The track that first made me properly aware of Grace Jones’ existence. ‘Walking In The Rain’, from her ‘Nightclubbing’ album marked a transition in her approach to her art. Coming out in 1981, the album made perfect sense to 18 year old me who had, up to that time, been immersed in punk and traditional rock combos for the most part. Myself and my friends wanted more though, and Grace Jones, at this point, pointed a way forward of sorts, opening doors to a funkier, dancier direction. Even though she had been experimenting with this semblance of sound design on ‘Warm Leatherette’, it was on the release of ‘Nightclubbing’ that her androgynous style properly took hold. The track itself is also a showcase for Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare’s unshakeable rhythm section, which was so ubiquitous from this point on that it was difficult for me to find a record in my collection without them featuring on it. Many happy, hazy memories of listening to this in the various bedrooms of my friends up and down Wallasey in the early 80s.
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