Break Out (Pointer Sisters album)

Break Out
Studio album by Pointer Sisters
Released November 6, 1983
Recorded 1983 Studio 55
(Los Angeles, California)
Baby 'O Recorders
(Los Angeles, California)
The Music Grinder
(Los Angeles, California)
Brian Elliot Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre R&B, pop, soul
Label Planet/RCA Records
Producer Richard Perry, Howie Rice
Pointer Sisters chronology
So Excited!
(1982)		 Break Out
(1983)		 Contact
(1985)
Singles from Break Out
  1. "I Need You"
    Released: 1983
  2. "Automatic"
    Released: January 1984
  3. "Jump (for My Love)"
    Released: April 1984
  4. "Neutron Dance"
    Released: December 30, 1984
  5. "Baby Come and Get It"
    Released: 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Robert ChristgauB+ [2]

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.

Overview

Featuring mostly electro-dance tunes, the album gave the Pointer Sisters the biggest success of their recording career, spawning four U.S. top ten 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.[3] 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 Ten 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 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 group. Prior to Break Out, the Pointers had accumulated three earlier Top Ten hits over a twelve-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.

Track listing

Original 1983 release

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalist Length
1. "Jump"  Marti Sharron, Stephen Mitchell, Gary SkardinaJune Pointer 4:23
2. "Automatic"  Brock Walsh, Mark GoldenbergRuth Pointer 4:48
3. "Baby, Come and Get It"  Barry Mann, James Ingram, Cynthia WeilJune Pointer 4:19
4. "I Need You"  Nan O'Byrne, Richard Feldman, John BlackAnita, June & Ruth Pointer 4:01
5. "Dance Electric"  Glen Ballard, Brock WalshRuth Pointer 4:25
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalist Length
6. "Neutron Dance"  Allee Willis, Danny SembelloRuth Pointer 4:12
7. "Easy Persuasion"  Bruce Roberts, Andy GoldmarkAnita Pointer 4:34
8. "Nightline"  Ballard, Davey Faragher, Brie HowardJune Pointer 4:36
9. "Telegraph Your Love"  GoldmarkAnita Pointer 4:01
10. "Operator"  Howie Rice, O'ByrneAnita Pointer 3:58

1984 re-release

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalist Length
1. "Jump (for My Love)"  Marti Sharron, Stephen Mitchell, Gary SkardinaJune Pointer 4:23
2. "Automatic"  Brock Walsh, Mark GoldenbergRuth Pointer 4:46
3. "I'm So Excited"  Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Trevor LawrenceAnita Pointer 4:53
4. "I Need You"  Nan O'Byrne, Richard Feldman, John BlackAnita, June & Ruth Pointer 4:01
5. "Neutron Dance"  Allee Willis, Danny SembelloRuth Pointer 4:12
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalist Length
6. "Dance Electric"  Glen Ballard, Brock WalshRuth Pointer 4:25
7. "Easy Persuasion"  Bruce Roberts, Andy GoldmarkAnita Pointer 4:34
8. "Baby, Come and Get It"  Barry Mann, James Ingram, Cynthia WeilJune Pointer 4:19
9. "Telegraph Your Love"  GoldmarkAnita Pointer 4:01
10. "Operator"  Howie Rice, O'ByrneAnita Pointer 3:58

Production

Personnel

Singles Released

Misc Notes

Chart positions

Chart (1983) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Pop Albums 8
U.S. Billboard Top R&B Albums 6
UK Albums Chart 9

References

  1. ↑ Hanson, Amy. Break Out review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Break Out review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
  3. ↑ Billboard vol 96 No. 46 (17 November 1984) p. 78

External links

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