Nostalgic, but…

The very mention of names like Boney-M and ABBA evoke a tinge of nostalgia. Both the bands dominated the disco pop arena of the 70’s, enthralling music lovers from across the globe with their foot-tapping melodious numbers.

And for a person like me who has grown up listening to Boney-M from childhood days onwards, the very thought of a Boney-M show was a virtual trip down memory lane. The show was held in Bangalore Palace Ground on March 8, '08.

To my surprise, there was only one member from the original Boney-M, Marica Barret. She managed to bring two young ladies, each from Indonesia and Germany; but never a match for the original ravishing Maizie Williams and Liz Mitchell, whose wonderful voices continue to enchant music lovers.

And in place of Bobby Farrel, Marcia brought an Italian guy, whose acrobatics and clowning acts didn’t give any value to the performance, and never a match for the original Bobby, whose spectacular dance performances on stage gave extra charm to Boney-M shows.

But still, for the thousands of Boney-M fans who gathered at the Palace ground, the mere presence of Marcia Barret was more than enough. She was at her best, oozing oomph and energy in her filly skirt, making the fans jump to those nostalgic oldies.

Frenzied fans danced and waved hands to the accompaniment of such hits like By the Rivers of Babylon, Rasputin, Sunny, No Woman No Cry, etc. Everyone, cutting across age and gender, danced and enjoyed.

It was really heartening to see a lanky teenaged girl and her mother next to me dancing all along the show. And when the frenzy reached that feverish pitch, both of them got on top of the chairs, dancing and waving hands till the end of the show. The mother-daughter duo’s spirit simply amazed me and I realized how the Boney-M spirit still lingers on, transcending generations.

On seeing such an overwhelming reaction from the crowd, Marica said touchingly: “I am happy that you still enjoy these songs even after 30 years. I really feel honoured.”
Of course, she must be. But I felt sad because Boney-M has broken up.

Post-show, I googled and found that each Boney-M member is active with own versions of the band.

Here’s the perennial problem of breaking away. It happens with many of the popular bands. Beatles is a good example. It is indeed a sad affair. Bands reach the zenith of popularity and then the inevitable happens, breaking away for some reason or other. In the case of Boney-M, there are even court cases over the copyrights.

When the band tried to reunite in the late 80's, Frank Farian, the original producer of the band, objected to it and refused them to use the original Boney-M name.

After the show, I wished how wonderful it would have been to see all the members singing together, re-enacting the good old 70’s.