Jump to content

Phillip Boa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phillip Boa
Boa performing in 2013
Boa performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameErnst Ulrich Figgen
Born18 January 1963(1963-01-18)(age61)
Dortmund,Germany
GenresIndependent
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, composer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1985–present
LabelsCargo Records,Universal
Websitephillipboa

Phillip Boa(bornErnst Ulrich Figgen;[1]18 January 1963) is a Germanindependentmusician, songwriter, singer, guitarist and composer. The musical style followed by Boa and his bandPhillip Boa & The Voodooclubwas described in a review byNMEas "a cross betweenB52'sandCaptain Beefheart".[citation needed]The style of his lyrics is a mix of irony, love songs, sarcasm and is often of bizarre and deranged content. Boa has written over 400 songs, and 21 of his studio albums made it to the top 60 of the charts.

Boa's current name is unknown after two divorces and name changes. Boa lives inDortmund,Hamburgand on the island ofMalta.

Career

[edit]

In 1985, he founded the independent bandPhillip Boa and the Voodooclub.With their albumHairand the single "Container Love", they experienced a commercial breakthrough and international recognition in 1989.

Boa's music is influenced by Britishpunk rock[2]andnew wave;its style swings between pop and avantgarde. A continuous charasteric are the catchy and melodic choruses, interrupted or alienated by atmospheric shifts. Thereby the voice of band member Pia Lund and Boa's own throaty singing contrast diametrically. After his most successful album so far,Boaphenia(1993), Boa made a deliberate musical cut to focus on aMetalproject when founded the heavy metal bandVoodoocult,consisting of membersDave Lombardo(drums),Chuck Schuldiner(guitar),Waldemar Sorychta(guitar),Mille Petrozza(guitar) and himself as vocalist.

The autumn of 2006 saw Boa and his Voodooclub start theirRemasteredtour. They consequently only played songs from the three re-published albumsCopperfield,HairandHispañola.Moreover, since 2001, they play two or three annual Christmas concerts at theLeipzigMoritzbasteifortress. On 3 August 2007, the albumFaking to Blend Inwas released onMotor Music.

In 2009, the Voodooclub teamed up with Can drummer the late Jaki Liebezeit, who played percussion and drums on their albumDiamonds Fall.The albumLoyaltybrought them a commercial comeback in Germany (No. 13 in the album charts) and some other countries.[which?]The album was produced by David Vella andBrian Viglione,[3]who also played drums and other instruments on the album.Loyaltywas mixed by Ian Grimble and mastered by Frank Arkwright atAbbey Road Studios.

In 2014 the studio albumBleach Housewas released on Cargo Records, which reached place 7 in the German album charts, the best chart position in the history of the band. The album was produced by David Vella on Malta and was mixed in London, at the Konk Studios London by Dougal Lott. It was mastered by Fred Kevorkian in the New Yorker Avatar Studios.[4]

After many intensive years and more than 2 million sold albums, the single collectionBlank Expression – A History of Singles 1986–2016was released on 16 September 2016 on Capitol Records/Universal Music. It reached rank 8 in the German album charts. Apart from the most important singles, the collection included also twelve new songs from the albumFresco – A Collection of 12 New Songs.[5][6]

Reception

[edit]

"Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub belong to the most prestigious German bands, which is also recognized from international critics and fans." (ARDGermany's and the world's largest public broadcaster).[7]

Phillip Boa was in the top 20 of the survey "Made in Germany – The Most Influential German musicians" (laut.de).[8]Furthermore, he stands as one of the sharpest observers of our society and a distinguished songwriter in Germany, with "a cynical-poetic view, full of mysterious metaphors and sharp wisdom." (NME)

Several of Boa's albums have reached the top 30 of the GermanMedia Control Charts.In 2012, British music journalistJohn Robbcalled Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub "one of the best German bands of the last three decades".[9]

In their song "Wir sind die Besten" (We are the Best), German bandDie Ärztesing about Phillip Boa, depicting themselves and Boa as the last true musicians.

Discography

[edit]
Boa performing withVoodoocultin 1995

Studio albums by Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub

[edit]
Year Title Official German Charts
1985 Philister
  • Label: Ja! Musik
 —
1986 Aristocracie
  • Label: Constrictor
 —
1987 Copperfield 47
1988 Hair 26
1990 Hispañola 14
1991 Helios 32
1993 Boaphenia 15
1994 God 23
1995 She 32
2000 My Private War 23
2001 The Red 59
2003 C 90 46
2005 Decadence & Isolation 40
2007 Faking To Blend In 59
2009 Diamonds Fall 45
2012 Loyalty
  • Label: Cargo Records
 13
2014 Bleach House
  • Label: Cargo Records
 7
2016 Fresco
  • Label: Vertigo Berlin
 8
2018 Earthly Powers
  • Label: Cargo Records
 3
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Solo album

[edit]
Year Title Official German Charts
1998 Lord Garbage 22

Studio albums by Voodoocult

[edit]
Year Title Media Control Charts
[10]
1994 Jesus Killing Machine 43
1995 Voodoocult 57

Samplers, live albums and re-releases

[edit]
  • 1986:Philistrines(Red Flame, UK)
  • 1989:30 Years of Blank Expression(DiDi, Greece)
  • 1991:Live! Exile On Valletta Street(Polydor)
  • 1994:Hidden Pearls(Fanclub Release)
  • 1996:Hidden Pearls & Spoken Words(Fanclub Release)
  • 1997: Fine Art On SilverBest Of(Motor Music)
  • 1997: AristocracieRemastered(Indigo)
  • 1998: Master SeriesBest of(Re-release "Fine Art On Silver" ) (Motor Music)
  • 2001: Singles Collection 1985–2001Best of(RCA/BMG) #28
  • 2005: BOA Best SinglesBest ofRemastered(Polydor/Universal)
  • 2006: CopperfieldRemastered(Polydor/Universal)
  • 2006: HairRemastered(Polydor/Universal)
  • 2006: HispañolaRemastered(Polydor/Universal)
  • 2011: HeliosRemastered(Vertigo/Universal)
  • 2011: BoapheniaRemastered(Vertigo/Universal)
  • 2016: Blank Expression: A History Of Singles 1986–2016Best Of(Universal) #8

References

[edit]
  1. ^Kalitschke, Martin (22 November 2012)."Boa und die Beatles".Westfälische Nachrichten(in German).Retrieved15 January2023.
  2. ^Harris, Craig."Phillip Boa".AllMusic.Retrieved5 July2013.
  3. ^Heymann, Peter."Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub – Loyalty".Sonic Seducer(in German). Archived fromthe originalon 5 July 2013.Retrieved5 July2013.
  4. ^"Boa, Phillip & The Voodooclub"(in German). Cargo Records.Retrieved3 July2014.
  5. ^"Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub".radioeins.de(in German). Archived fromthe originalon 2 October 2016.Retrieved8 February2017.
  6. ^"Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Offizielle Deutsche Charts".offiziellecharts.de(in German).Retrieved8 February2017.
  7. ^Germany, programm.ARD.de – ARD Play-Out-Center Potsdam, Potsdam."Rockpalast: Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub".programm.ARD.de.Retrieved8 February2017.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^"Made In Germany: Die einflussreichsten deutschen Musiker – laut.de – Seite 8/25".laut.de(in German).Retrieved8 February2017.
  9. ^"Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub: big Berlin gig and new single! - Louder Than War".Louder Than War.7 December 2012.Retrieved8 February2017.
  10. ^"Voodoocult — Longplay-Chartverfolgung".Musicline.de(in German). Phononet. Archived fromthe originalon 6 June 2014.Retrieved1 June2013.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toPhillip Boa.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Phillip_Boa&oldid=1230081077"