Take the Heat off Me
Take the Heat Off Me is the debut album by Euro-Caribbean group Boney M. The album became a major seller in Europe, specifically in the Nordic countries, but in the USA the album just missed the album chart. Tracks include the hits "Daddy Cool", "Sunny" and the debut single "Baby Do You Wanna Bump".
Track listing
Side A:- "Daddy Cool" – 3:29
- "Take the Heat Off Me" – 4:47
- "Sunny" – 4:03
- "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 6:53
- "No Woman No Cry" – 4:59
- "Fever" – 4:00
- "Got a Man on My Mind" – 3:25
- "Lovin' Or Leavin'" – 4:29
Alternative album editions
- UK & US – track A4: "Help Help" – 6:05.
Additional information
While "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" was reworked from Prince Buster's "Al Capone", "Sunny", "No Woman No Cry" and "Fever" are cover versions of well-known tracks, albeit rearranged. The title track "Take the Heat off Me" is also a cover, of the 1974 Italian hit "Nessuno mai" by Italian artist Marcella Bella.
Versions of three tracks had previously been released by another Farian produced artist Gilla in German, "Take the Heat off Me", "Lovin' or Leavin'" and the UK/US exclusive "Help, Help", the last of which Gilla also recorded in English. Gilla would furthermore record German versions of "Sunny" and "No Woman No Cry", using the same backing tracks. The B-side of the single "Sunny", the non-album track "New York City", also recycles Gilla, in fact two of her tracks: "Tu Es" and "Ich brenne". "Got a Man on My Mind" was rewritten from Farian's "Am Samstagabend", the B-side of his 1976 hit single "Rocky".
"Daddy Cool" is in fact the only truly original track on the album.
Personnel
- Liz Mitchell – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Marcia Barrett – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Frank Farian – lead vocals, backing vocals
- The Rhythm Machine – musicians
- Gary Unwin – bass guitar
- Keith Forsey – drums
- Nick Woodland – guitar
- Thor Baldursson – keyboards
Production
- Frank Farian – producer
- Steven Hammer – arranger, conductor
- Recorded at Union Studios, Munich and Europasound Studios, Frankfurt
Release history
- UK: Atlantic Records K 50314
- US: Atco Records Atco SD 36–143
- Germany: Hansa Records 27 573 OT
CD releases
- Germany 1994: BMG 74321 21271 2.
- EU & US 2007: Sony BMG 88697-08260-2. Bonus tracks: "New York City" – 3:30, "Perfect" – 3:16.
Single releases
7"
- "Baby Do Wanna Bump" – 3:35 / "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 3:00
- "Daddy Cool" – 3:27 / "No Woman No Cry" – 4:59
- "Sunny" – 4:01 / "New York City" – 3:42
- Marcia Barrett: "Take the Heat off Me" – 4:46 / "Lovin' or Leavin'" – 4:30
- Liz Mitchell: "Got a Man on My Mind" – 3:13 / "Perfect" – 3:14
UK
7"
- "Baby Do Wanna Bump" – 3:35 / "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 3:00
- "Daddy Cool" – 3:27 / "No Woman No Cry" – 4:59
- "Sunny" – 4:01 / "New York City" – 3:42
- "Daddy Cool" – 3:27 / "No Woman No Cry" – 5:03
- "Baby Do Wanna Bump" – 3:35 / "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 3:00
US
7"
- "Baby Do Wanna Bump" – 3:35 / "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 3:00
- "Daddy Cool" – 3:27 / "Lovin' Or Leavin'" – 4:31
- "Sunny" – 4:01 / "New York City" – 3:42
- "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 7:42 / "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" – 7:42
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position | Wks on chart |
| 1977 | UK albums chart | 40 | 5 |
| 1976 | Norway's album chart | 2 | 45 |
| 1976 | Sweden's album chart | 1 | 23 |
| 1976 | Finland's album chart | 1 | 50 |
| 1976 | Austria's album chart | 6 | 36 |
;Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position | Wks on chart |
| 1976 | "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" | Netherlands' single chart | 14 | 6 |
| 1976 | "Baby Do You Wanna Bump" | Belgium's single chart | 8 | 7 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | UK single chart | 6 | 13 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | US single chart | 65 | 5 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | US Hot Dance Club Play | 11 | |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Norway's single chart | 1 | 36 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Sweden's single chart | 1 | 19 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Finland's single chart | 2 | |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Germany's single chart | 1 | 28 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | France's single chart | 1 | 24 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Netherlands' single chart | 3 | 12 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Belgium's single chart | 1 | 14 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Switzerland's single chart | 1 | 20 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Austria's single chart | 1 | 28 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Italy's single chart | 3 | |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | Spain's single chart | 1 | 23 |
| 1976 | "Daddy Cool" | South Africa's single chart | 2 | 19 |
| 1977 | "Daddy Cool" | New Zealand's single chart | 15 | 9 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | UK single chart | 3 | 10 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Ireland's single chart | 4 | 10 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Norway's single chart | 4 | 19 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Sweden's single chart | 11 | 12 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Finland's single chart | 6 | |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Belgium's single chart | 1 | 11 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Spain's single chart | 5 | 16 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | Japan's single chart | 41 | 40 |
| 1977 | "Sunny" | New Zealand's single chart | 17 | 20 |