Island Life (CD - 1985)

A veiled compilation album of Grace Jones' Island sides from an assortment of albums. Instead of calling it The Best of Grace Jones, Island dubbed it Island Life. But it doesn't matter what name is used -- many of these cuts are the typical '70s European disco mush that doesn't have enough seasoning for American music appetites. ~ Andrew Hamilton

This release from Island France has a misleading title. Not a sequel to 1985's Island Life compilation, Island Life 2 only adds a handful of bonus tracks to the original release's running order. A cut apiece from the Warm Leatherette and Nightclubbing albums are tacked on, as are two jarring (and pointless) club remixes of "Sex Drive." There's no reason to hunt this down and shell out the extra cash. The U.S. version is perfectly adequate, albeit brief and trumped in the early 2000s by a handful of more extensive (if flawed) anthologies. Regardless of format, "Love Is the Drug," "Warm Leatherette," "Slave to the Rhythm," and "Pull Up to the Bumper" continue to pack a lot of bite. ~ Andy Kellman minimize