HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Malaika" / "Consuela Biaz" is a double A-side single by German band
Boney M. Boney M. was a German-Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the group's o ...
and the first single taken from their fifth album ''
Boonoonoonoos ''Boonoonoonoos'' is the fifth studio album by Boney M., released in September 1981. Background Despite producer Frank Farian having announced by the end of 1979 that Boney M. were to take a break, recording sessions for a new album began in the ...
'' (1981). It peaked at #13 in the German charts, their lowest placing so far after their commercial breakthrough. Boney M. would use the double A-side format in this period, typically with the A1 being the song intended for radio and A2 being more squarely aimed at discos. "Consuela Biaz" was first promoted as the A-side in Germany where the group performed it in pop show
Musikladen ''Der Musikladen'' (german: The Music Shop) was a West German music television programme that ran from 13 December 1972 to 29 November 1984. The show continued the 1960s '' Beat-Club'' under a new name, and in turn was replaced by ''Extratour'' ...
. After a promotional visit to Spain where the group found "Malaika" had become a Top 10 hit, the title was remixed and then promoted as the A-side. It was the second consecutive Boney M. single not to be released in the UK and Japan.


Malaika

The original German and Spanish 4:30 single mix featured no percussion ad-libs and most notably, after the second verse it has a key-change to a drum / handclaps / a cappella chant before the song quickly fades. When producer Frank Farian remixed the song for the 12" single and a new 7" edit, he added more percussion and synth and deleted this key-change part and replaced with an outro with himself singing "Wimoweh, wimoweh" (deliberately borrowed from another African tune "
The Lion Sleeps Tonight "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in isiZulu, while the English version's lyrics were wri ...
").
Lead Vocal:
Liz Mitchell Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pul ...
. Backing Vocals: Liz Mitchell,
Marcia Barrett Marcia Barrett (born 14 October 1948) is a Jamaican-British singer and one of the original singers with the vocal group Boney M. Early years Barrett was born in Saint Catherine Parish, British Jamaica; her parents brought her to Croydon, En ...
, Frank Farian,
La Mama La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer. Located in Manhattan's East Village, the theatre began in the ...
(Cathy Bartney, Patricia Shockley, Madeleine Davis).


Consuela Biaz

A ballad story of a fictional character. A slightly different mix appeared on the original pressings, most notably including the line ''Tell me, is our dream about to end'', sung by Frank Farian just before the second verse. The full remixed second version (5:20) appeared only on the Hungarian 7" single and the French 12" single until it was finally issued on ''
The Collection The Collection may refer to: * The Collection (Lincolnshire), a county museum and gallery in Lincolnshire, England Film, television and theatre * ''The Collection'' (film), the 2012 sequel to the 2009 film ''The Collector'' * "The Collection ...
'' in 2008. A 4:57 edit appeared on most single versions.
Lead Vocal: Liz Mitchell. Backing Vocals: Liz Mitchell, Marcia Barrett, Frank Farian.


Releases

7" Single * "Consuela Biaz" (Early version) - 5:05 / "Malaika" (Original single mix) - 4:30 (Hansa 103 350-100, Germany) * "Malaika" (Single remix) - 5:02 / "Consuela Biaz" (Single remix) - 4:57 (Hansa 103 350-100, Germany) * "Malaika" (Single remix) - 5:02 / "Consuela Biaz" (Unedited single remix) - 5:20 (
Pepita A pumpkin seed, also known in North America as a pepita (from the Mexican es, pepita de calabaza, "little seed of squash"), is the edible seed of a pumpkin or certain other cultivars of squash. The seeds are typically flat and asymmetrically ...
SPSK 70518, Hungary) 12" Single * "Malaika" (Long Version) - 5:42 / "Consuela Biaz" (Single remix) - 4:57 (Hansa 600 400-213, Germany)


References

{{authority control 1981 singles Boney M. songs Hansa Records singles Songs written by Frank Farian 1981 songs