Released in June 1976, ‘Take the Heat Off Me’ is the debut studio album by Euro-Caribbean disco group Boney M. Masterminded by producer Frank Farian, this album set off for what came to be known as euro disco, not only for its production values but also Farian’s A&R skills as well as singer Liz Mitchell’s soulful, expressive vocal delivery all well crafted slices of Europop, easily rivalling Abba’s supremacy.

The band’s their splendid version of Bobby Hebb’s pop soul classic Sunny, as well as a cover of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry, played their part in popularising reggae throughout the Western world, including the glitter seen in their music videos that sparked a craze for the band instantaly.

The other tracks offer a similar mix of poppy originals and odd covers Got a Man on My Mind combines reggae rhythms and choral vocals to great effect, to Baby Do You Wanna Bump, the only song that strays from the pop song format, drags noticeably with its rolling beat. This song was reworked from Prince Buster’s Al Capone (although credited to Farian's alias 'Zambi'). The title track and album opener Take the Heat Off Me is a hit by itself, explaining everything the band wants to say boldly and firmly. Once again a cover of the 1974 Italian hit Nessuno mai ("No one ever") by Italian artist Marcella Bella.

Other songs on the album that had previously been released by another Farian produced German artist called Gilla  were Take the Heat off Me ("Mir ist kein weg zu weit"), Lovin' or Leavin' ("Lieben und frei sein") and the UK/US exclusive Help, Help ("Ich brenne"), the first two that appear on this album. Got a Man on My Mind was rewritten from Farian's "Am Samstagabend", which was the B-side of his 1976 hit single Rocky.

The much recorded song Fever written by Otis Blackwell (who used the pseudonyn John Davenport) and Eddie Cooley is one of the highlights here, originally recorded and sung by Little Willie John for his debut album ‘Fever’ in 1956. The song has been covered by numerous artists from various musical genres, most notably by Peggy Lee whose rendition became the most widely known version of Fever and the singer's signature song. Other notable cover versions of Fever include those by Elvis Presley, Madonna, The McCoys, La Lupe and Beyoncé. Madonna released it as a single from her fifth studio album ‘Erotica’ (1992).

This leaves us finding that Daddy Cool, a relentless groove that combines staccato violin stabs, mariachi horns, and an aggressive drum attack to create an irresistibly catchy dance-pop ditty, was another topper around the world as the only original track on this 8 track, 36 minute album.

Although Boney M never found much success in the United States, they were a phenomenon during the late '70s and this album makes it easy to understand why. It was probably destiny that they were the right group at the right time.

Release date: June 1976

Rating: *****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira