BAD BOYS BLUE

Bad Boys Blue - Heart & Soul
Modern Romantics Productions (2008)

It is with great pleasure I am able to bring to you a review of one of the most anticipated classic Eurodance albums in many years. After nearly two years in production, we have the new Bad Boys Blue album, the first completely new album in several years and well worth the wait. Some things take time to get it right, and not rush. You will find that the album is solidly reminiscent of their most coveted style which they made so famous I in the late 80s and early 90s days of what has been thought of as "Glamour Disco". A fitting analogy of this style, which has the pulsing beat of a Dance track, but with an edge to the melody, production and nuance that is in keeping with one would feel is nu-age classical music with a full vocal. That sound is Bad Boys Blue, and on this album it is certainly the feel from start to finish.

The lead single, “Still In Love” has become what I can see their biggest club hit since “How I Need You”. Here we hear the original mix version by MS Project from France in all it's glory. A perfect pick as the first physical single from this album, it has all the NRG anyone could possibly covet in a EU club release without pandering to easy commercialism like many acts have been doing in the past few years.

“In His Heart, In His Soul” is a stunning follow up, with its storybook lyric that mirrors their most famous single “You’re A Woman”. There is a perfect female vocal on the chorus that is extremely engaging and loved by fans whenever used on a BBB song.

The next single up is the solidly Eurodance production on the Spanish themed treasure “Matador”. I think fans of 90s Euro will really enjoy the synth riffs in this song, mixed with lovely flamenco guitars to delicious effect.

One my favorite new songs is the incredible “Queen Of My Dreams”. To me, this style of writing personifies the distinct beauty of Eurodisco. Utterly sparkling production with a classy romanticism and solid hook to the chorus make this to me one of the most brilliant new songs on this album. The strumming acoustic guitar chording brings a dimension to this song that literally make you want to get up and Dance all night long!

My favorite song on the album is next, and it is an absolute killer Dance song that dazzles with a breathtaking melody on “I Don’t Wanna Know”. I am a huge fan of heavily orchestrated Dance music that has immense concentration on the lyrics and melody – but also the instruments chosen in the mix equally. This song has it all, and I can only imagine what club remix versions of this would bring to it. If you like glitzy piano and bubbling euro string arrangements, you’ll find this to be absolutely magical Eurodisco. It also has a chorus that defies get it out of your mind after a couple of listens. To me personally, it is the epitome of the best of Bad Boys Blue’s legendary sound, utterly flawless… I can’t say that very often, but I will here.

A solid follow up is the powerful HiNRG prowess of “Make My Dreams Come True”. Lovely vocal harmonies make this song shine brightly which is hard to do after the last song! The production is strongly Eurodance on the production side of the mix, but again we have strong lyrical value to the song as well.

There is no doubt to me that European Pop ballads are more often than not the loveliest music in the world. It is in that spirit I must praise the sensational work on the album’s first ballad “You And I”. As a long time fan of this group I know their music extremely well, and ballads are rarely produced by them. I have to say this is a welcome addition to this album with it's gorgeous melancholy vibes, something I feel has a distinct Dieter Bohlen touch to the track. I mean that in a very positive way, as I feel he is the master of this rather elegant style of "love ballads".

Just when the last beauty fades, the orchestration begins again on the happy and upbeat “Tonight Is The Night”. Here we hear some pretty engaging male/female vocal harmonies with a strong production and pizzicato string riffs that are just sensational.

Music-box piano keys echo in the big room orchestral sounds on “Sometimes”. A laid back mid-tempo love song, to me this is one of the most 80s sounding songs in the album that compares to their earliest work and has a deeply nostalgic aura with whispering female vocals and dramatic string arrangements.

Next up is another of my favorite songs from the album. “Show Me (The Way To Your Heart)” has the deep musical presence with awesome lyrics and a dramatic chorus and truly outstanding vocal production work.

“Hold Me In The Night” has been a fan favorite since very early samples were released in late 2007, and for good reason. One of the strongest choruses on the album, it is utterly infectious ear candy – and would be huge as a club record in the most celebrated Discos in the world today where the pundits prefer a great song and melody with their Dance beats over superfluous and vacuous percussion all night long. After many years, this tide has changed back to this and I am thrilled to see BBB doing the style they are beloved for again.

“Pictures Of You” is the second ballad on the album and has an absolutely gorgeous symphonic sound to it, and the lead vocals are soft as velvet here and used to perfection on this moving love song.

The group created a terrific song for their most loyal fans in the world from Russia. “Russia In My Eyes” is a potent and clear thank you to their community for years of undying support, where I expect this to be a single in the coming months in that territory.

To end the album, a rare cover is included of the classic 1968 Folk ballad “Those Were The Days” by Mary Hopkin with a wink towards Euro-Pop in the mix.

The group has changed many times over the over two decades they have been consistently releasing albums, remixes and collections. This new album celebrates all facets of the best of the Bad Boys Blue hit formula that has made them infamous all over the world. From their days as the hottest Eurodisco trio in the 80s to their prolific comeback in 1998, one thing has remained solid – the quality of the music. For the first time BBB has been produced outside of the country of Germany. This is the first full album of new material since the 2003 album "Around The World".

This album also includes the #1 “Still In Love" (U4IC-Almighty Exclusive Vox Remix), and extended club versions of “In His Heart, In His Soul” and “Queen Of My Dreams”. It is quite a package, with 14 album edits and 3 exclusive club remixes. An astounding array of new material from likely the most beloved group in Eurodance/Disco history that has proved longevity is certainly possible in an ever changing and evolving style of Dance music and can be with timing, great material and class still be loved and relevant today after so many years.

Track Listing

01 Still in Love
02 In His Heart. In His Soul.
03 Matador
04 Queen Of My Dreams
05 I Dont Wanna Know
06 Make My Dreams Come True
07 You And I
08 Tonight Is The Night
09 Sometimes
10 Show Me (The Way To Your Heart)
11 Hold Me In The Night
12 Pictures Of You
13 Russia In My Eyes
14 Those Where The Days
15 Sitll In Love (Almighty-U4IC Exclusive Vox Remix)
16 In His Heart. In His Soul. (Extended Mix)
17 Queen Of My Dreams (Extended Mix)

» www.badboysblue.info/

» Euro Dance Hits

Text: Jason E Davis

TREVOR TAYLOR

We're really sorry to inform you that Trevor Oliver Taylor died January 19th, 2008 on a heart attack :-(

He and his voice won't be never forgotten!

R.I.P. dear Trevor!

BAD BOYS BLUE

The history of Bad Boys Blue started in Cologne (Germany) back in 1984, when the founders of Coconut Records - Tony Hendrik and his wife, Karin van Haaren (vel Karin Hartmann), decided to create a new music project. They planned to look for members of the new group in England, but finally they found them in Cologne. The original line-up was following: John Edward McInerney (born September 7th, 1957, Liverpool, England), Trevor Oliver Taylor (born January 11th, 1958, Montego Bay, Jamaica) and Andrew Freddie Thomas (born May 25th, 1946, San Francisco, USA).

The first single of the group called "L.O.V.E. In My Car" was released in autumn 1984. It did very well in the discos and clubs, but it didn't get to the charts at all. It was the first, but also the last single track which Andrew sang lead on, cause producers wanted Trevor Taylor to sing the lead vocal in other tracks.

In spring 1985 was released the single "You're A Woman", which became very popular in Europe. The track which was sang by Trevor appeared in many european charts - Switzerland #2, Sweden #2 and Germany #8. In summer 1985 was released the debut album called "Hot Girls - Bad Boys" (Switzerland #9). The next single released from the album was "Pretty Young Girl" which did very well in the charts too - Sweden #9, Germany #29 and Switzerland #30.

1986 brought another two hit-singles: "Kisses And Tears (My One And Only)" (Germany #22, Switzerland #26) and "I Wana Hear Your Heartbeat (Sunday Girl)" (Germany #14, Switzerland #21). The both singles promoted the second album called "Heartbeat", which except typical BBB tracks contained two covers: "Love Really Hurts Without You" (originally performed by Billy Ocean) and "Baby I Love You" (originally performed by Phil Spector). The first of them was even released as the next single, but it didn't achieve the success.

In 1987 was released the single "Gimme Gimme Your Lovin' (Little Lady)", which discovered the next album. It was a typical BBB track sung by Trevor, so it didn't surprise the fans at all. At that time no-one could suppose what changes in the group will be caused by "Come Back And Stay" - a song which was chosen to be released as the next single. It was the first track which John sang lead on and its big trump were female parts sang by Lyane Leigh. The single did very well in the charts - Germany #18. In June was released the 3rd album called "Love Is No Crime", where except Trevor, also John was a lead singer.

1988 brought the next album titled "My Blue World". It was promoted by three singles: "Don't Walk Away, Suzanne" (Germany #44), "Lovers In The Sand" (Germany #42) and "A World Without You (Michelle)" (Germany #17). The remixes of the last two singles were also released as special limited editions. Almost all of the songs from the new album were sang by John. Trevor only sang two tracks lead on: "Bad Reputation" and "Love Don't Come Easy". This sitation surely had an influence for the relations in the group. It was obvious that Trevor felt not comfortable staying in the background. In 1988 was also released the first compilation of the group called "Bad Boys Best", which included all the hit singles as well as a brand new track titled "Hungry For Love". It was also the next single released in two versions (Germany #26). Trevor Taylor decided to leave the group at that time and has continued his career in other groups - "Street Noise", "Ozazuvas", "Supa T." and "Umoya".

The group quickly found a new member named Trevor Bannister (born August 5th, 1965, Grembsby, England). In 1989 that crew released two singles: "Lady In Black" (Germany #16) and "A Train To Nowhere" (Germany #27). The both tracks promoted the new album called simply "The 5th". Also in 1989 was released the compilation "Super 20".

"Game Of Love" was the name of the next album released in 1990. The album was promoted by three singles: "How I Need You" (Germany #33), "Queen Of Hearts" (Germany #28) and "Jungle In My Heart" (Germany #41). Also in 1990 was released the special single called "The Official Bootleg Megamix vol.1" and the VHS cassette "Bad Boys Best" containg videos of the group.

In 1991 was released the single "House Of Silence", which discovered the new album under the same title. Though there were plenty of good tracks on it, the record company decided to not promote it with the next singles.

In 1992 was released the next album "Totally", which was promoted by three singles: "I Totally Miss You", "Save Your Love" (Germany #16, USA #89) and "A Love Like This". The first two singles were released in the U.S. as special editions containg some new remixes. In 1992 was also released the next compilation called "More Bad Boys Best". The item included the best tracks from 1989-1992, but also some rarities previously unreleased: the new version of "Kiss You All Over, Baby" sung by John, the live version of "Lady In Black" and the special remix of "You're A Woman" sung by John McInerney and Trevor Bannister.

1993 was another turning point in the career of the group. Then was released the single "Kiss You All Over, Baby" (the version was taken from "More Bad Boys Best" compilation), which promoted the new album titled "Kiss". It was really particular item as it included 6 brand new tracks, the new versions of "Kiss You All Over, Baby" and "I Live", the original version of "Kisses And Tears (My One And Only)", the new remix of "I Totally Miss You" and spanish version of "Save Your Love" called "Aguarda Tu Amor". Also in 1993 were released two compilations: "Dancing With The Bad Boys" and "Bad Boys Blue" (only in the U.S.). Though the group had many successes at that time, Trevor Bannister decided to leave. Then John and Andrew decided to leave Coconut Records and signed to the new label called Intercord. In 1993 BBB toured in Africa with the additional singer named Owen Standing. The guy has never become the official member of the group as the ex-label of the BBB - Coconut Records, offered him a solo contract. John and Andrew decided to continue as a duet.

In 1994 was released the single "Go Go (Love Overload)", which promoted the totally new album titled "To Blue Horizons". The item was promoted by two more singles: "What Else?" and "Luv 4 U". In the U.S. was released the special edition of the album including two bonus tracks: "Family Beat" and "Don't Be So Shy" (the B-sides of the last two singles). Meanwhile Coconut Records released the compilation "You're A Woman", the single "Dance Remixes" and the album "Completely Remixed" containing new remixes of the greatest hits.

In June 1995 was released the single "Hold You In My Arms" recorded with a new member of the group named Mo Russel (born March 15th, 1956, Aruba, Caribbean Sea).

In 1996 was released the next album "Bang Bang Bang", which was promoted by one more single called "Anywhere". Unfortunately, neither the both singles nor the album didn't achieve the success.

In 1997 the boys didn't work in the studio, but in March 1998 they signed to Coconut Records and released the single "You're A Woman'98". The new version of the old track did well in the charts and was very successfull (Finland #17, Germany #52). In summer the group released the new album called "Back" (Germany #28). The item included eight new remixes of the well known hits, the special megamix and seven brand new tracks. The new versions were mostly produced by Andy Matern and Christoph Schick. A few new tracks were written and produced by a well known german composer and producer, David Brandes (Bros Music). The album was promoted by three more singles: "The Turbo Megamix" (Finland #8, Germany #73), "From Heaven To Heartache" and "The Turbo Megamix Vol.2". Also in 1998 was released the compilation "With Love From Bad Boys Blue... - The Best Of The Ballads" and the VHS cassette "Bad Boys Best'98".

In February 1999 were released two singles: "Hold You In My Arms'99" (by Intercord) and "The-Hit-Pack", which promoted the new album called "...Continued" (Germany #38). Similar to "Back" also this item included a couple of new tracks as well as new versions of well known hits. In May 1999 was released the compilation "Pretty Young Girl" and in September another new album titled "Follow The Light" (Germany #80). It was also the last album recorded with Mo as he decided to leave the group in the end of the year. He was replaced by Kevin McCoy also known as Jojo Max (born January 21st, 1971, Virginia, USA). Kevin has already worked with the group since 1998 as a raper.

May 29th, 2000 was released the single "I'll Be Good". It discovered the next album called "Tonite" which was released in July. Though such tracks like: "S.O.S. For Love", "I Wanna Fly" or "Do What You Do" were potential hits, the record company decided to not promote it with the next singles.

In July 2001 was released the next compilation called "Bad Boys Best 2001". Except the hits taken from the last four albums, the item included two brand new tracks: "Don't Want Your Love" and "Sweet Little Things". Also in 2001 the contract between Coconut Records and the group has ended.

In summer 2002 the group signed a deal with David Brandes (Bros Music) and in September they started working on their next album.

In the beginning of 2003 Kevin McCoy left the group. John and Andrew decided to go on as a duet again. July 7th, 2003 was released the single "Lover On The Line" (Germany #72), which promoted the new album titled "Around The World" (Germany #43), released August 4th. The single as well as the album were released by Koch Universal. In 2003 were also released two compilations: "In The Mix" and "The Stars Of The XX Century - Greatest Hits" (only in Poland).

Another year (2004) Bad Boys Blue spent on promo concerts in Germany, USA, Russia, Ukraine and Hungary.

In January 2005 took place the last concert of the hitherto crew - John made the decision to stop working with Andrew. The next months of 2005 John spent on concerts in Germany, USA, Russia and Turkey, where he performed along with backing singers and live group. In 2005 was released the first DVD of the group titled "1985 - 2005 Video Collection", the compilations: "Hit Collection vol. 1 - You're A Woman", "Hit Collection vol.2 - The Best Of", "Greatest Hits Remixed", "Hungry For Love", "Greatest Hits" (2 CD) and re-edtions of the two earlier compilations: "Completely Remixed" and "Dancing With The Bad Boys".

In January 2006 John was joined by Carlos Ferreira (born April 11th, 1969, Mozambique). In September 2006 was released special 3 CD box entitled "Hit Collection" containing Bad Boys Blue mega hits. The group is currently working in Paris with french producers on new material to be featured in planned for 2007 new album. This supposed to be come back to the roots with great music.