Bony M. “The Magic of Boney M.” 1980. Compilation of reggae-tinged disco-funk hits from the 70’s. Canadian version on Atlantic so only 12 tracks versus the usually 20 on most releases. I’m primarily spinning this for the track “Rasputin” which is the best and has been stuck in my head since this past weekend when I did my first turn dj’ing at the Wiggle Room; this was the second song I played and really I wanted to play it a bunch more.

me spinning at Wiggle Room

The Magic of Boney M. is often silly (ie “My friend Jack eats sugar lumps“and “Bahama Mama, got the biggest house in town bahama mama“) but obviously super-danceable. The best track is hands-down “Rasputin” from 1978, the second single from their third studio album Nightflight to Venus; it hit #2 in the UK and went to #1 in Germany, Australia and a couple of other countries. It’s surprisingly accurate as an overview to the historical, political Russian figure though there is no evidence that he was the “lover of the Russian queen” but damn it rhymes well. Also awesome is “Gotta Go Home,” with its relentless beat and marimba sound. That track was the lead single from their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy (1979, #1 Eurochart Hot 100, #12 UK, #1 Germany). Its b-side “El Lute” appears on The Magic of Boney M. and while it is a historical primer like “Rasputin,” it kinda sucks, telling the true story of Spanish outlaw Eleuterio Sánchez. “Ma Baker” is pretty good (from the 1977 LP Love for Sale) and I suppose “Mary’s Boy Child” – a cover of Harry Belafonte’s 1956 hit – is somewhat palatable for a Christmas song (it was the UK’s #1 Christmas song in ’78). But overall if you need a bit of cross-cultural, international silly danceable fun today (and there’s a good chance you do), Boney M. is an excellent choice.