a deliberate musical cut to focus on a Metal project when founded the heavy metal band Voodoocult, consisting of members Dave Lombardo (drums), Chuck Schuldiner (guitar), Waldemar Sorychta (guitar), Mille Petrozza (guitar) and himself as vocalist.
The autumn of 2006 saw Boa and his Voodooclub start their Remastered tour. They consequently only played songs from the three re-published albums Copperfield, Hair and Hispañola. Moreover, since 2001, they play two or three annual Christmas concerts at the Leipzig Moritzbastei fortress. On 3 August 2007, the album Faking to Blend In was released on Motor Music.
In 2009, the Voodooclub teamed up with Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit, who played percussion and drums on their album "Diamonds Fall". Boa's latest release is called "Loyalty" and brought him a commercial comeback in Germany (No.13 in the album charts) and some other countries. The album was produced by David Vella and Brian Viglione,[2] who also played drums and other instruments on the album. "Loyalty" was mixed by Ian Grimble and mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios.
Cargo Records has announced a new studio album Bleach House to be released on August 22, 2014.[3]
Reception
Several of Boa's albums have reached the top 30 of the German Media Control Charts. In 2012, British music journalist John Robb called Phillip Boa and the Voodoo Club "one of the best German bands of the last three decades".[4]
In their song "Wir sind die Besten" (We are the Best), the German band Die Ärzte sing about Phillip Boa, depicting themselves and Boa as the last true musicians.
Discography
Studio albums by Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub
| Year | Title | Media Control Charts [5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Philister
|
— |
| 1986 | Aristocracie
|
— |
| 1987 | Copperfield
|
— |
| 1988 | Hair
|
— |
| 1990 | Hispañola
|
— |
| 1991 | Helios
|
— |
| 1993 | Boaphenia
|
15 |
| 1994 | God
|
23 |
| 1995 | She
|
32 |
| 2000 | My Private War
|
— |
| 2001 | The Red
|
— |
| 2003 | C 90
|
— |
| 2005 | Decadence & Isolation
|
40 |
| 2007 | Faking To Blend In
|
59 |
| 2009 | Diamonds Fall
|
45 |
| 2012 | Loyalty
|
13 |
| 2014 | Bleach House
|
7 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Solo album
| Year | Title | Media Control Charts [5] |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Lord Garbage
|
22 |
Studio albums by Voodoocult
| Year | Title | Media Control Charts [6] |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Jesus Killing Machine
|
43 |
| 1995 | Voodoocult
|
57 |
Samplers, live albums and re-releases
- 1986: Philistrines (Red Flame, UK)
- 1989: 30 Years of Blank Expression (DiDi, Greece)
- 1991: Live! Exile On Valletta Street (Polydor)
- 1994: Hidden Pearls (Fanclub Release)
- 1996: Hidden Pearls & Spoken Words (Fanclub Release)
- 1997: Fine Art On Silver Best Of (Motor Music)
- 1997: Aristocracie Remastered (Indigo)
- 1998: Master Series Best of (Re-release "Fine Art On Silver") (Motor Music)
- 2001: Singles Collection 1985–2001 Best of (RCA/BMG)
- 2005: BOA Best Singles Best of Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
- 2006: Copperfield Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
- 2006: Hair Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
- 2006: Hispañola Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
- 2011: Helios Remastered (Universal)
- 2011: Boaphenia Remastered (Universal)
External links
- Official website
- Phillip Boa at Facebook
- Phillip Boa at Laut.de (German)
- Phillip Boa at MySpace
References
- ↑ Harris, Craig. "Phillip Boa". Allmusic. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ↑ Heymann, Peter. "Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub – Loyalty". Sonic Seducer (in German). Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ↑ "Boa, Phillip & The Voodooclub" (in German). Cargo Records. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ↑ Robb, John (7 December 2012). "Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub : big Berlin gig and new single!". Louder Than War. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub — Longplay-Chartverfolgung". Musicline.de (in German). Phononet. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
- ↑ "Voodoocult — Longplay-Chartverfolgung". Musicline.de (in German). Phononet. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
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