Rickie Lee Jones – The Magazine

Rickie Lee Jones – The Magazine

Originally released in September 1984 on Warner Bros. Records, The Magazine is Rickie Lee Jones' third studio album and the follow-up to her acclaimed Pirates. Partly composed during Jones' time in Paris, the album was co-produced with James Newton Howard, who also contributed synthesizers and arrangements. The result is an adventurous, atmospheric record that moves beyond the jazz-inflected singer-songwriter style of her earlier work into more sophisticated pop, electronic textures and experimental arrangements.

The album opens with the atmospheric instrumental “Prelude To Gravity”, leading directly into “Gravity”, one of its most distinctive pieces. Jones' expressive vocal style sits alongside a remarkable cast of Los Angeles session musicians, including Steve Gadd, Jeff Porcaro, Nathan East, David Hungate, Dean Parks, Steve Lukather, Buzz Feiten, Lenny Castro and Greg Phillinganes. The combination of jazz-trained musicianship, polished 1980s studio production and Jones' unconventional songwriting gives The Magazine a richly detailed sound.

“Juke Box Fury”, “It Must Be Love” and the title track “Magazine” continue the album's mixture of sophisticated pop, jazz-rock and electronic instrumentation. “It Must Be Love” is Jones' interpretation of the Labi Siffre song, while the album's arrangements make extensive use of synthesizers, electric piano, horns, percussion and strings. The production is especially notable for bringing together Jones' piano and vocals with the highly polished sound of some of Los Angeles' leading studio players.

The second side becomes increasingly experimental, moving through “The Real End,” “Deep Space” and the rhythmically engaging “Runaround” before arriving at the three-part “Rorschachs” sequence. “Theme For The Pope (Marrants D'eau Douce)” features contributions from Sal Bernardi, Nick DeCaro and Jeff Pevar, while “The Unsigned Painting / The Weird Beast” closes the album with a more abstract, impressionistic finale. The album's official site notes that the record was partly composed in France, while contemporary critical recognition included a No. 10 placing in NME's albums of the year for 1984.

For collectors of Rickie Lee Jones, 1980s singer-songwriters, jazz-rock, sophisticated pop and adventurous Warner Bros. releases, The Magazine is an essential part of her early catalogue. It captures Jones at a point where her distinctive songwriting was being expanded by ambitious production, electronic instrumentation and some of the finest session musicians working in Los Angeles.

Side A

1. Prelude To Gravity – 2:49
2. Gravity – 4:43
3. Juke Box Fury – 4:11
4. It Must Be Love – 4:54
5. Magazine – 4:42

Side B

1. The Real End – 4:58
2. Deep Space – 3:12
3. Runaround – 4:59
4. Theme For The Pope (Marrants D'eau Douce) – 3:15
5. The Unsigned Painting – 2:18
6. The Weird Beast – 2:39