Muzikland

Boney M屬於 Disco組合﹐雖然他們的歌曲流行於世界各地﹐可惜卻不能打入美國市場﹐同期在 Hansa旗下﹐也有另一個跟他們風格近似的組合﹐那就是 Eruption。

Eruption的成員包括Greg Perrineau及 Morgan Perrineau兄弟 (結他)﹑Horatio McKay (琴鍵)﹑Eric Kingsley (鼓)﹐加上 Precious Wilson及 Lintel擔任主唱。他們早於1974年成軍﹐及後於翌年贏得 RCA Soul Search Contest ﹐並於1976年推出首張單曲Let Me Take Your Back in Time。

1977年 Boney M的監制 Frank Farian把他們簽約 Hansa旗下﹐並且為他們製作唱片﹐於是沿用 Boney M的製作模式﹐把全新創作歌曲添混入舊歌來製作專輯﹐可是 Eruption的成績卻遜色得多了。首張打入流行榜的單曲為 I Cant Stand The Rain (1978/Hansa)﹐在英美均取得不錯的成績﹐可是往後卻絕跡於美國 Billboard。

I Can’t Stand The Rain﹕英國得到第5位﹐在美國Billboard則得到第18位。原唱為 An Peebles (1973/Hi)﹐得到 Billboard第38位﹐不過歌曲更為人熟識乃是因為 Tina Turner翻唱﹐收錄於 Private Dance (1985/Capitol) 專輯中﹐她的版本在英國得到第57位。
(D. Bryant / B. Miller / A. Peebles)


I can't stand the rain against my window
Bringing back sweet memories
I can't stand the rain against my window
'Cause he's not here with me
Hey window pain do you remember
How sweet it used to be
When we were together
Everything was so grand, yes it was
Now that we've parted
And there's one sound that I just can't stand

I can't stand the rain against my window
Bringing back sweet memories
I can't stand the rain
Alone with the pillow
Where his head used to lay, yeah
I know you've got some sweet memories
But like a window you ain't got nothin' to say

I can't stand the rain against my window
Bringing back sweet memories, hey
I can't stand the rain, ooh
Against my window, oh-no-no
'Cause he's not here with me, uh
Alone with the pillow, uh-uh
Where his head used to lay, yeah
I know you've got some sweet memories
But like a window
You ain't got nothin' to say, hey-hey
Uh-uh

(I can't, I can't, I can't, can't stand the rain)
(I can't, I can't, I can't, can't stand the rain)
(I can't, I can't, I can't, can't stand the rain)
(I can't, I can't, I can't, can't stand the rain)
(I can't, I can't, I can't, can't stand the rain)

Get off my window now, get off my window
Get off my window nah, I can't stand the rain
I can't stand the rain, ooh, can't stand the rain, oh


雖然 Eruption的 I Can’t Stand The Rain已取得不錯成績﹐不過筆者首次認識他們的歌曲乃是因為他們翻唱了 Neil Sedaka的 One Way Ticket﹐這首本來只屬 Neil的 Oh Carol單曲 B Side﹐不過在亞洲卻很紅﹐因為筆者從小便聽此曲﹐以致把這耳熟能詳的歌曲 Disco化﹐那就更搶耳了。

One Way Ticket﹕原唱為 Neil Sedaka﹐收錄於單曲 Oh Carol (1959/RCA) 中﹐Eruption的版本 (1979/Hansa) 卻大為流行﹐在英國得到第9位。香港方面﹐早於60年代江玲曾灌錄了一個國語英語參半的版本﹐收錄於“Off-Beat Cha Cha”(1960/Diamond) 專輯中。
(Neil Sedaka / Howard Greenfield)


One way ticket, one way ticket
One way ticket, one way ticket
One way ticket, one way ticket to the blues

Choo choo train
Tuckin' down the track
Gotta travel on it
Never comin' back
Ooh, ooh got a one way ticket to the blues

Bye bye love, my babe is leavin' me
Now, only tear drops are all that I could see
Ooh, ooh
Got a one way ticket to the blues

Gotta take a trip to lonesome town
Gonna stay at heartbreak hotel
A fool such as I such as I
Will never, I cry my tears away

One way ticket, one way ticket
One way ticket, one way ticket
One way ticket, one way ticket to the blues

Choo choo train
Tuckin' down the track
Gotta travel on it
Never comin' back
Ooh, ooh got a one way ticket to the blues

Gotta go on, gotta truck on
Got a one way ticket to the blues

I gotta take a trip to lonesome town
Gonna stay at heartbreak hotel
Ooh, a fool such as I, such as I
Will never I cry my tears away

One way ticket, one way ticket
One way ticket, one way ticket
One way ticket, one way ticket to the blues

Choo choo train
Tuckin' down the track
Gotta travel on it
Never comin' back
Ooh, ooh got a one way ticket to the blues
Ooh, ooh got a one way ticket to the blues

Got my ticket...
One way, one way, one way ticket

1979年Precious Wilson離隊單飛﹐經Frank Farian 的安排下﹐參與 Boney M的 Ocean Of Fantasy (1979/Hansa) 專輯灌唱﹐當中兩首歌曲Let It All Be Music 及Hold On I'm Coming 竟由她擔任主音。至於她在 Eruption 的位置﹐就由Kim Davis取代。1980年﹐Eruption又有一支單曲流行於香港﹐可惜此曲卻絕跡於英國﹐那是Go Johnny Go
(1980/Hansa)﹐屬他們全新創作歌曲。

Go Johnny Go (Edited Short Version)
(Kingsley)


He was a lonely boy from nowhere´s land
Trying to find a place to lay his head
For he knew for sure that no one cared
So he tried his best now everywhere

Go Johnny Go Johnny Go Johnny Go
Go Johnny Go Johnny Go Johnny Go Go Go
Ha Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha
Ha Ha Ha

Oh, he was a lonely boy from nowhere´s land
Trying to find a place to lay his head
For he knew for sure that no one cared
So he tried his best now everywhere

Listen John B. you are so young
There is a place, somewhere over yonder
Where you can go, to see some wonders
Where even birds don´t need to fly

Keep on walking, come to eleven
Won´t belong, before you reach your heaven
Keep on walking, come to eleven
Won´t belong, before you reach your heaven
Keep on walking, come to eleven
Won´t belong, before you reach your heaven
Keep on walking, come to eleven
Won´t belong, before you reach your heaven

其實 Eruption的兩首單曲在香港取得成功﹐乃是因為代理他們唱片的寶麗金﹐把歌曲收錄於寶麗星5號及6號精選合輯中﹐當時尚沒有那麼多種類的精選唱片﹐“寶麗星” 系列屬於寶麗金的暢銷合輯。可是相隔多年﹐筆者想重溫該歌曲時﹐卻是困難重重﹐好不容易在美國訂購到Eruption Gold 20 Super Hits﹐然而卻是歐洲版﹐而且 Go Johnny Go及 One Way Ticket 也是全新 Remix版本﹐令人失望。之來又買了一張 I Can’t Stand The Rain精選才重獲原裝版本的One Way Ticket﹐後來發現該兩張CD的出版日期﹐似乎是唱片公司繼 Boney M Gold大賣後﹐順勢加入94 Remix推出 Eruption Gold而成﹐這可不是筆者想要的版本﹐最終還是要把當年錄在 Mini Disc 的唱片版本轉成電腦檔﹐才能重溫﹐工程浩大。

Eruption Gold 20 Super Hits (1994/MCI/BMG) Track List:
01 I Can't Stand the Rain (Remix '94)
02 One Way Ticket (Remix '94)
03 Cry to Me
04 Race Track
05 Valley of the Dolls
06 Hold On! I'm Comin'
07 Go Johnny Go
08 Raising to My Family
09 I Don't Know
10 Leave a Light
11 Way We Were
12 Funky Fingers (Medley)
13 Stay by My Side
14 If I Loved You Less
15 All Coloured in Love
16 Mr. Pilot Man
17 Everyday Will Be Like a Holyday
18 Party Party...
19 Night That Music Died
20 Together Forever

**********

I Can’t Stand The Rain (1995/Ariola/BMG) Track List:
01 I Can't Stand The Rain [US#18 / UK#5]
02 Runaway
03 Go Johnnie Go
04 We Gotta Talk About It
05 Leave A Light
06 Good Good Feeling
07 One Way Ticket [UK#9]
08 Be Yourself
09 Party, Party...
10 Stand Up And Sing Hallellujah
11 It's Alright
12 Hey There Lonely Girl
13 Computer Love
14 Left Me In The Rain
15 Fire Is Gone
16 Come Back To Me



筆者相關文章介紹﹕
Neil Sedaka - You Mean Everything To Me / One Way Ticket
Kong Ling - Hong Kong Presents Off-Beat Cha Cha