Misplaced Pages

Hansa Records

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

Hansa Records (also known as Hansa , Hansa Musik Produktion or Hansa International ) was a record label based in Berlin , Germany founded in 1962.

#45954

61-448: In the early 1960s, brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel, grandchildren of Will Meisel, who was the founder of German music publisher Edition Meisel & Co. GmbH , assumed responsibility of the family's publishing company upon their grandfather's retirement, and founded Hansa Musik Produktion company and the Hansa record label in 1962. The label's name (and the name of the related recording studio)

122-588: A Boat on the River". It made the no. ‍ 1 spot in the UK, reaching Gold status within six weeks of release, though it was their last big-selling album in the UK. Boney M.'s fifth album had been scheduled for release in November 1980 but the recording sessions dragged on through 1981. When Boonoonoonoos was finally released by the end of that year, Bobby Farrell departed from the group due to issues with Frank Farian. While still

183-536: A cover of a track by The Melodians with lyrics partly based on Psalm 137 and partly on Psalm 19, became (at the time) the second highest-selling single of all time in the UK. After remaining at no. ‍ 1 for five weeks, "Rivers of Babylon" began dropping down the chart, at which point the B-side "Brown Girl in the Ring" was given extensive radio airplay, and the single ascended to no. ‍ 2. The single spent six months in

244-638: A dancer from Aruba , and singer Marcia Barrett from Jamaica who brought in singer Liz Mitchell , also from Jamaica and a former member of the Les Humphries Singers . Boney M.'s first album, Take the Heat off Me , was released in 1976. It contained tracks that Marcia Barrett had already recorded with Farian, including the title track and "Lovin' or Leavin ' ", both of which were previously recorded in German by another Farian act, Gilla . As Maizie Williams' voice

305-422: A fansite called "Fantastic Boney M." about the compiling process. "Greatest hits" collections containing edited and/or overdubbed versions of the original recordings are still being released, such as Boney M. & Friends (Their Ultimate Top 40 Collection) (2017), Rasputin – Big And Strong: The Greatest Hits of Boney M. (2021) and the 2022 re-issue of the 2006 compilation " The Magic of Boney M. " Boney M.

366-563: A healthy seller in continental Europe, Boonoonoonoos failed to crack the UK Top 100 after three consecutive no. ‍ 1 albums due to the group being unable to promote it without Farrell. Following this, the group released Christmas Album . In 1982 "Rasputin" was played by local broadcasters in Vietnam during the waiting periods before live games of the España 82 – the 1982 FIFA World Cup . This led to

427-521: A million copies with two singles in the same year. Compared to other best-selling artists of the 1970s like ABBA , Donna Summer , and the Bee Gees , the Boney M. discography is quite unusual – while the greater part of the band's back catalogue has been remixed, remade, remodeled and reissued all through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s by producer Frank Farian and record company BMG-Ariola (now Sony Music ), most of

488-572: A multi city US tour along with Samantha Fox and Bad Boys Blue , which included stops in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and San Jose. The shows were put together by Los Angeles-based promoters LA Concert Group. In January 2024, the group's producer and main founder Frank Farian died. The group is scheduled for a farewell tour in Australia in June and July, 2024. In 1978, " Rivers of Babylon ",

549-646: A new double A-sided single, " Rivers of Babylon / Brown Girl in the Ring ", which was a hit all over Europe, reaching no. ‍ 1 in several countries as well as becoming one of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK. It also became their most successful single in the United States, peaking at no. ‍ 30 on the U.S. pop singles chart . Following this came their biggest-selling album, Nightflight to Venus , which spawned further hit singles with " Rasputin " and " Painter Man ". Continuing with their success, they released " Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord ", which

610-496: A reputation for themselves. The group's big break came at the end of the summer of 1976 when West German television producer Michael "Mike" Leckebusch of Radio Bremen requested them for his show Musikladen . Boney M. appeared on the live music show on 18 September 1976, after 10:00 p.m. and in their daring stage costumes, where they performed the song " Daddy Cool ". The song quickly went to no. ‍ 1 in West Germany, with

671-413: A scene depicting a rural Chinese disco in 1983, with teenagers dancing to "Rivers of Babylon" and "Gotta Go Home". In the 2008 Kazakh film Tulpan , the tractor driver Boni continually plays a cassette of "Rivers of Babylon", an example of his fascination for all things Western. In the 2008 Chinese film Cheung Gong 7 hou (English title: CJ7 ), "Sunny" is a vital part of the soundtrack. "Sunny"

SECTION 10

#1732884907046

732-473: A secret that Bobby Farrell never sang on the group's records (Farian did the male vocals in the studio), in 1978 it became public knowledge that Maizie Williams did not sing on the studio recordings either, since "her voice wasn't suited for this kind of music" as Farian stated in an interview with German teen magazine Bravo . Since this had become common practice within the disco genre of the late 1970s, few people cared ‍ — unlike when Farian repeated

793-478: A three-CD box celebrating the 40th anniversary of Boney M. It contained re-mastered versions of the original hit singles or of previously unreleased versions, a remix disc and the new digital single Song of Joy featuring Liz Mitchell. A major DVD set was also released. In February 2017, they performed at the closing ceremony of Patras Carnival in Patras , Greece. At the end of 2017 the album World Music for Christmas

854-537: The Boney M. Megamix single returning the group to the UK Top 10 for the first time since 1980, and a subsequent Greatest Hits album, Gold – 20 Super Hits , reaching the UK Top 20 in 1993. While Marcia Barrett, by then living in Florida, had cancer and was unable to perform, Boney M. toured the world with a line-up of Liz Mitchell, Carol Grey, Patricia Lorna Foster and Curt Dee Daran (replaced by Tony Ashcroft in 1994). They released

915-537: The Hansa Tonstudio recording studios and Hansa Records . In 1984, Peter Meisel sold his shares of the company to Will Meisel. In 1985, after a decline in sales both domestically and internationally, Hansa Records was purchased by Bertelsmann Music Group , who merged them with several other labels like Ariola-Eurodisc to form BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/ BMG-Ariola . The Meisel Music group later established

976-610: The Oktiabrsky concert hall in St. Petersburg, Russia. In September 2007, Maizie Williams' Boney M. line-up performed live at the Royal Albert Hall, UK, to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa, performing her own renditions of Brown Girl in the Ring and Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday . The legal rights to the name "Boney M." have been a matter of controversy, and even court cases, between

1037-565: The DJ alias of Christie), the record reached number 11 on the UK singles chart and was released with a video featuring Bimini Bon-Boulash from RuPaul's Drag Race UK . In December 2021, Mitchell was one of the contributors to the Channel 5 music show Britain's Biggest 70s Hits alongside other musicians from the era like Dean Friedman and Barry Blue , and radio presenters like David Hamilton . In August 2023, Boney M., headed by Liz Mitchell, embarked on

1098-604: The German Top 20 in the autumn of 1984 with " Kalimba de Luna " (a Top 10 hit in France) and " Happy Song ", the latter seeing Bobby Farrell return to the group. Both songs were carbon-copies of the original Italian hits by Tony Esposito and Baby's Gang respectively. By 1985, Farian clearly began losing interest in the group, and their eighth and final studio album Eye Dance was widely regarded as uninspired and disappointing. After celebrating Boney M.'s 10th anniversary in early 1986,

1159-465: The German song contest in 1931 and 1932. In 1933 the Meisel catalog, composed almost entirely of songs by Jewish composers and lyricists, was decimated in the wake of Adolf Hitler 's new dictatorship, with only seven titles remaining. Edition Meisel & Co. published works by artists such as Walter Kollo , Fred Raymond and Gerhard Winkler . Will Meisel continued to grow the business by actively promoting

1220-660: The Monopol label, through which works by Helga Hahnemann, Max Raabe and the Palastorchester and the Schöneberg Boys' Choir have been published. In 1998, Sven Meisel (1966–2016) became the third generation managing director of the Meisel music publishers, a position he held until his death on January 6, 2016. He was succeeded by his wife, Kirsten. Boney M. Boney M. are a R&B , reggae , funk and disco music group founded in 1974, who achieved popularity during

1281-560: The Palestine International Festival. The band played Daddy Cool , Ma Baker and Brown Girl in the Ring , but refrained from playing Rivers of Babylon , rumored to be at the event organizers' request because of its description of the Jewish yearning for Zion. Bobby Farrell died at the age of 61 from heart failure on 30 December 2010. His agent said Farrell was complaining of breathing problems after performing with his band

SECTION 20

#1732884907046

1342-519: The UK Top 40, including 19 weeks in the Top 10. It eventually sold more than two million copies, the second single to do so, and is still one of only seven to achieve this feat. (see List of million-selling singles in the United Kingdom ) The group achieved a second UK million-seller with their version of the calypso classic " Mary's Boy Child ", released as a medley " Mary's Boy Child – Oh My Lord ", which

1403-471: The United States (the first time these were available to the U.S. music market since their original releases in the 1970s). In September 2007, Boney M.'s last four original albums, Boonoonoonoos , Ten Thousand Lightyears , Kalimba de Luna - 16 Happy Songs and Eye Dance were reissued on compact disc in Europe and the United States, all including bonus tracks. In November 2007, a new Christmas compilation

1464-415: The album Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix '88 but tensions ran high between the members, and Liz Mitchell left in the spring of 1989 to be replaced by Madeleine Davis. While Mitchell promoted her solo album, the group recorded the single " Everybody Wants to Dance Like Josephine Baker ", without Farian's knowledge or approval. Threatened with legal action by the producer over the use of the Boney M. name,

1525-404: The album ended up being released as Liz Mitchell's first solo album No One Will Force You . Mitchell and Williams completed a tour during 1987–88, adding singer Celena Duncan and Ron Gale as replacements for Barrett and Farrell. Carol Grey later replaced Celena Duncan and Curt De Daran later replaced Ron Gale. In October 1988, the classic Boney M. line-up reunited without producer Frank Farian for

1586-550: The album following the success of the single. Another single, " Sunny ", a cover of the 1966 Bobby Hebb song, gave the group their second no. ‍ 1 hit. The group's popularity had also grown throughout Europe, with "Daddy Cool" reaching no. ‍ 1 in Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Spain, France, and Austria. Both singles were also Top 10 hits in the UK, which would become one of their biggest markets. In 1977, Boney M. released their second album, Love for Sale , which contained

1647-490: The band have performed with different members. The band has sold millions of records worldwide and is known for international hits including " Daddy Cool ", " Ma Baker ", " Belfast ", " Sunny ", " Rasputin ", " Rivers of Babylon / Brown Girl in the Ring ", " Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord " and " Gotta Go Home ". German singer-songwriter Frank Farian recorded the dance track " Baby Do You Wanna Bump " in December 1974. Farian sang

1708-511: The band's demos and refused to release " Killing an Arab ", suggesting that the band record cover songs instead. The band refused, and Hansa dropped them. In the mid-1980s, after a decline in sales both domestically and internationally, Hansa Records was eventually purchased by Bertelsmann Music Group , who merged them with several other labels like Ariola-Eurodisc to form BMG Berlin Musik GmbH/ BMG-Ariola , later to become part of international conglomerate Sony Music Entertainment , under which it

1769-410: The company and founded Edition Intro Meisel, and Will Meisel withdrew from the publishing house in 1962. Under Peter and Thomas' leadership, very successful titles from German pop music were published, including titles by Christian Bruhn, Frank Farian (including all titles by Boney M. ), Gunter Gabriel and Drafi Deutscher . The Meisel brothers also focused on producing and recording, and established

1830-462: The disco era of the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian , who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany , the four original members of the band's official line-up were Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett from Jamaica , Maizie Williams from Montserrat , and Bobby Farrell from Aruba . Since the 1980s, various line-ups of

1891-601: The evening before. Farrell lived in Amsterdam until his death. His final performance was in Saint Petersburg , Russia, the city where Rasputin first became famous and was later killed. Farrell died in a hotel room there, 94 years to the day after Rasputin. Maizie Williams' line-up of Boney M. toured Australia in June 2014. They sang at Guilfest, Guildford, UK, on 20 July 2014, and Watchet Live music festival UK, on 24 August 2014. In March 2015, Farian released Diamonds ,

Hansa Records - Misplaced Pages Continue

1952-456: The first half of 1987 with Marilyn Scharbaai (Carrilho) taking Liz Mitchell's place. Mitchell returned for a second leg of the tour late 1987, and Marcia Barrett soon left the band. At the same time, Bobby Farrell had set up a deal for a new Boney M. album to be recorded without Farian in Belgium. When Farrell failed to show up for either recording or tour, and Maizie Williams had never sung on record,

2013-399: The first time. Oceans of Fantasy reached no. ‍ 1 in the UK and was certified Platinum, though their run of Top 10 singles had now ended with "Gotta Go Home" peaking at no. ‍ 12 and "I'm Born Again" peaking at no. ‍ 35. In 1980, Boney M. released a greatest hits album, The Magic of Boney M. – 20 Golden Hits , which also contained two new songs, "My Friend Jack" and "I See

2074-472: The former members of the band and producer Frank Farian ever since the late 1980s. Farian, the man who in effect created the group, continued to work with Liz Mitchell and her line-up all through the 1990s and 2000s. In January 2007, Bobby Farrell's daughter Zanillya Farrell and his ex-wife Yasmina Ayad-Saban renewed the trademark to the name Boney M. in Germany for a 10-year period. In January 2009, Farian released

2135-426: The group may have had compared with the studio productions. 1979 saw Boney M. release a brand new single, " Hooray! Hooray! It's a Holi-Holiday ", which became another Top 10 hit across Europe. Later in the year they released their fourth album, Oceans of Fantasy , containing two hit singles – "Gotta Go Home"/"El Lute" and "I'm Born Again"/"Bahama Mama" . The album also included lead and backing vocals credits for

2196-400: The group officially disbanded after the release of the commercially unsuccessful single " Young, Free and Single ", which peaked at no. 48. From this point, different versions of the group were formed by members, some with cooperation of Farian, others without, for example by independently obtaining the rights to use the Boney M. name in a different country. One version began touring in

2257-401: The historic Meistersaal concert hall, naming it Hansa Tonstudio Two. Initially intended to record only Hansa Records projects, Hansa's studios gradually started booking non-Hansa clients, most notably Iggy Pop and David Bowie , who in 1977 recorded their respective albums Lust for Life and Low at the studio. In the late 1970s they closed the first studio and consolidated operations to

2318-438: The hits " Ma Baker " and " Belfast ". The group embarked on their first major concert tours with a live band of musicians called The Black Beauty Circus, given their name after Maizie Williams' first band, Black Beautiful People. Love for Sale was certified Gold a year after its release in the UK. Both singles from the album reached no. ‍ 1 in West Germany and the UK Top 10. 1978 was the group's biggest year. They released

2379-599: The number one spot in the Latvian (LMK) Charts. Marcia Barrett has released two solo albums with a third scheduled for release in 2010. As recounted in his 1988 book Touching the Void , the British climber Joe Simpson was subsequently to find the catchy tune of Brown Girl in the Ring haunting him in the final hours of his struggle to survive the descent of Siula Grande in the Andes , and

2440-472: The original 7" and 12" versions issued on vinyl in the 1970s and early 1980s remained unavailable on CD until 2007, where they were released on various compilations, most notably The Collection (2008), the Ultimate Boney M. series (2008), Let It All Be Music: The Party Album (2009), Hit Story (2010) and Diamonds (2015). Some of these CDs were compiled by Frank Eberlein, who had also been interviewed on

2501-409: The popularity of the band in Vietnam for decades following. Reggie Tsiboe was hired to replace Farrell as the new male member of Boney M. in 1982 but the singles "The Carnival Is Over" and "Jambo" fared poorly, and the group's seventh album Ten Thousand Lightyears , issued in 1984, marked another commercial low point, peaking at number 23 in the German album charts. The group, however, returned to

Hansa Records - Misplaced Pages Continue

2562-419: The practice to much more severe backlash with Milli Vanilli in the late 1980s. While only two of Boney M.'s official members actually contributed to the sound of the band's records , all four members of the group, including Williams and Farrell, performed the vocals live at Boney M. concerts. The band's live sound was also augmented by several backing vocalists , which served to mitigate any vocal deficiencies

2623-459: The publisher's titles with dance orchestra musicians at all major venues, and involving the company in pop festivals and the theater community. During World War II the company's offices were twice destroyed by bombs and rebuilt, with the company eventually establishing new offices at Wittelsbacherstrasse 18 in West Berlin in 1946. In 1960, Will Meisel's sons Peter and Thomas (1940–2014), joined

2684-513: The repeated line "Do you do you wanna bump?" in a deep voice as well as performing the high falsetto chorus. When the record was released as a single in early 1975, it was credited to "Boney M.". Farian had created this pseudonym for himself after watching the Australian television detective series Boney , whose main character was named Napoleon Bonaparte. Farian said: I turned on the TV one day and it

2745-577: The second, simplify referring to it as Hansa Tonstudio. The Meisel family retained ownership of Hansa Tonstudio, who run it as part of the Meisel Music group. Meisel Music Meisel Music is a German independent music publishing group based in Berlin. The company was originally founded in 1926 by the award-winning German operetta and film composer Will Meisel as Edition Meisel & Co. GmbH. The company experienced early success with victories in

2806-697: The single Papa Chico but failed to chart. Maizie Williams assembled her own Boney M. with an ever-changing line-up. Bobby Farrell also toured with varying trios of female performers. Liz Mitchell was touring the world with her line-up of Boney M., which was the only line-up officially supported by Farian; the court ruling of 1990 stated that all four members are entitled to perform their own Boney M. shows. Bobby Farrell and Liz Mitchell have released solo albums containing their own re-recordings of Boney M.'s classic hits. Maizie Williams released her first solo album in 2006 and her own single version of Boney M.'s Sunny . In 2007 her rendition of "Daddy Cool" with Melo-M hit

2867-457: The single Felicidad America (Obama Obama) , a version of the 1980 Boney M. song " Felicidad (Margherita) " with new lyrics about newly elected U.S. president Barack Obama . The song was recorded with two new vocalists, and credited to "Boney M. feat. Sherita O. & Yulee B." In July 2010, Maizie Williams headlined a Boney M. performance at Ramallah's Cultural Palace, in the West Bank, as part of

2928-455: The single was subsequently withdrawn and Farian issued Stories with his own new Boney M. line-up featuring Liz Mitchell, Reggie Tsiboe and two new members, Sharon Stevens and Patty Onoyewenjo, Stories peaked at number 11 in the Swiss charts. A second remix album Greatest Hits of All Times – Remix '89 – Volume II was released but fared poorly. 1992 saw a renewed interest in Boney M.'s music with

2989-628: The song was later used in the 2003 film of Touching the Void made by Kevin Macdonald . Simpson recalls: "I remember thinking, bloody hell, I'm going to die to Boney M.". A musical based on the music of Boney M., Daddy Cool , opened in London in August 2006 to mixed reviews and sluggish ticket sales, causing it to close in February 2007. From April to July 2007, the show played in a mobile theatre in Berlin, which

3050-586: The song while disguised as Rasputin himself. In the Soviet film Repentance (1984, released 1987), "Sunny" is played at a party of high-ranked communist officials. "Sunny" is played during a few parts of the successful Korean film of the same name, Sunny . During the 2002 presidential election campaign of South Korea, then-candidate Roh Moo-hyun , who eventually won the presidency at that event, took Bahama Mama to promote his aim of positive political reform. The 2005 Chinese film Shanghai Dreams features

3111-433: The state capital of Goa , India. In the UK, a new album of their greatest hits, entitled The Magic of Boney M. was released via BMG on 27 November 2006. Special additions to this release were a Mousse T. remix of Sunny and a brand new song from 2006, featuring Liz Mitchell, entitled A Moment of Love . On 10 April 2007, Boney M.'s first four albums were reissued on compact disc with bonus tracks, this time also in

SECTION 50

#1732884907046

3172-633: Was hugely popular in the Soviet Union in the 1970s, although the song " Rasputin " was banned by the Soviet authorities from being played at the group's concert in Moscow in December 1978. The song has been used in several films and television shows, including Johnny English Strikes Again , The King's Man , Black Mirror and in the Doctor Who special The Power of the Doctor , in which The Master dances to

3233-491: Was inspired by the Hanseatic League , a medieval Northern European maritime trade network. Initially, the label focused on German artists and Schlager music , later finding commercial success with artists such as Frank Farian 's Boney M. , Amii Stewart , Aneka , Modern Talking , Milli Vanilli , and others. In 1977, the label signed an early lineup of The Cure (known at that time as Easy Cure), but wasn't happy with

3294-413: Was not considered suitable for recording purposes by Farian, and a try-out with Bobby Farrell performing " No Woman No Cry " did not work, Farian decided to use only Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett along with his own studio-enhanced voice to create the Boney M. sound. The album's commercial performance was initially lukewarm. However, the group rigorously toured discos, clubs, and even country fairs to earn

3355-581: Was phased-out in 2009. It is used today only for reissues of its previous releases. When it became difficult for Hansa to book sufficient recording studio time at the Ariola-Eurodisc studio to keep up with their growing production schedule, the Meisel brothers built Hansa Studio One in Tiergarten in West Berlin . In 1972, the Meisel brothers acquired Ariola's historic building at Köthener Strasse 38, home of

3416-421: Was previously a million-seller for Harry Belafonte . The single sold more than 1.8 million copies, 1.6 million of which were in the four weeks the song was at No.1 in December 1978. Boney M. is the only artist to appear twice in the top 12 best selling singles of all time in the UK , with "Rivers of Babylon" in seventh place and "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" at number 11. They are also one of six artists to sell

3477-497: Was released under Boney M. and Friends with Liz Mitchell singing on three songs, along with the single and video Like Diamonds in the Sky featuring Liz Mitchell, based on El Cóndor Pasa . In 2021, a remix of Rasputin by house music producer and Kiss FM DJ Kevin Christie was released by Sony Music 's Ministry of Sound label. Credited to Majestic & Boney M (with the former being

3538-913: Was scheduled for release as well as the DVD Fantastic Boney M. – On Stage and on the Road featuring a live performance recorded in Vienna on 1 November 1977 (the DVD cover erroneously states it to be a live show from Hamburg), and a film from the band's 1981 visit to Jamaica (made to promote the Boonoonoonoos album that year). Bobby Farrell's Boney M. performed a concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana , Israel, in May 2007. On 28 June 2007 Boney M. featuring Matthew Felsenfeld and Liz Mitchell performed at

3599-519: Was specially designed for it. In April 2007, Australian pop singer Peter Wilson released a song co-written by Frank Farian entitled " Doin' Fine ". It is described as "paying tribute to the sound of Boney M." and features the famous string arrangement from their first number 1 hit, " Daddy Cool ". Boney M. (featuring Marcia Barrett) made a live appearance at the 37th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which took place on 23 November 2006 in Panaji ,

3660-472: Was the 1978 Christmas number one single in the United Kingdom and became another of the biggest selling singles of all time there. Also during 1978, Boney M. made a much-publicised promotional visit to the Soviet Union , one of the very few Western acts along with Elton John to do so, although tracks like "Rasputin" were not released in the Soviet Union due to their subject matter. While it had never been

3721-498: Was the end of a detective series. I just caught the credits and it said Boney . Nice name, I thought – Boney, Boney, Boney... Boney M. Boney, Boney, Boney M. Nice sound. Simple. After a slow start, the song became a hit in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was then that Farian decided to hire performers to create a troupe for TV appearances. Farian found model-turned-singer Maizie Williams , originally from Montserrat , Bobby Farrell ,

SECTION 60

#1732884907046
#45954