The Grace Jones Story | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | April 4, 2006 | |||
Recorded | 1977–93 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 146:59 | |||
Label | Universal | |||
Grace Jones chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
PopMatters | [2] |
The Grace Jones Story is a 2006 anthology of recordings by Grace Jones, spanning from 1977 to 1993.
The Grace Jones Story was Island Records/Universal Music's first attempt to create a comprehensive documentation of Jones' recording career; starting in 1977 with her debut album Portfolio , and ending with the one-off Island Records single "Sex Drive" in 1993.
Disc one gathers tracks from her first four albums: Portfolio, Fame , Muse and Warm Leatherette . Disc two includes one more track representing Warm Leatherette and songs from Jones's next four albums: Nightclubbing , Living My Life , Inside Story and Bulletproof Heart , plus the B-side "She's Lost Control" and "Sex Drive". The compilation however omits her biggest commercial hit, the 1985 "Slave to the Rhythm", and other charting songs, such as "Party Girl" and "Amado Mio", as well as one of Jones' signature tracks, "Demolition Man".
Disc One
Disc Two
Notes: This CD inexplicably skips the first two minutes of "Saved", subsequently starting with the first line of the second verse. Original length of the track is 7:13.
Grace Beverly Jones is a Jamaican model, singer and actress. In 1999, she ranked 82nd on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, and in 2008, she was honored with a Q Idol Award. Jones influenced the cross-dressing movement of the 1980s and has been an inspiration for artists including Annie Lennox, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Solange, Lorde, Róisín Murphy, Brazilian Girls, Nile Rodgers, Santigold, and Basement Jaxx. In 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 40th greatest dance club artist of all time.
"Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller's project The Normal, released in 1978.
"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" is a 1966 song written by Smokey Robinson. It was a hit single in 1967 for the American girl group The Marvelettes for the Motown label, from their self-titled album released that same year. In 1980, Jamaican singer Grace Jones remade the song and had minor success with her version in the US. The song has had several cover versions over the years. Blondie included a cover as the closing track on their 1982 conceptual album The Hunter. Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn recorded a cover for the soundtrack to Batman Forever in 1995. Most recently, Bette Midler performed a rendition included in the deluxe edition of her 2014 studio album It's The Girls!. Another cover also appeared on Jerry Garcia Compliments in 1974 and was performed live by the Jerry Garcia Band until into the early 90s.
Nightclubbing is the fifth studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter 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, art pop, dub, synth-pop and funk. The album has cover versions of songs by Bill Withers, Iggy Pop, Astor Piazzolla, and others, and original songs, three of which 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.
Island Life is a compilation album by Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works.
Muse is the third studio album by Grace Jones, released on September 4, 1979, by Island Records.
Warm Leatherette is the fourth studio album by 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' earlier disco sound, moving towards a new wave-reggae direction.
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.
The Ultimate Collection is a 3-CD anthology of recordings by Grace Jones, released in 2006 by Universal.
Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions is a compilation of recordings by Grace Jones released in 1998 by Island Records. The two-disc anthology consists mostly of material pulled from 1980–1982 recording sessions.
"Breakdown" is the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. It became a Top 40 hit in the United States and Canada.
"Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released as the third single from her fifth album, Nightclubbing. 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 album Nightclubbing and became its third single in June 1981. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs in the US and number 53 in the UK. 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 Universal Masters Collection is a mid-price compilation of recordings by Grace Jones, first released by Universal Music in 2003.
The Ultimate is a compilation of recordings by Grace Jones released in 1993. 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.
"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".
"Demolition Man" is a song written by Sting and performed by Grace Jones as the A-side of a 1981 single. Sting's band, the Police, later released their rendition of the song on their album Ghost in the Machine.
"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.
"A Rolling Stone" is a 1980 single by Jamaican singer Grace Jones.
Grace Jones' discography consists of 10 studio albums, eight compilation albums and 53 singles.