Sunday 13 November 2011

Boney M - Rasputin (Fraudsters and why some like them still!)





Besides the Bee Gees, Boney M is another of my top 3 bands of the late 70s!

Their music to me is the epitome of the Disco era! Yes! Remember Disco?

Boney M's musical influence is still being felt today...

Did you know that the "Barbra Streisand" hit single from Duck Sauce was based on Boney M's "Gotta Go Home hit?

And even Lady Gaga sampled the "Ma-Ma-Ma" hook from Boney M's "Ma Baker" for her hit single "Poker Face" last year.

Good to know that I not the only one "borrowing with pride" :)

Boney M was put together by German singer/songwriter Frank Farian. Is he...? Yes, he is the producer to the group Milli Vanilli who caused controversy when Farian admitted that the guys who fronted Milli Vanilli did not acutally sing the songs... Fraud happens in the musical industry too!

And yes Farian also sang the male vocals in the studio for Boney M too...

Despite this "controversy", I still love Boney M!!!

By the way, the male singer in Boney M is called Bobby Farrell, and he did sing his own vocals at live performances. Bobby performed live until his death at St Petersburg on  29 December, 2010 last year. Bobby was 61 years old when he died; disco dancing till the end!

Which is also an uncanny coincidence to one of their biggest hit - "Rasputin".  Rasputin also died at St Petersburg on 29 December.

Rasputin was 47 when his body was recovered from the Neva River at St Petersburg - after being poisoned, shot 4 times, badly beaten, and thrown in the river!? Talk about over-kill or hatred of the man...

Now for a bit of history and trivia to complement the lyrics of Rasputin:

Born the son of a peasant in 1869, Rasputin was a self-styled 'holy man' who is believed to have had a huge influence on Emperor Nicholas II, but especially his wife Alexandra, and their son Alexis, who seemed to miraculously overcome his haemophilia when Rasputin was around, and the family began to trust him and call him their 'holy man' and 'our friend'.

Queen Alexandra acted as ruler when Nicholas took command of the Russian troops fighting the Germans during the First World War and Rasputin acted as her "advisor", giving her advice on how to run the troops and the nation, which Nicholas went with, but eventually left the country in ruin.

Members of the Russian nobility, including Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovich and Prince Felix Yussoupov, blamed all the troubles on Rasputin and plotted to kill him...

But if you ask Queen Alexandra, Rasputin has done no wrong! Just like I still love Boney M today despite the "controversy".

I guess it's also true to some of the "victims" of Singapore's MLM Sunshine Empire fraud, and the followers of the American evangelist who have twice predicted "falsely" that the end of the world will happen this year...

We believe what we want to believe - facts are like ink blots... We see what we want to see in them...

Which comes to my little reflection on this lazy Sunday afternoon:

I should not be so smug or think I am "cleverer" than thou when I read news of people being conned or swindled...

I am just a mouse, and it's just my good fortune that the snake charmer is playing a snake's tune. But if it had been the pipe pier... I would be following him merrily along...




7 comments:

  1. Hi SMOL,
    i still have a VCD of Boney M. i remember we just got married for about a year; BM was very popular then. We heard BM songs played everywhere, almost daily. Those were the good old days(Opps! My goodness i am so old already).

    And yes, we all have our different deadly weak points. Someone only have to find and press the points and we all go GA! GA!(GONG! GONG!)
    And who says,"I don't have any leh"?.
    Must be from WB.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi SMOL

    One of the things I love about music is that they bring us back memories. I can remember the tunes that were playing at certain key moments in my life.

    Whenever those tunes are played, it just transports me back into the time when those moments occurred.

    Nowadays I am into both classical music which is the default station in my car as well as kpop on my iPhone :-)

    To your more philosophical question, life is really up to us to interpret the facts of life as they happen. Nothing is good or bad by itself but rather because we perceive it through our own values and beliefs that they become "good" or "bad".

    Be well and prosper!

    ReplyDelete
  3. They can play nice music. They can dance beautiful. But, I am half blind and half deaf so I can't hear properly and can't see well. How to follow?

    When listen to sales pitch, be half-blind and half-deaf. Likely to be safe from that encounter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Now this is fun and so motivating! Your comments have made what's a grey, damp, and freezing Monday morning here in Athens into a much cheerful day!


    1) Temperament,

    We never grow old, we become "young-at-heart" as we mature like fine wine. I find myself getting more and more playful each day! LOL!

    Taking about weak points... My ex just have to press mine, and I will go "everything for you love!" Ha ha!


    2) Panzer,

    From classical to K-pop... Now that's quite a range! Like what you have said, who am I to question your choice of music?

    Just for laughs! Classical music is to stimulate your mind; K-pop is to stimulate your... Ha ha!


    3) CW8888,

    Ha ha! Now all salespersons will avoid half-blind and half-deaf customers like the plague!?

    For the million-dollar-round-table super salespersons (can sell ice to eskimos), they just change their sales pitch to offering their customers the "gift" of STEREO vision and sound!

    For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi SMOL

    I find classical very soothing in that the melodies tend not to be jarring.

    Listening to kpop makes me feel young again hahah... :-)

    Be well and prosper.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi PG,
    Try listening to all types of music/song. Every thing there is a first time if you allow yourself. You may find something "new" in yourself when you give yourself a chance to try. i remember you are trying to ride a motorbike. How's the going man? i mean have you got your motorbike licence?

    Hi SMOL,
    Hope you don't mind using your blog to K Po.
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You are most welcomed Temperament!

    That's the fun! We "feed" each other - to borrow a phrase from CW8888 :)

    ReplyDelete

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