The Groove
Saturday January 27th, 2024 with Elorious Cain
FRANK FARIAN (July 18,1941 - January 23, 2024)
EURODISCO producer extraordinaire FRANK FARIAN was most known for his wildly successful BONEY M. act. Based in Germany, his principal focus was on that market where he produced a multitude of Pop and Disco recordings for a long list of artists in both German and English. Never really doing well as a solo artist, he excelled as a visionary producer!
All that said, FRANK FARIAN was not too distant from the controversies that troubled the Eurodisco industry. BONEY M. was panned for not being a real "caporeal group". The same issues with his marketing of the group MILLI VANILLI plagued him in the 1980's. None of that criticism was really fair. FRANK FARIAN was a remarkable producer responsible for lighting up the lives of people around the planet and selling hundreds of millions of records! His contribution to popular music was simply remarkable!
| "Speedy Jack" from 1970 was an excellent example of FRANK FARIAN competing in the SCHLAGER/BUBBLEGUM sound of early EURODISCO which was dominated by the likes of GABY BERGER, RICKY SHANE, MICHAEL HOLM and GIORGIO MORODER. |
| SPEEDY JACK FRANK FARIAN - 7" - DECCA |
| ATLANTICA FRANK FARIAN - 7" - ARISTON |
| CARA MIA BLEIB FRANK FARIAN - 7" - HANSA |
| In 1974, FRANK FARIAN discovered the Austrian singer GILLA. Beginning with the German language single "Mir Ist Kein Weg Zu Weit (Nessuno Mai)" in 1974, FARIAN would release five successful Eurodisco albums and dozens of singles with GILLA before they parted ways in the early 1980's. GILLA enjoyed tremendous success in the separate DISCO market that actually crossed borders and continents oblivious of the commercial music and radio industries. Some GILLA records were released by the Canadian label 'Les Disques Direction' in Montreal. Also there was the "Der Strom Der Zeit" (DJ Hell Extended Club Mix 2011) released on the International Deejay Gigolo label! |
| MIR IST KEIN WEG ZU WEIT (NESSUNO MAI) GILLA - 7" - HANSA |
| FRANK FARIAN recorded "Baby, Do You Wanna Bump" - a racy EURODISCO version of the 1967 REGGAE song "Al Capone" by PRINCE BUSTER. Weary of his lackluster solo successes, he used a pseudonym inspired by an Australian TV show called "Boney". He simply added the M. Just like that! The record spread throughout the exploding DISCO market like wild fire. FRANK FARIAN was suddenly faced with requests for live appearances of BONEY M. in discos throughout Europe. When it started charting in certain commercial markets, FARIAN knew he had to create a group or collective of singers and performers to represent the conceptual act. That type of marketing was not uncommon in the rapidly growing EURODISCO industry.
FRANK FARIAN eventually hired Jamaican singers LIZ MITCHELL and MARCIA BARRET and the late Aruban dancer and singer BOBBY FARRELL. FARIAN had a deliciously exotic package to represent his concept which enabled his productions to make appearances in discos and on various TV outlets in Europe. This was hardcore EURODISCO "supermarketing" that ended up literally taking the world for a wild ride! What was especially important about BONEY M is that it was one of those DISCO acts that persistently broke into the commercial music and radio industry in a big way with stunning hits like "Daddy Cool" and "Ma Baker". They were adored and eaten all up by millions of young people who had no access to discos whatsoever. Various cover versions of "Daddy Cool" in different languages appeared in surprising parts of the world. There were established and amazing SOUL and FUNK artists in the United States and Britain who just dreamed about having the rapidly growing international popularity of BONEY M. |
| BABY, DO YOU WANNA BUMP (PART 1) BONEY M. - 7" - HANSA |
| BABY, DO YOU WANNA BUMP (PART 2) BONEY M. - 7" - COLUMBIA |
| DADDY COOL BONEY M. - 7" - ATCO |
| SUNNY BONEY M. - 7" - ATCO |
| MA BAKER BONEY M. - 12" - HANSA |
| TAKE THE HEAT OFF ME MARCIA BARRET - 7" - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| LOVIN' OR LEAVIN' MARCIA BARRET - 7" - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| WHY DON'T YOU DO IT? GILLA - 7" - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| HELP HELP GILLA - 12" - DIRECTION |
| MACHEN WIR'S IN LIEBE (THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA) GILLA - ZIEH MICH AUS (LP) - HANSA |
| GENTLEMAN CALLERS NOT ALLOWED GILLA - BEND ME SHAPE ME (LP) - DIRECTION |
| TOM CAT GILLA - 7" - ARIOLA |
| NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS BONEY M. - NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS (LP) - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| RASPUTIN BONEY M. - NIGHTFLIGHT TO VENUS (LP) - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
| PRECIOUS WILSON was a young British singer of the award winning yet essentially unemployed FUNK-DISCO band ERUPTION. After an unsuccessful tour of Germany, the band was brought to FRANK FARIAN's studio. ERUPTION ended up doing vocals for the BONEY M, projects. WILSON and the group even toured with BONEY M. Eventually FRANK FARIAN released ERUPTION records including a stunning EURODISCO cover of ANN PEEPLES' 1973 hit "I Can't Stand The Rain" which gave them international success! |
| COMPUTER LOVE ERUPTION - I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN (LP) - BARCLAY |
| I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN ERUPTION - I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN (LP) - BARCLAY |
| LEAVE A LIGHT (I'LL KEEP A LIGHT IN MY WINDOW) PRECIOUS WILSON & ERUPTION - LEAVE A LIGHT (LP) - GRT |
| GIRL YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE (SUPER CLUB MIX) MILLI VANILLI - 12" - ARISTA |
| PLEASE DON'T GO NO MERCY - MY PROMISE (CD) - ARISTA |
| MISSING (I MISS YOU LIKE THE DESERTS MISS THE RAIN) NO MERCY - 2X12" - MCI |
| KALIMBA DE LUNA BONEY M. - 12" - CARRERE |
| CONCERTO FOR MEDITATIION THE FARIAN ORCHESTRA - 12" - HANSA INTERNATIONAL |
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Great introduction ! Thanks !
11:52 AM, January 27th, 2024