Eye Dance

Untitled

Eye Dance is the eighth and final studio album released under the Boney M. moniker and was released in the autumn of 1985. The cover artwork was significant of the state the group was in at that time : neither the famous "Boney M." logo nor the "singers" photograph did appear, replaced by an anonymous drawing.

In fact, Eye Dance was recorded with a number of session singers and original members Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett only appearing on a few of the tracks, the main focus being on Reggie Tsiboe. The singles "My Cherie Amour" and "Young Free and Single", promoted by Boney M. as a quintet with Bobby Farrell back in the line-up, as well as the album were resounding failures both critically and commercially and in early 1986 the band and producer Frank Farian went their separate ways after a "10 Years Boney M." anniversary TV special.

The 10cc cover "Dreadlock Holiday" had been planned as the third single in January 1986 but was cancelled - instead "Daddy Cool - Anniversary Recording '86" was released and failed to chart anywhere. In the summer of 1986, after the members had gone their separate ways, Farian released "Bang Bang Lulu", and in 1987 Farian re-recorded "Dreadlock Holiday" with his own lead and backing vocals and released it as a single under the pseudonym Top Deck in Germany. The Farian solo version appears in remixed form on 1993 hits compilation More Gold - 20 Super Hits Vol. II.

Track listing

Side A

1. "Young, Free and Single" (Applegate, Farian, Rayen) - 4:10
2. "Todos Buenos" (Applegate, Farian) - 4:34
3. "Give It Up" (Dietrich, Grabowski, Simons) - 3:58
4. "Sample City" (Ehrhardt, Farian) - 3:43
5. "My Cherie Amour" (Cosby, Moy, Stevie Wonder) - 4:04

Side B

1. "Eye Dance" (Applegate, Farian, Low) - 4:04
2. "Got Cha Loco" (Applegate, Baierl, Farian, Rayen) - 3:34
3. "Dreadlock Holiday" (Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart) - 4:52
4. "Chica da Silva" (Courage, Farian, Reyam) - 5:33
5. "Bang Bang Lulu" (Farian) - 3:01

Personnel

• Reggie Tsiboe - lead vocals (A1, A5, B3 & B5), backing vocals
• Liz Mitchell - lead vocals (B2 & B4), backing vocals
• Frank Farian - lead vocals (A2, A4, B1) backing vocals
• Marcia Barrett - backing vocals
• Bobby Farrell - lead vocoder vocal (A1)
• Rhonda Heath (La Mama) - vocals (A2 & A3)
• Madeleine Davis (La Mama) - vocals (A2 & A3)
• Patricia Shockley (La Mama) - vocals (A2 & A3)
• Amy Goff - backing vocals (A1, A5, B3 & B5)
• Elaine Goff - backing vocals (A1, A5, B3 & B5)

• Harry Baierl - keyboards
• Mats Björklund - keyboards, guitar, bass
• Pit Löw - keyboards
• Curt Cress - drums

Production

• Frank Farian - producer
• Harry Baierl - arranger, programmer
• Mats Björklund - arranger, programmer
• Pit Löw - arranger, programmer
• Bernd Berwanger - sound engineer
• Carmine Di - engineer
• Michael Bestmann - engineer
• Tammy Grohé - engineer
• David Simic - artwork, cover design
• Recorded and mixed at Far Studios, Rosbach and Basic Studio, Munich.

Release history

• Germany: Hansa Records LP 207 100-620.
• (CD Hansa 610 517-222 was never released.)

CD re-releases

• 1994 Germany: MCI/BMG 74321 21264 2.
• 2007 Europe: Sony-BMG 88697 09484 2, including two bonus tracks: 11. "Mother And Child Reunion" (Simon) - 4:15, 12. "I'm Alive" (Farian) - 3:35, both originally released in 1985 as a benefit single for Ethiopia, credited to Frank Farian Corporation. Reggie Tsiboe is the lead singer of trk. 11, and Frank Farian of trk. 12.

Single releases

UK

7"

• "Young, Free & Single" - 4:18 / "Chica Da Silva" - 4:33 (Carrere Records CAR 384, 1985)

12"

• "Young, Free & Single" - 8:10 / "Chica Da Silva" - 4:33 (Carrere Records CART 384, 1985)

Germany

7"

• "My Cherie Amour" - 4:00 / "Sample City" - 4:00 (Hansa Records 107 340-100, 1985)
• "Young, Free & Single" - 4:18 / "Blue Beach" - 4:00 (Hansa 107 604-100, 1985)
• "Bang Bang Lulu" (7" Remix) - 3:31 / "Chica Da Silva" - 4:33 (Hansa 108 395-100, 1986)

12"

• "My Cherie Amour" (12" Mix) - 8:51 / "Sample City" (12" Mix) - 4:15 (Hansa 601 686-213, 1985)
• "Young, Free & Single" (12" Mix) - 8:10 / "Blue Beach" - 4:00 (Hansa - 601 839-213, 1985)
• "Bang Bang Lulu" (12" Remix) - 3:58 / "The Calendar Song (January, February, March...)" (Oceans of Fantasy album edit) - 2:37 / "Chica Da Silva" - 4:29 (Hansa 608 395-213)

"Blue Beach" is a voxless version of "Young Free and Single".

Sources and external links

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