In 1977, singer Mary Ann Nagel formed the Arabesque Euro-disco all-female group in Frankfurt, Germany, when she approached producer Wolfgang Mewes about the project. Inspired by the likes of Luv', Baccara and ABBA, the group, whose members changed over the years, first settled in Offenbach-on-the-Main. There, they worked at Europasound Studios, whose owner, Frank Farian, was famous for his work with Boney M. Between 1977 and 1984, Arabesque enjoyed major success in Japan and several other Asian countries, as far afield as the then-USSR. By the time Arabesque broke up in 1984, the German band had recorded nine homonymous albums numbered I to IX, but subtitled, from Arabesque - Friday Night in 1978 to Arabesque IX - Time to Say Good Bye in 1984. These included hits such as "Take Me, Don't Break Me" (No. 40 in Germany, 1980), "Marigot Bay"(No. 8, 1981), the only song to reach the Top 10 in their home country, as well as "In for a Penny" (No. 25, 1981), "Indio Boy" (No. 75, 1982) and "Caballero"/"Tall Story Teller " (No. 56, 1982). Numerous live albums and compilations of their hits were added to Arabesque's discography after the break-up. In 2006, Michaela Rose, one of the original members of the band, returned to the stage with the Arabesque Original Michaela Rose project, performing mainly in Eastern Europe.
