Inside Story (Grace Jones Album)
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''Inside Story'' is the eighth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by Jamaican singer, songwriter and model
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...
, released in November 1986, her first with the
Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Capitol Music Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records af ...
label. The album spawned the hit single "
I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You) "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" is a song by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released as the first single from her eighth album, '' Inside Story'' (1986). It was co-written by Bruce Woolley and produced by Nile Rodgers of C ...
".


Production and release

Having achieved a major success with the comeback album '' Slave to the Rhythm'' and the best-selling hits compilation ''
Island Life ''Island Life'' is a compilation album by Grace Jones, released in December 1985, summing up the first nine years of her musical career. The album sits among Jones' best-selling works. Production and release After the major commercial success ...
'', both in 1985, Grace Jones delivered her next album the following year. Released under her new contract with
Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Capitol Music Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhattan Records af ...
, ''Inside Story'' saw Jones working with producer
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
of
Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...
(Jones had previously tried to work with the band during the disco era). The album was recorded at Skyline Studios in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and post-produced at
Atlantic Studios Atlantic Studios was the recording studio of Atlantic Records. Although this recording studio was located at 1841 Broadway (at the corner of 60th Street), in New York City, Atlantic Recording Studios was initially located at 234 West 56th Street ...
and Sterling Sound. ''Inside Story'' is notable for being Jones' first foray into production, which resulted in frequent, heated clashes with Rodgers. Musically, the album explores varieties of pop music, with elements of
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
,
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
and Caribbean sounds, marking the point when Jones turned towards a more accessible, commercial sound. All songs were written by Grace Jones and
Bruce Woolley Bruce Martin Woolley (born 11 November 1953) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He wrote songs with artists such as The Buggles and Grace Jones, including "Video Killed the Radio Star" and " Slave to the Rhythm", an ...
. The artwork for the album was designed by Richard Bernstein, who had previously worked with Jones on artwork for the '70s albums ''
Portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a ...
'', '' Fame'' and ''
Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
''. The release of ''Inside Story'' was surrounded by Manhattan Records' "most extensive marketing and merchandising campaign ever", as described by ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''. The promotional strategy would include magazine and newspaper advertisements, street posters, radio spots and more, with the record company targeting the US market, where Grace had never been a mainstream pop star. Eventually, ''Inside Story'' would become one of Jones' greatest album successes, making the top 40 in a number of European countries. Despite being her lowest-charting album in the UK, it still sold well enough in the British market to be certified silver there. The album also remains her last entry to date on the US ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. A remastered,
copy protected Copy protection, also known as content protection, copy prevention and copy restriction, describes measures to enforce copyright by preventing the reproduction of software, films, music, and other media. Copy protection is most commonly found on ...
edition of the album was released in 2004 on
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
, along with ''
Bulletproof Heart ''Bulletproof Heart'' is the ninth studio album by Jamaican singer, songwriter and model Grace Jones, released on October 13, 1989. The album, co-produced by Chris Stanley, would be Jones' last studio album for 19 years, until the release of ''Hu ...
''. Unlike the latter, the re-released ''Inside Story'' came with no bonus tracks. In her 2015 memoir ''I'll Never Write My Memoirs'', Jones stated: "When I listen to ''Inside Story'', I can hear the energy of what was going on the moment it was made. ..It's where I was at the time. Nile's ear was different from mine, and he was responding to his idea of me, and it was an American Nile production, with all that entails, but I think it is beautiful. There were other ways of doing that material, but I like how it ended up. I don't listen to all my records, but I play that one a lot, because it is interesting to hear what Nile was thinking."


Singles

"
I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You) "I'm Not Perfect (But I'm Perfect for You)" is a song by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released as the first single from her eighth album, '' Inside Story'' (1986). It was co-written by Bruce Woolley and produced by Nile Rodgers of C ...
" became the album's lead single, accompanied by a popular music video. The song would become one of Jones' most successful singles and her highest (as well as last) entry on ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "
Party Girl A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
" was released at the end of 1986 to very modest success, only making the top 40 in Italy. The third single was different for the North American and European markets. The R&B-influenced " Crush" was chosen for the US and Canada, while the European market received the jazzy "
Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician "Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician" is a 1987 single by Grace Jones. Background The song was the third European single from Grace Jones' 1986 album '' Inside Story'', co-produced by Jones and Nile Rodgers. It was released simultaneously w ...
". Neither single, released in spring 1987, achieved chart success.


Track listing


Personnel

* Scott Ansell – sound engineering * Richard Bernstein – computer image * Knut Bohn – engineering * Greg Calbi – mastering * Barry Diament – digital editing * Steve Elson – baritone saxophone, flute * James Farber – recording, mixing *
Mac Gollehon Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...
– trumpet *
Stan Harrison Stan Harrison (born December 8, 1953) is an American saxophonist who is also accomplished in playing other woodwind instruments, namely the horn, flute and clarinet. He has also written music for television. Harrison released his first solo album ...
– alto saxophone * Grace Jones – vocals, production * Kevin Jones – digital interfacing, sequencing, drum programming *
Lenny Pickett Lenny Pickett (born April 10, 1954) is an American saxophonist and musical director of the ''Saturday Night Live'' band. From 1973 to 1981 he was a member of Tower of Power. He is known for his skill in the altissimo register (executed by using ...
– tenor saxophone *
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
– production, arrangements * Budd Tunick – production managing *
Bruce Woolley Bruce Martin Woolley (born 11 November 1953) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He wrote songs with artists such as The Buggles and Grace Jones, including "Video Killed the Radio Star" and " Slave to the Rhythm", an ...
– arrangements


Charts


Certifications


Release history


References


External links


''Inside Story''
on
Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

''Inside Story''
on
Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...
{{Authority control 1986 albums Albums produced by Nile Rodgers Grace Jones albums Manhattan Records albums