Grace Jones

Three CD edition. 2015 release from the Pop icon containing a trio of albums plus rarities and unheard tracks. Signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records, Jones' three albums Portfolio, Fame and Muse were produced by none other than Tom Moulton, 'the father of the disco mix,' who earned his title by assembling the first continuous mix side of an album in 1974 with Gloria Gaynor's Never Can Say Goodbye. After working with the Three Degrees, MFSB and Trammps, he was hot property, and Jones seemed a natural choice for him to work with. Disco a beguiling time capsule. Exciting, vibrant, camp, showy, it is the intro-to-coda of this early flowering of Grace Jones. It's a look back to another time, one that seems much further removed than the constantly evolving modernism of her Compass Point trilogy. This is the music that established Jones; glossily theatrical, toughly camp party pieces with portentous overtones. This beautiful newly-remastered collection brings together the three albums and unreleased tracks, in-era mixes and instrumental versions.

Originally released in 1985, Island Life compiles highlights from Grace Jones' 1977 debut through 1985’s Slave to the Rhythm. It’s a concise overview that features four Top Ten U.S. club hits (“I Need a Man,” “Do or Die,” “Pull Up to the Bumper,” “Slave to the Rhythm”), as well as an additional smattering of choice cuts from her late-‘70s collaborations with Tom Moulton and her stellar ‘80s work with Sly & Robbie. It’s a decent introduction for casual fans but lacks crucial material like “Warm Leatherette” and “Nipple to the Bottle.” A later edition, dubbed Island Life 2, adds "Pars," "Feel Up," and two remixes of "Sex Drive."

Grace Jones' The Collection, released in 2004 by the Spectrum offshoot of Universal U.K., found enough room for a demo of "Ring of Fire" (a Johnny Cash cover) but decided not to include "Pull Up to the Bumper," one of the singer's biggest singles (if not the biggest). It's one of few flaws, but it is a massive flaw, and it makes the disc a wasted opportunity. Otherwise, the disc covers a lot of ground, despite cutting off at 1982 (so "Slave to the Rhythm" isn't here, either). There's plenty of Compass Point-era coverage, with her spectacular covers of the Normal's "Warm Leatherette," Roxy Music's "Love Is the Drug," and Joy Division's "She's Lost Control" present. The lack of chronological sense is another drawback.

Grace Jones - Warm Leatherette (1980) {2016 2CD Deluxe Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.01 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 363 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1980, 2016 Island / Universal | 0600753660713
Dub / Reggae / New Wave / Club-Dance / Dance Pop

Grace Jones fans have been well served by Universal Music in recent years with an excellent Nightclubbing reissue in 2014 and last year’s Disco box set which brought together Portfolio, Fame, and Muse in one smart package. This trend continues in 2016 with deluxe editions of Jones’ 1980 album Warm Leatherette due in June…