This song started my 37 year career in music. As a music student we had a field trip to Sarm East studios. They showed us the control room and explained the SSL. Then they pinned ten wide eyed students to the back wall of the control room with a track they'd just finished mixing. It was Slave To The Rhythm. An amazing experience and a total epiphany. I'd never heard anything so good, so loud and with such incredible clarity. I now knew what I wanted to do as a career. When college finished I wore a hole in a brand new pair of shoes taking my resume and knocking on every recording studio door in London. I got a job as a tape op in a small studio in Chiswick that had a Fairlight III. 37 years later I'm still working in music in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for this video! I know this record inside and backwards and this video is a big deal for me. You Rock!
@@andreirlmeier I know - the way they spliced the rhythm track together was way ahead of its time, and the groove is still there! Brilliant piece of work. I’m going to seek out the original demo now (if it’s on YT) to see how FGTH would have handled it!
I still listen to this track (and the album) regularly, without sounding like an old fart, the industry doesn't seem to want this kind of complexity and beautifully layered music anymore. What an incredible group to have crafted this track.
And most of if happened by coincidence, as we just learned. „The guitarist had left the room, and we looped the two bars“. Crazy. This means you have to get musicians together in one room in the first place, and not just some kid with a laptop and a sample library.
After her first 3 disco albums, the production on all of Grace's records (the Compass Point recordings with Sly and Robbie in particular) is absolute top tier.
Glastonbury 1987 on the Wednesday evening before the festival. I was standing on the hill facing the Pyramid Stage when they sound checked the PA system with Slave to the Rhythm. It was one of the most awesome audio moments of my life. Like listening to the biggest hi-fi on earth. The sound filled the entire valley. Unforgettable.
I am from Washington, D.C. where Go-Go has its roots. The music had a tremendous influence on my playing. Groove and meter are absolutely supreme in this musical style. I remember hearing this song for the first time and was totally knocked off my feet by the production and orchestration. This song remained my personal national anthem for years. It was and has remained one of my top favorite tracks of all time even after almost 40 years. The song in 2022 continues to have a sound just as fresh as it was in 1985. Bravo to Grace and all the crew who created this masterpiece! I am forever A Slave to the Rhythm.
There was a phase of incredibly well-arranged pop music in the mid 80s that managed to retain a lightness of touch without being simplistic and dull - Slave to the Rhythm being the perfect example.
Grace Jones is nothing short of an Amazonian Goddess! There has never been anyone with a combination of her style and attitude and probably never will be. Oh yeah, she's also a fantastic singer!
@D M my only disagreement is in the tense you use. I would say 'has', rather than 'had'. Grace Jones remains a force of fucking nature. She is magnificent.
An absolute fu*king masterpiece. This is the tune that inspired IMHO the Triphop, Lounge and Folktronica scene. It's so versatile, this is music in an immortal sense it will never sound dated. It even has that James Bond movie vibe to it. I salute everyone involved with this.
It’s funny, I always loved this album but pre-internet, I just assumed that the drums were programmed and the orchestrations were Synclavier or Fairlight. Thanks, Warren for bringing this gem to light.
Know what you mean. Not sure how you'd programme those drum fills mind. But then again, they're clever chaps with good equipment, who knows what they're capable of?
About 15 years ago, I was gifted with attending to Ms Jones while she flew from my place to L.A. She was a LOVELY person, offered me to go rollerblading which I turned down out of shyness. To this day I keep regretting not having said yes.
Chiming in here. I had the same visceral response as the gentleman presenting this to us: The killer groove was the hardest hitting one I had heard unto, probably is to this day! Absolutely phenomenal piece and fantastic walkthrough and breakdown of its genesis! Thanks so much!
Agree. One of the most criminally underrated records of my 60 year old life. Absolutely a peak moment of creativity and innovation and one of the most important records of the 80s. We can talk all day about thei importance of Trevor Horn but THIS was and remains his greatest musical achievement. There never will be another. A unique moment in time never to be repeated.
As a 16 year old in '85 I thought this song was so ahead of its time. Avante Garde ! The song, the video and the album cover and of course Grace herself. Amazing work by the engineers to put this together. Always associate this song with going to the South of France as part of a family holiday. Still gives me goose pimples when I listen to this. I also heard a version with Ian McShane introducing Grace Jones before the song kicks in.
I always thought this song was so sophisticated and elegant, a masterpiece that blew me away and gave images of summer in the Mediterranean. The composition and arrangement was in my mind perfect and timeless to this day.
This is my favorite track of all time, because it has it all; a thundering drumtrack, a funky bass-line, a haunting guitar, a complete classic orchestra and of course the unforgettable voice of Grace Jones. I carry this song in my heart wherever I go. Thanks a million!
Close. You omitted the PING sound, the thrUMMM upward keyboard whoosh, _multiple_ haunting guitars, a dozen motifs and riffs, the glockenspiel, the portentous Ian Shane narration... Check out remixes like Droopus' Rough Slave Mix and DJ Friction's Rmx. I've got no beef with people saying "Poison Arrow" (ABC), "Buffalo Gals" (Malcolm McLaren, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Yes), or "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is Trevor Horn's greatest achievement, but "Slave to the Rhythm" is at least their equal. And it's great to see Stephen Lipson getting more credit. "What do you get if you combine 2 years of studio time, the best musicians in the world, two insanely-talented producers and £800,000? The most expensive, and IMO the best produced single of all time, and surely - another 80s masterpiece." -- Bruce Forest (Drupus?) on Facebook.
Wow.. I'm an 80s baby from the Caribbean and this is all news to me. I was actually conceived in Jamaica but born in St.Lucia, so I feel extra embarrassed cuz I tell people I'm Jamaican sometimes. Grace Jones is the sh*t
It’s perfection. I think it’s THE high watermark of production - more so after watching this. And Lovejoy is on it! This channel is just immense, thanks for the love and work you clearly put into it
Madam butterfly by Malcolm McLaren was a year before and Peter Gabriel’s sledgehammer was a year after, I liked that part of the eighties, exotic sounding funky dance music
I just recently found out, that many of my favorite tracks from the 80's - when I was a teenager - were produced/composed by Trevor Horn. Like this track, or Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" or Art Of Noise's "Moments In Love".
Indeed - Trevor’s SARM studio in west London, where Steve Lipson worked, produced a significant amount of the backdrop of the 80’s. You’d be surprised and suitably impressed if you saw the whole ‘catalog’ !
Same. Serious a-ha moment for me. I only knew Trevor Horn from The Art of Noise (or so I thought). Video Killed The Radio Star, Owner of A Lonely Heart... I never connected the dots until now. Wow.
Check out his other production peaks: ABC's entire Lexicon of Love album especially "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love". Malcolm McLaren's breakthrough "Buffalo Gals", the first track to combine turntable scratching with Fairlight trickery. Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome album, especially the title track. And later on, Seal's tracks. Although after hearing this I need to check out the engineers and co-producers on those tracks. If Trevor Horn is god, Stephen Lipson is at least Apollo. Red Bull Music Academy has a long interview in which Trevor Horn talks about them at length, and gives credit to Stephen Lipson, Anne Dudley on string arrangements, and many more. A massive nexus of talent.
Oh wow this was a great, great video! As a kid, I found Grace Jones to be pretty scary (especially so in the video for this song), but as an adult, I came to really appreciate her artistry. She’s like the female Bowie in a lot of ways. My fiancé and I saw her live back a few years back when she headlined Afropunk in London and she was an absolute BOSS. She did the hula hoops things there too! My fiancé’s claim to fame now is that she was touched by Jones as she passed by the front row and brushed her hands through the crowd! Thanks again for the amazing content, man. 👍🏿😊
Hey, I feel you. I use to think she was a bit weirdly scary too. This video and even some of her cover graphics. I appreciated her more as years went by, and then when she was cast in the movie Boomerang, I found her to be really quite appealing.
@@Producelikeapro I have a question Warren, according to your wiki page you worked with singer James Blunt , was that for a song or a full album and what song or album was it?
I consider this song to be so sonically correct, that I even used Slave To The Rhythm as my reference track, to tune all front of house PA's we were using during the 80's and 90's. An absolute masterpiece. This video and the songs breakdown was fascinating to watch, thank you!
I remember when I was young and beautiful, and hearing this in a large club was like being bathed in glory. People were lifted to their best selves as they threw themselves joyfully, luxuriantly, seductively into the rhythm. How many countless people fell in love (or lust) on the dancefloor to this song!Thanks gentlemen in the booth and thank you Ms. Jones! I am forever a slave to the rhythm.
I walked in to Cutler's Records in October 1985, and a friend of mine who worked there had just taken the first copy of that album out of the box and put it on the store turntable. I heard the first two bars and said: "Bob, I'll take that one, please..." Fabulous album from beginning to end.
I remember being so proud of the musicians from my city’s go-go scene being showcased on such a big international stage. The album itself is one of my Dessert Island Discs. I’d have to have it!!!
Oy! I was a lad in 1985 working in a record shop when I bought that record!! I'm 55 now and Still listen to that album regularly!!!! Well done! BTW Born in Washington D.C. Yes GoGo!!
I was just sixteen,...clubbing in Ghent (Belgium) in this incredible little New Wave club called " The Fash".... Packed with punters dressed in stylish Yamamoto black sporting crazy laquered hairdo's and heavy eyeliner. And then this song came up... and i was floored with how beautifully perfect and theatrical this track worked with this freaky crowd. I will never forget this moment and i still get goosebumps hearing Miss Jones incredible voice on it.
The Thrill Of It All by Roxy Music. I can not imagine anybody from punk to New Romantics existing without this song. It's influence is in Adam Ant and Duran Duran. That intro followed by a roar of sound. By the way, thank you for featuring Slave to the Rhythm. It is a brilliant single and album with an artist I feel never gets enough credit for her talent and artistry. Love this series.
@@JohnOShaughnessy Loved the single, but I remember hearing the album when it came out and thought I'd been utterly conned, same track remixed several times. I haven't heard it since, so I will dig it out of my collection and try listening with an open mind and a more mature set of ears.
1985, I was sitting inside a car of a friend which had one of the first really good sound systems on board and this song totally blew me away. It was the huge, huge sound, the waves, the "blingblings" and "tzztzzztzzzz" so spherical and roomy which impressed me like nothing before. A few days later I was humming, singing and describing the track to a guy in a local record store, which obviously worked - I got the 45 maxi version which I own until today. Such a great, great track, still makes me goose bumps after 37 years!
I'm late to the party, but I can say this. What a gift it was having Stephen Lipson break it all down, and give us insight into the song and production of Slave to the Rhythm. The song is simply classic. Alright, I dare anyone to tell me that it isn't one S-E-X-Y masterpiece!
Boston's More Than a Feeling and Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill are just two serious productions that impacted many musicians and producers. As far as Slave to the Rhythm, that was a fun deep dive thanks to Mr. Lipson recollections, great job!
My dad worked at a very posh stereo store and this was always his goto record to show off a system to someone. He said it was the most perfect track of music ever made.
I'm not her biggest fan, I'll admit but I really feel Grace Jones was a piece of art herself. This tune was unbelievably awesome but the visuals in the music video were cutting edge. ...and THAT CHORUS!
Yes!! I love his song and the concept album built around it. I loved this immediately when it first came out! This was a great example of the versatility of digital recording. Thank you, Warren!!
For me this song is one of my all time favorites of any genre out there. The lyrics, vocals, and production stand shoulder to shoulder with songs like Donna Summer's I Feel Love. What sets this above the rest is Grace's vocals, and the lyrics speak of the Club Life like no other because as she says it in the tile and lyrics, we're all slaves to the rhythm.
For me this track marked an important, if unpleasant, time in my life. I always felt this track was special in some way. I was 23 in 1985. I will be 60 this year. I had no appreciation of how much talent and technical expertise had gone into the production. I still get a thrill when I listen to it. For me it doesn’t sound dated but fresh and perfect. Much as I admire Grace Jones I still find her a bit scary, but what a talented artist!!!
Grace Jones also did that little stint on one of my favorite albums "Arcadia- So the Red Rose". Man I LOVE that album! David Gilmoure's guitar playing, Mr Le' bon...Love it!.
@@HadrianRex I'd say it's the best "Duran Duran" album bar the self titled debut. That was a really promising start to their career but it was all downhill from there. "Girls on film", "Careless memories", "To the shore", "Night boat" and especially "Tel Aviv" are all really great tracks and there's nothing on that album that is as cringeworthy as what was to come later. "Wild boys"? Really! "Lady Ice" was the stand out track from "So red the rose", for me.
Warren, what a beaut. One of my all-time favourite songs. Funnily enough I played it L.O.U.D. in the studio last week 3 times in a row, utterly transfixed, listening again too all the magical moments in this track. I called my wife in to explain it all and she was also fascinated. And imagine my delight top come across this video! Thanks for sharing and also to Steve Lipson too.
Everything Horn touched turned to gold back then. He is responsible for some of the most lavish production I’ve ever heard… but not to the point of being self indulgent. It’s all honey for the ears. I especially love his work with Propaganda… along with everything he’s ever done with Anne Dudley.
Stephen Lipson produced Propaganda’s ‘A Secret Wish’ album on ZTT not Trevor Horn. Horn was too busy working with Frankie Goes To Hollywood at the time.
This really is the best episode yet Warren.....Go-Go beat? You just blew my mind, but there it is clear as day! There really should be MUCH more Go-Go in the world.
This legendary groove is so hot! It still holds up today. When you think of the epitome of a R&B arrangement British-style this is it. The Horns!🔥The musicians are so tight and bring depth to the groove. The other sound elements make it a very unique piece. Grace Jones’s phrasing range is crazy fun and flirty! STTR is still in my personal top 20 songs of all time.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💛🎶👏🏽
I had the same feeling as you the first time I heard this song. I said Boy! something's happening here really really huge. It still on my reference track playlist. Fun facts! I do exactly remember where I was when I heard this song the first time, I was at a Salon de coiffure to cut my hair to find a job. This song convinced me to keep doing music instead of searching for a proper job. Thanks to Stephen Lipson
I used to DJ at this tiny martini bar on Saturdays, and I would open up my set with this track every time. And speaking about Ju-Ju House playing on that track, I'm originally from DC and I can tell you that go-go is a religion there. E.U., Rare Essence, and Trouble Funk all played at my high school back in the 80s.
This record rearranged my brain when I heard it. I've scrutinized this production endlessly, so this video is pure gold to me. It answers so many questions I've had for a long time. Thank you!
Total game changer and like you say a actual production masterpiece Warren..Stephen and Trevor’s ability to just pick the perfect sound or performance for the song is what just puts them on a different level to everyone else. Thanks for another great video.
How lucky I am to have my teenage memories soaked in fantastic, explorative, superbly produced music, including Slave To The Rhythm!! Thank you so much for the trip - I'll now go dig up my Slave To The Rhythm vinyl in the cellar!
Oh my, always the go to to reference for the latest Hi Fi acquisition,have had some quite subliminal audio moments with this album ,specially in the 80s. Very inspirational to my audio engineering quest.Big benchmark album for Audio.
Particular shout out to Louis Jardim… what a genius. Amazing percussionist. Love this song. Grace Jones was unlike anything when she exploded onto the music scene with this track and accompanying video. Excited to see which you do next!
I too was a teenager when this first came out and it blew my little mind. This and “A Secret Wish” by Propaganda (another Lipson production) define 1985 for me. Slave to the Rhythm is a fantastic track, but the whole album is just as worthy! Pure audio candy. I wish there had been time to discuss the entire album, but obviously time is limited. Thanks so much for this video. Well done!
I just adore this song! I was blessed to have met Grace this past September in LA after her Hollywood Bowl performance. I love her! Thank you for this awesome video!!
I'd no idea it was Ian McShane (and I'm a fan of both the song and him). Thank you Mr H for this and the recent Steve Lipson interview. Very interesting stuff.
As a child in 1985, I found Grace terrifying to behold, but also fascinating! I can time-travel with this track, as I was hearing it at that strange impressionable time in childhood when songs have the power to bewitch, haunt and even brand you. I am a very musical person, and every time I hear Slave To The Rhythm I am 9 again, and I can recall places and people, and even the stirrings of how I felt then. The '80s was a special time musically, and there seemed to be a new classic track hitting the top 40 almost every week. Even as a kid i knew i was lucky to be living through it. I felt that chart music started going down the nick about 1988/9 in the wake of Stock Aitken Waterman. It felt like something good was over. Tracks that changed music that come to mind: anything by Bjork, Bohemian Rhapsody, an maybe Madonna's Lucky Star.
When this track came around it was like a curtain being ripped open to another level of excellence. Exhilirating to the point of menace. And although I haven't played the album that often since - once every couple of years - its haunting power never fades. What a joy to hear those drums in solo. They already sum it up. To the rhythm.
This was so good. I am not nor ever have been a musician or producer but I can appreciate the incredible level of work. Great interview, comments and breakdown of one of the best songs ever.
The first time I heard this amazing song back in '85 was actually watching the video. The video was equally cutting edge and artistic. Recoded it with my VHS and watched it many times. I was ecstatic to find the original album in mint condition at my local record store a couple of years ago. I play it here and there when I need "A little Grace in my face".
Thank you for breaking down this seminal piece of music. We are so lucky to live in a time where this sort of quality content is available to the public. As a STEM practitioner, I hope I have more opportunities to meet these talented artisans who combine their technical and creative gifts to make magic happen for us all. Thank you so much Warren.
Thanks for the last two videos featuring Steve, he’s clearly able to get the best out of those he works with, and I’d love a bit of insight into the technical side of his work with Propaganda on A Secret Wish. It completely changed my tastes due to its perceived complexity.
every now and then this song will pop up on the radio and make my week, it's like finding a diamond in the dirt...hearing this the first time when it came out was a religious experience....so many layers, so lush...and Grace was, and is, a work of art herself.
Great choice, an amazing album too. I read that Trevor Horn really enjoyed working with Grace Jones. I also really liked her cover version of 'Walking in the rain' by Flash and the Pan.
Probably my favourite song of the 80's. Wow, wow wow !!! what an absolutely brilliant video Warren. The song is phenomenonal. I remember when I first heard it in a pub in Glasgow called Alices Underground. I was completely in a daze. and I wasn't even on anything lol. The song transports you into an almost different reality its that incredbile. Its a masterclass in songwriting and production and musicianship. I love the way Steve says "theres not really that much in it" . Its a work of sheer bloody genius and you are quite right to alude at the end of your video to its great artistry. It is a piece of art. Its cinematic and huge and incredibly charismatic and just everything that makes this so so great. Thank you for making this, and releasing it on my birthday to !
What songs do you think changed music? Share below
I'm so glad Slave to The Rhythm got picked!
What about Straight Outta Compton? It's the foundation for a whole genre of rap music
@@LucasOliveira-pv9ir marvellous idea!!
Yes with owner of a lonely heart
While we're at it , Slave To Love b.Brian ferry/Virginia plain b.Roxy music or really any of it.
Cheers.. great stuff!
Terry Jacks: "Seasons in the Sun" . Based on a french song by Jacques Brel. The history is really interesting.
This song started my 37 year career in music. As a music student we had a field trip to Sarm East studios. They showed us the control room and explained the SSL. Then they pinned ten wide eyed students to the back wall of the control room with a track they'd just finished mixing. It was Slave To The Rhythm. An amazing experience and a total epiphany. I'd never heard anything so good, so loud and with such incredible clarity. I now knew what I wanted to do as a career. When college finished I wore a hole in a brand new pair of shoes taking my resume and knocking on every recording studio door in London. I got a job as a tape op in a small studio in Chiswick that had a Fairlight III. 37 years later I'm still working in music in Los Angeles. Thank you so much for this video! I know this record inside and backwards and this video is a big deal for me. You Rock!
Wow!!! That’s absolutely amazing! It must have been an incredible experience! Thanks ever so much for sharing
It is an incredible song, amazing production and so well mixed! Hugely influential to so many of us!
So jealous of this story!
You rock doing what you wanted, awesome.
‘Slave To The Rhythm’ is an absolute masterpiece!
Yes! It is! Thanks ever so much!
It’s absolute garbage
Fabulous song from a visually stunning Grace .
@@trevorbayers2175Well obviously your ears were made in China. 🙄
No more needs to be said. Spot on! 💪
In my opinion (for what it’s worth) one of the best produced records of all time. It still sends shivers down my spine when I hear it!
100% Not only that but the title of the track nails that feeling
Agreed 100% Simon! Absolute masterpiece on all levels
@@leefchapman absolutely
Without pro tools - from todays view , unbelievable
@@andreirlmeier I know - the way they spliced the rhythm track together was way ahead of its time, and the groove is still there! Brilliant piece of work. I’m going to seek out the original demo now (if it’s on YT) to see how FGTH would have handled it!
I still listen to this track (and the album) regularly, without sounding like an old fart, the industry doesn't seem to want this kind of complexity and beautifully layered music anymore. What an incredible group to have crafted this track.
Thanks ever so much!
And most of if happened by coincidence, as we just learned. „The guitarist had left the room, and we looped the two bars“. Crazy. This means you have to get musicians together in one room in the first place, and not just some kid with a laptop and a sample library.
This song still sounds fresh in 2022, almost 40 years later.
Agreed 100%!
Jesus is it really that long ago?
I'm only just starting to appreciate it !
After her first 3 disco albums, the production on all of Grace's records (the Compass Point recordings with Sly and Robbie in particular) is absolute top tier.
@@KosOrSomeSayKosmo I'll have to take a listen. I didn't know she wored with Sly & Robbie.
@@KosOrSomeSayKosmo agreed, the Sly and Robbie stuff really set her up for this! its also incredible
Glastonbury 1987 on the Wednesday evening before the festival. I was standing on the hill facing the Pyramid Stage when they sound checked the PA system with Slave to the Rhythm. It was one of the most awesome audio moments of my life. Like listening to the biggest hi-fi on earth. The sound filled the entire valley. Unforgettable.
I am from Washington, D.C. where Go-Go has its roots. The music had a tremendous influence on my playing. Groove and meter are absolutely supreme in this musical style. I remember hearing this song for the first time and was totally knocked off my feet by the production and orchestration. This song remained my personal national anthem for years. It was and has remained one of my top favorite tracks of all time even after almost 40 years. The song in 2022 continues to have a sound just as fresh as it was in 1985.
Bravo to Grace and all the crew who created this masterpiece!
I am forever A Slave to the Rhythm.
I saw in a documentary where they used Go-Go musicians to get the beat
Literally a timeless track. Endlessly modern, classical, funky...just incredible.
I think so too!
There was a phase of incredibly well-arranged pop music in the mid 80s that managed to retain a lightness of touch without being simplistic and dull - Slave to the Rhythm being the perfect example.
Agreed 100%!
you can thank Trevor Horn for that
Grace Jones is nothing short of an Amazonian Goddess! There has never been anyone with a combination of her style and attitude and probably never will be. Oh yeah, she's also a fantastic singer!
And strikes a momentous figure every time, with due elegance and iconoclasm. A full package, really
I'll always remember her as Strange ( Stron-zhae) in that Eddie Murphy film....."Zis is ze essonce of sex!!"😆
YES! HUGE fan of Grace Jones!
@D M my only disagreement is in the tense you use. I would say 'has', rather than 'had'. Grace Jones remains a force of fucking nature. She is magnificent.
Betty (Gray) Davis (1944-2022) arguably her precursor but roughly ten years too early.
One of the best records ever made! I can't get enough of it. It's a shame that it did not get a Grammy.
Very well said Jason!
Fascinating....love this song takes me back to the 80s...
An absolute fu*king masterpiece. This is the tune that inspired IMHO the Triphop, Lounge and Folktronica scene. It's so versatile, this is music in an immortal sense it will never sound dated. It even has that James Bond movie vibe to it. I salute everyone involved with this.
This track epitomises '80s production to me, and it still sounds huge and fresh. Great video, thanks Warren!
Agreed! Thanks ever so much!
@@Producelikeapro agreed - this is a masterpiece - I loooooove this record (12" version) - thank you so much for your efforts Warren
agreed....screams 80's
This and the full version of Welcome To The Pleasuredome. Same team obviously so its not surprising :D
It REALLY stood apart from much of the pop of the era, trapped as they were in the Quincy Jones styling so many other acts were built on:)
It’s funny, I always loved this album but pre-internet, I just assumed that the drums were programmed and the orchestrations were Synclavier or Fairlight. Thanks, Warren for bringing this gem to light.
So true!
Thanks ever so much Jon!
@@leefchapman you rock!
Same here Jon!
Know what you mean. Not sure how you'd programme those drum fills mind. But then again, they're clever chaps with good equipment, who knows what they're capable of?
About 15 years ago, I was gifted with attending to Ms Jones while she flew from my place to L.A.
She was a LOVELY person, offered me to go rollerblading which I turned down out of shyness.
To this day I keep regretting not having said yes.
More Stephen Lipson! Amazing to get his insight into this. What a treasure.
Still waiting on some Kraftwerk!
Andrew Scheps has a long interview with him on TH-cam. Over three hours.
kraftwerk, ja!
I love Lipson’s work with Public Image Ltd.
In my opinion, this is those of the greatest songs and productions ever recorded.
Agreed 100%! Absolute masterpiece
@@Producelikeapro 👍
@@DavidMorley thanks!
Chiming in here. I had the same visceral response as the gentleman presenting this to us: The killer groove was the hardest hitting one I had heard unto, probably is to this day! Absolutely phenomenal piece and fantastic walkthrough and breakdown of its genesis! Thanks so much!
Agree. One of the most criminally underrated records of my 60 year old life. Absolutely a peak moment of creativity and innovation and one of the most important records of the 80s.
We can talk all day about thei importance of Trevor Horn but THIS was and remains his greatest musical achievement.
There never will be another. A unique moment in time never to be repeated.
As a 16 year old in '85 I thought this song was so ahead of its time. Avante Garde ! The song, the video and the album cover and of course Grace herself. Amazing work by the engineers to put this together. Always associate this song with going to the South of France as part of a family holiday. Still gives me goose pimples when I listen to this. I also heard a version with Ian McShane introducing Grace Jones before the song kicks in.
I always thought this song was so sophisticated and elegant, a masterpiece that blew me away and gave images of summer in the Mediterranean.
The composition and arrangement was in my mind perfect and timeless to this day.
Very well said!
A monumental masterpiece. So complex, so sophisticated, so incredibly good, and still sounds fresh after almost forty years.
This is my favorite track of all time, because it has it all; a thundering drumtrack, a funky bass-line, a haunting guitar, a complete classic orchestra and of course the unforgettable voice of Grace Jones. I carry this song in my heart wherever I go. Thanks a million!
Close. You omitted the PING sound, the thrUMMM upward keyboard whoosh, _multiple_ haunting guitars, a dozen motifs and riffs, the glockenspiel, the portentous Ian Shane narration... Check out remixes like Droopus' Rough Slave Mix and DJ Friction's Rmx.
I've got no beef with people saying "Poison Arrow" (ABC), "Buffalo Gals" (Malcolm McLaren, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Yes), or "Welcome to the Pleasuredome" is Trevor Horn's greatest achievement, but "Slave to the Rhythm" is at least their equal. And it's great to see Stephen Lipson getting more credit.
"What do you get if you combine 2 years of studio time, the best musicians in the world, two insanely-talented producers and £800,000? The most expensive, and IMO the best produced single of all time, and surely - another 80s masterpiece." -- Bruce Forest (Drupus?) on Facebook.
Wow.. I'm an 80s baby from the Caribbean and this is all news to me. I was actually conceived in Jamaica but born in St.Lucia, so I feel extra embarrassed cuz I tell people I'm Jamaican sometimes.
Grace Jones is the sh*t
Sak a fet?
@@zeusapollo8688 Mwen La
The best live version of this, is her hoola hooping to it at the Queens jubilee celebration outside Buckingham Palace!👏🏻🇬🇧
Yes! I talked about that at the end of the video! Amazing!
37 years after that top end is everything what is right, the vocals sit in the mix like a kitty in a couch
Haha very well said!
It’s perfection. I think it’s THE high watermark of production - more so after watching this. And Lovejoy is on it! This channel is just immense, thanks for the love and work you clearly put into it
Agreed 100%! Thanks ever so much for your support!
Madam butterfly by Malcolm McLaren was a year before and Peter Gabriel’s sledgehammer was a year after, I liked that part of the eighties, exotic sounding funky dance music
I just recently found out, that many of my favorite tracks from the 80's - when I was a teenager - were produced/composed by Trevor Horn. Like this track, or Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" or Art Of Noise's "Moments In Love".
Me, too!
Indeed - Trevor’s SARM studio in west London, where Steve Lipson worked, produced a significant amount of the backdrop of the 80’s. You’d be surprised and suitably impressed if you saw the whole ‘catalog’ !
Same. Serious a-ha moment for me. I only knew Trevor Horn from The Art of Noise (or so I thought). Video Killed The Radio Star, Owner of A Lonely Heart... I never connected the dots until now. Wow.
Plus- FGTH, Art of Noise and Propaganda!!
Check out his other production peaks: ABC's entire Lexicon of Love album especially "Poison Arrow" and "The Look of Love". Malcolm McLaren's breakthrough "Buffalo Gals", the first track to combine turntable scratching with Fairlight trickery. Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome album, especially the title track. And later on, Seal's tracks.
Although after hearing this I need to check out the engineers and co-producers on those tracks. If Trevor Horn is god, Stephen Lipson is at least Apollo. Red Bull Music Academy has a long interview in which Trevor Horn talks about them at length, and gives credit to Stephen Lipson, Anne Dudley on string arrangements, and many more. A massive nexus of talent.
As a 13 year old when this album came out, it blew me away! 38 years later it's still a captivating listen! One of my all time favorites! 👌
Oh wow this was a great, great video! As a kid, I found Grace Jones to be pretty scary (especially so in the video for this song), but as an adult, I came to really appreciate her artistry. She’s like the female Bowie in a lot of ways.
My fiancé and I saw her live back a few years back when she headlined Afropunk in London and she was an absolute BOSS. She did the hula hoops things there too! My fiancé’s claim to fame now is that she was touched by Jones as she passed by the front row and brushed her hands through the crowd!
Thanks again for the amazing content, man. 👍🏿😊
A fiancé is the male part of an engaged couple. Perhaps you had a fiancée.
Hey, I feel you. I use to think she was a bit weirdly scary too. This video and even some of her cover graphics. I appreciated her more as years went by, and then when she was cast in the movie Boomerang, I found her to be really quite appealing.
So generous of Stephen to do the breakdown. So insightful to the process, I love how irreverent he is. Hang on, Lovejoy is on it!!!???
Yes! It was fantastic to have him do this with us!
@@Producelikeapro I have a question Warren, according to your wiki page you worked with singer James Blunt , was that for a song or a full album and what song or album was it?
The first time I heard this song, t'was the long-play version...... I was stunned !!!!
It still has that stun-power today !!!!
Grace Jones is incredible. Still.
I've seen her live at least twice in the last 15 years.
Legendary.
Goddess is not too strong.
I consider this song to be so sonically correct, that I even used Slave To The Rhythm as my reference track, to tune all front of house PA's we were using during the 80's and 90's. An absolute masterpiece. This video and the songs breakdown was fascinating to watch, thank you!
@5:00 this is classic Go-Go beat. I grew up in DC with that exact backbeat groove. I played with many of the local groups in the late 80s.
I remember when I was young and beautiful, and hearing this in a large club was like being bathed in glory. People were lifted to their best selves as they threw themselves joyfully, luxuriantly, seductively into the rhythm. How many countless people fell in love (or lust) on the dancefloor to this song!Thanks gentlemen in the booth and thank you Ms. Jones! I am forever a slave to the rhythm.
I walked in to Cutler's Records in October 1985, and a friend of mine who worked there had just taken the first copy of that album out of the box and put it on the store turntable. I heard the first two bars and said: "Bob, I'll take that one, please..." Fabulous album from beginning to end.
I remember being so proud of the musicians from my city’s go-go scene being showcased on such a big international stage. The album itself is one of my Dessert Island Discs. I’d have to have it!!!
Oy! I was a lad in 1985 working in a record shop when I bought that record!! I'm 55 now and Still listen to that album regularly!!!! Well done! BTW Born in Washington D.C. Yes GoGo!!
The music video and visuals by Grace's husband for this was equally a masterpiece
Unforgettable work from JP Goude. Feels like it influenced Philipe Decoufle's triumph with New Order's True Faith vid.
Just a bunch of snippets from his tv adverts and they're all brilliant
I was just sixteen,...clubbing in Ghent (Belgium) in this incredible little New Wave club called " The Fash".... Packed with punters dressed in stylish Yamamoto black sporting crazy laquered hairdo's and heavy eyeliner. And then this song came up... and i was floored with how beautifully perfect and theatrical this track worked with this freaky crowd. I will never forget this moment and i still get goosebumps hearing Miss Jones incredible voice on it.
The Thrill Of It All by Roxy Music. I can not imagine anybody from punk to New Romantics existing without this song. It's influence is in Adam Ant and Duran Duran. That intro followed by a roar of sound. By the way, thank you for featuring Slave to the Rhythm. It is a brilliant single and album with an artist I feel never gets enough credit for her talent and artistry. Love this series.
Slave to the Rhythm was 1985, years after Adam Ant hit big in 1980 and Duran Duran in 1981.
I love that little pan flute in there. I always hone into that when I listen to this song.
@@samsam-ko3fp Absolutely. It's brilliant :)
That song sounds great enough to have been used for dialing in p.a. eq‘s on huge systems for decades. That says quite something.
haha yep we did that too, was our reference disc :)
I’ve not heard the album, but have always loved the single - it was perfect for Grace. Enjoyed this, thank you.
Yes, amazing song!
wow, you just gotta hear that album!
@@JohnOShaughnessy Loved the single, but I remember hearing the album when it came out and thought I'd been utterly conned, same track remixed several times. I haven't heard it since, so I will dig it out of my collection and try listening with an open mind and a more mature set of ears.
@@JohnOShaughnessyDamn right, it's awesome!!
Salute to my big brother in music Juju House for representing our gogo culture and laying the foundation down in one of the most greatest songs ever 🥁
Marvellous!
1985, I was sitting inside a car of a friend which had one of the first really good sound systems on board and this song totally blew me away. It was the huge, huge sound, the waves, the "blingblings" and "tzztzzztzzzz" so spherical and roomy which impressed me like nothing before. A few days later I was humming, singing and describing the track to a guy in a local record store, which obviously worked - I got the 45 maxi version which I own until today.
Such a great, great track, still makes me goose bumps after 37 years!
One of the greatest recordings ever made. Thank you! More Trevor Horn related please!
More Trevor Horn required @producelikeapro
Hell yes!
I've always rated this track has being one of the greatest rhythm tracks 've ever heard.
Thanks Antonio!
@@63Baggies agreed 100%!
I'm late to the party, but I can say this. What a gift it was having Stephen Lipson break it all down, and give us insight into the song and production of Slave to the Rhythm. The song is simply classic. Alright, I dare anyone to tell me that it isn't one S-E-X-Y masterpiece!
Boston's More Than a Feeling and Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill are just two serious productions that impacted many musicians and producers. As far as Slave to the Rhythm, that was a fun deep dive thanks to Mr. Lipson recollections, great job!
Yes, the whole of Hounds Of Love was very influential
Song production, the video + Grace, what a fantastic combination. One of the standout tracks of the 1980s. Agree, it hasn't aged at all.
Even if it is from the 80's, it is an timeless production. Lot's of good memories 😀
My dad worked at a very posh stereo store and this was always his goto record to show off a system to someone.
He said it was the most perfect track of music ever made.
I'm not her biggest fan, I'll admit but I really feel Grace Jones was a piece of art herself.
This tune was unbelievably awesome but the visuals in the music video were cutting edge.
...and THAT CHORUS!
Defo ahead of her time
Yes!! I love his song and the concept album built around it. I loved this immediately when it first came out! This was a great example of the versatility of digital recording. Thank you, Warren!!
For me this song is one of my all time favorites of any genre out there. The lyrics, vocals, and production stand shoulder to shoulder with songs like Donna Summer's I Feel Love. What sets this above the rest is Grace's vocals, and the lyrics speak of the Club Life like no other because as she says it in the tile and lyrics, we're all slaves to the rhythm.
For me this track marked an important, if unpleasant, time in my life. I always felt this track was special in some way. I was 23 in 1985. I will be 60 this year. I had no appreciation of how much talent and technical expertise had gone into the production. I still get a thrill when I listen to it. For me it doesn’t sound dated but fresh and perfect.
Much as I admire Grace Jones I still find her a bit scary, but what a talented artist!!!
Grace Jones also did that little stint on one of my favorite albums "Arcadia- So the Red Rose". Man I LOVE that album! David Gilmoure's guitar playing, Mr Le' bon...Love it!.
Election Day & The Flame. Same year as Slave to the Rhythm too!
@@julianmbrown Yep that was a nice one.
Imo, So Red the Rose is the greatest "Duran Duran" album. It's one of those 80s albums that has always remained in play for me since its release.
@@HadrianRex Keep Me In The Dark is an oft over-looked gem I find. Love the keys & guitars on that track. Carlos Alomar plays on that I think.
@@HadrianRex I'd say it's the best "Duran Duran" album bar the self titled debut. That was a really promising start to their career but it was all downhill from there. "Girls on film", "Careless memories", "To the shore", "Night boat" and especially "Tel Aviv" are all really great tracks and there's nothing on that album that is as cringeworthy as what was to come later. "Wild boys"? Really! "Lady Ice" was the stand out track from "So red the rose", for me.
Warren, what a beaut. One of my all-time favourite songs. Funnily enough I played it L.O.U.D. in the studio last week 3 times in a row, utterly transfixed, listening again too all the magical moments in this track. I called my wife in to explain it all and she was also fascinated. And imagine my delight top come across this video! Thanks for sharing and also to Steve Lipson too.
Everything Horn touched turned to gold back then. He is responsible for some of the most lavish production I’ve ever heard… but not to the point of being self indulgent. It’s all honey for the ears. I especially love his work with Propaganda… along with everything he’s ever done with Anne Dudley.
Stephen Lipson produced Propaganda’s ‘A Secret Wish’ album on ZTT not Trevor Horn.
Horn was too busy working with Frankie Goes To Hollywood at the time.
@@RaymondinJapan It was produced by Lipson under the supervision of Horn.
@@e-conrecords4665 So, just as I said, not produced by Trevor Horn.
The 4 chords at the intro and chorus are the stuff of heaven itself ...truly amazing even after all these years !
This really is the best episode yet Warren.....Go-Go beat? You just blew my mind, but there it is clear as day! There really should be MUCH more Go-Go in the world.
T H I S👍
Said!
For GoGo, look for tracks by Washington band Troublefunk from the 1980s. One the best live bands I ever saw! E.g. Drop the Bomb
@@eyeboyd Still Smokin' , had that on 12" also chekc out a superb track by Kindness - Thats Alright - Done with Trouble Funk as well
We're about to bring Go-Go full circle ❤
One of my fav grace jones tracks!!! Amazing back story to the entire song!!!! Wow
Thanks ever so much
This legendary groove is so hot! It still holds up today. When you think of the epitome of a R&B arrangement British-style this is it.
The Horns!🔥The musicians are so tight and bring depth to the groove.
The other sound elements make it a very unique piece.
Grace Jones’s phrasing range is crazy fun and flirty! STTR is still in my personal top 20 songs of all time.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💛🎶👏🏽
I had the same feeling as you the first time I heard this song. I said Boy! something's happening here really really huge. It still on my reference track playlist. Fun facts! I do exactly remember where I was when I heard this song the first time, I was at a Salon de coiffure to cut my hair to find a job. This song convinced me to keep doing music instead of searching for a proper job. Thanks to Stephen Lipson
I used to DJ at this tiny martini bar on Saturdays, and I would open up my set with this track every time.
And speaking about Ju-Ju House playing on that track, I'm originally from DC and I can tell you that go-go is a religion there. E.U., Rare Essence, and Trouble Funk all played at my high school back in the 80s.
My uncle “Lil’ Beats” of Redds & The Boys played on “STTR”. It still rocks to this day. Great interview Thank you to all involved
This record rearranged my brain when I heard it. I've scrutinized this production endlessly, so this video is pure gold to me. It answers so many questions I've had for a long time. Thank you!
Carl Lewis, the olympic athlete, had the same haircut as Grace Jones in 1984.
He named her as the inspiration for it.
Total game changer and like you say a actual production masterpiece Warren..Stephen and Trevor’s ability to just pick the perfect sound or performance for the song is what just puts them on a different level to everyone else. Thanks for another great video.
What an incredible thing to hear Stephen's breakdown...... wow!
How lucky I am to have my teenage memories soaked in fantastic, explorative, superbly produced music, including Slave To The Rhythm!! Thank you so much for the trip - I'll now go dig up my Slave To The Rhythm vinyl in the cellar!
Thanks for your great comment
@@Producelikeapro You're most welcome and thanks for your reply!
I love "don't cry, it's only the rhythm". It's a great stereo effect demo.
One of my favourite songs of all time. It's just pure joy and also magic ♥️ Thank you for this 🙏
Oh my, always the go to to reference for the latest Hi Fi acquisition,have had some quite subliminal audio moments with this album ,specially in the 80s. Very inspirational to my audio engineering quest.Big benchmark album for Audio.
Agreed! Absolutely fantastic song and Producton
Particular shout out to Louis Jardim… what a genius. Amazing percussionist. Love this song. Grace Jones was unlike anything when she exploded onto the music scene with this track and accompanying video. Excited to see which you do next!
The first part of orchestral arrangement he played brings to mind the end of ‘left to my own devices’ by Pet Shop Boys
Never knew JJ Belle had played on this. Know him from his work on Behaviour
Richard Niles arranged that too.
Team was nearly the same.
I too was a teenager when this first came out and it blew my little mind. This and “A Secret Wish” by Propaganda (another Lipson production) define 1985 for me. Slave to the Rhythm is a fantastic track, but the whole album is just as worthy! Pure audio candy. I wish there had been time to discuss the entire album, but obviously time is limited. Thanks so much for this video. Well done!
Every time MTV played a Grace Jones tune the kids and I would nose up to the TV. The right stuff at the right time in the right place. It was great.
Thanks ever so much for sharing! I really appreciate it
I just adore this song! I was blessed to have met Grace this past September in LA after her Hollywood Bowl performance. I love her! Thank you for this awesome video!!
RIP J J Belle dude was an amazing guitarist who’s talent is sadly missed 👊🏿
I’m from Washington DC I love that he worked with GoGo music and artist especially in the 80’s. This was an awesomely discovery 💖
That's fantastic to hear!
I'd no idea it was Ian McShane (and I'm a fan of both the song and him). Thank you Mr H for this and the recent Steve Lipson interview. Very interesting stuff.
As a child in 1985, I found Grace terrifying to behold, but also fascinating! I can time-travel with this track, as I was hearing it at that strange impressionable time in childhood when songs have the power to bewitch, haunt and even brand you. I am a very musical person, and every time I hear Slave To The Rhythm I am 9 again, and I can recall places and people, and even the stirrings of how I felt then. The '80s was a special time musically, and there seemed to be a new classic track hitting the top 40 almost every week. Even as a kid i knew i was lucky to be living through it. I felt that chart music started going down the nick about 1988/9 in the wake of Stock Aitken Waterman. It felt like something good was over. Tracks that changed music that come to mind: anything by Bjork, Bohemian Rhapsody, an maybe Madonna's Lucky Star.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PRODUCTION EVER - pure magic ! excellent sound taste... EPIC ..... BREATHTAKING
Thanks ever so much! It’s an amazing piece of production
When this track came around it was like a curtain being ripped open to another level of excellence. Exhilirating to the point of menace. And although I haven't played the album that often since - once every couple of years - its haunting power never fades. What a joy to hear those drums in solo. They already sum it up. To the rhythm.
This was so good. I am not nor ever have been a musician or producer but I can appreciate the incredible level of work. Great interview, comments and breakdown of one of the best songs ever.
The first time I heard this amazing song back in '85 was actually watching the video. The video was equally cutting edge and artistic. Recoded it with my VHS and watched it many times. I was ecstatic to find the original album in mint condition at my local record store a couple of years ago. I play it here and there when I need "A little Grace in my face".
My exact sentiments when I fIrst heard this track back in 1985.
So polished , but atmospherically on point
Thanks ever so much Craig!
Thank you for breaking down this seminal piece of music. We are so lucky to live in a time where this sort of quality content is available to the public. As a STEM practitioner, I hope I have more opportunities to meet these talented artisans who combine their technical and creative gifts to make magic happen for us all. Thank you so much Warren.
Thanks ever so much for your wonderful comment
Thanks for the last two videos featuring Steve, he’s clearly able to get the best out of those he works with, and I’d love a bit of insight into the technical side of his work with Propaganda on A Secret Wish. It completely changed my tastes due to its perceived complexity.
Yeah
Propaganda's album absolutely!
One of my all time favourite song productions. The drum groove is an absolute killer. The layering of the tracks is sublime.
What a great episode, I adore this song! Its in my lifetime top ten and its wonderful to see how it was produced. Massive thanks to you and Stephen.
Thanks ever so much Jezza! Agreed! Absolutely love this!
every now and then this song will pop up on the radio and make my week, it's like finding a diamond in the dirt...hearing this the first time when it came out was a religious experience....so many layers, so lush...and Grace was, and is, a work of art herself.
Great choice, an amazing album too. I read that Trevor Horn really enjoyed working with Grace Jones. I also really liked her cover version of 'Walking in the rain' by Flash and the Pan.
Vanda and Young sure have an interesting legacy. Pull Up to The Bumper was another banger from Nightclubbing.
@@paulsmith3057 They sure do. Angus Young's big brother
The Easybeats!
I grew up in DC listening to Go-Go music. This song was LIFE CHANGING for me and the entire DMV area!!!
Simply a masterpiece. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, were influenced by this song on the New Edition 'Heartbreak' album.
Thanks ever so much for sharing!
Probably my favourite song of the 80's. Wow, wow wow !!! what an absolutely brilliant video Warren. The song is phenomenonal. I remember when I first heard it in a pub in Glasgow called Alices Underground. I was completely in a daze. and I wasn't even on anything lol. The song transports you into an almost different reality its that incredbile. Its a masterclass in songwriting and production and musicianship. I love the way Steve says "theres not really that much in it" . Its a work of sheer bloody genius and you are quite right to alude at the end of your video to its great artistry. It is a piece of art. Its cinematic and huge and incredibly charismatic and just everything that makes this so so great. Thank you for making this, and releasing it on my birthday to !
Grace Jones always had the talent to find other talent. Her latest album Hurricane is my go to album for testing hifi systems
I'm guessing that you don't have it on vinyl. That goes for a lot of money.