Spotlight on.... Arabesque
Even though we're not rating Sandra's songs with Arabesque, some are pretty iconic (if not cheesy.... calling
@berserkboi!).
The group started in 1977, without Sandra, and were qwuite successful in Japan. The song Hello Mr. Monkey was a big hit there. This clip is an akward watch... You'd think the women hardly rehearsed and the lead singer did not want to be there...
A new year, a new lead singer:
Sandra joined Arabesque at 17 in 1979, after several line-up changes. She sang lead vocals on many if not all of their songs from that time until she left in 1984. There are several clips online with Sandra miming the vocals of the previous lead singers!
A personal favourite is In For A Penny, In For A Pound. Utterly cheerful, VERY Boney M, and very late 70's/early 80's in its production, styling and performance. And of course those great Sandra vocals!
Oddly, their biggest hit in Germany is not much of a bop, and one I did not enjoy much, Marigot Bay
Arabesque's songs were mostly written by Jean Frankfurter, who went on to a lot more success writing and producing for other artists, including that
other German diva: