Nightflight to Venus
Encyclopedia
Nightflight to Venus is the third album by the band Boney M
, and was released in July 1978.
The album became a major success in continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada
, topping most of the album charts during the second half of 1978 and also became their first UK number one album. Nightflight to Venus includes their worldwide hits "Rivers of Babylon
" and "Brown Girl in the Ring
", a double A-sided single that topped the UK singles chart and sold close to 2 million copies there. The follow-up was another Boney M. classic, "Rasputin
", in most countries also a double A-side coupled with "Painter Man
", a cover of a 1966 hit by the band The Creation
. In the UK, "Rasputin" and "Painter Man" were released separately as A-sides by Atlantic Records, both reaching the Top 10. Nightflight to Venus also became Boney M.'s most well received album in the United States
, peaking at #134 on The Billboard 200. "Rivers of Babylon" which peaked at #30 on The Billboard Hot 100
became their biggest US hit.
In Europe and most other parts of the world the album was followed in November 1978 by Christmas single "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" backed with "Dancing In The Streets", another chart topper - selling over 1.75 million copies in the UK alone. Upon its original 1978 release, these two tracks did not appear on Nightflight to Venus, but they were included on the 2007 CD reissue.
There were four different pressings of the original Hansa Records
vinyl LP, all with slightly altered edits of the tracks. The most significant difference was the length of the title track "Nightflight to Venus". On the very first German pressing it was 7:09 minutes, making the segued medley with the also extended "Rasputin" 13:48 in total, the second pressing 5:55, the third 4:58 and the final and also the one appearing on the UK and US editions 4:46. The timings given here are those of the 1994 and 2007 CD re-issues.
7"
12"
US
7"
12"
Germany
7"
12"
Single
Boney M
Boney M. is a Eurodisco group created by German record producer Frank Farian. Originally based in Germany, the four original members of the group's official line-up were Jamaicans Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett, Maizie Williams from Montserrat and Bobby Farrell from Aruba...
, and was released in July 1978.
The album became a major success in continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, topping most of the album charts during the second half of 1978 and also became their first UK number one album. Nightflight to Venus includes their worldwide hits "Rivers of Babylon
Rivers of Babylon
"Rivers of Babylon" is a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The Melodians' original versions of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come and the 1999 Nicolas Cage movie...
" and "Brown Girl in the Ring
Brown Girl in the Ring (song)
"Brown Girl in the Ring" is a traditional children's song in the West Indies. It was originally featured in the game of the same name.Brown Girl in the Ring is a children's ring game thought to have originated in Jamaica....
", a double A-sided single that topped the UK singles chart and sold close to 2 million copies there. The follow-up was another Boney M. classic, "Rasputin
Rasputin (song)
"Rasputin" is a 1978 disco hit single by the Germany-based pop and disco group Boney M., the second single off their hugely successful album Nightflight to Venus. The song is a semi-biographical song whose subject and namesake is Grigori Rasputin, a friend and advisor of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia...
", in most countries also a double A-side coupled with "Painter Man
Painter Man
Painter Man is a song by the music group, The Creation. The song was the group's second, and most successful, single."Painter Man" was later covered by the 1970s pop group Boney M., and reached number 10 in the UK single charts in 1979...
", a cover of a 1966 hit by the band The Creation
The Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
. In the UK, "Rasputin" and "Painter Man" were released separately as A-sides by Atlantic Records, both reaching the Top 10. Nightflight to Venus also became Boney M.'s most well received album in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, peaking at #134 on The Billboard 200. "Rivers of Babylon" which peaked at #30 on The Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
became their biggest US hit.
In Europe and most other parts of the world the album was followed in November 1978 by Christmas single "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" backed with "Dancing In The Streets", another chart topper - selling over 1.75 million copies in the UK alone. Upon its original 1978 release, these two tracks did not appear on Nightflight to Venus, but they were included on the 2007 CD reissue.
There were four different pressings of the original Hansa Records
Hansa Records
Hansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
vinyl LP, all with slightly altered edits of the tracks. The most significant difference was the length of the title track "Nightflight to Venus". On the very first German pressing it was 7:09 minutes, making the segued medley with the also extended "Rasputin" 13:48 in total, the second pressing 5:55, the third 4:58 and the final and also the one appearing on the UK and US editions 4:46. The timings given here are those of the 1994 and 2007 CD re-issues.
Side A
- "Nightflight to Venus" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Dietmar Kawohl) - 4:46
- "RasputinRasputin (song)"Rasputin" is a 1978 disco hit single by the Germany-based pop and disco group Boney M., the second single off their hugely successful album Nightflight to Venus. The song is a semi-biographical song whose subject and namesake is Grigori Rasputin, a friend and advisor of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia...
" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay, George Reyam (Hans-Jörg Mayer)) - 5:51 - "Painter ManPainter ManPainter Man is a song by the music group, The Creation. The song was the group's second, and most successful, single."Painter Man" was later covered by the 1970s pop group Boney M., and reached number 10 in the UK single charts in 1979...
" (Eddie Phillips, Kenny Pickett) - 3:10 - "He Was a Steppenwolf" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Stefan Klinkhammer) - 6:51
- "King of the RoadKing of the Road (song)"King of the Road" is a 1964 song written and originally recorded by country singer Roger Miller.The lyrics tell of a hobo who despite being poor revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously as the "king of the road"...
" (Roger MillerRoger MillerRoger Dean Miller was an American singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known for his honky tonk-influenced novelty songs...
) - 2:35
Side B
- "Rivers of BabylonRivers of Babylon"Rivers of Babylon" is a rastafarian song written and recorded by Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton of the Jamaican reggae group The Melodians in 1970. The Melodians' original versions of the song appeared in the sound track to the 1972 movie The Harder They Come and the 1999 Nicolas Cage movie...
" (Brent Dowe, Trevor McNaughton, Frank Farian, George Reyam) - 4:18 - "Voodoonight" (Giorgio Sgarbi) - 3:31
- "Brown Girl in the RingBrown Girl in the Ring (song)"Brown Girl in the Ring" is a traditional children's song in the West Indies. It was originally featured in the game of the same name.Brown Girl in the Ring is a children's ring game thought to have originated in Jamaica....
" (Traditional; arranged by Frank Farian) - 4:02 - "Never Change Lovers in the Middle of the Night" (Mats Björklund, Keith ForseyKeith ForseyKeith Forsey is an English soundtrack composer, drummer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Forsey's first recordings were as the younger member of the group The Spectrum, better known for the end title theme for Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet, but hit makers across Europe in their own...
, Fred Jay) - 5:32 - "Heart of GoldHeart of Gold (song)"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. Released from the 1972 album Harvest, it is so far Young's only U.S. #1 single. In Canada, it reached #1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the...
" (Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
) - 4:00
Personnel
- Liz MitchellLiz MitchellLiz Mitchell is a singer, best known as the former lead singer of the 1970s disco/pop band, Boney M.-Early life:...
- lead vocals (A3, B1, B3, B5), backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Marcia BarrettMarcia BarrettMarcia Barrett , is one of the original singers with the vocal group, Boney M.-The early years:...
- lead vocals (A5, B4) backing vocals - Frank FarianFrank FarianFrank Farian , is a German record producer and songwriter. He started out as a trained cook before moving into the music industry...
- lead vocals (A2, B2) backing vocals - Bill Swisher - robot voice on A1, narrator on A2
- The Rhythm Machine - musicians
- Keith ForseyKeith ForseyKeith Forsey is an English soundtrack composer, drummer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Forsey's first recordings were as the younger member of the group The Spectrum, better known for the end title theme for Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet, but hit makers across Europe in their own...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Nick Woodland - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Mats Björklund - guitar
- Gary Unwin - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- "Chico" de los Reyes - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Bernd Kohn - marimba, perc
- R. Ehrhardt -
Production
- Frank Farian - producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
- Christian Kolonovits - arrangerArrangerIn investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
- Johan Daansen - arranger
- Mats Björklund - arranger
- Michael CretuMichael CretuMichael Cretu is a Romanian musician. He is known also as Curly, MC or Curly M.C. because of his fair curled hair . His peak musical activity was with the Enigma project, which was mainly based in Germany....
- arranger - Stefan Klinkhammer - arranger
- Fred Schreier - sound engineer
- Hartmut Pfannmüller - sound engineer
- John Lund - sound engineer
- Tammy Grohé - sound engineer
- Manfred Vormstein - art direction
- Didi Zill - photography
- Dengler/Kohlmeier - designDesignDesign as a noun informally refers to a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system while “to design” refers to making this plan...
- Recorded at Europasound Studios, Offenbach and Union Studios, Munich
- Mixed at Europasound Studios, Offenbach
Release history
- UK: Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
SD 361945. - US: Sire Records SRK 6062.
- Germany: Hansa RecordsHansa RecordsHansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
26 026 OT.
CD releases
- Germany 1994: BMGBMGBertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
74321 21269 2. - EU & US 2007: Sony-BMG 88697-08262-2. Bonus tracks: ""Mary's Boy ChildMary's Boy Child"Mary's Boy Child" is a 1956 Christmas song, written by Jester Hairston. With its religious content, it is also widely performed as a Christmas carol....
/Oh My Lord" (Jester HairstonJester HairstonJester Joseph Hairston was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, choral conductor, and actor. His notable compositions include "Amen," a gospel-tinged theme from the film Lilies of the Field and a 1963 hit for The Impressions, and the Christmas song "Mary's Boy Child".-Early life:Hairston...
, Lorin, Frank Farian, Fred Jay) - 5:43, "Dancing in the Streets" (Frank Farian) - 3:57.
Single releases
UK7"
- "Rivers of Babylon" - 4:16 / "Brown Girl In The Ring" - 4:02 (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
K11120, 1978) - "Rasputin" (7" Mix) - 3:14 / "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" - 5:32 (Atlantic K11192, 1978)
- "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" - 5:29 / "Dancing in the Streets" - 3:43 (Atlantic K11221, 1978)
- "Painter Man" - 3:10 / "He Was A Steppenwolf" - 6:51 (Atlantic K11255, 1979)
12"
- "Brown girl in the ring" - 4:02 / "Rivers of Babylon" - 4:18 (Atlantic K 11120T, 1978)
- "Rasputin" (12" Mix) - 7:33 / "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" - 5:32 (Atlantic K11192T, 1978)
- "Painter Man" - 3:10 / "He Was A Steppenwolf" - 6:51 (Atlantic K11255, green vinyl and red vinyl, 1979)
US
7"
- "Rivers of Babylon" - 4:16 / "Brown Girl In The Ring" - 4:02 (Sire RecordsSire RecordsSire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a...
SRE-1027 (RE-1), 1978) - "Rasputin" (7" Mix) - 3:14 / "He Was A Steppenwolf" (Sire SRE-1049, 1978)
- "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" - 5:29 / "Dancing in the Streets" - 3:43 (Sire SRE-1036, 1978)
- "Mary's Boy Child/Oh Lord" - 5:29 / "He Was A Steppenwolf" - 6:51 (Sire/Hansa SRE 49144, 1978)
- "Dancing In The Streets" - 3:57 / "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" (Edit) - 5:01 (Sire SRD 1038, 1978)
12"
- "Rivers of Babylon" (12" Mix) - 7:22 / "Rivers of Babylon" - 4:06 (Sire/Hansa RecordsHansa RecordsHansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
PRO-A-732, 1978) - "Rasputin" (12" Mix) - 7:33 / "Rasputin" (Album version) 5:50 (Sire PRO-A-765, 1978)
- "Dancing In The Streets" (12" Mix) - 6:18 / "Never Change Lovers In The Middle Of The Night" - 5:32 (Sire SRD 1040, 1978)
Germany
7"
- "Rivers of Babylon" - 4:16 / "Brown Girl In The Ring" - 4:02 (Hansa RecordsHansa RecordsHansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
11 999 AT, 1978) - "Rasputin" (7" Mix) - 3:14 / "Painter Man" - 3:10 (Hansa 15 808 AT, 1978)
- "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" - 5:29 / "Dancing in the Streets" - 3:57 (Hansa 100 075-100, 1978)
12"
- "Rasputin" (12" Mix) - 7:33 / "Painter Man" - 3:10 (Hansa 26 400 XT, 1978)
- "Dancing in the Streets" (12" Mix) - 6:25 / "Mary's Boy Child" (12" Mix) - 6:18 (Hansa 600 009-212, 1979)
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | UK albums chart | 1 |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... album chart |
1 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Wks on chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Rivers of Babylon/Brown girl in the ring" | UK single chart | 1 | 40 |
| "Rivers of Babylon" | US Billboard Pop chart | 30 | ||
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... 's single chart |
1 | 27 | ||
| "Rasputin" | UK single chart | 2 | ||
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... 's single chart |
10 | 3 | ||
| "Mary's boy child/Oh my Lord" | UK single chart | 1 | ||
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... 's single chart |
2 | 11 | ||
| 1979 | "Painter man" | UK single chart | 10 | 6 |
Sources and external links
- Rate Your Music, detailed discography
- Discogs.com, detailed discography
- [ Allmusic, biography, discography etc.]