Break Out (Pointer Sisters album)
Break Out is the tenth studio album by American female vocal group The Pointer Sisters, released on November 6, 1983 on Planet Records. It is The Pointer Sisters' most successful album to date.
Break Out | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 6, 1983 | |||
Recorded | Spring – Autumn 1983[1] | |||
Studio | Studio 55 (Los Angeles, California) Baby 'O Recorders (Los Angeles, California) The Music Grinder (Los Angeles, California) Brian Elliot Studios (Los Angeles, California) | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | Planet Records | |||
Producer |
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The Pointer Sisters chronology | ||||
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Singles from Break Out | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+ [3] |
Overview
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 slightly 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.[4] 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 vocal 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 1984 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.
According to Ruth Pointer, she and her sisters were not happy with the title of Break Out. "We kept thinking of it as a rash or jail,",[5] she said.
Track listing
Original 1983 release
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist | Length |
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1. | "Jump" | Stephen Mitchell, Marti Sharron, Gary Skardina | June Pointer | 4:23 |
2. | "Automatic" | Brock Walsh, Mark Goldenberg | Ruth Pointer | 4:48 |
3. | "Baby, Come and Get It" | Barry Mann, James Ingram, Cynthia Weil | June Pointer | 4:19 |
4. | "I Need You" | Nan O'Byrne, Richard Feldman, John Black | Anita, June & Ruth Pointer | 4:01 |
5. | "Dance Electric" | Glen Ballard, Brock Walsh | Ruth Pointer | 4:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist | Length |
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6. | "Neutron Dance" | Allee Willis, Danny Sembello | Ruth Pointer | 4:12 |
7. | "Easy Persuasion" | Bruce Roberts, Andy Goldmark | Anita Pointer | 4:34 |
8. | "Nightline" | Ballard, Davey Faragher, Brie Howard | June Pointer | 4:36 |
9. | "Telegraph Your Love" | Goldmark | Anita Pointer | 4:01 |
10. | "Operator" | Howie Rice, O'Byrne | Anita Pointer | 3:58 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Automatic" (12" Special Remix) | 6:06 |
12. | "Jump (for My Love)" (12" Long Version) | 6:24 |
13. | "I Need You" (UK 12" Special Remix) | 5:24 |
14. | "I'm So Excited" (12" Mix) | 5:41 |
15. | "Neutron Dance" (12" Mix) | 5:33 |
16. | "Baby Come and Get It" (12" Extended Version) | 7:13 |
1984 re-release
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Jump (For My Love)" | Stephen Mitchell, Marti Sharron, Gary Skardina | June Pointer | 4:23 |
2. | "Automatic" | Brock Walsh, Mark Goldenberg | Ruth Pointer | 4:48 |
3. | "I'm So Excited" | Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Trevor Lawrence | Anita Pointer | 4:54 |
4. | "I Need You" | Nan O'Byrne, Richard Feldman, John Black | Anita, June & Ruth Pointer | 4:01 |
5. | "Neutron Dance" | Allee Willis, Danny Sembello | Ruth Pointer | 4:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead vocalist | Length |
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6. | "Dance Electric" | Glen Ballard, Brock Walsh | Ruth Pointer | 4:25 |
7. | "Easy Persuasion" | Bruce Roberts, Andy Goldmark | Anita Pointer | 4:34 |
8. | "Baby, Come and Get It" | Barry Mann, James Ingram, Cynthia Weil | June Pointer | 4:19 |
9. | "Telegraph Your Love" | Goldmark | Anita Pointer | 4:01 |
10. | "Operator" | Howie Rice, O'Byrne | Anita Pointer | 3:58 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "I Need You" (Single Remix) | 3:43 |
12. | "Automatic" (Single Edit) | 4:00 |
13. | "Jump (For My Love)" (Single Remix) | 3:38 |
14. | "I'm So Excited" (Single Remix) | 3:50 |
15. | "Neutron Dance" (Single Edit) | 3:51 |
16. | "Baby, Come and Get It" (Single Edit) | 4:00 |
17. | "I Need You" (USA 12" Version) | 5:51 |
18. | "Jump (For My Love)" (12" Instrumental Mix) | 6:08 |
Personnel
The Pointer Sisters
- Anita Pointer – lead vocals (4, 7, 9, 10), backing vocals
- June Pointer – lead vocals (1, 3, 4, 8), backing vocals
- Ruth Pointer – lead vocals (2, 4, 5, 6), backing vocals
Musicians
- Howie Rice – Minimoog (1, 5, 9, 10), additional synthesizers (1), electronic drums (3, 8), synthesizers (4, 5, 6, 9, 10), guitar (4, 6, 7, 8), bass (4), drum machine programming (4, 6, 10), percussion (4, 6, 8, 10), E-mu Emulator (6), acoustic piano (6), organ (6)
- Stephen Mitchell – synthesizers (1, 2, 4), synthesizer programming (1, 5, 6, 10), drum machine programming (1)
- Paul Fox – E-mu Emulator (2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)
- John Van Tongeren – Minimoog (2), synthesizers (2, 4)
- Brock Walsh – synthesizers (2, 5), drum machine programming (2, 5)
- James Ingram – synthesizers (3), drum machine programming (3), backing vocals (3)
- Barry Mann – synthesizers (3), drum machine programming (3)
- Vince Melamed – Fender Rhodes (4)
- Glen Ballard – synthesizers (5), drum machine programming (5, 8)
- Andy Goldmark – synthesizer programming (7), drum machine programming (7, 9)
- Bruce Roberts – synthesizer programming (7), drum machine programming (7)
- Richard Ruttenburg – additional synthesizers (7)
- Tommy Faragher – synthesizers (5, 8), bass (8), theremin (8)
- Greg Phillinganes – Minimoog (8)
- Mark Goldenberg – guitar (2), synthesizers (8)
- Dennis Herring – guitar (2), lead guitar (5)
- David Katay – guitar (3)
- Eddie Watkins, Jr – bass (2)
- Reek Havok – electronic drum programming (3, 4, 6, 8)
- Bob Mithoff – drum machine programming (4, 6, 10)
- Francis Buckley – drum machine programming (5)
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1, 4, 5), tambourine (6)
Production
- Producer – Richard Perry
- Associate Producers – Gary Skardina (track 1); Stephen Mitchell (track 1); Glen Ballard (tracks 2, 5 & 8); Brock Walsh (tracks 2, 5 & 8); Barry Mann (track 3); Howie Rice (tracks 4, 6 & 10); Bruce Roberts (track 7); Andy Goldmark (tracks 7 & 9).
- A&R – Marge Meoli
- Recording Engineer – Michael Brooks (tracks 1–4, 6, 8, 9 & 10)
- Basic Track Engineers – Gary Skardina (track 1), Frances Buckley (track 5) and Brian Elliot (track 7).
- Additional Engineers – Stuart Furusho, Bobby Gerber and Hill Swimmer.
- Assistant Engineers – David Dubow, Stuart Furusho and Bobby Gerber.
- Remixed by Bill Schnee
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
- Art Direction and Design – Kosh and Ron Larson
- Photography – Donald Miller
- Fashion Coordinator – Susan Epstein
- Management – Linda Martinez and Burt Zell at Management III.
- Accountants – Kaufman & Bernstein
- Agent – Regency Artists, Ltd.
- Production Management – James C. Tract
Singles released
- "I Need You" (7" Version)/Operator (Alternate Version) [12" single included extended mix of "I Need You"]
- "Automatic" (7" Version)/Nightline (LP Version) [12" single included extended mix of "Automatic"]
- "Jump (For My Love)" (7" Remix)/Heartbeat [12" single included extended mix of "Jump (For My Love)"]
- "I'm So Excited" (7" Remix)/Dance Electric [12" single included extended mix of "I'm So Excited"]
- "Neutron Dance (7" Version)/Telegraph Your Love [12" single included extended mix of "Neutron Dance"]
- "Baby Come and Get It"/"Operator" (LP Version) [12" single included extended mix of "Baby Come and Get It"]
Misc notes
- "Nightline", the track dropped from Break Out as originally formatted to allow inclusion of "I'm So Excited", was originally written for and recorded by Michael Jackson but was never released, though a leaked recording has been circulating for many years. The Pointer Sisters' version was utilized as the B-side of the single "Automatic".
Chart positions
Chart (1983-1984) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] | 17 |
U.S. Billboard Top Pop Albums | 8 |
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums | 6 |
UK Albums Chart | 9 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
New Zealand (RMNZ)[7] | Gold | 7,500^ |
United States (RIAA)[8] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
^shipments figures based on certification alone |
References
- On this day in music history: November 6, 1983 – “Break Out”
- Hanson, Amy. Break Out review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- Christgau, Robert. "Break Out review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
- Billboard vol 96 No. 46 (17 November 1984) p. 78
- Fort Lauderdale News 22 February 1985 "Potent Pointer Sisters Roll On" by Scott Benarde p.3S
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 235. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "New Zealand album certifications – Pointer Sisters – Break Out". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- "American album certifications – Pointer Sisters – Break Out". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 29, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.
External links
- Break Out at Discogs (list of releases)
- The Pointer Sisters - Break Out (1983) album to be listened as stream on Spotify