Oceans of Fantasy
Encyclopedia
Oceans of Fantasy is the fourth studio album
by Boney M. Released in September 1979, Oceans Of Fantasy became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features hits "El Lute" based on Eleuterio Sánchez
life, "I'm Born Again", "Bahama Mama" and "Gotta Go Home
". The album had been preceded in the spring of 1979 by double A-side single "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" (based on American folksong Polly Wolly Doodle
) / "Ribbons Of Blue", also one of the band's biggest hits. The A-side was surprisingly not included on Oceans Of Fantasy but the B-side was - if only in a heavily edited form. The original length of the track is 4:02 and songs like "Gotta Go Home" and "Bahama Mama" were also longer on 7" than on the actual album. Just like in the case of its predecessor Nightflight to Venus the original Hansa Records pressings of the album also included a range of different edits of certain tracks.
Several pressings also contained the wrong running order on cover & labels, incorrectly listing "El Lute" as the opening track on side 2, followed by "No More Chain Gang" and "Oceans Of Fantasy" - a very early and scarce pressing actually has this running order on vinyl. The same pressing also features "Let It All Be Music" and "Gotta Go Home" segued into a medley.
Oceans Of Fantasy also features a guest appearance by Eruption
's lead singer Precious Wilson on "Let It All Be Music" as well as on the cover of Sam & Dave
's "Hold On I'm Coming", which was also issued as Wilson's first solo single. The Argentinian pressing omitted "El Lute" in favour of "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday".
The album was the only Boney M. album to feature a full track-by-track vocal credits list which only confirmed what had been a public secret since the very beginning - that only two of the four band members, Liz Mitchell
and Marcia Barrett
, actually sang on the Boney M. records, and that producer Frank Farian
sang the characteristic deep male vocal as well as high falsetto vocals - he even duetted with himself on the track "Bye Bye Bluebird". Maizie Williams
and Bobby Farrell
didn't take any part in the studio sessions. The revelation didn't seem to harm the band's popularity that much at the time, but ten years later Farian was to be involved in a similar scandal with band Milli Vanilli
, that time unfortunately with serious consequences for both the producer and the band.
Side B:
7"
12"
Germany
7"
12"
Single
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Boney M. Released in September 1979, Oceans Of Fantasy became the second Boney M. album to top the UK charts and features hits "El Lute" based on Eleuterio Sánchez
Eleuterio Sánchez
Eleuterio Sánchez Rodríguez , known as El Lute, was at one time listed as Spain's "Most Wanted" criminal. He was a legendary Spanish outlaw who escaped several times from prison after being convicted and sentenced at age 23 to 30 years for murder...
life, "I'm Born Again", "Bahama Mama" and "Gotta Go Home
El Lute / Gotta Go Home
"El Lute" / "Gotta Go Home" is a double A-side single by German band Boney M. It was the lead single off their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy and was the group's eighth and final number 1 single in the German charts...
". The album had been preceded in the spring of 1979 by double A-side single "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" (based on American folksong Polly Wolly Doodle
Polly Wolly Doodle
"Polly Wolly Doodle" is a song first published in a Harvard student songbook in 1880."Polly Wolly Doodle" appears in the existing manuscript for Laura Ingalls Wilder's These Happy Golden Years exactly as it is used in the published version. It was not mentioned in any of the Pioneer Girl...
) / "Ribbons Of Blue", also one of the band's biggest hits. The A-side was surprisingly not included on Oceans Of Fantasy but the B-side was - if only in a heavily edited form. The original length of the track is 4:02 and songs like "Gotta Go Home" and "Bahama Mama" were also longer on 7" than on the actual album. Just like in the case of its predecessor Nightflight to Venus the original Hansa Records pressings of the album also included a range of different edits of certain tracks.
Several pressings also contained the wrong running order on cover & labels, incorrectly listing "El Lute" as the opening track on side 2, followed by "No More Chain Gang" and "Oceans Of Fantasy" - a very early and scarce pressing actually has this running order on vinyl. The same pressing also features "Let It All Be Music" and "Gotta Go Home" segued into a medley.
Oceans Of Fantasy also features a guest appearance by Eruption
Eruption (band)
Eruption was a popular disco / R&B / Soul band in the 1970s and 1980s.-History:Silent Eruption was formed in 1974 in Britain. In 1975 they won the RCA Soul Search Contest, whilst their first single "Let Me Take You Back in Time" was released in 1976...
's lead singer Precious Wilson on "Let It All Be Music" as well as on the cover of Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
's "Hold On I'm Coming", which was also issued as Wilson's first solo single. The Argentinian pressing omitted "El Lute" in favour of "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday".
The album was the only Boney M. album to feature a full track-by-track vocal credits list which only confirmed what had been a public secret since the very beginning - that only two of the four band members, Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell
Liz Mitchell is a singer, best known as the former lead singer of the 1970s disco/pop band, Boney M.-Early life:...
and Marcia Barrett
Marcia Barrett
Marcia Barrett , is one of the original singers with the vocal group, Boney M.-The early years:...
, actually sang on the Boney M. records, and that producer Frank Farian
Frank Farian
Frank Farian , is a German record producer and songwriter. He started out as a trained cook before moving into the music industry...
sang the characteristic deep male vocal as well as high falsetto vocals - he even duetted with himself on the track "Bye Bye Bluebird". Maizie Williams
Maizie Williams
Maizie Ursula Williams is one of the original members of successful 70s disco music group, Boney M.-Early years:...
and Bobby Farrell
Bobby Farrell
Roberto "Bobby" Alfonso Farrell was an Aruban dancer and performer, best known as the male member of the successful 1970s pop and disco group Boney M.-Early years:...
didn't take any part in the studio sessions. The revelation didn't seem to harm the band's popularity that much at the time, but ten years later Farian was to be involved in a similar scandal with band Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...
, that time unfortunately with serious consequences for both the producer and the band.
Track listing
Side A:- "Let It All Be Music" (W. S. van Vugt)
- Arranged by Christian Kolonovits
- Featuring Special Guest Star Precious WilsonPrecious WilsonPrecious Wilson is a soul singer.-Background:Wilson started out as a backing singer for the all-male group Eruption. The group enjoyed a minor hit when they won a talent competition in 1975 with the song "Let Me Take You Back in Time"...
. - 1st pressing (Hansa 200 888 A-6): 5:10 (in medley with "Gotta Go Home")
- 2nd + 3rd pressings(Hansa 200 888 A-8 / A-25 (Club Edition) / Atlantic (UK): 5:33
- 4th pressing (Hansa 200 888 A-28 (and above) / Ariola (Spain + Portugal) / Atlantic (Japan) / Carrere (France) version) + CD: 4:46
- "Gotta Go Home" (Music by Frank Farian, Heinz Huth, Jürgen Huth - Lyrics by F. Jay)
- 1st pressing: 3:56 (in medley with "Let It All Be Music") - as second single version (without synth intro)
- All other pressings + CD: 3:45
- Original 7" mix (4:40) available on CD on 'the party album'.
- "Bye Bye Bluebird" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay and George Reyam)
- 1st pressing: 4:42 (very rare mix featuring different sax solo)
- 2nd pressing: 5:12 (with a repeated first verse)
- 3rd + 4th pressings + CD: 4:47
- "Bahama Mama" (Music by Frank Farian, Lyrics by Fred Jay)
- 1st pressing: 3:33 (slightly different mix)
- 2nd + 3rd pressings: 3:33 (slightly shorter than 7" mix)
- 4th pressing + CD: 3:16
- "Hold On I'm Coming" (Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, David PorterDavid Porter (musician)David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s...
)- Performed by Precious WilsonPrecious WilsonPrecious Wilson is a soul singer.-Background:Wilson started out as a backing singer for the all-male group Eruption. The group enjoyed a minor hit when they won a talent competition in 1975 with the song "Let Me Take You Back in Time"...
. - 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressings: 4:05 (original single version)
- 4th pressing + CD: 3:32
- Performed by Precious Wilson
- "Two of Us" (Written by Paul McCartneyPaul McCartneySir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, credited to Lennon/McCartneyLennon/McCartneyThe Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
)- 1st pressing: 3:29 (longer outro)
- 2nd, 3rd and 4th pressings + CD: 3:18
- "Ribbons Of Blue" (Written by 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...
, L. Andrew)- 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressings + CD: 2:01
- 4th pressing: 1:02 (alternate mix with extra slide guitar)
- Original 7" mix - 4:02.
Side B:
- "Oceans Of Fantasy" (Dietmar Kawohl, Didi Zill, Fred Jay) - 5:26
- 1st pressing (Hansa 200 888 B-3): 5:26 (NB appears as track B3 on this pressing)
- 2nd + 3rd pressings (Hansa 200 B-6 / B-22 (Club Edition) / Atlantic (UK): 5:26
- 4th pressing (Hansa 200 888 B-36 (and above) / Ariola (Spain + Portugal) / Atlantic (Japan) / Carrere (France) version) + CD: 5:05
- "El Lute" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Hans Blum)
- 1st pressing (NB appears as track B1 on this pressing), 2nd + 3rd pressings: 5:09 (as original single version)
- 4th pressing + CD: 5:48 (extended version)
- "No More Chain Gang" (Rainer Ehrhardt, Frank Farian and Fred Jay)
- Arranged by Stefan Klinkhammer & Keith Forsey
- 1st pressing (NB appears as track B2 on this pressing) + 2nd pressing: 5:12 (without percussion middle break)
- 3rd pressing (200 888 B-16): 5:51, (200 888 B-22): 5:43
- 4th pressing + CD: 5:17
- "I'm Born Again" (Written by TraditionalPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, Helmut Rulofs and Fred Jay) - 4:08 - "No Time To Lose" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Stefan Klinkhammer)
- Arranged by Stefan Klinkhammer
- 1st, 2nd + 3rd pressings: 3:26
- 4th pressing + CD: 2:57
- "The Calendar Song (January, February, March ...)" (TraditionalPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, Frank Farian)- Arranged by Christian Kolonovits
- 1st pressing: 2:44 (cold ending, alternate mix with some steeldrum riffs left out)
- 2nd pressing: 3:22 (cold ending)
- 3rd and 4th pressings + CD: 2:47 (faded)
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 (A1, A6, A7, B2, B4 & B6), backing vocals (A1, A2, A4, A7, B2, B3 & B6) - Marcia BarrettMarcia BarrettMarcia Barrett , is one of the original singers with the vocal group, Boney M.-The early years:...
- lead vocals (A1 & B5), backing vocals (A1, A2, A4, A6, A7, B2, B3, B5 & B6) - 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 (A1, B2, B3), lead and backing vocals (A3 & B1) backing vocals (A1, A2, A4, A5, A6, A7, B3, B4, B5 & B6) - Precious WilsonPrecious WilsonPrecious Wilson is a soul singer.-Background:Wilson started out as a backing singer for the all-male group Eruption. The group enjoyed a minor hit when they won a talent competition in 1975 with the song "Let Me Take You Back in Time"...
- guest lead vocals on track A1, lead and backing vocals on A5 - Linda Blake - voice of "Bahama Mama" on A4
- Bill Swisher - narrator on B2
- Gary Unwin - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Reinhard Besser - bass guitar
- 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...
- drums - Mats Björklund - 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...
- Nick Woodland - guitar
- 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....
- 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... - Lisa Gordanier - saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
(alto) - American Horns In Europe - brass instruments
- Lance Burton - saxophone (baritone)
- Bobby Stern - saxophone (tenor)
- Geoff Stradling - tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Jim Polivka - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Scot Newton - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Etienne Cap - trumpet on "Oceans of Fantasy"
- Walter Raab - trumpet on "Oceans of Fantasy"
- Karl Bartelmes - trumpet on "Oceans of Fantasy"
- Benny Gebauer - saxophone on "Oceans of Fantasy"
- Dino Solera - saxophone on "Oceans of Fantasy", pan flutePan fluteThe pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...
on "El Lute" - George Delagaye - trombone on "Oceans of Fantasy"
- Ludwig Rehberg Jr. - sound effects on "Oceans of Fantasy"
- The Original Trinidad Steel And Showband - performers
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...
- Rainer M. Ehrhardt - production assistant
- 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...
- 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...
- 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
- Michael Bestmann - sound engineer
- Tammy Grohé - sound engineer
- Manfred Vormstein - art direction & 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...
- Jürgen F. Rogner - illustrationIllustrationAn illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
- Didi Zill - photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Recorded and mixed at Europasound Studios, Friedrichsdorf and Union Studio, Munich.
Release history
- Germany: Hansa RecordsHansa RecordsHansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
200 888-320 (7 different pressings), 24x24" double gatefold sleeve - Germany: Hansa 38 339 2
- Germany: Hansa 200 919-424, picture disc
- 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...
K50610
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 21270 2. - EU & US 2007: Sony-BMG 88697-08263-2. Bonus tracks: "I See a Boat on the River" (Helmut Rulofs, Frank Farian, G. Winger, Fred Jay) - 4:40, "My Friend Jack" (The Smoke) - 4:40
Single releases
UK7"
- "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay) - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 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...
K11279, 1979) - "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 4:02 (Atlantic K11279P, picture discPicture discPicture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
, 1979) - "Gotta Go Home" (Edited 7" Mix) - 4:00 / "El Lute" - 4:58 (Atlantic K11351, 1979)
- "I'm Born Again" (7" Mix) - 4:17 / "Bahama Mama" (7" Mix) - 3:35 (Atlantic K11310, 1979)
12"
- "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 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...
K11279CT, transparent green vinyl, 1979)
Germany
7"
- "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 4:02 (Hansa RecordsHansa RecordsHansa Records was a record label founded in the 1960s based in Berlin, Germany....
100 444-100, 1979) - Precious Wilson: "Hold On I'm Coming" - 4:10 / "Funky Dancer (You Got Me Dancing)" (Precious Wilson, Rainer Ehrhardt) - 3:09 (Hansa 100 803-100, 1979)
- "El Lute" - 4:58 / "Gotta Go Home" (7" Mix) - 4:40 (Hansa 100 804-100, 1979)
- "El Lute" - 4:58 / "Gotta Go Home" (Edited 7" Mix) - 4:00 (Hansa 100 804-100 second edition, 1979)
- "Let It All Be Music" - 4:46 / "Oceans of Fantasy" - 5:05 (Hansa 101 027-000, promo-only, 1979)
- "I'm Born Again" (7" Mix) - 4:17 / "Bahama Mama" (7" Mix) - 3:35 (Hansa 101 101-100, 1979)
12"
- "Gotta Go Home" (12" Mix) - 5:04 / "El Lute" - 5:09 (Hansa 600 081-213, 1979)
- Precious Wilson: "Hold On I'm Coming" (12" Mix) - 5:44 / "Funky Dancer (You Got Me Dancing)" (12" Mix) - 5:26 (Hansa 600 086-213, 1979)
- "Bye Bye Bluebird" - 4:47 / "Let It All Be Music" - 5:07 / "Oceans of Fantasy" - 5:05 / "No More Chain Gang" - 5:25 (Hansa 600 126-000, promo-only, 1979
- "Bahama Mama" (12" Mix) - 5:12 / "I'm Born Again" (7" Mix) - 4:17 (Hansa 600 166-100, 1979)
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Album Chart |
1 | |
| 1979 | UK Albums Chart | 1 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Hooray Hooray, It's a Holi-holiday" | UK single chart | 3 |
| 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 | ||
| "Gotta Go Home/El Lute" | UK single chart | 12 | |
| "El Lute / Gotta Go Home El Lute / Gotta Go Home "El Lute" / "Gotta Go Home" is a double A-side single by German band Boney M. It was the lead single off their fourth album Oceans of Fantasy and was the group's eighth and final number 1 single in the German charts... " |
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 |
4 | |
| "I'm Born Again" | UK single chart | 35 |
Sources and external links
- [ Allmusic, biography, discography etc.]
- Rate Your Music, detailed discography
- Discogs.com, detailed discography