"Island Life" was Grace Jones' 1985 compilation album, featuring songs from her Island Records albums like "Portfolio" (1977), "Fame" (1978), "Muse" (1979), "Warm Leatherette" (1980), "Nightclubbing" (1981), "Living My Life" (1982) and "Slave To The Rhythm" (1985). She wasn't taken seriously as a musician up until the release of Warm Leatherette in 1980, but I have always enjoyed her early disco work, especially the Portfolio album with its great tracks like Tomorrow, Send In The Clowns, I Need A Man and La Vie en Rose. The following two albums, Fame and Muse, were weaker but still contained a sprinkling of memorable disco musings like Autumn Leaves, Do Or Die and others. "Warm Leatherette" really put her on the musical map, especially on account of her version of the title track that was an obscure synth-pop single by Daniel Miller's The Normal. She also did interesting versions of Private Life (The Pretenders) and Love Is The Drug (Roxy Music). Tracks 6 to 8 come from Jones' very successful Nightclubbing album. Libertango and Walking In the Rain are witty, accessible pop ballads while the funky Pull Up To The Bumper is controversially sensual. My Jamaican Guy from the innovative Living My Life album is jerky, funky and tribal with stunning vocal arrangements. Unfortunately "Island Life" doesn't really succeed in providing the best of Grace Jones. It ought to properly have been a double disc as there are many other classics in her oeuvre that deserve to be on a best of album. Songs like Demolition Man, the title track from Nightclubbing, Rolling Stone, Art Groupie, Nipple To The Bottle and The Apple Stretching are equally worthy of inclusion on a greatest hits compilation. The cover is by Grace Jones’ then-partner Jean-Paul Goude, published in New York magazine in 1978. The impossibly graceful arabesque is a montage of separate images, following Goude’s ideas on creating credible illusions.
Track List:
01. "La Vie en Rose" (Mack David/Marcel Louiguy/Edith Piaf) – 7:25
02. "I Need a Man" (Pierre Papadiamandis/Paul Slade) – 3:22
03. "Do Or Die" [7" Edit] (James Bolden/Jerry Robinson) – 3:22
04. "Private Life" (Chrissie Hynde) – 5:10
05. "Love is the Drug" [Eric "E.T." Thorngren Remix] (Bryan Ferry/Andy Mackay) – 6:02
06. "I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)" (Nathalie Delon/Ástor Piazzolla/Barry Reynolds/Dennis Wilkey) – 4:29
07. "Pull Up to the Bumper" [7" Edit] (Koo Koo Baya/Grace Jones/Dana Mano) – 3:38
08. "Walking in the Rain" (Harry Vanda/George Young) – 4:18
09. "My Jamaican Guy" (Grace Jones) – 6:00
10. "Slave to the Rhythm" [7" Edit] (Simon Darlow/Trevor Horn/Steve Lipson/Bruce Woolley) – 4:22
Released: 1985
Label: Island Records
Genre: Reggae Pop
Length: 47:48
Producers: Tom Moulton, Chris Blackwell, Alex Sadkin, Trvor Horn
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