I'm born again / Bahama Mama - Boney M

Released as a double A-side in December 1979, 'I'm born again' / 'Bahama mama' was another single in the successful run of singles Boney M had had since 1976. However, it was the first single since then that didn't reach the top 10 in the Netherlands. Perhaps the Christmas-tinted 'I'm born again' was a bit too sappy for the Dutch audience. The more uptempo 'Bahama mama' was a bit unsurprising. Aged nine and an avid Boney M fan, I had no problem buying this single as soon as I could.

My collection: 7" single no. 37

Found: Wouters, Den Haag, 1979

Cost: 6 guilders

Tracks: 'I'm born again' / 'Bahama mama'

Download: Album 'Oceans of fantasy', including both tracks

Mary's boy child - Boney M

'Mary's boy child' was written by Jester Hairston in 1956. It was first recorded by Harry Belafonte for his album 'An Evening with Harry Belafonte'. It was recorded, also in 1956, by Mahalia Jackson.

The most famous cover of the song was made by Boney M in 1978. Coupled with 'Oh my lord', a segment written by Frank Farian, it rose to the top of the charts in the UK in December of that year. In Holland, it did almost equally well, reaching number three. I bought my copy of the single for a discount price in the summer of 1979.

My collection: 7" single no. 16

Found: London, 1979

Cost: 10p

Tracks: 'Mary's boy child' / 'Dancing in the streets'

Download: Album 'Nightflight to Venus', including both tracks

Daddy Cool - Boney M

One of the greatest lines in pop music is 'She's crazy like a fool / What about it Daddy Cool?'. It was presented to the world by Boney M, the group brought together by Frank Farian, the fraudulent German producer who preferred to work with people who could perform songs rather than sing them.

'Daddy Cool' was one of many hits that were part of the European disco craze in the second half of the Seventies. The B-side was a disco cover of Bob Marley's classic 'No woman no cry'. It was a Europe-wide success, one that Boney M kept building on until the bubble burst in 1984.

My collection: 7" single no. 1633

Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, April 18, 1992

Cost: 1 guilder

Tracks: 'Daddy Cool' / 'No woman no cry'

Download: Album 'Take the heat off me', including both tracks

Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday - Boney M

There's nothing more appropriate than buying a single about holidays during your summer holiday. I guess that was the reasoning behind buying this single. Or it might have been that I was actually a big fan of Boney M when I was eight. Or the fact that this was the only single in the bargain bin with a picture sleeve. Or it might have been a combination of the three.

Whatever it was, it's one of Boney M's big hits. It was number one in the Netherlands and number three in the UK. Frank Farian was still the king of pop music and Bobby Farrell and his three girls were stupidly popular. Life was sunny.

My collection: 7" single no. 17

Found: London, 1979

Cost: 10p

Tracks: 'Hooray! Hooray! It's a holi-holiday' / 'Ribbons of blue'

Download: Album 'Best in Spain', including both tracks

Ma Baker - Boney M

If you've never seen this sleeve before, you're not hallucinating: it's one I made myself. All I've had since the beginning is the 7" record, and when I got a little older I made a sleeve out of white paper and put a few photos, taken from a magazine, on it. Well, it's the music that counts after all.

Boney M was founded by Frank Farian, the German music producer who rose to fame with band who mimed to studio-recorded vocals. In the eighties he would bring together Milli Vanilli, but in the seventies it was all about Boney M. They had a string of hits in Europe with their upbeat disco, sometimes touching on weird subjects like Rasputin, El Lute and, in this case, Ma Baker. It was their second of four number one hits in the Netherlands.

My collection: 7" single no. 8

Found: unknown

Cost: unknown

Tracks: 'Ma Baker' / 'Still I'm sad'

Download: Album 'Love for sale', including both tracks