Wailers, Grace Jones make Rolling Stone 100 Best Album Covers of All Time list
Albums by The Wailers and Grace Jones have made Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Best Album Covers of All Time list.
The list was revealed on July 18.
The original vinyl release for Catch A Fire by The Wailers was designed by Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner, then it was later replaced by a straight-up shot of Bob Marley smoking a spliff by Esther Anderson designed by John Bonis.
Catch A Fire, which ranks at #70 on the Rolling Stone list, was released in 1973 via Island Records. It was recorded in London at the Island Records studio and in Jamaica at Harry J, Dynamic Sounds and Randy’s recording studios.
With nine songs (two of which were written and composed by Peter Tosh, seven were written by Marley), Catch a Fire’s hit songs included Concrete Jungle, Slave Driver, Stop That Train, Stir it Up, Kinky Reggae, and No More Trouble.
Musicians include Aston “Family Man” Barrett, Bunny Wailer, Carlton “Carlie” Barrett, Robbie Shakespeare, and Tommy McCook.
In 2020 the album was ranked at #140 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Album of All Time List.
Chart-wise, Catch A Fire reached #171 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and #51 on Billboard’s Black Albums chart in 1973.
Renewed interest in the album was spawned by the global success of the Bob Marley: One Love biopic, and it re-entered the Belgian Albums chart, rising to #164.
Nightclubbing by Grace Jones (1981) is ranked at #70. The famous photo of Jones dressed in an Armani suit, a cigarette dangling from her lips, was the culmination of a tempestuous personal and professional relationship between her and photographer Jean-Paul Goude.
Released by Island Records, Nightclubbing was Jones’s fifth studio album, and it was recorded at Compass Point Studio in the Bahamas. Among the musicians who contributed to the project were Mikey Chung (guitar), Sly Dunbar (drums), Robbie Shakespeare (bass guitar), and Uziah Thompson (percussion).
The album, produced by Island Records boss Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin, was named Album of the Year by the writers of British music magazine
NME.
The 9-track Nightclubbing contains the hits, Demolition Man, and I’ve Never Seen That Face Before (Libertango). It is regarded as the album that cemented Jones’ pop icon status.
It is Jones’ highest-charting album to date in the United States, where it peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and #9 on the Top R&B Albums chart. It rose to #35 in the UK.
Nightclubbing has been certified platinum in Australia and New Zealand, as well as gold in Germany. To date, it has sold in excess of 400,000 units in the United States.
Jones, who was born in Spanish Town, moved to New York during her teenage years. She presently resides in Europe.
Among the other albums making the list are The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill (#92), The Blueprint by Jay-Z (#84), When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go by Billie Eilish (#72), Ready to Die by The Notorious BIG (#5), and Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division (#1).
