| Island Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 3 December 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1977–1985 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:48 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Grace Jones chronology | ||||
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Island Life is the first greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works.
After the major commercial success Grace Jones achieved with her comeback album Slave to the Rhythm in 1985, Island Records decided to release a best-of compilation at the end of the same year. Island Life would feature songs from most of Jones' Island Records albums: Portfolio (1977), Fame (1978), Warm Leatherette (1980), Nightclubbing (1981), Living My Life (1982), and Slave to the Rhythm (1985). No tracks from Muse (1979) were included. Some of the songs appeared in edited forms, and a remix of "Love Is the Drug" was included. No new songs were recorded for the album. Island Life consists only of previously released material, produced by Tom Moulton, Chris Blackwell, Alex Sadkin and Trevor Horn. American writer and journalist Glenn O'Brien wrote an essay for the record sleeve.
The Australian LP release of the album came with a bonus 12-inch disc containing four songs: "My Jamaican Guy", "Pull Up to the Bumper", "On Your Knees" and "Warm Leatherette", and the 1986 UK cassette release included three bonus tracks: "Demolition Man", "Nipple to the Bottle" and "Grace Jones Musclemix".
In April 1996 Island Records and Universal re-released the album under the name Island Life 2. Released only in France, it featured four additional tracks: "Pars", "Feel Up" and two versions of a 1993 single "Sex Drive", intended for the Black Marilyn album, which remains unreleased to date. [3] This version retains the cover picture of the original album, with the only difference being the yellow-coloured background.
The cover picture is one of the most famous images of Grace Jones and was created by her then-partner Jean-Paul Goude. The impossibly graceful arabesque is actually a montage of separate images, following Goude's ideas on creating credible illusions with his cut-and-paint technique. The body position is "anatomically unlikely". [4] The picture was originally published in New York magazine in 1978 and subsequently used in the music video for Jones' hit single "La Vie en rose". It has been since described as "one of pop culture's most famous photographs". [5] Also included in the album sleeve are other iconic images of Jones, among them the "twins" photograph, Grace Jones in a cage and wearing a "maternity" dress.
The cover picture was featured in Michael Ochs' 1996 book 1000 Record Covers [6] and has been often imitated in works by other artists. [7] The image was also referenced in Nicki Minaj's 2011 music video for "Stupid Hoe", with Minaj mimicking the pose. [8]
As no new material was recorded for Island Life, the album was promoted by re-releases of singles. "Pull Up to the Bumper" was remixed and released at the end of 1985. The song, which had peaked at number 53 in the UK when released originally in 1981, climbed to number 12 and became one of Jones' greatest hits in the UK. A special "Musclemix" version of the song was also released, which was a megamix of "Pull Up to the Bumper" and other hits.
"Love Is the Drug" was released as the second single in early 1986, remixed by Eric Thorngren (on 7"). A music video was produced and the single, which had not charted upon its original 1980 release, entered charts in the UK, Ireland and Germany. A remixed version of "Love Is the Drug" by Paul "Groucho" Smykle was also released on 12", and the single re-entered singles chart in the UK. A megamix titled "Re-Mix Re-Mask" was also released on 12", backed with the Smykle remix of "Private Life".
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B− [1] |
The album received favorable reviews from music critics. Andy Kellman from AllMusic website wrote that the album is a mostly concisive overview of Jones catalog which includes Jones's "'70s collaborations with Tom Moulton and her stellar '80s work with Sly & Robbie." He also wrote that although the album is a "decent introduction for casual fans" it lacks of "crucial material like 'Warm Leatherette' and 'Nipple to the Bottle.'"
Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B− and felt that a "lot of her best material is simply ignored" in the record.
Island Life met with a warm commercial reception worldwide. It was a major success in the UK, reaching number 4 on the UK Albums Chart in December 1985, and New Zealand, where it topped the chart in March 1986, thus becoming the only chart-topper in Jones's entire career. CD sales of the album in the United States since 1991 have reached 112,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. [9]
All tracks produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin, except for "La Vie en rose", "I Need a Man" and "Do or Die", produced by Tom Moulton, "Slave to the Rhythm", produced by Trevor Horn with assistance from Stephen Lipson, and "Sex Drive" on Island Life 2, produced by Mark Pistel and Philip Steir.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "La Vie en rose" | Portfolio | 7:25 | |
| 2. | "I Need a Man" |
| Portfolio | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Do or Die" (7" edit) | Fame | 3:22 | |
| 4. | "Private Life" | Chrissie Hynde | Warm Leatherette | 5:10 |
| 5. | "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" |
| Nightclubbing | 4:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Demolition Man" | Sting | Nightclubbing | |
| 7. | "Nipple to the Bottle" |
| Living My Life |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Is the Drug" (remixed by Eric "E.T." Thorngren) | Warm Leatherette | 6:02 | |
| 2. | "Pull Up to the Bumper" (7" edit) |
| Nightclubbing | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Walking in the Rain" | Nightclubbing | 4:18 | |
| 4. | "My Jamaican Guy" | Grace Jones | Living My Life | 6:00 |
| 5. | "Slave to the Rhythm" (7" edit) |
| Slave to the Rhythm | 4:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Grace Jones Musclemix" | Various | Island Life |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Pars" | Jacques Higelin | Warm Leatherette | 4:48 |
| 12. | "Feel Up" | Grace Jones | Nightclubbing | 4:04 |
| 13. | "Sex Drive" (Sex Pitch Mix) | Sheep on Drugs | Black Marilyn | 7:18 |
| 14. | "Sex Drive" (Hard Drive Mix) | Sheep on Drugs | Black Marilyn | 5:10 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) [27] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) [28] | Gold | 25,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) [29] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) [30] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States | — | 112,000 [9] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Year | Format(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 1985 |
| |
| Australia | LP | Festival | |
| Portugal | LP |
| |
| Yugoslavia | LP |
| |
| UK | 1986 | Cassette | Island |
| Brazil | 1988 | LP | Island |
| Europe | 1989 | CD | Island |
| US, Europe | 1990 | CD | Island, Island Masters |
| France | 1996 | CD | Universal International |
Grace Beverly Jones is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves St. Laurent and Kenzo, and appearing on the covers of Elle and Vogue. She notably worked with photographers such as Jean-Paul Goude, Helmut Newton, Guy Bourdin, and Hans Feurer, and became known for her distinctive androgynous appearance and bold features.
Alex Sadkin was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer.
Nightclubbing is the fifth studio album by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released on 11 May 1981 by Island Records. Recorded at Compass Point Studios with producers Alex Sadkin and Island Records' president Chris Blackwell, as well as a team of session musicians rooted by rhythm section Sly and Robbie, the album marked her second foray into a new wave style that blends a variety of genres, including reggae, R&B, dub and funk. The album has cover versions of songs by Bill Withers, Iggy Pop, Astor Piazzolla, and others, and original songs, three of which were co-written by Jones.
Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musicians, producers and engineers, all dedicated to a specific and recognisable sound and style. The session band at the studios, as well as visiting recording artists, became known as the Compass Point All Stars.
Slave to the Rhythm is the seventh studio album by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released on 28 October 1985 by Island Records. Subtitled a biography in the liner notes, Slave to the Rhythm is a concept album, produced by ZTT Records founder and producer Trevor Horn, that went on to become one of Jones' most commercially successful albums and spawned her biggest hit, "Slave to the Rhythm".
Portfolio is the debut studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in 1977 by Island Records. It spawned her first big hit, "La Vie en rose".
Fame is the second studio album by Grace Jones, released on 7 June 1978 by Island Records.
Warm Leatherette is the fourth studio album by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released on 9 May 1980 by Island Records. The album features contributions from the reggae production duo Sly and Robbie and is a departure from Jones's earlier disco sound, moving towards a new wave-reggae direction.
Inside Story is the eighth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in November 1986, her first with the Manhattan Records label. The album spawned the hit single "I'm Not Perfect ".
"Love Is the Drug" is a song by the English rock band Roxy Music, from their fifth studio album, Siren (1975), released as a single in September 1975. Co-written by Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, the song originated as a slower, dreamier track until the band transformed its arrangement to become more dance-friendly and uptempo. Ferry's lyrics recount a man going out looking for action.
The Grace Jones Story is a greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones. Released on April 4, 2006 by Universal Music Group. It constists of Jones' hit singles spanning from 1977 to 1993.
Living My Life is the sixth studio album by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1982. It was the last of three albums she recorded at the Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas.
A One Man Show is a long-form music video collection featuring Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1982. The video mainly consists of music videos, with some concert footage filmed when Jones was touring with the eponymous tour.
Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions is a compilation album constisting of recordings by recorded by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones released in 1998 by Island Records. The two-disc anthology consists mostly of material pulled from 1980–1982 recording sessions.
"Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 song by Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress Grace Jones, released by Island Records as the third single from her fifth album, Nightclubbing (1981). Sonically, it is an uptempo electro-disco, post-punk, dance-pop and reggae-disco song with dub production, "pulsing drums and chic new-wave licks", as well as elements of funk and R&B music. Its lyrics were written by Jones alone, while she, along with Kookoo Baya and Dana Manno, are credited as its composers. The song's instrumental part was originally recorded in 1980 during the Warm Leatherette sessions; however, it did not make the album as Chris Blackwell found its sound not fitting in the rest of the material. It was completed for the 1981 critically acclaimed Nightclubbing album and became its third single in June 1981. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and number 53 on the UK Singles Chart. When re-released in 1986, it peaked at number 12 in the UK. The track has come to be one of Jones' signature tunes and her first transatlantic hit.
The Ultimate is the second greatest hits album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones released in 1993 by Island Records. The album would cover the same material as 1985's Island Life, in addition to four other tracks. The Ultimate was only released in the Netherlands, where it enjoyed considerable success.
Hurricane is the tenth studio album by singer Grace Jones, released in 2008, and her first album of new material in 19 years. The album includes a number of autobiographical songs, and the title track was first recorded as a 1997 collaboration with Tricky under the title "Cradle to the Grave". The album sold over 100,000 copies in Europe. Three years after the original release, Jones released a dub version of it: Hurricane – Dub came out on 5 September 2011.
"I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" is a single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released in 1981. The song is a reworking of Astor Piazzolla's "Libertango".
"Private Life" is a 1980 song written by Chrissie Hynde, and released by both English band The Pretenders, and Jamaican singer Grace Jones in 1980.
"Walking in the Rain" is a 1976 song by Australian band Flash and the Pan. The song was covered by Grace Jones and released as a single from her album Nightclubbing.
