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Phillip Boa

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Phillip Boa
Boa performing in 2013
Boa performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameErnst Ulrich Figgen
Born18 January 1963 (1963-01-18) (age 62)
Dortmund, Germany
GenresIndependent
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, composer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1985–present
LabelsCargo Records, Universal
Websitephillipboa.com

Phillip Boa (born Ernst Ulrich Figgen;[1] 18 January 1963) is a German independent musician, songwriter, singer, guitarist and composer. The musical style followed by Boa and his band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub was described in a review by NME as "a cross between B52's and Captain 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.

Career

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

Boa's music is influenced by British punk rock[2] and new 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 a Metal project when founded the heavy metal band Voodoocult, consisting of members Dave 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 their Remastered tour. They consequently only played songs from the three re-published albums Copperfield, Hair and Hispañola. Moreover, since 2001, they play two or three annual Christmas concerts at the Leipzig Moritzbastei fortress. On 3 August 2007, the album Faking to Blend In was released on Motor Music.

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

In 2014 the studio album Bleach House was 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 collection Blank Expression – A History of Singles 1986–2016 was 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 album Fresco – A Collection of 12 New Songs.[5][6]

2018 their Top 3 album "Earthly Powers" (Cargo Records) was the band's last official album. Capitol Records/Universal Music released extensive anniversary editions of "Boaphenia" (2023) and "Copperfield" (2024), followed by the 2025 anniversary edition of their internationally praised, award winning album "Hair" incl. 10 new songs, which reached the Top 3 of the official album charts. [7]

Reception

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"Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub belong to the most prestigious German bands, which is also recognized from international critics and fans." (ARD Germany's and the world's largest public broadcaster).[8]

Phillip Boa was in the top 20 of the survey "Made in Germany – The Most Influential German musicians" (laut.de).[9] 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 German Media Control Charts. In 2012, British music journalist John Robb called Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub "one of the best German bands of the last three decades".[10]

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

Discography

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Boa performing with Voodoocult in 1995

Studio albums by Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub

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Year Title Official German Charts
1985 Philister
  • Label: Ja! Musik
 —
1986 Aristocracie
  • Label: Constrictor
 —
1987 Copperfield
  • Label: Polydor / Universal
 47
1988 Hair
  • Label: Polydor / Universal
 26
1990 Hispañola
  • Label: Polydor / Universal
 14
1991 Helios
  • Label: Polydor / Universal
 32
1993 Boaphenia
  • Label: Polydor / Universal
 15
1994 God
  • Label: Motor / Universal
 23
1995 She
  • Label: Motor / Universal
 32
2000 My Private War
  • Label: RCA / BMG Sony
 23
2001 The Red
  • Label: RCA / BMG Sony
 59
2003 C 90
  • Label: RCA / BMG Sony
 46
2005 Decadence & Isolation
  • Label: Motor Music
 40
2007 Faking To Blend In
  • Label: Motor Music
 59
2009 Diamonds Fall
  • Label: Rough Trade / Constrictor
 45
2012 Loyalty
  • Label: Cargo Records / Constrictor
 13
2014 Bleach House
  • Label: Cargo Records / Constrictor
 7
2016 Blank Expression
  • Label: Capitol Records / Vertigo Berlin
 8
2018 Earthly Powers
  • Label: Cargo Records / Constrictor
 3
2023 Boaphenia (Re-Edition)
  • Label: Capitol Records / Vertigo Berlin
 10
2024 Copperfield (Re-Edition)
  • Label: Capitol Records / Vertigo Berlin
 12
2025 Hair (Re-Edition)
  • Label: Capitol Records / Vertigo Berlin
 3 "—" denotes releases that did not chart

Solo album

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Year Title Official German Charts
1998 Lord Garbage 22

Studio albums by Voodoocult

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Year Title Media Control Charts
[11]
1994 Jesus Killing Machine 43
1995 Voodoocult 57

Samplers, live albums and re-releases

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  • 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 Silver Best Of (Motor Music)
  • 1997: Aristocracie Remastered (Indigo)
  • 1998: Master Series Best of (Re-release "Fine Art On Silver") (Motor Music)
  • 2001: Singles Collection 1985–2001 Best of (RCA/BMG) #28
  • 2005: BOA Best Singles Best of Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
  • 2006: Copperfield Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
  • 2006: Hair Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
  • 2006: Hispañola Remastered (Polydor/Universal)
  • 2011: Helios Remastered (Vertigo/Universal)
  • 2011: Boaphenia Remastered (Vertigo/Universal)
  • 2016: Blank Expression: A History Of Singles 1986–2016 Best Of (Universal) #8

References

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  1. ^ Kalitschke, Martin (22 November 2012). "Boa und die Beatles". Westfälische Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. ^ Harris, Craig. "Phillip Boa". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  3. ^ Heymann, Peter. "Phillip Boa And The Voodooclub – Loyalty". Sonic Seducer (in German). Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  4. ^ "Boa, Phillip & The Voodooclub" (in German). Cargo Records. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub". radioeins.de (in German). Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts – Offizielle Deutsche Charts". offiziellecharts.de (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Universal Music Universal Music Catalogue Domestic Germany". Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  8. ^ Germany, programm.ARD.de – ARD Play-Out-Center Potsdam, Potsdam. "Rockpalast: Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub". programm.ARD.de. Retrieved 8 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Made In Germany: Die einflussreichsten deutschen Musiker – laut.de – Seite 8/25". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  10. ^ "Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub : big Berlin gig and new single! - Louder Than War". Louder Than War. 7 December 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Voodoocult — Longplay-Chartverfolgung". Musicline.de (in German). Phononet. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
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