| Portfolio | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 6, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | 1975–1977 | |||
| Studio | Sigma Sound, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:59 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Tom Moulton | |||
| Grace Jones chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Portfolio | ||||
| ||||
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".
Having enjoyed a successful modelling career in Paris and New York in the early 1970s, Jones released a series of singles throughout 1975–1976. None of them, however, managed to succeed in mainstream charts. Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977 and found wider recognition only with her debut Island album, Portfolio.
The album was recorded and mixed in Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and released in autumn 1977 as the first of three albums made with the legendary disco record producer Tom Moulton. Side one of the original vinyl album is a continuous disco medley covering three songs from Broadway musicals, "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim from A Little Night Music , "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line and "Tomorrow" from Annie . Side two opens with Jones' very personal re-interpretation of Édith Piaf's "La Vie en rose" and continues with three new recordings, two of which were co-written by Jones herself. The Italian release would omit "Sorry" and "That's the Trouble", adding an extended, over 7-minute-long version of "I Need a Man" instead. The album's artwork was designed by Richard Bernstein, an artist working for Interview , who would later contribute to Jones' two next albums' artworks and with whom the singer would re-team up for the 1986 album Inside Story .
"I Need a Man" was Jones' debut single, originally released in 1975 by the minor French label Orfeus. It failed to make any chart impact until two years later, when it was re-mixed and released via the Beam Junction label, becoming a number-one dance hit in the US and introducing Jones to club audiences, primarily gay. The second single, "Sorry", was released a year prior to the Portfolio album, and was a modest success on the US singles chart. Its B-side track, "That's the Trouble", also received a separate A-side release. Both songs were Jones' first forays into songwriting. "La Vie en rose" was released as a single in autumn 1977 and became the biggest hit from Portfolio, having charted in the French and Italian top 5. When re-released in 1983, it reached the top 5 in the Netherlands. "What I Did for Love" became a top 10 dance hit in the US.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
The album received unfavorable reviews from music critics. Andrew Hamilton from AllMusic website gave the album two out of five stars and wrote that "though polished [the album] tracks don't jump out at you" and conclude that it was more a "producer's album." He also gave credit to her because "she gives credence to old fuddies" like "Send in the Clowns," "La Vie en Rose" and "I Need a Man," whose according to him "displays a vulnerable Jones".
Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ and praise the way Jones sing the songs ("very liberated, very punky"). He also wrote that Jones "sings flat enough to make Andrea True sound like Linda Ronstadt and Tom Verlaine like Art Garfunkel".
Rolling Stone magazine gave the album one out of five stars.
Portfolio reached number 52 on the Black Albums Chart in the US, while climbing to number 109 on Billboard 's mainstream albums chart. It garnered more attention in Europe, entering the top 10 in both Italy in early 1978 and the Netherlands in 1983.
All tracks produced by Tom Moulton.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Send in the Clowns" | Stephen Sondheim | 7:33 |
| 2. | "What I Did for Love" | 5:15 | |
| 3. | "Tomorrow" | 5:48 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "La Vie en rose" | 7:27 | |
| 5. | "Sorry" |
| 3:58 |
| 6. | "That's the Trouble" |
| 3:36 |
| 7. | "I Need a Man" |
| 3:23 |
Notes
|
|
| Chart (1977–1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] | 27 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [6] | 8 |
| Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [7] | 9 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [8] | 22 |
| US Billboard 200 [9] | 109 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [10] | 52 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP) [11] | Gold | 100,000* |
| Italy (FIMI) [11] | Gold | 50,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Year | Format(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | 1977 | LP, Cassette | Island |
| UK | 1986 | LP | |
| Europe | 1987 | CD | |
| Worldwide | 1990 | Island, PolyGram | |
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.
Strictly Commercial is a compilation album by Frank Zappa. It was released in 1995, two years after his death. The album was named as part of a 2011 lawsuit by Gail Zappa towards Rykodisc, claiming the label released several vault masters without the permission of the Zappa Family Trust on this and other releases, specifically the single edits of some songs, such as the 12" disco Remix of "Dancin' Fool". The disc is currently out of print and has been replaced in Zappa's catalog by the 2016 compilation album ZAPPAtite.
Thomas Jerome Moulton is an American record producer. He experimented with remix in disco music and this led to its wide adoption as a standard practice in the industry. He also invented the breakdown section, and the twelve-inch single vinyl format in the process.
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.
"La Vie en rose" is the signature song of popular French singer Édith Piaf, written in 1945, popularized in 1946, and released as a single in 1947. The song became very popular in the United States in 1950, when seven versions reached the Billboard charts. These recordings were made by Tony Martin, Paul Weston, Bing Crosby, Ralph Flanagan, Victor Young, Dean Martin, and Louis Armstrong.
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.
Love is the third studio album by Mexican singer Thalía, released on 7 October 1992, by the previously owned Televisa record label, Melody/Fonovisa, which now belongs to Univision Music Group. It was produced by the Spanish songwriter and producer Luis Carlos Esteban. The album was released in Mexico, some Central-American countries, the United States, Spain, Greece and Turkey. In Mexico, two different versions of Love were released and later it would sell over 500,000 copies there, becoming her most successful album till the release of Primera Fila which sold over 600,000 copies.
Fame is the second studio album by Grace Jones, released on 7 June 1978 by Island Records.
Muse is the third studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on September 4, 1979, 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.
Ross is the ninth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released in September 1978 by Motown Records. The album served as a new album and a compilation, as it was a mixture of old and new songs. Side A consisting of four new tracks recorded in 1978, and Side B of material recorded by Ross between 1971 and 1975, but remixed and/or extended by Motown in-house producer Russ Terrana specifically for the Ross album. Ross peaked at number 49 on the US Pop Albums chart, and number 32 on Black Albums. The album failed to chart in the UK. Its final US sales figures stood at around 150,000 copies. The cover illustration was by Rickey Ricardo Gaskins. A different album also titled Ross was released on the RCA label in 1983.
The Grace Jones Story is a 2006 anthology of recordings by Grace Jones, spanning from 1977 to 1993.
"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 being described as a hybrid of funk and R&B. 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.
"Fantasy" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, which was issued as a single in 1978 by Columbia Records.
"Sorry" is a song by Jamaican singer and actress Grace Jones, released in 1976 with "That's the Trouble" as a Double A-Side single.
"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.
"I Need a Man" is the debut single by Grace Jones, released in 1975 through Beam Junction. It was re-released in 1977, and reached number 83 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the US Dance Club Songs chart.
"Do or Die" is a single by Grace Jones, released in 1978, promoting her album Fame.
Grace Jones' discography consists of 10 studio albums, eight compilation albums and 53 singles.
The Five Faces of Manfred Mann is the debut British and second American studio album by Manfred Mann. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 1964 by His Master's Voice. In late October/early November, the album was released in Canada by Capitol Records. The Canadian track listing was almost the same as the UK version, except it included the hit "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" instead of "I've Got My Mojo Working". The record has been called "one of the great blues-based British invasion albums; it's a hot, rocking record that benefits from some virtuoso playing as well".
