Me And Miss Jones

Dipping into my blog archives for a review of the 1998 Grace Jones compilation, Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions, which I reviewed on 14th August 2005 and rejigged and expanded slightly on 18th August 2026.

Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions is a 26-track 2CD collection, covering Jones’ work with Chris Blackwell, Alex Sadkin and Sly & Robbie between 1980 and 1982, with the addition of 1985’s Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson produced Slave To The Rhythm, plus rarities and previously unreleased songs from the Living My Life album sessions in 1982. 

The majority of these tracks and versions are previously unavailable on CD, and provide a fascinating overview of Grace Jones’ incredibly strong body of work. Opening with vocal and dub versions of Private Life, written by Chrissie Hynde, Jones’ ability to reinterpret (and ultimately own) other people’s songs continues with Roxy Music’s Love Is The Drug, Bill Withers’ Use Me and Joy Division’s She’s Lost Control, taking in diverse acts such as The Police, Iggy Pop, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and The Normal along the way, and including an unearthed demo of Ring Of Fire, originally recorded by Anita Carter in 1962, but turned into a global hit the following year by brother-in-law Johnny Cash. 

As good as these cover versions are, Grace's own songs, such as Pull Up To The Bumper, Nipple To The Bottle, My Jamaican Guy and Living My Life more than hold their own. It'll be of little surprise to note that Sly & Robbie’s drum and bass lead an incredibly tight band and it’s hard to imagine how this album could sound better. 

One small gripe about the inclusion of Slave To The Rhythm, though. Although a great song in it’s own right, it’s mid-80s, characteristically Trevor Horn/ZTT sound make it an incongruous, glossy add-on to an otherwise dub-inflected set, even if the version is (ever so slightly) different from the original 12" version and therefore unique to this compilation.

Matching the quality of the music within, the gorgeously illustrated CD booklet includes an engrossing piece by music writer Brian Chin. If you’re a Grace Jones fan, you should already have bought this on release in 1998. For anyone else, get it now, you won’t be disappointed.

And if you want a second opinion, here's a superlative review of the collection from Post Punk Monk in January 2025.

CD1

1) Private Life (Long Version) (Cover of The Pretenders) (1980)

2) Private Life (Dub Version) (Cover of The Pretenders) (1980)

3) Love Is The Drug (Long Version) (Cover of Roxy Music) (1980)

4) Breakdown (Album Version) (Cover of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers) (1980)

5) Warm Leatherette (Long Version) (Cover of The Normal) (1980)

6) The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game (Long Version) (Cover of The Marvelettes) (1980)

7) I've Done It Again (Album Version) (1981)

8) Pars (Long Version) (Cover of Jacques Higelin) (1980)

9) Pull Up To The Bumper (Album Version) (1981)

10) Use Me (Long Version) (Cover of Bill WIthers) (1981)

11) She's Lost Control (Long Version) (Cover of Joy Division) (1980)

12) She's Lost Control (Dub Version) (Cover of Joy Division) (1980)

CD2

1) Walking In The Rain (Cover of Flash & The Pan) (1981)

2) Cry Now, Laugh Later (Album Version) (1982)

3) Nightclubbing (Album Version) (Cover of Iggy Pop) (1981)

4) The Apple Stretching (Album Version) (Cover of Melvin Van Peebles/Waltz Of The Stork (Broadway OST)) (1982)

5) Nipple To The Bottle (Club Cut) (1982)

6) My Jamaican Guy / J.A. Guy (Dub) (12" Version) (1982)

7) Feel Up (Album Version) (1981)

8) I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango) (Album Version) (1981)

9) Demolition Man (Long Version) (Cover of The Police) (1981)

10) Unlimited Capacity For Love (Album Version) (1982)

11) Ring Of Fire (Demo) (Cover of 'Love's Ring Of Fire' by Anita Carter) (previously unreleased) (1982)

12) Man Around The House (previously unreleased) (1982)

13) Living My Life (7" Version) (1982)

14) Slave To The Rhythm (Hot Blooded Version) (previously unreleased) (1985)

Who Can Define Infinity?

A belated happy birthday to Grace Jones for 19th May who, depending on varying sources, celebrated her 71st, 73rd or 75th year on this planet. Really, who cares? The fact that she's here is all that matters.

I'm of an age where I can't be certain if my first encounter with Grace Jones was her music or the infamous chat show appearance with Russell Harty in 1980, but it's almost certainly the latter. 

 

The song that I really remember making an impression on me was Living My Life, which was included on an Island Records promo cassette, free with Record Mirror circa 1982. I don't remember much about the specific magazine but I guess that it was around this time I would also have seen some of the striking imagery inextricably linked with Grace, not least her album artwork. I also recall seeing the lyrics to her cover version of The Apple Stretching in Smash Hits. The first record that I bought by Grace was the 12" single of Slave To The Rhythm, with it's unforgettable cut-up photo by Jean-Paul Goude and 12" mix by Trevor Horn and Stephen Lipson, introduced by actor Ian McShane.

Only the first of these makes it onto today's random selection and even then in a dub version (although with vocals intact). And just the one cover version, not the aforementioned Melvin Van Peebles nor Joy Division nor Iggy Pop but Gordon Sumner's old band (although still very much a going concern in 1981). 

 

The eight songs don't stretch back into disco-era Miss Jones, but there are a few selections from the early 1980s, a couple of oddities from the late 1980s and 1990s and two remixes following her spectacular comeback (and to date most recent album) in 2008...as if Grace Jones ever really went away.

Still a force of nature to be cherished and never underestimated, Grace has a fair few UK festival appearances lined up in June and July, having curated last year's (pandemic delayed) Meltdown Festival. As I enthused last March, any live performance is unlikely to be anything less than spectacular.

 

1) Demolition Man (Long Version By Alex Sadkin & Chris Blackwell) (Cover of The Police) (1981)

2) Victor Should Have Been A Jazz Musician (The Jazzclubmillionminutemix By Ben Liebrand) (1987)

3) Love You To Life (Cagedbaby & Guy Williams Paradise 45 Rework) (2010)

4) Cry Now, Laugh Later (Vocal) (Remix By Steven Stanley) (1983)

5) Corporate Cannibal (Dan Donovan Remix) (2009)

6) Living My Life (Dub Version By Stephen Street) (1983)

7) Love Bites (7" Deep Into The Night Mix By The P.O.D.) (1996)

8) Nipple To The Bottle (Album Version By Alex Sadkin & Chris Blackwell) (1982)

 

Who Can Define Infinity? (44:55) (Box) (Mega)

Humble Yourself, My Children

As highlighted by Ernie Goggins at the always entertaining 27 Leggies blog on 1st February, Jamaica is currently celebrating Reggae Month. Ernie marked the occasion with music from a personal favourite, on what would have been the legendary Dennis Brown's 65th birthday. In typical fashion, I'd celebrated Dennis Brown here two weeks early.

By way of compensation and further celebration, here's more Dennis, accompanied by several other reggae legends, on a selection of cuts from 1972 to 1977. Most of the songs feature the vocal A-side paired with the version B-side, predominantly featuring The Aggrovators, for an extended rhythm. Is there a better way to roll into the weekend? Possibly, but this is pretty much guaranteed to shake you from a slumber to a slink in less than an hour.

 

1) Can You Feel It (Sufferation Every Day) (12" Version By Niney The Observer): Junior Byles (1977)

2) Skylarking / A Better Version (12" Version By Bunny Lee / King Tubby): Horace Andy ft. The Aggrovators (1976)

3) Declaration Of Rights / Dub Of Rights (12" Version By Bunny Lee) (Cover of The Abyssinians): Johnny Clarke ft. The Aggrovators (1975)

4) Jah Jah Is The Conqueror / Conqueror Dub (12" Version By Bunny Lee): Linval Thompson ft. The Aggrovators (1975)

5) Invasion (Wa Da Da) / Invasion Version (12" Version By Bunny Lee) (Cover of Burning Spear): Jackie Edwards ft. The Aggrovators (1976)

6) Wolf And Leopards (12" Version By Niney The Observer): Dennis Brown (1976)

7) Stir It Up (Album Version By Bob Marley & Chris Blackwell): Bob Marley & The Wailers (1972)

Humble Yourself, My Children (43:12)