Portfolio (Grace Jones album)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Portfolio is the debut studio album by Grace Jones, released in 1977 by Island Records. It spawned her first big hit, "La Vie en rose".
Background
Having enjoyed a successful modelling career in Paris and New York in the early 1970s, Grace Jones released a series of singles throughout 1975-1976. None of them, however, managed to succeed in mainstream charts. Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977 and found wider recognition only with her debut Island LP, Portfolio.
The album was recorded and mixed in Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, and released in autumn 1977 as the first of three albums made with the legendary disco record producer Tom Moulton. Side one of the original vinyl album is a continuous disco medley covering three songs from Broadway musicals, "Send in the Clowns" by Stephen Sondheim from A Little Night Music, "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line and "Tomorrow" from Annie. Side two opens with Jones' very personal re-interpretation of Édith Piaf's "La Vie en rose" and continues with three new recordings, all of which have been co-written by Jones herself. Italian release would omit "Sorry" and "That's the Trouble", adding an extended, over 7-minute-long version of "I Need a Man" instead. Album's artwork was designed by Richard Bernstein, an artist working for Interview, who would later contribute to Jones' two next albums' artworks and with whom the singer would re-team up for the 1986 record Inside Story.
Portfolio reached number 52 on the Black Albums Chart in the US, while climbing to number 109 on Billboard's mainstream albums chart. It garnered more attention in Europe, entering top 10 in both Italy in early 1978 and the Netherlands in 1983.
Personnel
- Wilbur Bascomb – bass guitar
- Richard Bernstein – album graphics concept, design and painting
- Bobby Eli – guitars
- Grace Jones – vocals
- Francis Jug – photography
- Carlton "Cotton" Kent – keyboards, piano
- Ron "Have Mercy" Kersey – Rhodes piano
- Antonio Lopez – photography
- Jay Mark – recording and mixing engineering
- Vincent Montana – arrangement, conducting, vibraphone
- Cliff Morris – guitars
- Moto – tambourines
- Lance Quinn – guitars
- Don Renaldo – strings, horns
- José Rodriguez – mastering
- Allan Schwartzberg – drums
- Arthur Stoppe – recording and mixing engineering
- Sweethearts of Sigma (Barbara Ingram, Carla Benson, Evette Benton) – backing vocals
- Larry Washington – conga
- Duke Williams – arrangement
