Awesome piece! I love Grace Jones and it all started with this song. I don’t remember if I heard it on the radio first or in a club, but I had to have it. I bought the 12” (and, yes, the bass feels marvelous) and put it on every party tape. The groove was just extraordinary and the way Grace wove her voice through the rhythms was unique. It took me a while to catch up with more of her stuff, but when I walked into Tower Records and heard her version of Use Me, my favorite Bill Withers song, I was ALL IN. I got to see her live in 2009 after her brilliant (and underrated) comeback album, Hurricane, and she gave it her all, with multiple costumes and a terrific live band. Viva Grace Jones! P.S. Here’s a piece I wrote for Warm Leatherette’s 40th anniversary: https://rockandrollglobe.com/dub-reggae/five-lessons-from-bass-culture-and-warm-leatherette/
Great article, Jeremy, thanks for sharing. My introduction to Grace was actually the song you highlight, “Private Life.” When Nightclubbing came out, I was all in. And you’re right, those records haven’t aged a bit. I’ll give the Linton KJ album another listen; I don’t know it as well. Thanks for reading and for the wonderful compliment. Have a great weekend!
Great dive deep! I particularly liked how you narrated her early beginnings. What a tough upbringing. I love how she found her strength through that unenviable childhood. I also loved the way you bring Chris Blackwell into the scene, his vision, and the way he described her and her talent.
To be honest, I've never really fully connected with her singing, but I have huge admiration and respect for her and her artistry. A true icon, without a shadow of a doubt.
You’re right, Andy, singing was never really her strong suit 😁, but that’s part of what makes her such a unique performer. I was really moved reading about her upbringing. The things people do in the name of religion… it makes me angry every time. In her case, though, it ultimately shaped who she became. Thanks for reading, sharing, and reacting, have a great one!
Grace Jones is an artist I’m not that familiar with outside of a few of the bigger hits. Based on this fantastic piece, I’ll definitely need to check out those two albums at a minimum.
“The Compass Point sessions didn’t just shape a sound, they planted the seeds of trip-hop, downtempo, and the darker, more sensual side of modern pop.” is a brilliant observation Pé! I can definitely hear and feel the DNA of those genres in her music.
Not sure if you’ve heard it, but in the mid-90s Patra released a version of the song: https://youtu.be/xSEGmIrR_xY That may actually be the first time I heard the track.
Hadn’t heard this one before! If my ear for accents is still any good, she’s Jamaican too, right? 😂
No double entendres this time though, the video makes it perfectly clear what she’s talking about. Different era, of course. What was shocking in the eighties barely raises an eyebrow now.
And you’re in for a real treat, Mark, Nightclubbing and Warm Leatherette are two of the best albums ever made, in my humble opinion. Definitely the peak of Grace Jones.
Glad you mentioned the futuristic synth contributions of Wally Badarou, best known for his contributions to Level 42 but who I first came to know through his work with M (Robin Scott). Everyone knows Pop Musik of course, but checkout the atmospheric synths on little known tracks like Transmission and Keep It To Yourself; he was indeed a "sonic painter" as you so eloquently put it. Back to Grace; I was particularly interested in the recording method which encouraged her to be a part of the band as opposed to the Tom Moulton approach which kept her at arm's length. One of the reasons a lot of Eurodisco had a hard time in the UK was that soul fans assumed the white female vocalists were uninvolved in the recording process and phoned in their performances whereas black American singers were regarded as committed performers whatever the recording circumstances. I suspect the reality was rather more complex.
Yeah, absolutely, Paul 😁 I think there were just as many Black performers who had little say in the recording process… Disco was, first and foremost, producers’ music. The Tom Moulton approach wasn’t an exception, that’s simply how he worked, and he’d learned it from others in the studio world.
Badarou’s 1984 album Echoes was huge in Belgium, right up there with Nightclubbing. A year later, he worked on the Kiss of the Spider Woman soundtrack, and the track “Novela Das Nove” became another dancefloor hit. He’ll definitely get his own episode soon.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts, Paul. Have a great weekend!
She would hum the 007 theme when she'd see Sean Connery at the Island Golden Eye Estate resort and drove him crazy and eventually away... Chris Blackwell in his amazing autobiography. I worked for her at Island and spent an entire Saturday with her and later met Sly and Robbie. By far the best thing about working in publicity is its artist adjacent aspect. Pull Up to The Bumper is the jam that mixed all genres and changed everything for everyone. I DJ'd the heck out of it at fashion shows. Here's a little taste of my eclectic fashion show mixes using PUTTB twice! I think this is a tape from 8BC or a Limelight NYC fashion show 84 or 85: https://on.soundcloud.com/6trLIjqPFHUvMeaOWi
Thanks for giving praise to the queen of the dance floor and fashion (the anodized aluminum bra ad was from the 109 store - Keith Haring's close assistant David Spada and famously worn by Grace)
Haha, I’ve almost finished her autobiography I’ll Never Write My Memoirs, it really gives you a sense of who Grace (or should I say Beverly) Jones is. The 007 theme humming is so her 😁
I’m listening to your mixtape now and just read your story, such a great reminder of that fearless, no-boundaries spirit of the time. Fantastic stuff, Steve. Thanks for reading and for the kind words. Have a great one!
This was so educational! I don't know much of Grace Jones' music beyond "Slave To The Rhythm", "Pull Up To The Bumper", and "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)" so this was a great. I love your deep dive posts like this so keep up the great work!
It’s definitely worth diving into more of her work, Dan. Nightclubbing and Warm Leatherette are her best, no doubt. Funny enough, in her memoirs she mentions that she often listens to Inside Story, the 1986 album produced by Nile Rodgers, which gave us “I’m Not Perfect” (my personal favorite of hers).
Thanks for reading and for the kind words, Dan. Have a great weekend!
Nicely detailed journey here! I confess to being pretty unfamiliar with most of her music. My husband saw her in concert a year or so ago and thought she was fantastic! Clearly, I'm missing something.
I saw her a second time after her comeback album. The shows these days are a bit different, and I wasn’t a huge fan of her comeback album, but she is and always will be a true performer.
Those first two Compass Point albums are fantastic, Dan, and they’ve really stood the test of time. You can hear how much late-’90s trip-hop was influenced by that sound.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts. Have a great weekend!
Awesome piece! I love Grace Jones and it all started with this song. I don’t remember if I heard it on the radio first or in a club, but I had to have it. I bought the 12” (and, yes, the bass feels marvelous) and put it on every party tape. The groove was just extraordinary and the way Grace wove her voice through the rhythms was unique. It took me a while to catch up with more of her stuff, but when I walked into Tower Records and heard her version of Use Me, my favorite Bill Withers song, I was ALL IN. I got to see her live in 2009 after her brilliant (and underrated) comeback album, Hurricane, and she gave it her all, with multiple costumes and a terrific live band. Viva Grace Jones! P.S. Here’s a piece I wrote for Warm Leatherette’s 40th anniversary: https://rockandrollglobe.com/dub-reggae/five-lessons-from-bass-culture-and-warm-leatherette/
Well, there’s my complete surprise of the day, Jeremy! Cool story, and I enjoyed your Jones article, too!
Great article, Jeremy, thanks for sharing. My introduction to Grace was actually the song you highlight, “Private Life.” When Nightclubbing came out, I was all in. And you’re right, those records haven’t aged a bit. I’ll give the Linton KJ album another listen; I don’t know it as well. Thanks for reading and for the wonderful compliment. Have a great weekend!
Great dive deep! I particularly liked how you narrated her early beginnings. What a tough upbringing. I love how she found her strength through that unenviable childhood. I also loved the way you bring Chris Blackwell into the scene, his vision, and the way he described her and her talent.
To be honest, I've never really fully connected with her singing, but I have huge admiration and respect for her and her artistry. A true icon, without a shadow of a doubt.
Happy weekend!
You’re right, Andy, singing was never really her strong suit 😁, but that’s part of what makes her such a unique performer. I was really moved reading about her upbringing. The things people do in the name of religion… it makes me angry every time. In her case, though, it ultimately shaped who she became. Thanks for reading, sharing, and reacting, have a great one!
Absolutely. As a performer, she’s legendary. Completely agree with what you say about religion. It’s bonkers. Have a great weekend too! 😘
Grace Jones is an artist I’m not that familiar with outside of a few of the bigger hits. Based on this fantastic piece, I’ll definitely need to check out those two albums at a minimum.
“The Compass Point sessions didn’t just shape a sound, they planted the seeds of trip-hop, downtempo, and the darker, more sensual side of modern pop.” is a brilliant observation Pé! I can definitely hear and feel the DNA of those genres in her music.
Not sure if you’ve heard it, but in the mid-90s Patra released a version of the song: https://youtu.be/xSEGmIrR_xY That may actually be the first time I heard the track.
Hadn’t heard this one before! If my ear for accents is still any good, she’s Jamaican too, right? 😂
No double entendres this time though, the video makes it perfectly clear what she’s talking about. Different era, of course. What was shocking in the eighties barely raises an eyebrow now.
And you’re in for a real treat, Mark, Nightclubbing and Warm Leatherette are two of the best albums ever made, in my humble opinion. Definitely the peak of Grace Jones.
Thanks for reading and reacting!
Yes, she is Jamaican and you’re right, there’s nothing subtle about what she’s singing about! Really looking forward to listening to those albums.
Glad you mentioned the futuristic synth contributions of Wally Badarou, best known for his contributions to Level 42 but who I first came to know through his work with M (Robin Scott). Everyone knows Pop Musik of course, but checkout the atmospheric synths on little known tracks like Transmission and Keep It To Yourself; he was indeed a "sonic painter" as you so eloquently put it. Back to Grace; I was particularly interested in the recording method which encouraged her to be a part of the band as opposed to the Tom Moulton approach which kept her at arm's length. One of the reasons a lot of Eurodisco had a hard time in the UK was that soul fans assumed the white female vocalists were uninvolved in the recording process and phoned in their performances whereas black American singers were regarded as committed performers whatever the recording circumstances. I suspect the reality was rather more complex.
Yeah, absolutely, Paul 😁 I think there were just as many Black performers who had little say in the recording process… Disco was, first and foremost, producers’ music. The Tom Moulton approach wasn’t an exception, that’s simply how he worked, and he’d learned it from others in the studio world.
Badarou’s 1984 album Echoes was huge in Belgium, right up there with Nightclubbing. A year later, he worked on the Kiss of the Spider Woman soundtrack, and the track “Novela Das Nove” became another dancefloor hit. He’ll definitely get his own episode soon.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts, Paul. Have a great weekend!
She would hum the 007 theme when she'd see Sean Connery at the Island Golden Eye Estate resort and drove him crazy and eventually away... Chris Blackwell in his amazing autobiography. I worked for her at Island and spent an entire Saturday with her and later met Sly and Robbie. By far the best thing about working in publicity is its artist adjacent aspect. Pull Up to The Bumper is the jam that mixed all genres and changed everything for everyone. I DJ'd the heck out of it at fashion shows. Here's a little taste of my eclectic fashion show mixes using PUTTB twice! I think this is a tape from 8BC or a Limelight NYC fashion show 84 or 85: https://on.soundcloud.com/6trLIjqPFHUvMeaOWi
Where my Island days met my 109 St. Mark's Place DJ nights. See below (also Black Uhuru boot too) https://open.substack.com/pub/stevegabe/p/my-year-at-island-records-83?r=14weym&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Thanks for giving praise to the queen of the dance floor and fashion (the anodized aluminum bra ad was from the 109 store - Keith Haring's close assistant David Spada and famously worn by Grace)
Have a great weekend!!!
I love it how you mixed & manipulated "Like A Virgin" into the Flying Lizzards. Hilarious !
Haha, I’ve almost finished her autobiography I’ll Never Write My Memoirs, it really gives you a sense of who Grace (or should I say Beverly) Jones is. The 007 theme humming is so her 😁
I’m listening to your mixtape now and just read your story, such a great reminder of that fearless, no-boundaries spirit of the time. Fantastic stuff, Steve. Thanks for reading and for the kind words. Have a great one!
This was so educational! I don't know much of Grace Jones' music beyond "Slave To The Rhythm", "Pull Up To The Bumper", and "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)" so this was a great. I love your deep dive posts like this so keep up the great work!
It’s definitely worth diving into more of her work, Dan. Nightclubbing and Warm Leatherette are her best, no doubt. Funny enough, in her memoirs she mentions that she often listens to Inside Story, the 1986 album produced by Nile Rodgers, which gave us “I’m Not Perfect” (my personal favorite of hers).
Thanks for reading and for the kind words, Dan. Have a great weekend!
Nicely detailed journey here! I confess to being pretty unfamiliar with most of her music. My husband saw her in concert a year or so ago and thought she was fantastic! Clearly, I'm missing something.
I saw her a second time after her comeback album. The shows these days are a bit different, and I wasn’t a huge fan of her comeback album, but she is and always will be a true performer.
Those first two Compass Point albums are fantastic, Dan, and they’ve really stood the test of time. You can hear how much late-’90s trip-hop was influenced by that sound.
Thanks for reading and for your thoughts. Have a great weekend!