1983 Pointer Sisters – Break Out
Break Out is the tenth studio album by the American female vocal group The Pointer Sisters and their most successful album to date. The album was released on November 6, 1983 on Planet Records.
Featuring mostly electro-dance tunes, the album gave the Pointer Sisters the biggest success of their recording career, spawning four U.S. top 10 hits – “Jump (For My Love)”, “Automatic”, “Neutron Dance” and a remixed version of their 1982 hit “I’m So Excited.” The latter was included on later editions of the album in the place of the track “Nightline”. “Automatic” also became the group’s biggest UK hit, peaking at #2 and certified “Silver” by the BPI. “Jump” also made the UK top 10, peaking at #6.
With the remix of “I’m So Excited” added to pressings of the album in mid-1984, a total of six singles were issued from Break Out. The first release was “I Need You,” featuring a shared lead by the three Pointer Sisters. A mid-tempo number, it was atypical of the album’s overall dance sound; the choice of the song as lead single was based on producer Richard Perry’s hope that the track would reinstate the Pointer Sisters’ presence at R&B radio. “I Need You” did become a major hit on the R&B chart in Billboard but did not reach the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, stalling at #48.
The dance track “Jump (For My Love)” (simply “Jump” on the first version of the album) with June Pointer on lead was intended to be the second single off Break Out; however, “Automatic” – another dance track – was substituted due to heavy radio and dance club airplay as an album track. The first major hit to feature the distinctive contralto of Ruth Pointer on lead, “Automatic” became the first Top 40 hit off Break Out, its #5 peak ending a three-year absence by the Pointer Sisters from the Top 10 of the Hot 100. “Automatic” also became the most successful R&B hit by the Pointer Sisters as a trio – its #2 R&B peak was bested by “How Long (Betcha’ Got a Chick on the Side)”, a 1975 #1 R&B hit by the group in its original four-woman format. “Jump (For My Love)” was afforded a single release as the follow-up to “Automatic” and, with a #3 peak, became the most successful single off Break Out.
The re-release of “I’m So Excited” – the one single from Break Out to feature a lead by Anita Pointer, who sang lead on most Pointer Sisters’ hits – resulted in a third consecutive Top Ten hit for the group. Prior to Break Out, the Pointers had accumulated three earlier Top 10 hits over a 12-year recording career. “I’m So Excited” peaked at #9. After the Break Out track “Neutron Dance” with Ruth Pointer on lead was optioned for the soundtrack of the film Beverly Hills Cop, it became the fifth single and the album’s fourth consecutive Top Ten hit, reaching #6 on the Hot 100 in February 1985. A sixth single, “Baby, Come and Get It” featuring June Pointer on lead, became a minor hit in the spring of 1985 (#44 Hot 100/ #24 R&B).
Break Out sold over three million copies in the US and won the group two Grammy Awards and two American Music Awards. The original and re-released versions of the album were remastered and issued in a deluxe expanded edition with bonus tracks on CD in 2011 by Big Break Records.
Tracks
1 Jump For My Love (Gary Skardina, Marti Sharron, Stephen Mitchell) 4:27
2 Automatic (Brock Walsh, Mark Goldenberg) 4:46
3 Baby, Come and Get It (James Ingram, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil) 4:53
4 I Need You (John Black, Nan O’Byrne, Richard Feldman) 4:02
5 Neutron Dance (Allee Willis, Daniel Sembello) 4:13
6 Dance Electric (Brock Walsh, Glen Ballard) 4:25
7 Easy Persuasion (Andy Goldmark, Bruce Roberts) 4:35
8 Nightline (Brie Howard, Davey Faragher, Glen Ballard) 4:29
9 Telegraph Your Love (Andy Goldmark) 3:58
10 Operator (Howie Rice, Nan O’Byrne) 3:58
Biography
Musicians
1 Jump For My Love
Electric Drums | Howie Rice |
Drums (programming) | Stephen Mitchell |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Programming | Stephen Mitchell |
Programming | Reek Havoc |
Percussion | Paulinho Da Costa |
Vocals | June Pointer |
2 Automatic
Bass | Eddie Watkins Jr |
Drums (programming) | Brock Walsh |
Guitar | Dennis Herring |
Guitar | Mark Goldenberg |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Moog | John van Tongeren |
Synthesizer | John van Tongeren |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Synthesizer | Brock Walsh |
Synthesizer | Stephen Mitchell |
Vocals | Ruth Pointer |
3 Baby, Come and Get It
Electric Drums | Howie Rice |
Drums (programming) | Reek Havoc |
Drums (programming) | James Ingram |
Drums (programming) | Barry Mann |
Guitar | David Katay |
Synthesizer | James Ingram |
Synthesizer | Barry Mann |
Background Vocals | James Ingram |
Vocals | June Pointer |
4 I Need You
Bass | Howie Rice |
Guitar | Howie Rice |
Fender Rhodes | Vince Melamed |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Synthesizer | Stephen Mitchell |
Synthesizer | John van Tongeren |
Percussion | Paulinho Da Costa |
Percussion | Howie Rice |
Vocals | Anita Pointer |
Vocals | June Pointer |
Vocals | Ruth Pointer |
5 Neutron Dance
Drums (programming) | Howie Rice |
Drums (programming) | Bob Mithoff |
Drums (programming) | Reek Havoc |
Guitar | Howie Rice |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Moog | Howie Rice |
Organ | Howie Rice |
Piano | Howie Rice |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Percussion | Paulinho Da Costa |
Vocals | Ruth Pointer |
6 Dance Electric
Drums (programming) | Francis Buckley |
Drums (programming) | Brock Walsh |
Drums (programming) | Glen Ballard |
Guitar | Dennis Herring |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Moog | Howie Rice |
Synthesizer | Tommy Faragher |
Synthesizer | Brock Walsh |
Synthesizer | Glen Ballard |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Percussion | Paulinho Da Costa |
Vocals | Ruth Pointer |
7 Easy Persuasion
Drums (programming) | Andy Goldmark |
Guitar | Howie Rice |
Synthesizer | Andy Goldmark |
Synthesizer | Bruce Roberts |
Synthesizer | Richard Ruttenburg |
Vocals | Anita Pointer |
8 Nightline
Bass | Davey Faragher |
Electric Drums | Howie Rice |
Drums (programming) | Glen Ballard |
Drums (programming) | Reek Havoc |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Moog | Greg Phillinganes |
Synthesizer | Mark Goldenberg |
Synthesizer | Tommy Faragher |
Percussion | Brie Howard |
Percussion | Glen Ballard |
Vocals | June Pointer |
9 Telegraph Your Love
Drums (programming) | Andy Goldmark |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Moog | Howie Rice |
Synthesizer | Andy Goldmark |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Vocals | Anita Pointer |
10 Operator
Drums (programming) | Howie Rice |
Drums (programming) | Bob Mithoff |
Emulator | Paul Fox |
Synthesizer | Howie Rice |
Programming | Stephen Mitchell |
Vocals | Anita Pointer |
Liner Notes
Producer – Richard Perry
Co-producer – Howie Rice (Tracks 4, 5, 10)
Co-producer (Associate Producer) – Gary Skardina, Stephen Mitchell (Track 1)
Co-producer (Associate Producer) – Brock Walsh, Glen Ballard (Tracks 2, 6)
Co-producer (Associate) – Andy Goldmark, Bruce Roberts (Tracks 7, 11)
Co-producer (Associate) – Andy Goldmark (Track 9)
Coordinator – Marge Meoli
Coordinator (Production) – Bradford Rosenberger
Engineer (Additional) – Bobby Gerber, Hill Brin Swimmer, Stuart Furusho
Engineer (Assistant) – Bobby Gerber, David Dubow, Stuart Furusho
Engineer (Recording) – Michael Brooks (Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10)
Engineer (Remix) – Bill Schnee
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Design, Art Direction – John Kosh, Ron Larson
Photography – Don Miller
Mastered At Precision Lacquer
Mixed At Studio 55, Los Angeles
Recorded At Studio 55, Los Angeles
Recorded At Baby’O Recorders
Recorded At Music Grinder Studios
Recorded At Brian Elliot Recording
Phonographic Copyright Planet Records
Copyright Planet Records