Slave to the Rhythm
Encyclopedia
Slave to the Rhythm is the seventh album by Grace Jones
. It was produced by Trevor Horn
(assisted by Stephen Lipson
) and released in 1985. The album was written by Bruce Woolley
, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn. Unlike most albums that feature a collection of different songs, Slave to the Rhythm was a concept album that featured several, radical interpretations of the title track, interviews with Jones as well as actor Ian McShane
reciting passages from Jean-Paul Goude
's biography Jungle Fever (Goude designed the album cover).
The album reached number #12 on the UK Album Chart in November 1985 and #10 on the German Album Charts. In 1986 Billboard told that the album sold 150.000 in USA and 1 million copies worldwide.
Side B
The US CD (Island 422–842 612-2) retained the same track listing and running times as the vinyl version.
' featured a voiceover from actor Ian McShane
and scenes from the 1986 series of French television advertisements for the futuristic Citroën CX GTi Turbo
automobile. The spots also featured Ms. Jones. The climax of the video, synchronised with the lyric "Here's Grace!" features Jones pointing a pistol to her own head, apparently on the brink of suicide.
(this is the album track titled "Slave To The Rhythm")
Single
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
. It was produced by Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
(assisted by Stephen Lipson
Stephen Lipson
Stephen J. Lipson is a musician and producer who has worked with numerous artists, including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Cher, Grace Jones, Paul McCartney, Pet Shop Boys, Take That, Simple Minds, Lindisfarne, and Annie Lennox....
) and released in 1985. The album was written by Bruce Woolley
Bruce Woolley
Bruce Woolley is an English writer, performer, record producer and composer.- Early years :Bruce Woolley was born in Loughborough, England on 11 November 1953 and was educated at Loughborough Grammar School where he learned electric guitar, began to write songs and where he met his future wife,...
, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn. Unlike most albums that feature a collection of different songs, Slave to the Rhythm was a concept album that featured several, radical interpretations of the title track, interviews with Jones as well as actor Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
reciting passages from Jean-Paul Goude
Jean-Paul Goude
Jean-Paul Goude is a French graphic designer, illustrator, photographer and advertising film director. He created several well-known campaigns for brands such as Perrier, Citroën and Chanel....
's biography Jungle Fever (Goude designed the album cover).
The album reached number #12 on the UK Album Chart in November 1985 and #10 on the German Album Charts. In 1986 Billboard told that the album sold 150.000 in USA and 1 million copies worldwide.
LP: ZTT / GRACE 1 (UK)
Side A- "Jones the RhythmJones the Rhythm"Jones the Rhythm" is the second single from Grace Jones' album Slave to the Rhythm, which was released in 1985."Jones the Rhythm" was the opening track on the album and was one of the eight variations on the "Slave to the Rhythm" theme, this one more rock-influenced and dramatic than the hit...
" – 6:26 - "The Fashion Show" – 6:26
- "The Frog and the Princess" – 7:04
- "Operattack" – 2:45
Side B
- "Slave to the RhythmSlave to the Rhythm (song)"Slave to the Rhythm" was the first single from Grace Jones' album of the same name, which was released in 1985. The song and the album was written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn and was produced by Horn...
" – 6:35 - "The Crossing (Oohh the Action...)" – 4:58
- "Don't Cry – It's Only the Rhythm" – 2:53
- "Ladies & Gentlemen: Miss Grace JonesSlave to the Rhythm (song)"Slave to the Rhythm" was the first single from Grace Jones' album of the same name, which was released in 1985. The song and the album was written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn and was produced by Horn...
" – 5:56
CD: ZTT-Island / CID 4011 (UK)
Several minutes from the original LP are absent on the CD reissue; many songs are shortened, the track order is altered, and fragments of an interview with Jones conducted by Paul Morley are also omitted.The US CD (Island 422–842 612-2) retained the same track listing and running times as the vinyl version.
- "Jones The Rhythm" – 5:24
- "The Fashion Show" – 4:05
- "Operattack" – 2:16
- "Slave to the RhythmSlave to the Rhythm (song)"Slave to the Rhythm" was the first single from Grace Jones' album of the same name, which was released in 1985. The song and the album was written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn and was produced by Horn...
" – 6:12 - "The Frog and the Princess" – 7:34
- "The Crossing (Oohh the Action...)" – 4:51
- "Don't Cry – It's Only the Rhythm" – 2:53
- "Ladies & Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones" ("Slave to the Rhythm" 7" Edit) – 4:27
Personnel
- The Ambrosian Singers – Background Vocals, Choir, Chorus
- Guy BarkerGuy BarkerGuy Barker is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year had joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra...
– Trumpet - Pete Beachill – Trombone, Trumpet
- J.J. Belle – Guitar, Percussion, Bass, Vocals, Hi Hat
- Dave Bishop – Tenor Saxophone
- Stuart Brook – Trumpet
- David GilmourDavid GilmourDavid Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
- Guitar samples - Glenn GregoryGlenn GregoryGlenn Gregory is an English musician. A founding member of Heaven 17, he was partly responsible for hit records such as "Temptation"....
– Background Vocals - Jean-Paul Goude – Design
- Goude's cover is very like an earlier design of his for Cristina'sCristina (singer)-Studio albums:* Cristina * Sleep It Off * Doll in the Box - Expanded re-issue of Cristina* Sleep It Off - Expanded re-issue-Singles:* "Disco Clone"...
Sleep It OffSleep It OffSleep It Off is the second album from No Wave pop singer Cristina.-Music:Sleep It Off was produced by Don Was. The songs were written by Cristina collaborating with Was and her backing musicians, Barry Reynolds and Ben Brierly , and Doug Frieder...
- Goude's cover is very like an earlier design of his for Cristina's
- Trevor HornTrevor HornTrevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
– Producer - Luis JardimLuís JardimLuís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn.-Family:Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim...
– Percussion, Bass - Grace Jones – Leader, Vocals
- S.J. LipsonStephen LipsonStephen J. Lipson is a musician and producer who has worked with numerous artists, including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Cher, Grace Jones, Paul McCartney, Pet Shop Boys, Take That, Simple Minds, Lindisfarne, and Annie Lennox....
– Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Engineer, Synclavier, Assistant Producer - Andy Macintosh – Tenor Saxophone
- Gary Maughan – Keyboards
- John McCarthy – Conductor, Choir, Chorus
- Andra Faye McIntosh – Baritone Saxophone
- Richard NilesRichard NilesRichard Niles is an American composer, arranger, producer, guitarist, broadcaster and journalist. He has lived in London since 1975. Because of his extensive work across many genres Sound on Sound magazine referred to him as "one of the most versatile men in modern music".-Early years:Niles was...
– Arranger - Tessa NilesTessa NilesTessa Niles is an English singer, best known as a backing singer for a wide variety of artists.-Early life and career:Born in Kent, Niles began her professional singing career, as both a lead and a backing vocalist, in 1979...
– Harp, Background Vocals - Geoff Perkins – Trombone
- John Pignegny – French Horn
- Andrew Richards – Guitar, Keyboards, Background Vocals
- Andy Richards – Drums, Keyboards
- Frank RicottiFrank RicottiFrank Ricotti is an English jazz vibraphonist and percussionist.Ricotti played in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra while a teenager, then attended Trinity College of Music...
– Percussion, Arranger - Jon Sinclair – Keyboards
- David Snell – Harp, French Horn
- Stan SulzmannStan SulzmannStanley Ernest Sulzmann is an English jazz saxophonist.Sulzmann began on saxophone at age 13 and played in Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music from 1969-1972...
– Alto & Tenor Saxophone - James Talbert – Alto Saxophone
- John Thirkell – Percussion, Trumpet
- Shorty Tim – Percussion
- Philip Todd – Alto Saxophone
- Wallmen – Keyboards
- Bruce WoolleyBruce WoolleyBruce Woolley is an English writer, performer, record producer and composer.- Early years :Bruce Woolley was born in Loughborough, England on 11 November 1953 and was educated at Loughborough Grammar School where he learned electric guitar, began to write songs and where he met his future wife,...
– Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Background Vocals
Video
The music video for the title track 'Slave to the RhythmSlave to the Rhythm (song)
"Slave to the Rhythm" was the first single from Grace Jones' album of the same name, which was released in 1985. The song and the album was written by Bruce Woolley, Simon Darlow, Stephen Lipson and Trevor Horn and was produced by Horn...
' featured a voiceover from actor Ian McShane
Ian McShane
Ian David McShane is an English actor, director, producer, voice artist, and comedian.Despite appearing in numerous films, McShane is best known for his television roles, particularly the BBC's Lovejoy and HBO's Western drama Deadwood...
and scenes from the 1986 series of French television advertisements for the futuristic Citroën CX GTi Turbo
Citroën CX
The Citroën CX is an automobile produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1974 to 1991. Citroën sold nearly 1.2 million CXs during its 16 years of production. The CX was voted European Car of the Year in 1975....
automobile. The spots also featured Ms. Jones. The climax of the video, synchronised with the lyric "Here's Grace!" features Jones pointing a pistol to her own head, apparently on the brink of suicide.
Singles
(this single is actually a version of the album track "Ladies and Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones", the closing song of the album, not the album track titled "Slave To The Rhythm")(this is the album track titled "Slave To The Rhythm")
Charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
23 |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
9 |
| Germany | 10 |
| USA | 71 |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
13 |
Single
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Slave to the Rhythm" | UK | 12 |
| Germany | 4 | ||
| Netherlands | 3 | ||
| Australia | 20 |