About

— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

Grace Jones fused art, fashion and music into a singular vision on Nightclubbing, her fifth studio album released in 1981 on Island Records. Recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas with the Compass Point All Stars, the set distilled reggae pulse, dub space and new wave minimalism into sleek, commanding pop. Her coolly detached voice anchors covers like Iggy Pop’s “Nightclubbing” and Bill Withers’s “Use Me,” alongside originals such as “Pull Up to the Bumper” and “Art Groupie.” The result is both sensual and subversive, an album that blurred boundaries between genres and identities. Lauded on release and influential ever since, Nightclubbing stands as Jones’s definitive statement and a cornerstone of post-disco modernity. — The Analog Vault

By all means a phenomenal pop album that hit number nine on the black albums chart and crossed over to penetrate the pop charts at number 32, Nightclubbing saw Grace Jones working once again with Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and the remainder of the Compass Point team. Nightclubbing also continues Jones' tradition of picking excellent songs to reinterpret. This time out, the Police's "Demolition Man," Bill Withers' "Use Me," and Iggy Pop's "Nightclubbing" receive radical reinterpretations; "Nightclubbing" is glacial in both tempo and lack of warmth, while both "Use Me" and "Demolition Man" fit perfectly into Jones' lyrical scheme. 

Speaking of a lyrical scheme, "Pull Up to the Bumper" (number five black singles, number two club play) is so riddled with naughty double entendres - or is it just about parallel parking? - that it renders Musique's "In the Bush" as daring as Paul Anka's "Puppy Love." Drive it in between what, Grace? It's not just lyrics that make the song stick out; jingling spirals of rhythm guitar and a simplistic, squelching, mid-tempo rhythm make the song effective, even without considering Jones' presence. Sly & Robbie provide ideal backdrops for Jones yet again, casting a brisk but not bristly sheen over buoyant structures. Never before and never since has a precisely chipped block of ore been so seductive. — (via Andy Kellman // AllMusic)

Vinyl // Tracklist
A1 Walking In The Rain    
A2 Pull Up To The Bumper    
A3 Use Me    
A4 Nightclubbing    
B1 Art Groupie    
B2 I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango)    
B3 Feel Up    
B4 Demolition Man    
B5 I've Done It Again    

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Label: Island Records / Universal
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Reissued version / Original release: 1981
Genre: Electronic, Reggae, Pop, Funk/Soul
Style: New Wave, Dub, Disco, Synth-pop, Reggae-Pop, Female Vocals

File under: TAV Essential Listening
File under: Electronic
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