To truly appreciate the daftness of 'Rasputin', it is really necessary to listen to the song itself, or even better, to watch a video of it being performed. 'Rasputin' took this unpromising premise and elevated it to a level that bordered on a sort of insane genius. The job facing the group was difficult enough already, what with the problems of rhyme, meter and syntax to deal with, on top of trying to get the facts right, but combined with this idiosyncratic writing style there was never much chance of any sense resulting. The lyrics to their songs, however, always sounded like they were written in German and then translated (badly) into English, which resulted in a lot of rather embarrassing phrasing and imagery. Although Farian was German, and the group were formed in Germany, all of the members of the group were originally of West Indian origin and so spoke English as their first language. What is less obvious to those unfamiliar with their style is that Boney M were even less suited to such an approach than anyone else.

We have already established that disco was not perhaps the most suitable medium for expressing complex stories. With hindsight, it is easy to look back on this decision and see how inevitable it was that this would turn out to be one of the most ridiculous records of all time. So it came to pass that in October 1978, ' Rasputin' was thrust onto an unprepared public. Having prepared the ground with five consecutive UK top ten hits, including the vague political mithering of 'Belfast' and the religious overtones of number one double A-side 'Rivers Of Babylon/Brown Girl In the Ring', Farian decided that the time was right to release Boney M's historical epic, a single detailing the life of one of history's most notorious and controversial characters. The brainchild of German producer Frank Farian 2, by 1978 the group were regulars at the top end of the charts all over Europe. It was against this backdrop that German Eurodisco act Boney M appeared.

As a forum for informed debate on matters such as philosophy, history, politics and the like, however, it leaves a lot to be desired. As a backdrop for taking large quantities of illegal stimulants and showing off in ludicrous clothing in expensive nightclubs, it is equally well conceived.

As a musical form for rhythmically moving to, it is quite outstanding, since it operates at a bpm (beats per minute) rate 1 that is very conducive to such movement. Disco, it must be said, is generally not the most profound of genres.

Rasputin boney m album cover