Grace Jones Story [Import, Original recording remastered]

Grace Jones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Universal UK
• ASIN: B000CR8REC
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,493 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. That's the Trouble

2. I Need a Man

3. La Vie en Rose

4. Send in the Clowns

5. What I Did for Love

6. Do or Die

7. Fame

8. Am I Ever Going to Fall in Love with New York City

9. Don't Mess with the Messer

10. Sinning

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Private Life

2. She's Lost Control

3. Pull Up to the Bumper

4. Walking in the Rain

5. Use Me

6. Nightclubbing

7. I've Seen That Face Before

8. My Jamaican Guy

9. The Apple Stretching

10. Nipple to the Bottle

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Digitally Remastered Double CD Anthology Released in 2006 as Part of a Series that Mirrors the Similar USA Issued "Gold" Series. This Set features the Best Recordings the Jamaican-born Model/Chanteuse Recorded for the Island Records Label. Her First Three Albums were Produced by the Legendary Soundshaper Tom Moulton (Featuring her Dance Oriented, Show Stopping Performance of Edith Piaf's "la Vie En Rose") and Later with Fellow Countrymen Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who Fashioned a Rich Hybrid Sound for Jones that Drew from the New Wave/Punk Movement and Fused it with Roots Jamaican Rhythms and Soul. Comes in a Hardback Cover and Includes a 24 Page Booklet.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars They Missed AGAIN!!, May 26, 2006

By 

chakasworld "chakasworld" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace Jones Story (Audio CD)

Sorry, I can't endorse this latest Grace Jones collection because Universal failed to include enough material from the SUPER RARE 'Muse' & 'Fame' albums (BTW, I have both on a single disc!), 'Seven Day Weekend' (fr.'Boomerang' SDTK), 'Slave To The Rhythm' (which is one of Grace's BIGGEST HITS without question!!), and the rare 1978 B-Side to 'Do Or Die' titled 'Comme Un Oiseau Qui S'Envole' (which I'm lucky enough to have on CD!!!) would've been a nice track to include here!!

In closing, 'The Grace Jones Story' (VERY OVERPRICED BY THE WAY!!) was supposed to be the FIRST comprehensive collection / anthology for Grace Jones fans, but alas..the record company fu**** up again!! And they wonder why fans insist on making BETTER compilations at home ? Hmmm...NEXT!
Peace, SD
(of 'Chaka's World')

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars To Make a Long Story Short..., April 9, 2007

By 

Truth "Truth24-7" (DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace Jones Story (Audio CD)

This UK release is by far the most comprehensive Grace Jones compilation to date (along with the 3 disc Holland import "Ultimate Grace Jones", which includes the rarely included song "Inspiration"). This collection leaves much to be desired, but it does include some rare tracks.

THE GRACE JONES STORY consists of 28 songs on two discs (14 tracks each), from 1977-1993. Discs packaged in cardboard sleeves (no disc holders); packaging resembles a children's book about the same dimensions as a standard jewel case; attached to the inside is a 12-page booklet, situated between the two cardboard sleeves (discs removed from opening on top); running time for each disc just under 75 minutes. Booklet includes a pedestrian (and nearly void of punctuation) essay by Daryl Easlea, an assortment of photographs (of album covers, magazine photos, advertisements, etc.; most too small to be easily viewed), a hard-to-read partial timeline of Ms. Jones's life, and no detailed track information (publishing dates provided for several songs clearly have no correlation to the recording or release dates; musician personnel, producer credits, albums of origin, and chart information not provided, nor is there a discography). Sound quality is good.

The first 11 songs on disc one come from Grace Jones's disco albums recorded in the late `70s. They include "Don't Mess with the Messer" (credited to Blues songwriter/producer Willie Dixon, but with different lyrics, a different melody, and a disco beat, it bears no resemblance to the song recorded by Blues legend Koko Taylor), "Fame" (not the David Bowie song or the theme from the film-turned-television-series, rather an enjoyable disco song written by Jones herself), and "Saved" (not the quasi-Gospel song recorded by Rhythm & Blues singer LaVern Baker, rather a different quasi-Gospel song). The best songs here are "Sinning", "Fame", and "Do or Die".

Beginning with track 12 on disc one thru track 10 on disc two, the songs are from Jones's three albums recorded at Compass Point studios (1980's "Warm Leatherette", 1981's "Nightclubbing", 1982's "Living My Life"). But missing from these recordings are "Pars", "Breakdown", "Cry Now, Laugh Later", "Unlimited Capacity for Love", "Living My Life", and the until recently unreleased demo of "Ring of Fire". Also missing are well known recordings like "Slave to the Rhythm" and "Demolition Man".

The last four songs of disc two begin with her big hit "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)", from 1986's "Inside Story"; this is the first Grace Jones compilation this song appears on (no other songs from that album, such as "Party Girl" or "Scary But Fun", are included in this collection). Her last album was 1989's "Bulletproof Heart"; "Love on Top of Love (Killer Kiss)" and "Someone to Love" are from this album. "Sex Drive" is a house/dance recording released as a single in 1993.

The track listing is often mis-identified. Here is the correct track listing:
Disc 1
01. That's the Trouble
02. I Need a Man
03. La Vie En Rose
04. Send in the Clowns
05. What I Did For Love
06. Do or Die
07. Fame
08. Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City
09. Don't Mess With the Messer
10. Sinning
11. Saved
12. Warm Leatherette
13. Love Is the Drug
14. The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game
Disc 2
01. Private Life
02. She's Lost Control
03. Pull Up to the Bumper
04. Walking in the Rain
05. Use Me
06. Nightclubbing
07. I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)
08. My Jamaican Guy
09. The Apple Stretching
10. Nipple to the Bottle
11. I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)
12. Love on Top of Love
13. Someone to Love
14. Sex Drive

On the back cover, there is a very obvious error in the text color of the track listing for the first disc.

No compiler credit is given; it is notable that Daryl Easlea also wrote the essay for "Grace Jones: The Collection" [2004, Spectrum/Universal].

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ladies And Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones, September 3, 2009

By 

Ian Phillips (Bolton, Lancashire, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grace Jones Story (Audio CD)

Well, the legendary Jamaican-born, singer, actress and ex-super model Grace Jones surprised both critics and fans in 2008 when she re-emerged after a 19 year hiatus, seemingly with a vengeance, on what is arguably the best album of her career "Hurricane". Now in her sixties, Grace Jones has amazingly never looked or sounded so great. "The Grace Jones Story" features her work prior to that stunning album and easily is the most lengthy, generous sampling of her sorely over-looked music career. Where it scores over the several Grace Jones compilations already available is that "The Grace Jones Story" welcomingly highlights all areas of her recording career, from her days as a celebrated disco diva and deservedly hailed as the "queen of gay discos", to her heralded trilogy of masterpieces with Sly and Robbie and to her post-Island work where Grace delved into pop and underground terriotry. The vast majority of hit singles Grace has scored variously on the pop, R&B and dance/club charts are included here as well as a wealth of top-notch classic album tracks.

The artwork of "The Grace Jones Story" is very fetching. The CD case unfolds into a short book containing a mini biography and a host of pictures illustrating the weird yet wonderful art of Grace Jones. It's a popular, well-known myth that Grace Jones somewhat off-the-wall image often overshadows her musical output as far as mainstream commercial recognition goes. This, unfortunately, seems all too true but "The Grace Jones Story" re-affirms that Grace wrote and recorded several dynamic, innovative, highly original songs, where she literally attacked each song with a diverse vocal approach, igniting the production, and by the time it was through, owning it!
CD1 is mainly devoted to her disco diva period in the late 1970's where she worked with Tom Moulton and cut three albums "Portfolio" (1977), "Fame" (1978) and "Muse" (1979) (all of which enjoyed immense success variably on the club and R&B charts). Disc one virtually includes the album "Portfolio" (1977) in its entirety with tracks such as the exceedingly catchy (though campy) "That's The Trouble" and a credible updating of the Broadway standard "Send In The Clowns". Even better from around this late 70's period was the raging "I Need A Man", a trumphed disco classic that ranks right up there with some of the best disco classics of that era. "Do Or Die" is also another particularly catchy song that stands of strong musical merit but most outstanding of all from this era between 1977-1979, was Grace's inspired, magnificent, vibrant re-working of the 1920's Edith Piaf classic "La Vie En Rose". Grace alternately, and endearingly, sings in a strikingly rich, warm, engaging voice, delivering both English and French passages (after all her music was highly popular in Europe). The glorious, shimmering opening flows into a blend of sprightly-played Latin guirtars and a smooth, reggae-like beat. "La Vie En Rose" captures, arguably, Grace Jones most outstanding vocal performance of her career. She literally caresses the lyrics and exudes impressive, passionate vocal phrasing. Quite a masterpiece!

Other disco tracks on CD1 include a beautifully delivered version of "What I Did For Love", conveying a notably more vulnreable Grace, "Fame" (distinctly sounding similar to "Do Or Die"), a stunning intepretation of "Am I Ever Gonna Fall In Love In New York City", the rolling, funky sounds of "Don't Mess With The Messer", bubbling tremendously with flair and fire, while "Sinning" is edgy and compelling and finally "Saved" which closes the disco chapter of "The Grace Jones Story". Incidentally "Sinning" and "Saved" had originally been included in one long red-hot medley on her 1979 studio album "Muse".
Her notable cover of the Normal's "Warm Leatherette" kicks off her legendary reggae-new wave icon era which also saw her image switched to that of an adrogynous, warrior-like look, created by her ex-husband Jean Paul Goude. Too me, this was her most incredible and exciting era. Just listen to the now-classic session playing by the likes of Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Uzziah Thompson, Wally Bardou etc, jamming hard away behind Grace's tough, distinctly unique vocal approach. The absolutely stunning "Warm Leatherette" consists of striking, thrashing guirtar riffages on the raging, fiery chrous. The track encapsulates a winning, eceltic blend of reggae-new wave-rock-soul, with an aggressive and robotic-like performance from Grace.

Her thrilling, rocketing version of Roxy Music's "Love Is The Drug", again arguably, surpasses their version. Grace's vocal delivery is snappy, though extremely engaging, conveying soulful qualities. This driving number, a highlight of Grace Jones career, raced into the UK Top 40 Chart and included on the superb, critically-lauded "Warm Leatherette" album of 1980. CD1 then grinds to a halt following a riviting, soulful remake of the Marvelettes "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" (written by Smokey Robinson) where Grace's performance is playful, exuberant and assertive.
CD2 is consistently excellent, and in my opinion represents Grace Jones at her best (prior, of course, to her 2008 "Hurricane" album). The disc opens with Grace's fantastic, compelling version of the Pretenders "Private Life", again succesfully combining an astute mixture of reggae-new wave-rock-soul. Grace talks in her renowned, deep, evocative voice on the thrashing verses and singing gently on the haunting chrous. "Private Life" became one of Grace Jones biggest sellers, flying into the UK Top 20 chart.

Grace's startling cover version of Joy Divisions "She's Lost Control" had first surfaced as the B side to her Top 20 hit "Private Life". The track is rather manic throughout! Although beginning endearingly enough, it careers along to a point where it becomes monotonous. Far better is the funk-driven "Pull Up To The Bumper". The lyrics are riddled with double entendres and the fabulous arrnagements contain lots of groovy, spiralling rhythms, incessant jangly guirtars and a persistent, squelching, reggae-like beat. "Pull Up To The Bumper" was originally released in 1981 and stalled at a disappointing #53. Upon its re-issue in 1986, following the top 5 success of her compilation album "Island Life", it raced into the Top 20 and flew up the Club and R&B Charts. One of Grace Jones definitive classics.
The swirling, dark, hypnotic sounds and vibes of the trancey "Walking In The Rain" from 1981's critically-acclaimed "Nightclubbing" (a top 10 R&B album and also voted "Album Of The Year" by readers of NME magazine) is a stand out! Grace delivers her trademark half-sung, half-spoken passages, all adding to the intensity of the mood and atmosphere. The boisterous, utterly superb "Use Me", a Bill Withers cover version, is another knock-out track with a red-blooded, ferocious, adrenalin-fuelled performance by Grace, while "Nightclubbing" (written by David Bowie and Iggy Pop) sporadically captures bizarre, yet haunting, synchronised sound effects. Extraordinary intepretation to say the least. "Ive Seen That Face Before" is something of an over-looked masterpiece. Immersed in a dark setting, Grace once again delivers English and French passages, intertwined with Latin-flavoured, reggae-like arrangements. It cleverly encapsulates vibes of Jamaica, Paris and New York! A lilting mix!

The sparse "My Jamaican Guy" from 1982's organic "Living My Life" (another Top 20 seller in Britain), features Grace endearingly singing in Jamaican twang. The mid tempo confection of Reggae and Soul, became another international hit to her credit. She also injects Jamaican twang in her fascinating cover of Michael Van Peebles "The Apple Stretching" which depicts life in "sunny" New York. The bouncy, infectious delights of "Nipple To The Bottle" is another marvelous slice of reggae-new wave-soul that echoes the sounds of her classic hit "Pull Up To The Bumper". "The Apple Stretching" and "Nipple To The Bottle" were released as a double A side single, chalking up another hit to her name in the process.
In 1986, following the mammoth Top 5 success of her compilation album "Island Life", Grace departed Island Records, signing a new deal with the Manhatten label. She headed in a new direction muscially, some of which haas been vastly underated. Grace was immediately teamed with the genius Nile Rodgers (who had weaved successful hit singles for the likes of Diana Ross and Madonna) for the delightful, tropical-like pop/R&B/dance project "Inside Story" (1986). From this wonderful album was the contagious "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect For You)", steering Grace into a more commercial sound. Distinctly 1980's but a splendid number (if you like 80's pop/R&B music layered with drum machines and synthesisers) that boasts a sizzling hot, pumping, pulsating bassline. The track was one of Grace's biggest hit singles States side, bouncing into the Top 10.

"Love On Top Of Love" was taken from 1989's less-successful and largely over-looked "Bulletproof Heart", an enjoyable, if slightly disjointed (and dated) album. "Love On Top Of Love" is another bright, commercial-like belter that is instantly infectious (all depending on whether you like this era of Grace Jones or not). It whirled up the dance/club charts though was vastly underated at the time. Grace once again conveys a vulnreable side on the rousing, soft-rock/pop ballad "Someone To Love", which intertwines English and French lyrics and was another track lifted from 1989's "Bulletproof Heart". CD2 then closes with Grace's cracking 1992 club hit "Sex Drive" which is a belter and comes complete with some mildly risque lyrics.
"The Grace Jones Story" is undoubtedly the most lengthy, comprehensive compilations of her work. Anyone wanting a thorough over view of her music career, then this 2 disc collection is the... Read more ›