Brown girl in the ring - Boney M

I have bought quite a few Boney M singles recently, all of them from Japan. Mostly because the sleeves are so different or pretty. But I've always been a sucker for 'strange' editions, and the one I found in Duisburg is certainly that. 

It's a Hungarian pressing of 'Brown girl in the ring', with a rather simple sleeve. You can see the front here; the back is die-cut, showing the label of the actual single. What's more, the B-side features 'Nightflight to Venus', the title track of their third studio album, released in 1978. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8473
Found: 33 1/3 Schallplatten, Duisburg, 22 October 2026
Tracks: 'Brown girl in the ring' / 'Nightflight to Venus' 

Bahama mama - Boney M

'Bahama Mama' was the second single from Boney M's fourth album Oceans of Fantasy (1979). In Europe it was released as a double A-side with 'I'm born again', but in Japan the record company released 'Bahama mama' as the sole A-side and gave the single a different sleeve, based on the photograph from the album sleeve. 

Perhaps they were especially enamoured with this photograph because it alluded to the woodblock print 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa', created by the Japanese artist Hokusai (1760–1849). The print depicts three boats moving through a storm-tossed sea, with a large, cresting wave forming a spiral in the centre over the boats and Mount Fuji in the background.

My collection: 7" single no. 8462
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 October 2026
Tracks: 'Bahama mama' / 'I'm born again' 

Gotta go home - Boney M

'Gotta go home' was re-written from a German single 'Hallo Bimmelbahn' (1973) by Nighttrain with the brothers Heinz and Jürgen Huth, both also credited as co-writers on Boney M.'s version. The song was coupled with 'El Lute', tells the true story of Spanish outlaw Eleuterio Sánchez, who was still in prison at the time the song was released, though he was shortly to be released following a pardon. The song presents his claim that he was wrongly convicted of murder and links his liberation from prison to the liberation of his country from oppression after the rule of Franco. During a promotional visit in Spain, Boney M. met Sánchez and gave him a golden record for the sales of the single. 

The Japanese sleeve is similar to the one released in Europe, but adds the 'Happy Disco No. 1 Hit!' label. Hopefully it helped the sales over there.

My collection: 7" single no. 8458
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 October 2026
Tracks: 'Gotta go home' / 'El Lute' 

Felicidad (Margherita) - Boney M

My hunt for Japanese Boney M singles continued with another Japanese seller who offered more titles than just the Boney M ones. I received the package after significant delay at the Dutch customs - after paying an import charge I had to wait a mere 18 days until it was finally delivered. But anyway...

'Felicidad (Margherita)' was a non-album single by the German band, released in December 1980. The song was a cover of the Italian artist Massara's 1979 summer hit 'Margherita (Love in the sun)' which was sung in Italian and was released in English in the UK under the title 'Margarita (Mamma, oh mamma)'. Producer Frank Farian had a difficult relationship with the band at the time and originally recorded the song with session singers, but in the end had to overdub Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett's vocals.

My collection: 7" single no. 8457
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 October 2026
Tracks: 'Felicidad (Margherita)' / 'Strange' 

We kill the world - Boney M

Long before America put an aging psychopath in the White House, Russia started killing as many innocent humans as they could and billionaires developed robots and 'artificial intelligence', Boney M warned us that we were busy killing the world. Naively they thought that environmental issues would do the trick, but I think humans are more efficient at the moment. The message, anyway, is still relevant today. 

The song starts strong but changes halfway and turns into the saccharine 'Don't kill the world', sung by  Brian Paul. He was a young boy who together with his friend Brian Sletten eventually sang all of the children's vocals themselves. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8434
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2026
Tracks: 'We kill the world (Don't kill the world)' / 'Boonoonoonoos' 

 

Gadda-da-vida - Boney M

When the Seventies turned into the Eighties, Boney M started releasing a bit more serious material. 'Children of paradise' was a bible story compressed in a few melodic minutes. I remember the song made a big impression on me, because the music sounded a bit threatening. I was only nine years old after all.

The Japanese preferred the other side, 'Gadda-da-vida', which was a cover of the 1968 psychedelic track 'In a gadda-da-vida' by Iron Butterfly. Buyers were encouraged to buy this single. After all, it was a "Pops & Disco Hit No. 1!!".

My collection: 7" single no. 8432
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2026
Tracks: 'Gadda-da-vida' / 'Children of paradise'

Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday - Boney M

We're currently enjoying a bit of an indian summer, which is a good time to break out that summerhit from 1979: 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday'. The Japanese sleeve is similar to the European one, but with added Japanese translation and the exclamation that it's a "Pop & Disco Big Hit!!". I wonder how many people needed that prompt to buy this single.

The single was a top 5 hit all over Europe and topped the chart in the Netherlands. I have no info on the Japanese charts, so any help with that will be highly appreciated.

My collection: 7" single no. 8420
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 September 2026
Tracks: 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday' / 'Ribbons of blue'

Belfast - Boney M

My friend Puck asked me recently why I started buying so many Boney M singles. The answer is simple: because I enjoy their music and because the Japanese sleeves of those singles are often very different from the European ones.

This one is a good example of that. 'Belfast' was released in 1977 with a dynamic, if slightly chaotic sleeve design. The Japanese version is a lot more balanced. The music, of course, remains the same, but sometimes I just enjoy buying variants - especially when they're not unreasonably expensive.

My collection: 7" single no. 8421
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 September 2026
Tracks: 'Belfast' / 'Plantation boy' 

My friend Jack - Boney M

The Japanese branch of record company Atlantic decided to release 'My friend Jack' as the A-side of this single, whereas 'I see a boat on the river' was the A-side in Europe. The sleeve of this single remained largely the same, with a photograph of the group performing a song. 

Originally 'My friend Jack' was a song released by the English freakbeat group The Smoke in 1967. The song was written by all four members of the group: Geoff Gill, Mal Luker, Zeke Lund and Mick Rowley. The song seems to suggest the use of psychedelic drugs (specifically LSD) in lines such as 'My Friend Jack eats sugar lumps' and suggests traversing the world inside his mind (such as 'Been on a voyage, across an ocean').

When Boney M recorded the song, Zeke Lund was working as a sound engineer for their producer Frank Farian. Presumably he suggested the song for the group. 

My collection: 7" single no. 8433
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2026
Tracks: 'My friend Jack' / 'I see a boat on the river' 

6 years of Boney M hits - Boney M

I bought '6 años de exitos de Boney M' in 2017 without realising that this single was actually released elsewhere as well. You can see it here: it's the Japanese single '6 years of Boney M hits'. It's still the same medley, but with a different B-side this time.

The sleeve of this single is interesting as well: it's a photograph of various Japanese sleeves from all the hits included in this medley. And with a picture like this, it becomes clear that I really have to have all these singles myself, obviously.

My collection: 7" single no. 8436
Found: Discogs.com, received 24 September 2026
Tracks: '6 years of Boney M hits' / 'Sad movies' 

 

Dancing in the streets - Boney M

The interesting story of how 'Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord' became 'Dancing in the streets' in Europe was covered on this blog in May 2019. Basically, when Christmas was over, it was time to flip the sides and try to keep the single in the charts as long as possible.

In Japan, the story was quite different. Christmas isn't much of a thing over there, and so the record company decided to release 'Dancing in the streets' right away, and with a totally different sleeve. Apparently the single was released in April 1979, almost six months after the European release. Which makes it intriguing that 'Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord' was still on the B-side of this single!

My collection: 7" single no. 8418
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 September 2026
Tracks: 'Dancing in the streets' / 'Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord'

Ma Baker - Boney M

My most recent purchase of a Boney M single used the same photograph as this one, except this one was released about a decade earlier. It's the iconic photograph of the Love for sale album. 

This is the second issue of the Japanese single of 'Ma Baker', released in 1977. There was some writing on the cover of this single, which surprised me because the Japanese are usually more respectful of material items. But then, the dealer was based in France. Anyway, it's still a nice item to have.

My collection: 7" single no. 8416
Found: Discogs.com, received 8 September 2026
Tracks: 'Ma Baker' / 'A woman can change a man' 

Rivers of Babylon / Sunny - Boney M

I bought the 'Original Double Hit' single featuring 'Ma Baker' and 'Baby do you wanna bump' three years ago, and found myself pleasantly surprised when I found this one recently. It features a photograph from Boney M's Love For Sale album and two other big hits from the group: 'Rivers of Babylon' and 'Sunny'.

It's not an essential purchase by any means, but as one great philosopher once said: 'Gotta catch 'em all'. And so I did. As far as I know, no other 'Original Double Hit' single by Boney M exists.

My collection: 7" single no. 8372
Found: Parkstad Record Shop, Kerkrade, 29 July 2026
Tracks: 'Rivers of Babylon' / 'Sunny' 

Voodoonight - Boney M

'Voodoonight' was a track from the Boney M album Nightflight to Venus. It was released as a single in Japan only (although a South African single also exists, with the A- and B-sides flipped). The single also features the album track 'Heart of gold', which is a cover version of the Neil Young song. 

The sleeve of this single proudly proclaims 'Disco No. 1 hit!!', but I have no way to verify this claim. Perhaps it was indeed such a big hit in Japan, but more probably it was a way to promote this single to buyers.

My collection: 7" single no. 8347
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Voodoonight' / 'Heart of gold' 

Sunny - Boney M

Bobby Hebb wrote 'Sunny' and recorded it in 1963. Hebb wrote the song after his older brother, Harold, was stabbed to death outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by the event and many critics say it inspired the lyrics and tune. According to Hebb, he merely wrote the song as an expression of a preference for a "sunny" disposition over a "lousy" disposition following the murder of his brother.

Boney M turned the song into a disco hit in 1976. It became a huge hit all over Europe, But it also made the charts in Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. Whether the song was a hit in Japan I don't know, but the single was released there with a totally different sleeve.

My collection: 7" single no. 8346
Found: Discogs.com, received 16 July 2026
Tracks: 'Sunny' / 'New York City' 

Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday - Boney M

With the intense heatwave we've had this week it makes sense to post some Boney M today, especially when it's a summery tune like 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday', complete with steel drums and a catchy chorus. The song and its B-side, 'Ribbons of Blue', were taken from the movie Disco Fever, billed as 'the first feature movie by Boney M' in 1978.  

The film soundtrack also included 'Rivers of Babylon', 'Rasputin', 'Dancing in the streets' and other performances by Eruption, La Bionda and Teens. If you don't remember this movie, you're not alone: it wasn't a big success. This picture disc, however, is a keeper.

My collection: 7" single no. 8319
Found: Discogs.com, received 18 June 2026
Tracks: 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday' / 'Ribbons of blue'

Rivers of Babylon - Boney M

I was glad to buy a Japanese single of Boney M's 'Rasputin' a little over six years ago, because of the radically different sleeve of that one. Well, it happened again, when I went to a record fair in Amsterdam last week, and the first thing I found was the Japanese edition of 'Rivers of Babylon'. 

Quite why the Japanese decided on using a very small picture of the group, in the corner of a generic 'tropical island' image is a mystery to me, but it is a nice little rarity to add to my collection. Of course, Japanese singles are almost always in an impeccable state, and this one is no exception.

My collection: 7" single no. 7915
Found: Record fair, Amsterdam, 18 January 2026
Tracks: 'Rivers of Babylon' / 'Brown girl in the ring' 

Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord - Boney M

I have a few different versions of this single, all of them bought at the same place in 2019. But this French version approaches the design differently, which made it interesting for me to buy this one as well. It was a steal, anyway, at just 1 euro.

Contrary to the different versions released in the Netherlands and Germany, this version comes with a dark blue background, while most of the design remains the same. The Christmas song on the A-side remains a yuletide classic, of course.

My collection: 7" single no. 7889
Found: Record fair, Den Bosch, 15 November 2025
Tracks: 'Mary's boy child / Oh my Lord' / 'Dancing in the streets'

Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday - Boney M

When I bought a bunch of Amiga Quartett EP's online recently, I also spotted this single by Boney M and because of its low price I decided to buy this one from that seller as well. It's, after all, another GDR release of the band, with a different sleeve. No photograph, unfortunately, just some titles. Which makes it unique, I guess.

'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday' was your typical summery anthem for the year 1978, created by Frank Farian and Fred Jay. It was an adaptation of the song 'Polly Wolly Doodle', an American minstrel song that became a popular children's song. The single was a top 5 hit all over Europe and topped the chart in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 7702
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 July 2025
Tracks:  'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday' / 'Ribbons of blue'

Amiga Quartett - Boney M

Is Boney M still Boney M without Bobby Farrell? I've always had my doubts. He was sacked from the group by the end of 1981, and the band soldiered on with Reggie Tsiboe, a Ghanaian-British singer who previously was a member of the group Sugarcane, who had a hit in 1978 with 'Montego Bay'. 

'Kalimba de luna', released in 1984 is a decent track and pretty well performed too. Still, with this single and the tracks that appear on this Amiga Quartett EP the group failed to attract as many record buyers as before. By 1986, the band fell apart. 

My collection: 7" single no. 7701
Found: Discogs.com, received 5 July 2025
Tracks: 'Kalimba de luna', 'Felicidad' / 'My Chérie Amour', 'Consuela Biaz'