Nightclubbing

Grace Jones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 15, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B000001FT2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,275 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

180 gram vinyl pressing. Universal. 2009. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW, January 22, 2005

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nightclubbing (Audio CD)

I remember the first time I heard this cd all the way through. The blend of RnB, Reggae, New Wave, Rock and Balladry was simply MIND BLOWING. Little wonder the British music magazine NME named this the best album of the year when originally released. Grace Jones posseses an incredibly versatile voice, and is perhaps one of the most under rated performers of my generation. Her tender singing on the emotional ballad "I've Done It Again" is breath taking, and is in stark contrast to the menacing vocals in the cover of the Police song "Demolition Man". "Libertango ( I've Seen That Face Before )" is a cool reggae tune with European touches. Some of the vocals are sung in French, and an accordian ( more than likely a synthesizer, as no accordian player is credited in the liner notes ) features prominantly. It's ALL GOOD here, people. Every song is a winner. The production is immaculate ( courtesy of Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and the one and only - sadly missed -Alex Sadkin ) and the band ( lead by the legendary rhythm section Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare ) is untouchable. The prefect blend of styles, the production and performance, both vocal and instrumental, the packaging ( that cover photo !!!! ) - it all adds up to one of the finest albums of the Eighties, if not of all time. BOTTOM LINE - If you like Grace Jones, you MUST have this cd in your collection, and if you are "Grace-curious" this is the best place to start.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pull Up To The Bumper., March 20, 2000

By 

Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nightclubbing (Audio CD)

I know that many people either haven't heard Grace Jones' music or they don't like her singing, but I happen to think that she is an important element in pop music history. Nightclubbing is her most consistent work alongside 1980's Warm Leatherette and 1982's Living My Life. She has a variety of sounds here with "Walking In The Rain", "Pull Up To The Bumper", "Nightclubbing", "Feel Up", "I've Done It Again" and "Libertango". The cd is very cohesive and the music flows seamlessly across 9 tracks. Grace's voice is really what sets her music apart from other artists. Her flat, oftentimes menacing voice pushes the music along. However, a surprise at the end of the cd, "I've Done It Again" shows that she really could sing. This is a must have for any rock collector.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE TORCH SINGER, July 7, 2000

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Nightclubbing (Audio CD)

Nightclubbing is the best starting point for those wishing to explore Ms Jones' immediate post-disco phase. This 1981 album followed the previous year's groundbreaking Warm Leatherette and was a commercial triumph. More accessible than both Warm Leatherette and Living My Life, this second work in the Sly & Robbie trilogy is packed with outstanding songs of lyrical and melodic distinction. They include compositions by Bill Withers, Astor Piazzolla, Sting, David Bowie/Iggy Pop, Barry Reynolds and Grace herself. The sound is crystal clear and despite the Jamaican influences the album has a bohemian European air about it.

Varied yet cohesive, Nightclubbing successfully explores different directions but gives the overall impression of a concept album. It is polished and sophisticated, displaying none of the raw edges of Warm Leatherette and offers a broader appeal than Living My Life. On the opening track Walking In The Rain Grace applies her semi-spoken vocal style over a light pop-reggae beat. Notorious for its risqué lyrics, Pull Up To The Bumper with its jerking Jamaican rhythms and car horn samples is a perennial club favorite which has seen a multitude of remixes and covers down the years.

The slower numbers are Bowie & Iggy's Nightclubbing which is sinister rather than celebratory and I've Done it Again which is romantic and soulful as opposed to the title track's menacing undertone. Speaking of which, her interpretation of Sting's Demolition Man takes menace to new dimensions; it's the most explicitly rock-influenced song here and packs a punch. Bill Withers' Use Me & her own composition Feel Up are both buoyant uptempo tracks, the first being a show of defiance with an infectious reggae beat and the second a Caribbean feast with rattling percussion, choral vocals, what appears to be flutes & whistles and a dialogue in French patois between Grace & a male vocal.

The magnificent Art Groupie is the most poetic & literary track with a flowing rhythmic lilt and a synth that resembles the golden age of Human League or Eurythmics. Reggae meets an accordion on the bouncy Libertango, a catchy bilingual track on which Grace speaks and sings elegantly in French and English. The album concludes with the wistful ballad I've Done It Again where an introspective lyric and an understated sound create a delicate gem. The follow-up Living My Life concluded the Sly & Robbie trilogy and therewith the reggae & dub phase of her career.

On her 1986 and 1989 albums - Inside Story & Bulletproof Heart - Ms Jones focused on soulful pop music. Then followed 19 years of silence. It was only in 2008 that Grace worked with Sly & Robbie again, on the challenging and ultimately rewarding Hurricane where Brian Eno and Tricky count amongst the other contributors. In my opinion, Nightclubbing remains Grace's masterpiece, a work that best demonstrates her distinctive styles as vocalist, interpreter and composer via an exceptional set of songs.