Muzikland

筆者能看到 Boney M 的 MV 已是很後期的事了﹐印象中他們在80年代人氣下滑時﹐曾經改組﹐而且還變換到人面全非﹐音樂風格也改變了﹐90年代在友人家中看到一盒 Boney M 的 VHS﹐才首次把他們的聲與影首次合二為一﹐原來唯一等男成員 Bobby Farrell非常有趣。

Bobby Farrell 主唱的機會不多﹐而且大多是一兩句合聲而已﹐他最令人難忘乃是他的舞蹈﹐Maizie Williams﹑Marcia Barrett與Liz Mitchell都在落力唱的時候﹐Bobby就負責著舞蹈﹐而且勁道十足﹐當然我深想﹐若這組合能有唱到老的一天﹐他還有力氣這樣跳嗎﹖想不到原來他只是組合的舞蹈員而已﹐唱片中的男聲來自唱片監制Frank Farian﹐至於Bobby只能在現場演唱時才可開腔。

1977年 Boney M繼首張專輯Take The Heat Off Me﹐即出版第二張專輯 Love For Sale ﹐唱片封套頗有古埃及的奴隸味道﹐從另一方度來看﹐也很 SM。至於歌曲方面﹐Frank Farian 非常聰明﹐由他監制的 Boney M 專輯﹐都是原創與 Cover Version 並重﹐這一次便有 Cole Porter的名作 Love For Sale及 CCR (Creedence Clearwater Revival) 的 Have You Ever Seen The Rain﹐這些歌曲就算他們只是改編﹐風格都是那麼 Boney M ﹐令人佩服。

Love For Sale (1977/Hansa) Track List:
01 Ma Baker 4:36 [US#96 / UK#2]
02 Love for Sale 4:47
03 Belfast 3:31 [UK#8]
04 Have You Ever Seen the Rain 2:40
05 Gloria, Can You Waddle 3:57
06 Plantation Boy 4:27
07 Motherless Child 4:58
08 Silent Lover 4:14
09 A Woman Can Change A Man 3:33
10 Still I'm Sad 4:34

Love For Sale專輯﹐抽了兩首歌曲作 International Single﹐第一首為 Ma Baker﹐主題取材自30年代美國劫匪 Ma Barker的真實故事﹐不過據說歌詞與真實情況有差﹐而曲調選自阿拉伯Tunisian的民謠Sidi Mansur。此單曲在德國稱冠﹐英國得到第2位﹐可是故事雖與美國人有關﹐在美國 Billboard卻只得第96位。

Ma Baker
(Farian / Reyam / Jay)


Spoken: Freeze, I am Ma Baker. Put your hands in the air and give me all your money

This is the story of Ma Baker, the meanest cat in old Chicago town

She was the meanest cat
In old Chicago town
She was the meanest cat
She really mowed them down
She had no heart at all
No no no heart at all

She was the meanest cat
Oh she was really tough
She left her husband flat
He wasn't tough enough
She took her boys along
'cos they were mean and strong

Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she taught her four sons
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - to handle their guns
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she never could cry
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - but she knew how to die

They left a trail of crime
Across the U.S.A.
And when one boy was killed
She really made them pay
She had no heart at all
No no no heart at all

Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she taught her four sons
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - to handle their guns
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she never could cry
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - but she knew how to die

And then a man she liked
She thought she'd stay with him
When he informed on them
They did away with him
She didn't care at all
Just didn't care at all

Here is a special bulletin.
Ma Baker is the FBI's most wanted woman.
Her photo is hanging on every post office wall.
If you have any information about this woman,
Please contact the nearest police station...

Don't anybody move! The money or your lives!

One day they robbed a bank
It was their last foray
The cops appeared too soon
They couldn't get away
And all the loot they had
It made them mighty mad
And so they shot it out
Ma Baker and her sons
They didn't want to hang
They died with blazing guns
And so the story ends
Of one who left no friends

Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she taught her four sons
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - to handle their guns
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she never could cry
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - but she knew how to die

Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she taught her four sons
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - to handle their guns
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - she never could cry
Ma Ma Ma Ma - Ma Baker - but she knew how to die


Ma Baker單曲的背面為Still I'm Sad﹐意外地在瑞典也得到第17位﹐而從 Love For Sale專輯中﹐抽取第2首歌曲作為單曲的為 Belfast。此曲一樣在德國稱冠﹐在英國則得到第8位。

Belfast
(Billybury / Deutscher / Menke)


Belfast
Belfast
Belfast

Got to have a believin’
Got to have a believin’
Got to have a believin’
All the people
Cause the people are leavin’

When the people believin’
When the people believin’
When the people believin’
All the children cause the children are leavin’

Belfast Belfast
When the country rings the leaving bell you’re lost
Belfast Belfast
When the hate you have
For one another’s past
You can try (you can try)
You can try (you can try)
You can try
To tell the world the reason why
Belfast
Belfast
Belfast

It’s the country that’s changin’
It’s the country that’s changin’
It’s the country that’s changin’
All the people
Cause the people are leavin’
It’s the world that’s deceivin’
It’s the world that’s deceivin’
It’s the world that’s deceivin’
All the people
Cause the people believin’

When the children believin’
When the children believin’
When the children believin’
All the people
Cause the people are leavin’
When the people are leavin’ (you)
When the people are leavin’
When the people are leavin’
All the children
Cause the children believin’



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Boney M - Take The Heat Off Me