Portfolio (Grace Jones album)

Portfolio is the debut studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released in 1977 by Island Records. It spawned her first big hit, "La Vie en rose".

Background and production
Having enjoyed a successful modelling career in Paris and New York in the early 1970s, 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 album, 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, two of which were co-written by Jones herself. The Italian release would omit "Sorry" and "That's the Trouble", adding an extended, over 7-minute-long version of "I Need a Man" instead. The 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 album Inside Story.

Singles
"I Need a Man" was Jones' debut single, originally released in 1975 by the minor French label Orfeus. It failed to make any chart impact until two years later, when it was re-mixed and released via the Beam Junction label, becoming a number-one dance hit in the US and introducing Jones to club audiences, primarily gay. The second single, "Sorry", was released a year prior to the Portfolio album, and was a modest success on the US singles chart. Its B-side track, "That's the Trouble", also received a separate A-side release. Both songs were Jones' first forays into songwriting. "La Vie en rose" was released as a single in autumn 1977 and became the biggest hit from Portfolio, having charted in the French and Italian top 5. When re-released in 1983, it reached the top 5 in the Netherlands. "What I Did for Love" became a top 10 dance hit in the US.

"I Need a Man"


 * BE 7" single (1975), Pink Elephant PE 22.098Y
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (single version) – 3:15
 * 2) "Again and Again" – 3:46


 * BR 7" single (1977), Top Tape CS-0277
 * 1) "I Need a Man" – 3:22
 * 2) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53


 * BR 7" single (1977), Top Tape TCD-54
 * 1) "I Need a Man" – 3:22
 * 2) "Sorry"
 * 3) "That's the Trouble"
 * 4) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53


 * FR 7" single (1975), Orfeus 990.140
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (single version) – 3:15
 * 2) "Again and Again" – 3:46


 * FR 12" single (1984), Orfeus 900.072
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (disco mix) – 7:30
 * 2) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53


 * GE 7" single (1976), Metronome M 25.710
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (single version) – 3:15
 * 2) "Again and Again" – 3:46


 * IT 7" single (1977), Derby DBR 5333
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (disco mix) – 7:30
 * 2) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53


 * PO 7" single (1975), Decca P-990 140 G
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (single version) – 3:15
 * 2) "Again and Again" – 3:46


 * SP 7" promo (1977), Novola OOX-354
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (disco mix) – 7:30
 * 2) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53


 * US 7" single (1977), BJ104
 * 1) "I Need a Man" – 3:22
 * 2) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53

"Sorry"
 * US 12" single (1977), Beam Junction 12-BJ 1004
 * 1) "I Need a Man" (disco mix) – 7:30
 * 2) "I Need a Man" (instrumental version) – 4:53


 * FR 7" single (1976), 990.141
 * 1) "Sorry" – 3:58
 * 2) "That's the Trouble" – 3:30


 * US 7" single (1976), BJ102
 * 1) "Sorry" – 3:58
 * 2) "That's the Trouble" – 3:30


 * US 12" single (1976), 12-BJ 1001
 * 1) "Sorry" (disco mix) – 6:42
 * 2) "That's the Trouble" (disco mix) – 7:02

"That's the Trouble"
 * US 12" promo (1976)
 * 1) "Sorry" (Disco Mix) – 6:42
 * 2) "That's the Trouble" (Disco Mix) – 7:02


 * FR 12" single (1976), 900.071
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" (disco mix) – 7:02
 * 2) "Sorry" (Disco Mix) – 6:42


 * FR 7" single (1984), Carrere 13.611
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" (new mix) – 3:45
 * 2) "Sorry" – 3:58


 * FR 12" single (1984)
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" (new mix) – 3:45
 * 2) "That's the Trouble" (instrumental)
 * 3) "I Need a Man"
 * 4) "Sorry" – 3:58


 * GE 7" single (1976), 17 465 AT
 * 1) "That's the Trouble"
 * 2) "Sorry"


 * GE 7" promo (1977), Island 15 582 XT
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" – 3:36


 * IT 12" single (1976), DBR 9201
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" (disco mix) – 7:02
 * 2) "Sorry" (disco mix) – 6:42


 * JP 7" promo
 * 1) "That's the Trouble"
 * 2) "Sorry"


 * NE 12" single (1977), Scramble MS 40.12
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" (disco mix) – 7:02
 * 2) "Sorry" (Disco Mix) – 6:42

"La Vie en rose"
 * US 12" single (1976), 12 BJ1001
 * 1) "That's the Trouble" (disco mix) – 7:02
 * 2) "Sorry" (disco mix) – 6:42


 * CA 7" single (1977), Island IS-098
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * CA 12" promo (1982), IS 865
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" – 7:24
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22
 * 3) "My Jamaican Guy" – 6:00
 * 4) "Pull Up to the Bumper" – 4:58


 * FR 7" single (1977), Island 6172 530/6172 530
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * GE 7" single (1977), Island 11 669 AT
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * GE 7" single (1984), Island 102 371-100
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * GE 12" single (1977), Island 600 266-213
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" – 7:27
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * IT 7" single (1977), Island WIP 26514
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "Tomorrow" – 5:48


 * NE 7" single (1977), Island 102 371/11 636 AT
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * NE 12" single (1977) Island 600.266
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" - 7:27
 * 2) "I Need a Man" - 3:22


 * PO 7" single (1977), Island 5011 616
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * SP 7" single (1977), Island 11.459
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * SP 12" single (1977), Ariola F-600.266
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" – 7:27
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * UK 7" single (1977), Island WIP 6415
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:35
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * UK 12" single (1977), Island 11616
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" – 7:24
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * UK 12" single (1985), Island 12 IS 240
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" – 7:24
 * 2) "Nipple to the Bottle" – 5:55
 * 3) "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Remix) – 6:29
 * 4) "Demolition Man" – 4:04


 * US 7" single (1977), IS-098
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:34
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22


 * US 12" single (1985)
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" – 7:24
 * 2) "Nipple to the Bottle" – 5:55
 * 3) "Pull Up to the Bumper" (Remix) – 6:29
 * 4) "Demolition Man" – 4:04


 * US 7" promo (1977), Island IS-098
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:34
 * 2) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:34


 * YU 7" single (1977), Island SI-88959
 * 1) "La Vie en rose" (7" version) – 3:34
 * 2) "I Need a Man" – 3:22

Critical reception
The album received unfavorable reviews from music critics. Andrew Hamilton from AllMusic website gave the album two out of five stars and wrote that "though polished [the album] tracks don't jump out at you" and conclude that it was more a "producer's album." He also gave credit to her because "she gives credence to old fuddies" like "Send in the Clowns," "La Vie en Rose" and "I Need a Man," whose according to him "displays a vulnerable Jones".

Robert Christgau gave the album a C+ and praise the way Jones sing the songs ("very liberated, very punky"). He also wrote that Jones "sings flat enough to make Andrea True sound like Linda Ronstadt and Tom Verlaine like Art Garfunkel".

Rolling Stone magazine gave the album one out of five stars.

Commercial performance
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 the top 10 in both Italy in early 1978 and the Netherlands in 1983.

Track listing
All tracks produced by Tom Moulton.

Notes
 * Side one's tracks are a non-stop medley, with its total playing time being 18:36.
 * Italian releases of the record feature the same tracklist as the original release, but exclude "Sorry" and "That's the Trouble".

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 Jr. – 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