Christmas Album by Boney M.

Christmas Album is the sixth studio album by Boney M. It was recorded in the summer of 1981 and released on 23 November 1981. The album, which in certain territories was given the alternate title Christmas with Boney M., was issued just three weeks after the moderately successful Boonoonoonoos and had originally been planned as Liz Mitchell's first solo album. After the lukewarm reception of Boonoonoonoos, plans were, however, changed, and it was instead released under the name Boney M. to strengthen the band's declining commercial position. The album includes the million-selling 1978 Christmas number one "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" and it yielded two further single releases, "Little Drummer Boy" which turned out to be a Top 20 hit in Germany. A second single was released for Christmas 1982, "Zion's Daughter" (with new member Reggie Tsiboe pictured on the cover), but failed to chart. "Feliz Navidad" was chosen as a single in Scandinavia, and Spain opted for "Jingle Bells". Ariola (Spain) furthermore issued "White Christmas" in 1983. "Christmas Album" achieved Platinum sales in 1983. Christmas Album, which was given the title Mary's Boy Child: The Christmas Album in the UK, was to be the final Boney M. album release on the Atlantic Records label, even though they would remain with the company in Canada and Japan to 1986. One of the biggest commercial hits of 1981 was the Dutch "Stars on 45" Beatles cover medley, a number one single in the US and number two in the UK. To promote the albums Boonoonoonoos and Christmas Album, Frank Farian created a thirteen-minute medley in the style of Stars on 45 called "6 Years of Boney M. Hits (Boney M. on 45)", which was issued as both A- and B-side singles in certain territories. In the UK it was the B-side of Boonoonoonoos 12" single "We Kill the World (Don't Kill the World)", in Germany the edited 7" version was the B-side of Christmas Album single "Little Drummer Boy", and in January 1982 it was repackaged and released as the A-side. Later in the 1980s, the tracks of Christmas Album, with the notable exception of the instrumental "Winter Fairy-Tale" and the closing song "I'll Be Home for Christmas", were to be remixed and re-issued as Die 20 schönsten Weihnachtslieder der Welt, The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs, The Most Beautiful Christmas Songs of the World, Happy Christmas, A Wonderful Christmas Time, and Christmas Party. In 1991 the 16-track album Happy Christmas was released. The album contains all 12 songs from the 1981 album in the same running order and four songs from 1986 album.