Ten Thousand Lightyears


Ten Thousand Lightyears is the seventh studio album by Boney M. and the first to feature new member Reggie Tsiboe, who had taken over Bobby Farrell's role as the band's leading man in early 1982.

Background

After a break in the spring of 1983 when Liz Mitchell gave birth to her second child, and Marcia Barrett recorded demos with Eddy Grant, the band issued "Jambo – Hakuna Matata " backed with a new remix of "African Moon" from the Boonoonoonoos album.
During the winter of 1983/1984, new recordings were made, and the album was then given a whole new approach. It was supposed have been a continuation of the ethno-African themes, both musically and lyrically, of 1981's Boonoonoonoos, but after the miscalculation with "Jambo", most of the new tracks which ultimately ended up as the side A suite were given a science fiction theme, and the album title Ten Thousand Lightyears was chosen. The album was finally released in May 1984 and was also Boney M.'s debut on the new compact disc format, followed by a ARD TV-special airing in August.
The single chosen to promote the finished album was the ballad "Somewhere in the World"; it became the fourth consecutive Boney M. single not to reach the German Top 40. With the album only reaching #49 in the German charts in July, the second single "Living Like a Moviestar" and Frank Farian's planned duet single with Sandy Davis, a cover of Tommy Roe's "Dizzy" were both shelved.

Kalimba de Luna

Frank Farian heard Tony Esposito's "Kalimba de Luna" and decided to immediately record it for the German market. Reggie Tsiboe was on holiday in his native Ghana and received the phone call to immediately return to Germany to record it. The original plan was to release it as a Reggie Tsiboe solo single, and a video was shot with Reggie only before the plans were changed to release it as a Boney M. single, and a new video with the group was done. When released in August, it gave the group their first Top 20 hit in three years, peaking at no. 16. The group promoted it on numerous TV shows through 1984/85. The album was reissued with an edited mix added to the track listing. This pressing of the LP rose to No. 23 in the German charts in October 1984.

Track listing

Original album, Hansa LP 206 200-620 / CD 610 140-222

Side A:
  1. "Exodus " – 5:19
  2. *
  3. "Wild Planet" – 4:06
  4. *Based on Omega's "Ajanlott utvonal"
  5. "Future World" – 3:48
  6. *Based on Omega's "10.000 Lépés"
  7. *
  8. "Where Did You Go" – 4:09
  9. "10.000 Lightyears" – 4:32
  10. "I Feel Good" – 3:05
  11. *


Side B:
  1. "Somewhere in the World" – 4:38
  2. "Bel Ami" – 3:12
  3. "Living Like a Moviestar" – 3:04
  4. "Dizzy" – 3:26
  5. *
  6. "The Alibama" – 3:05
  7. *
  8. "Jimmy" – 3:02
  9. *1982 re-recording
  10. "Barbarella Fortuneteller" – 2:58
  11. *
Reissue Hansa LP 206 555-620

Side A


Side B:
  1. "Kalimba de Luna" – 3:26
  2. "Somewhere in the World" – 3:10
  3. "Bel Ami" – 3:12
  4. "Living Like a Moviestar" – 3:04
  5. "Dizzy" – 3:26
  6. "The Alibama" – 3:11
  7. "Jimmy" – 3:02
  8. *1982 re-recording
  9. "Barbarella Fortuneteller" – 2:58
French Pressing Kalimba De Luna

Side A


Side B:
  1. "Kalimba de Luna" – 7:00
  2. "Somewhere in the World" – 4:38
  3. "Bel Ami" – 3:12
  4. "Living Like a Moviestar" – 3:04
  5. "Dizzy" – 3:26
  6. "The Alibama" – 3:11
  7. "Barbarella Fortuneteller" – 2:58

Personnel

Production

Reissued