Island Life

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Top 100 Albums (January to December 1986)" (PDF). Music Week. 24 January 1987. p. 25. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5. Most outstanding from her disco era between 1977-1979, was Grace's inspired, magnificent and vibrant re-working of the Edith Piaf classic from the 1920's, 'La Vie En Rose'. Grace alternately, and endearingly, sings in a strikingly rich, warm, engaging voice, delivering both English and French passages. The glorious, shimmering opening flows into a blend of sprightly-played Latin guitars and a smooth, reggae-like beat. 'La Vie En Rose' captures, arguably, Grace Jones' most expressive and passionate vocal performance of her career. She literally caresses the lyrics and exudes impressive, nifty vocal phrasing. Quite a masterpiece! Whether this exceeds Edith Piaf's original is subjective, but either way, Ms. Jones most certainly stamps her own undeniably unique mark on it. Will Hodgkinson. "Snapshot: Grace Jones". arts.guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Discography Grace Jones". charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23 . Retrieved 2015-10-16.

Austriancharts.at – Grace Jones – Island Life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 December 2021. Island Life is a best-of compilation by Grace Jones released in December 1985 to capitalise on the success of Slave To The Rhythm released earlier that same year. It sums up the first nine years of her musical career and includes songs from all her albums, except Muse. Austrian album certifications – Grace Jones – Island Life" (in German). IFPI Austria. 11 December 1990. British album certifications – Grace Jones – Island Life". British Phonographic Industry. 11 February 1986. European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 5. 8 February 1986. p. 17. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.The Official Charts Company - Island Life by Grace Jones Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013. The cover picture is one of the most famous images of Grace Jones and was created by her then-partner Jean-Paul Goude. The impossibly graceful arabesque is actually a montage of separate images, following Goude's ideas on creating credible illusions with his cut-and-paint technique. The body position is "anatomically unlikely". [4] The picture was originally published in New York magazine in 1978 and subsequently used in the music video for Jones' hit single " La Vie en rose". It has been since described as "one of pop culture's most famous photographs". [5] Also included in the album sleeve are other iconic images of Jones, among them the "twins" photograph, Grace Jones in a cage and wearing a "maternity" dress. Tom Townsend. "The Queen of music Grace Jones meets HRH The Queen!". music.uk.msn.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012 . Retrieved 17 August 2012.

Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. Guinness World Records Limited. p. 288. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. European Hot 100 Albums – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History. The funk-driven 'Pull Up To The Bumper' hosts lyrics which are riddled with double entendres (drive it in between WHAT, exactly? She definitely isn't referring to parallel parking). The fabulous arrangement contains lots of groovy, spiraling rhythms, incessant jangly guitars and a persistent, squelching, reggae-like beat. For those that don't know, and without being crude, the song is, in fact, all about the joys of anal sex! 'Pull Up To The Bumper' was originally released in 1981 and stalled at a disappointing #53. Upon its re-issue in 1985, which was to tie-in with the release of this compilation album, it raced into the Top 20, hitting #12, and also scored high on the Club and R&B Charts.

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The dark, swirling, hypnotic sounds and unearthly vibes of 'Walking In The Rain' from 1981's critically-acclaimed 'Nightclubbing' (a top 10 R&B hit 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 beguiling mood and atmosphere. The song had originally been composed and recorded by the Australian band Flash and the Pan in 1979. Grace's version was culled as the final single from 'Nightclubbing', but despite being a top notch cut, only met with mediocre success commercially. Offiziellecharts.de – Grace Jones – Island Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 December 2021. a b Robert Christgau. "Robert Christgau: CG: grace jones". www.robertchristgau.com . Retrieved 12 April 2012.

a b Keith Caulfield (19 December 2008). "Ask Billboard: Perez Hilton, Solange, Grace Jones". Billboard . Retrieved 22 April 2015.As no new material was recorded for Island Life, the album was promoted by re-releases of singles. " Pull Up to the Bumper" was remixed and released at the end of 1985. The song, which had peaked at number 53 in the UK when released originally in 1981, climbed to number 12 and became one of Jones' greatest hits in the UK. A special "Musclemix" version of the song was also released, which was a megamix of "Pull Up to the Bumper" and other hits. Images: Grace Jones by Jean-Paul Goude". afirstclassriot.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012 . Retrieved 15 August 2012. Images: Grace Jones by Jean-Paul Goude". afirstclassriot.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16 . Retrieved 2015-10-16. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. p. 160. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

The raging 'I Need A Man' is a slamming disco classic that ranks right up there with some of the most acclaimed disco recordings of the era, even if it is considerably over-looked as such. It certainly contributed to her growing popularity on the gay scene, and zoomed up to the top of the US Billboard dance chart. She had actually recorded the song in 1975 when signed to the Orfeus label in France, at which time she was still working as a fashion model. However, it commercially was ignored, but upon signing to Island Records she re-recorded it for her debut album 'Portfolio'. Will Hodgkinson. "Snapshot: Grace Jones". arts.guardian.co.uk. web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 15 June 2008 . Retrieved 1 August 2009. Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B− and felt that a "lot of her best material is simply ignored" in the record. Grace Jones Trivia – Grace Jones Interesting Facts – Grace Jones Notes". www.gracejones.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010 . Retrieved 27 September 2010. Extracted as a single from her second disco album, 'Fame', in 1978, 'Do Or Die' is a catchy if generic disco number which didn't really see any developments in her musical style. Even so, it's an enjoyable number set to an urgent beat and an effective vocal from Grace. Once again, though it failed to hit the mainstream chart, it did enjoy top ten success on the dance charts in the US. In its original edition on the 'Fame' album, it was included as part of Side One's non-stop medley, though was heavily edited for its release as a 7".Grace Jones's iconic 1985 Island Life album cover". Lostateminor. Archived from the original on 2015-10-14 . Retrieved 2015-10-16. Written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn (the latter also producing), 'Slave To The Rhythm' is one of Grace Jones' most familiar and popular recordings, as well as being one of her biggest commercial hits. Entwining pop, Go-go and funk styles, this atmospheric recording boasts a great vocal from Grace who really hits her stride. Like so many of her songs, it bears a somewhat ethereal effect.