Fame
Studio album by
Grace Jones
Released7 June 1978
Recorded1977–1978
StudioSigma Sound (Philadelphia)
Genre
LabelIsland
ProducerTom Moulton
Grace Jones chronology
Portfolio
(1977)		 Fame
(1978)		 Muse
(1979)
Singles from Fame
  1. "Do or Die"
    Released: 1978
  2. "Autumn Leaves"
    Released: July 1978
  3. "Fame"
    Released: October 1978
  4. "Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City"
    Released: December 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]

Fame is the second studio album by Jamaican singer and songwriter Grace Jones, released on 7 June 1978 by Island Records.

Background, production and release

After relative success with her debut album Portfolio (1977), Jones and Tom Moulton delivered a rapid follow-up album to Portfolio. Fame, recorded in Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, consisted of a set of mainstream-oriented disco tracks and repeated the scheme of the previous album. Like on Portfolio, side A was a continuous medley, and side B again opened with a re-interpretation of a French classic, this time it was Jacques Prévert's "Les Feuilles mortes", sung in English as "Autumn Leaves". The album was "dedicated with love to a true Artist, Jean-Paul Goude", as Jones put it in the liner notes.[3]

The Canadian edition of the original vinyl album included another French language track, "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole", which replaced "All on a Summers Night" and, in most other territories, was issued as the B-side of the single "Do or Die". On the Japanese version of the album "Comme un oiseau qui s'envole" replaced "Below the Belt", which in turn in Italy was omitted in favour of an Italian song, "Anema e core". A number of songs from the album, including "Anema e core", have been performed in Italian TV show Stryx, which ran in late 1978.

The album was a hit on the North American club scene, and the "Do or Die"/"Pride"/"Fame" side reached top 10 on both the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play and Canadian Dance/Urban charts. Fame also charted respectably in Italy and Sweden which were Jones' most successful markets during the disco era. The album was issued in CD format in the early 1990s, but soon went out of print. It was not available in any digital format until November 2011, when it received an official remastered CD release by Gold Legion, a record company that specializes in reissuing classic disco albums on CD. The re-release came with no bonus tracks.[4] It was first released on CD in the UK in 2015, along with Portfolio and Muse, as part of the Disco boxed set of Jones' first three "disco" era albums. Each album in the set came with seven bonus tracks.

Singles

"Do or Die" was the album's lead single and became a big club hit on the U.S. and Canadian dance charts. "Autumn Leaves" was released on a single with the song "Anema e core" from the Italian pressing of Fame. Although being the B-side track, "Anema e core" is strangely identified as the single's title on the cover.

"Fame" and "Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City" also got single releases, but failed to chart.

Track listing

Note: Tracks from side A are a non-stop medley, with the total playing time 18:47.

Standard release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do or Die"Jack Robinson, David Christie6:47
2."Pride"Robinson, Christie6:23
3."Fame"Gil Slavin, Robinson5:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Autumn Leaves"Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert7:02
5."All on a Summers Night"Robinson, Christie4:17
6."Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City"Vivienne Savoie Robinson, Robinson, Christie5:28
7."Below the Belt"Grace Jones, Pierre Papadiamandis4:43

Canadian release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do or Die"Jack Robinson, David Christie6:47
2."Pride"Robinson, Christie6:23
3."Fame"Gil Slavin, Robinson5:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Les feuilles mortes/Autumn Leaves"Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert7:02
5."Comme un oiseau qui s'envole"Jean-Claude Cosson, Slavin4:30
6."Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City"Vivienne Savoie Robinson, Robinson, Christie5:28
7."Below the Belt (La vieille fille)"Grace Jones, Pierre Papadiamandis4:43

Italian release

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Do or Die"Jack Robinson, David Christie6:47
2."Pride"Robinson, Christie6:23
3."Fame"Gil Slavin, Robinson5:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Autumn Leaves"Joseph Kosma, Jacques Prévert7:02
5."All on a Summers Night"Robinson, Christie4:17
6."Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City"Vivienne Savoie Robinson, Robinson, Christie5:28
7."Anema e core"Tito Manlio, Salve D'Esposito3:58

Charts

Chart performance for Fame
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] 59
Canadian Dance Albums (RPM)[6] 5
Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[7] 15
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 22
US Billboard 200[9] 97
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] 57

Singles

"Autumn Leaves"
"Fame"
"Am I Ever Gonna Fall in Love in New York City"

Personnel

  • Keith Benson – drums
  • Richard Bernstein – artwork design
  • John Davis – arrangements, keyboards
  • Grace Jones – lead vocals
  • Francis Jug – photography
  • Sonia Moskewitz – photography
  • Moto – tambourines
  • Piggy Pigerino – violin
  • Don Renaldo – strings, horns
  • José Rodriguez – mastering
  • Darrell Rogers – recording and mixing assistance
  • Arthur Stoppe – recording and mixing engineering
  • Sweethearts of Sigma (Carla Benson, Yvette Benton, Barbara Ingram) – background vocals
  • Neil Terk – art direction
  • Larry Washington – congas, percussion
  • Jimmy Williams – bass guitar

Release history

Region Year Format(s) Label
Various 1978 LP, Cassette Island
Europe, Australia 1993 CD Island, Spectrum Music, Karussell
United States 2011 CD Gold Legion

References

  1. ↑ Todd, Chris (12 June 2015). "Disco by Grace Jones". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "Fame - Grace Jones". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
  3. ↑ "R-1081686-1298753776.jpeg (JPEG Image, 600 × 614 pixels) - Scaled (97%)". s.dsimg.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
  4. ↑ "Grace Jones Fame". www.shop.goldlegion.com. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
  5. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 160. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Dance/Urban – Top 15 Albums". RPM. Vol. 29, no. 18. 29 July 1978. ISSN 0315-5994. Archived from the original on 19 September 2021 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  7. ↑ Racca, Guido (2019). M&D Borsa Album 1964–2019 (in Italian). ISBN 978-1094705002.
  8. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Grace Jones – Fame". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. ↑ "Grace Jones Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  10. ↑ "Grace Jones Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
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