Oceans of Fantasy

Untitled

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.

Track listing

Side A:

1. "Let It All Be Music" (Music by S.W. Van Vugt, Lyrics by C. Kolonovits)
   • Featuring Special Guest Star Precious Wilson.
   • 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
2. "Gotta Go Home" (Music by Frank Farian and H. Huth, Lyrics by F. Jay and J. Huth)
   • 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) remains unreleased on CD.
3. "Bye Bye Bluebird" (Written by Frank Farian, Fred Jay and George Reyam (Hans-Jörg Mayer))
   • 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
4. "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
5. "Hold On I'm Coming" (Written by Isaac Hayes, David Porter)
   • Performed by Precious Wilson.
   • 1st, 2nd and 3rd pressings: 4:05 (original single version)
   • 4th pressing + CD: 3:32
6. "Two of Us" (Written by Paul McCartney,, credited to Lennon/McCartney)
   • 1st pressing: 3:29 (longer outro)
   • 2nd, 3rd and 4th pressings + CD: 3:18
7. "Ribbons Of Blue" (Written by Keith Forsey, 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:

1. "Oceans Of Fantasy" (Written by D. Kawohl, Zill and F. 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
2. "El Lute" (Written by 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)
3. "No More Chain Gang" (Music by Rainer Ehrhardt, Frank Farian and Fred Jay, Lyrics by S. Klinkhammer and K. 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
4. "I'm Born Again" (Written by Traditional, Helmut Rulofs and Fred Jay) - 4:08
5. "No Time To Lose" (Music by Frank Farian, Fred Jay, Stefan Klinkhammer, Lyrics by Stefan Klinkhammer)
   • 1st, 2nd + 3rd pressings: 3:26
   • 4th pressing + CD: 2:57
6. "The Calendar Song (January, February, March ...)" (Music by Frank Farian, Lyrics by C. 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 Mitchell - lead vocals (A1, A6, A7, B2, B4 & B6), backing vocals (A1, A2, A4, A7, B2, B3 & B6)
• Marcia Barrett - lead vocals (A1 & B5), backing vocals (A1, A2, A4, A6, A7, B2, B3, B5 & B6)
• Frank Farian - lead vocals (A1, B2, B3), lead and backing vocals (A3 & B1) backing vocals (A1, A2, A4, A5, A6, A7, B3, B4, B5 & B6)
• Precious Wilson - 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 guitar
• Reinhard Besser - bass guitar
• Keith Forsey - drums
• Mats Björklund - guitar
• Nick Woodland - guitar
• Michael Cretu - keyboards
• Lisa Gordanier - saxophone (alto)
• American Horns In Europe - brass instruments
• Lance Burton - saxophone (baritone)
• Bobby Stern - saxophone (tenor)
• Geoff Stradling - trombone
• Jim Polivka - trumpet
• Scot Newton - trumpet
• 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 flute 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 - producer
• Rainer M. Ehrhardt - production assistant
• Christian Kolonovits - arranger
• Keith Forsey - arranger
• Michael Cretu - arranger
• Stefan Klinkhammer - arranger
• Fred Schreier - sound engineer
• Michael Bestmann - sound engineer
• Tammy Grohé - sound engineer
• Manfred Vormstein - art direction & design
• Jürgen F. Rogner - illustration
• Didi Zill - photography
• Recorded and mixed at Europasound Studios, Friedrichsdorf and Union Studio, Munich.

Release history

• UK: Atlantic Records K50610.
• Germany: Hansa Records 200 888-320 (7 different pressings), 24x24" double gatefold sleeve.
• Germany: Hansa 38 339 2.
• Germany: Hansa 200 919-424, picture disc.

CD releases

• Germany 1994: BMG 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

UK
7"

• "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" (Frank Farian, Fred Jay) - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 4:02 (Atlantic Records K11279, 1979)
• "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 4:02 (Atlantic K11279P, picture disc, 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 Records K11279CT, transparent green vinyl, 1979)

Germany
7"

• "Hooray! Hooray! It's A Holi-Holiday" - 3:57 / "Ribbons of Blue" - 4:02 (Hansa Records 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
1979	UK albums chart	1
	Norway's album chart	1

Single

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1979	"Hooray Hooray, It's a Holi-holiday"	UK single chart	3
		Norway's single chart	2
	"Gotta Go Home/El Lute"	UK single chart	12
	"El Lute/Gotta Go Home"	Norway's single chart	4
	"I'm Born Again"	UK single chart	35

Sources and external links

• Rate Your Music, detailed discography
• Discogs.com, detailed discography
• Allmusic, biography, discography etc.