Muzikland

有關外國樂團的名字﹐香港一直比較少把人家的名字翻譯過來﹐筆者首次聽到 Boney M的中文譯名﹐也許是90年代吧﹐它被翻成“骨感 M”﹐這名字差點兒把我笑翻天﹐其實那是一個直譯的名字﹐這雖然滑稽﹐不過也令筆者非常難忘。

踏入1978年﹐Boney M發行第3張專輯 Nightflight To Venus﹐這也是他們最成功的專輯﹐在英國﹑Denmark﹑Austria﹑Sweden及Netherlands也成為冠軍專輯﹐雖然在美國只得到第134位﹑不過他們也憑 Rivers Of Babylon首次打入 Billboard Top 40﹐也成為他們在美國成績最好的單曲。

Nightflight To Venus (1978/Hansa) Track List:
01 Nightflight To Venus 4:46
02 Rasputin 5:51 [UK#2]
03 Painter Man 3:10 [UK#10]
04 He Was A Steppenwolf 6:51
05 King Of The Road 2:36
06 Rivers Of Babylon 4:18 [US#30 / UK#1]
07 Voodoonight 3:31
08 Brown Girl In The Ring 4:02 [UK#1]
09 Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night 5:32
10 Heart Of Gold 4:00

Nightflight To Venus仍然沿用過去兩張專輯的製作方程式﹐就是原創及 Cover Version參半﹐這一次就翻唱了 Roger Miller的 King Of The Road (1965/Smash) 及Neil Young (1972/Reprise)﹐還有 Rivers Of Babylon。

Rivers Of Babylon﹕原唱者為The Melodians (1969/Treasure Isle)﹐是一首 Reggae歌曲﹐內容取材自聖經詩篇137篇。“Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts, Be acceptable in thy sight”一句歌詞更是取自詩篇19章第14節。Boney M的版本在德國及英國都取得冠軍﹐在美國 Billboard則得到第30位﹐是他們唯一打入 Top 40的單曲。近年有Sinead O'Connor的民謠版本﹐帶來截然不同的感覺﹐收錄於“Theology”(2007/Koch) 專輯中。
(Frank Farian / Brent Dowe/ Trevor McNaughton)


By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion

When the wicked
Carried us away in captivity
Required from us a song
Now how shall we sing the lords song in a strange land

When the wicked
Carried us away in captivity
Requiering of us a song
Now how shall we sing the lords song in a strange land

Let the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart
Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight

Let the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts
Be acceptable in thy sight here tonight

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion.

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down
Ye-eah we wept, when we remembered Zion.

By the rivers of Babylon (dark tears of Babylon)
There we sat down (you got to sing a song)
Ye-eah we wept, (sing a song of love)
When we remember Zion. (yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah)

By the rivers of Babylon (rough bits of Babylon)
There we sat down (you hear the people cry)
Ye-eah we wept, (they need their God)
When we remember Zion (ooh, have the power)

**********

Brown Girl In The Ring﹕它跟Rivers Of Babylon是 Double A-Side單曲。
(Farian)


Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
Theres a brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la la
Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
Come on show me your motion
Tra la la la la la
Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

All had water run dry
Got nowhere to wash my cloths
All had water run dry
Got nowhere to wash my cloths

I remember one saturday night
We had fried fish and johnny-cakes
I remember one saturday night
We had fried fish and johnny-cakes

Beng-a-deng
Beng-a-deng

Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
Theres a brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la la
Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
Come on show me your motion
Tra la la la la la
Show me your motion
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

All had water run dry
Got nowhere to wash my cloths
All had water run dry
Got nowhere to wash my cloths

I remember one saturday night
We had fried fish and johnny-cakes
I remember one saturday night
We had fried fish and johnny-cakes

Beng-a-deng
Beng-a-deng

Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
See, brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la la
Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

All had water run dry
Got nowhere to wash my cloths
All had water run dry
Got nowhere to wash my cloths

Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
Look that brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la la
Brown girl in the ring
Tra la la la la
She looks like a sugar in a plum
Plum plum

**********

取自專輯的第2張單曲為 Rasputin﹐它取材自20世紀初俄國沙皇Tsar Nicholas II的一位好友Grigori Rasputin的事跡﹐當時他的意見常可左右沙皇的決定。Rasputin多年來一直是筆者最愛的 Boney M 歌曲﹐而且勁道十足﹐現在重溫還是非常過癮﹐也令人不禁手舞足蹈﹐當年是由姐夫介紹聽的﹐他尤其喜歡 Intro 那段 Stereo 效果。此曲在德國成冠﹐在英國則得到亞軍。

Rasputin
(Farian / Reyam / Jay)


There lived a certain man in Russia long ago
He was big and strong, in his eyes a flaming glow
Most people looked at him with terror and with fear
But to Moscow chicks he was such a lovely dear
He could preach the Bible like a preacher
Full of ecstacy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire

Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra ra Rasputin
Russias greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on

He ruled the Russian land and never mind the Czar
But the kasachok he danced really wunderbar
In all affairs of state he was the man to please
But he was real great when he had a girl to squeeze
For the queen he was no wheeler dealer
Though she’d heard the things he’d done
She believed he was a holy healer
Who would heal her son

Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra ra Rasputin
Russias greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on

Spoken:
But when his drinking and lusting and his hunger
For power became known to more and more people,
The demands to do something about this outrageous
Man became louder and louder.

This mans just got to go! declared his enemies
But the ladies begged don’t you try to do it, please
No doubt this Rasputin had lots of hidden charms
Though he was a brute they just fell into his arms
Then one night some men of higher standing
Set a trap, they’re not to blame
Come to visit us they kept demanding
And he really came

Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
They put some poison into his wine
Ra ra Rasputin
Russias greatest love machine
He drank it all and he said I feel fine

Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
They didn’t quit, they wanted his head
Ra ra Rasputin
Russias greatest love machine
And so they shot him till he was dead

Spoken:
Oh, those Russians...

**********

Painter Man﹕它跟Rasputin是 Double A-Side單曲﹐唯獨在英國作獨立單曲發行﹐登上英國流行榜第10位。
(Philips / Pickett)


Went to college, studied arts
To be an artist make a start
Studied hard, getting’ my degree
But no one seemed to notice me

Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man
Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man

Tried cartoons and comic books
Dirty postcards could have done
Here was where the money laid
Classic art has had its day

Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man
Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man

Did adverts for T.V.
Household shops and brands of tea
Labels all around the cans
Who wanna be a painter man

Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man
Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man

La...la...la...la...la...la...
La...la...la...la...la...la...la...
Painter man, painter man
Who wanna be a painter man



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