The Pointer Sisters

The Pointer Sisters were huge. Mega. They could not have been any bigger!

What R1 said. Did you mean why didn't they last longer, OP?

Betcha Got a Chick on the Side. I bought the album solely based red on the cover. Then I knowed there was a God.

They had a 12 year run as a big group with a white hot streak of smash hits from 79-85. Far better then most acts that had some level of their success.

Their first and last big hits both peaked at #11.

They did better than most. They must have been 40 ish by the end of the 1980s.

I think their long term status has been hurt by the fact that their most successful period features music that sounds like an aerobics soundtrack. Their earlier recordings seem more classic, e.g. "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)".

Even for the 1980s, their stage wear was bad, like costumes from Buck Rogers.

I wish they had at least a mini comeback with an album to cap their career. Solomon Burke, who the GP couldn't pick out of a lineup, got that. Country singers tend to get it (Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Johnny Cash).

They WERE big! It was the music that got smaller........

They sang 3 part harmony LIVE all the time, effortlessly!

Did Anita have a terrible drug habit too? Ruth, Bonnie, and June all did.

Even though the track is the definition of MOR, "I Need You" is right up there as a favorite of mine. I love the shared lead.

I'm torn between their cover of Springsteen's "Fire"...

...or "Automatic."

I hate when stupid people post things

They watched what they ate and did aerobics?

Well, anyone can "watch you eat" when you just do coke.

The Pointer Sisters were huge. I loved them. I think they, unfortunately, went down with disco. When disco was declared dead it got ugly for many of the performers tied to it.

The pointer sisters is now just Ruth pointer, her daughter and granddaughter. Anita is retired and June and Bonnie are dead. Ruth is the oldest and the last one standing.

Their "break out" period of 1983-84 was amazing. They had hits before this period but this was the peak of their career. It's kind of amazing to think that three black women became pop superstars while they were pushing 40. Would never happen today.

And glad they re-released "I'm So Excited". One of the most exuberant songs of the '80s. It really deserved to go top 10.

Disco was declared dead in 1979. Pointer Sisters had their biggest commercial success in 1983/84.

Also drug problems.

I still have my 1983 cassette of the "Breakout" album. Neutron Dance, Automatic, Jump (For My Love), I'm So Excited, Baby Come and Get It. I *STILL* LOVE IT!!!!!

The Pointer Sisters are the second most successful girl group of all time, the first being The Supremes. I'd say they did not bad. My mom loved them. RIP. Those sisters could SANG.

When they were four. I love that song Fairytale. They sing it at the 3:00 mark of this mini concert. How cool was their vibe to dress like church girls from the 1940s? A good gimmick is based in truth. Then they blew up the eighties even bigger and brighter and louder. Sisters first. That harmony is familial. I love their Duke Ellington Medley too. These women could sing off the back of a truck as my granny used to say. But they found a look and sound and kept changing it up in ways that felt organic enough because the talent was just busting out of them. All the Pointers LOVED COCAINE. Go on ladies.

They had some great songs.

Disco was dead, but pop, new wave and r & B was not.

Whitney Houston mind of stole their sound. They probably wouldn’t have lasted a lot longer, but her dance stuff was similar and she got big right after they had their big eighties success.

I get what OP is saying. Yes, they had “hits” but they weren’t massive even though they had a lot of good songs. They were about the same age as Patti LaBelle (for example) and to this day Patti is still relevant even though she had no more hits than the Pointer Sisters did.

I think their personal “issues” probably had a bit to do with it. They also didn’t seem as ambitious as their contemporaries.

Are you kidding OP? The Pointer Sisters were fucking MASSIVE!

Their revival on The Golden Girls relaunched their career.

Check out Ruth's youtube promo/ press she did to promote 2016 memoir I'm Still Excited / she is very impressive /

“Her music” OP? Have the Pointer Sisters declared their pronouns as she/her and forgone the collective they/their?

[quote]I think their long term status has been hurt by the fact that their most successful period features music that sounds like an aerobics soundtrack.

That and the dying part.

Well, this must of irrevocably impacted their reputation, they should sue Saved By the Bell for millions in damages and a civil case against Elizabeth Berkeley for defamation of a song.

Wasn't June a lesbian? Didn't she use coke to cope with that?

Fierce

I liked their thrift store 1920s look.

r35 I don't know if she was a lesbian but I remember reading in an article online that she was brutally raped as a teen and she "changed" after that and I guess she used drugs to cope. I'm sure back then (the 60s?) there wasn't a lot of options for rape victims in black households: they either got blamed for it, or were told to move on and keep quiet about it.

One of my favourites is not from the group itself but from Bonnie. Free Me from My Freedom

There's a GMA (or similar) interview from about 2000 with June. My first thought was that she's a lesbian. I know she had a husband who pushed for her solo career. I don't know how long they lasted.

Dare Me was a hit #11 in 1985

My favorite song is If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady.

The aforementioned:

OP, why did you duplicate a thread I started yesterday?

When you know who croaks, you can bet your ass I will be jamming out to “I’m so Excited”!🕺

One of mine is Jada.

Early and hardly remembered, but really showed what they could do.

Is Jada dead?

Fun fact: Anita collects racist tsotchkes. There's something very DL about that.

Still kinda weird and mindblowing that one of their earliest hits - and a Grammy award, too! - was for a country song!

r38 here. Came across this write up on June being raped.

[quote]At 15, she dropped out of high school to form the duo Pointers-A-Pair, with sister Bonnie. The two performed in Bay Area clubs. Sadly around this time, according to an obit in the San Francisco Chronicle last week, young June was raped in an East Oakland neighborhood, became pregnant and had an abortion. To cope, she soon turned to drugs, sparking a lifelong addiction. [/quote]

R49 you don't have to end quote

In the circa 2000 interview, June said that she used drugs from the age of 13.

damn bitches! they had drugs, Scientology......and naked snatches

I liked 'Slow Hand' when I was a kid. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized it was a song about getting finger banged.

You could probably count on one hand the number of singers/musicians from that generation who DIDN'T do drugs and party their asses off in the 60s and 70s. That's just how it was.

R53 you’re so romantic

I think "Slow Hand" is also about the long stroke.

I ❤️ He Turned Me Out

R54 their big era was 70s & 80s not 60s & 70s. Their first album was released in 1973.

That post did include the 1970s in their comment.

They also sang with Sylvester at one point, didn't they?

loved the pointer sisters; great vibe and energy

From Yes We Can Can to Fire to Automatic, they were juicy and fun.

Always enjoyed Bonnie Pointer's disco single, Handcuff me, Tie me to a Tree, Free me from my Freedom

Ruth Pointer's memoir that came out a few years ago is really good. Lots of wild stories from the 70s, Ruth was a coke fiend and loved to party. She was hospitalized at age 38 and the doctors told her if she didn't stop doing drugs immediately she wouldn't live another year. It scared her shitless and she quit right then and there and has been clean and sober ever since.

Fire is a fabulous song, they performed it beautifully.

Were her late in life twins born from a surrogate?

I'm So Excited will always be one of my favorite songs.

Why did it not do that well initially?

Ruth interviewed last year

Not long before Bonnie died, she and Anita put out a song in tribute to June.

Dirty Work was my favourite!

[quote]Wasn't June a lesbian?

I remember reading in a tabloid that she was.

I also remember reading an interview she did and she said that she used to have a gay friend growing up and she would let him try on her dresses.

Dirty Work from Energy is a good cover version.

Here is the GMA interview. Big lesbian energy.

Kilo for kilo, who did more coke, Ruth or Stevie?

Keith Moon.

Stevie? As in Wonder?

I kind of love the fact they were huge drug users. I'm not condoning it but at the same time, it's fascinating. They were like classic rock stars - living the dream - sex, drugs and rock and roll. They also looked like they ENJOYED their success and fame. And their joy came through in their music.

Really, Chaka Khan is the quintessential drug user of that era. She's still kicking, still gigging, still flying.

Didn't Chaka quit drugs years ago?

[quote]Didn't Chaka quit drugs years ago?

Yes. Many times.

Are they live here? I seems so but I can't tell for sure.

If so, they sound exactly like the record: Great.

Whitney got her dancing from Dionne.

Goldmine was their last Top 40 hit in the U.S.

That's a live vocal oo Dare Me. Dionne was not very funky, was she.

Dionne was never funky, she sang pop in the classic style. She was a great talent, just a different kind of talent.

Few things can take me right back to my 80s childhood like watching Solid Gold clips on Youtube. Everybody watched that show back then.

These ladies could sing live. I don't care for Solid Gold Performances much. But here they are with a great exhibition of their individual vocal talents and the thing that really made them unique stars - that harmonic vocal blend and gorgeous sense of time and rhythm. A funky female barbershop quartet that could blow jazz and funk and blues and pop and gospel and dance music!! How lucky they were to have a sister who could (almost) sing bass! Bonnie was the least impressive as a solo vocalist but as part of the group she was signature. Anita Pointers voice was insanely good. Equally talented but not quite as reliable was June Pointer. The fucking Pointer SISTERS were fabulous. They're high as fuck here, improvising and sounding good.

Thank you, r86, that put a huge smile on my face!

Flying on Little Pony. Excellence. Their choral sound was just a bit heavy - but they fixed that with later hits. Then one of the Andrew Sisters joins in....

Dionne could get a little funky though it was never her strongest suit. Speaking of suit, I bet there was a slew of lesbians looking to copy her outfit in this video.

I don't believe this was ever a big pop hit, but it's one of my faves. I believe it was a club fave.

You're welcome R86. FIRE was a great song and they seem to like it. Ha. So cool and illustrative of their talents that one of their biggest hits was a Springsteen song! The Pointer Sisters played the Apollo AND The Grand Ole Opry. And every dance floor in the world.❤️

Patti Smith's hit was a Springsteen song. Was that very illustrative of her talents?

I meant to say you're welcome to R87. Cheers.🥃🥃

They did receive flak for "selling out" with Richard Perry, though. They talked about it - on Arsenio, I think, or one of those talk shows.

I loved loved loved them, & they were huge at their peak, like ‘83-‘84. My fave song is If You Wanna Get Back your Lady. I can’t pick a best album, Break Out, Contact & Hot Together are all equally fab. Does anyone remember their commercial for McDonald’s, using their song “Taste”? I only saw it like once during Sat AM programming circa 1986, but I can’t find it on the net.

Patti Smith can't sing. So there's that R92. She had a hit with a Springsteen song? Because the Night? Bad song, by both of them.

Fire was FIRE. Springsteen was no genius but that song is simple and s e x y. Like him. The P Sisters took it somewhere better with soul and real sex appeal. With a more complex beat and deceptively teasing vocal. It climaxed just like a woman - when they sang it.

Patti was much better at covering Bob Dylan songs. Just because I was born in 1983 doesn't mean you can catch me out R92. Why do you stalk my posts anyway....

^^oh Christ it's Datalounge's resident "world renowned vocal coach" aka the ancient white fags troll.

Fire is a great song but the Pointer Sisters really make it better with those incredible vocals and harmonies. Sultry and passionate. They always gave 100%.

Break Out is one of the best pop/R&B albums of the '80s. I don't think they get enough credit for their achievements. Like Michael Jackson, their videos got rotated on MTV - and they were older than Michael, didn't have his type of female fanbase and they were three older black women. Like MJ, their songs were popular with almost everybody and they reached the upper regions of the pop and R&B charts. A shame, though, they never had a #1 song on the pop charts, although Fire hit #2. Jump (For My Love) would have been a worthy #1 hit.

They were huge in the first half of the 80s then they were over. Same with Hall and Oates. What happened?

"What happened?"

We did.

Pointer Sisters make "Fire" palatable. It's creepy in the hands of a male singer.

r100 hip hop and grunge didn't happen until the early 90. The Pointer Sisters were pretty much done by the second half of the 80s, after a huge streak of hit songs and popularity.

They truly were one of the best of that era. Fantastic harmonizing.

I just think their singles post Dare Me weren't strong enough. I like Goldmine but they peaked with Break Out. And they were never able to regain momentum.

It's a shame they didn't get a Jam & Lewis album.

There's nothing creepy about the song Fire. It's melodically and lyrically simple. Was meant to be. It's a minor Springsteen number - which is the way he plays it. Why would someone as old and perverted as R101 want to cancel it?

The Pointers gave it more sex and vocal class. And that fucking delicious extended breath and little crescendo. FiRE

r104 that would've been interesting

Too bad they didn't have a comeback in the 90s.

They should never have signed to Motown.

[Quote] Why would someone as old and perverted as [R101] want to cancel it?

Give it a rest, "Ancient" troll.

I hated Neutron Dance but 'Jump' I loved it came out when I was in Junior High

I love that version of Fire R86!

R109 is so hard to get rid of why? He smells so bad all over this site. Mean old man who harrasses everyone. SCAT! SHOO!

^^ shut up you fucking mentally ill cunt

Anyway, The Pointer Sisters were credited with having a big influence on the revival of 30s and 40s styles in the early 70s. Bette Midler, too.

[quote]Why weren't they bigger?

Because they didn't have IT.

Next question.

They were HUGE when I was in high school. Saw them in concert and they were great. They seem like a group that had lots of #1s, but they never made it to the top. Fire and Slow Hand made it to #2, and they had several more Top 5s.

They were phenomenally gifted singers.

I saw them live in 1988, on the tour for their "Serious Slammin'" album. The amphitheater was half full, and I suspect a lot of the people there had been given free tickets, as I had. This was only 3 years removed from their massive "Break Out" album, with which they'd finally achieved the superstar status they'd worked so hard for for over a decade. They sounded AMAZING, but there was a definite lack of energy and enthusiasm in the audience. It really felt like they were in decline, and their time had passed.

Their rather rapid commercial decline was strange, and unfortunate.

Sometimes one weak album, or even a poor choice for a single, can put an act into a decline from which they never recover, and I think that's what happened with the Pointer Sisters.

The follow-up album to "Break Out" just wasn't that good. Unlike "Break Out", it wasn't loaded with potential hits. "Dare Me" was OK, it fared well enough, but nobody was really blown away by it (and the fact that it doesn't seem to have endured in the public consciousness over the years, despite being a hit at the time of release, is evidence that it really wasn't all that great.) Then they picked a really strange choice for a follow-up single, "Freedom", and it tanked badly. I remember hearing it at the time, and thinking "really? THAT'S what you're going with?" It just didn't sound like a hit at all. The Pointers were all about energy and sass, and "Freedom" was just this limp, lifeless mid-tempo ballad that had no hook. It I was living in LA at the time, and none of the pop stations played it, the R&B stations barely touched it, and the video was hardly aired either.

And, as strange and unfair as it seems, that was pretty much the end of them as a top-tier act. They put out "Twist My Arm" next, which would have been a much better choice as a second single, but they'd lost their momentum, and it flopped. They never had another hit, even though they had some really great tracks that should have been hits.

Truth be told, the monster success of "Break Out" was, for them, a fluke. They'd always struggled to have consistent success. They'd never had more than one top ten hit from a single album before that. Despite the big hits they did have, they'd never moved albums in big numbers. So, I think the powers that be decided that they weren't going to put a whole lot of effort into salvaging the career of this group that had been around a long time, were already kind of old compared to most pop stars, and couldn't be marketed as sex symbols.

They sure were a great group, though.

My favorite deep cut of theirs, from my favorite album of theirs ("Steppin'") is their version of Bacharach/David's "Wanting Things", from the Broadway musical "Promises Promises". It's actually just June Pointer singing solo without the others, but she does a beautiful job.

On Carol

Older pop artists (as opposed to rock dinosaurs) have to contend with losing relatability with youth audiences - the main consumers of new music. For some reason, it seems more pronounced in the USA - no country for old men, as they.

True r118. Pop music is all about sex, and of course that's a youth-oriented thing.

1973 'Yes we Can Can' One of the first times I was asked to dance by another guy after talking my way into a bottle club with a fake ID I sent away for from the back of a comic book.

Do people still ask others to dance these days?

Thanks for the explanation of why their career faltered r116.

I like "Dare Me" more than any of the Break Out hits, even "Automatic." A chart placing doesn't tell you everything. "I'm So Excited" only became a big hit on re-release. Which of its two chart placings tell us about its quality?

[Quote] it doesn't seem to have endured in the public consciousness over the years, despite being a hit at the time of release, is evidence that it really wasn't all that great.)

Legacies have to be maintained. How a song is exploited past its initial chart run is a big factor in its longstanding significance. And the publisher, record label etc play a big part in that.

"Goldmine" came after "Twist My Arm". "Goldmine" deservedly went Top 40. I've always thought they should have cut the vocal intro and just started with the instrumental. DJs often like to talk over the Intro, which they can't do if the vocals start straight away.

Wasn't Planet a boutique label by Richard Perry? It fell under the RCA umbrella but I think they eventually joined the main RCA roster. Were they working with the same people? Same A&R?

Oh lord. Stop the fucking nonsense OLD WHITE LOON. Name two other female singing groups with the vocal and performance talent of the Pointer Sisters? AND the hit records.

They were seismically gifted, unique, versatile, great singers and personally complicated. Real lives with husbands and kids and drugs and ever changing members, styles and musical directions. Family feuds. Cocaine and CRACK cocaine. But they never failed to entertain. Like Chaka and Whitney and Natalie - these girls knew how to sing. And party.

If any group deserves credit just for the songs and their singing them - it's the Pointer Sisters. Who cares how many #1 hits they had or how they were "maintained." They are untouchable at what they did. They SANG, beautifully - together.

You don't have to reply to comment that don't interest you, "Ancient" troll. Your lame attempts at "reading" and hall monitoring are as tired as your fixations.

*comments

You're insane R127. People know this. Leave my posts alone. They enlighten and inspire people. Don't you have a KKK rally to relive or is it time for your diaper change?

[Quote] Prodigies are never hall monitors.

You are beyond self parody.

Why do people like OP feel compelled to troll for responses by saying something outrageous and FALSE.

It's so tiring.

THEY WERE REALLY REALLY BIG!

I remember when LaToya Jackson guest judged on RuPaul's Drag Race, she criticized some of the contestants' outfits by saying that they looked like the Pointer Sisters.

The Pointer Sisters had some crazy 80s outfits, like in the video with Dionne above.

These gold outfits were particularly heinous.

Really shows you how the music business works. You can be on a huge hot streak but one wrong move and you're yesterday's news.

It's not true for all acts, though. Look how Rod Stewart was able to have a third act with those dreadful American songbook albums. Or Barry Manilow.

Janet Jackson and Tori Amos have been yesterday's news for over two decades already. And they were once popular. It's not always one wrong move. Sometimes it's lack of talent that the public catches on to. We grow tired of a gimmick.

The Pointer Sisters had a 30 year career. But they kept dying and overdosing.

Janet and Tori were washed up and done by the time they were 35. Rumor says they're still alive.

Put down the pipe and go to bed r138

Old white men in diapers and restraints don't dismiss a KING, R139.

I wouldn't dismiss Evelyn 'Champagne' King.

This 'ancient white fags' troll going on and on about old white men but he only appears in threads about female singers from the Boomer generation whose audience was heavily made up of Boomer white gay men.

I always liked All I Know Is The Way I Feel from 1986’s Hot Together.

Hot Together was their last charting album, I believe. And it didn't do well.

I still can't believe Slow Hand got on the radio back then. The song is all about getting fingered, and it's pretty unsubtle about it!

R140 is too good for the mean bitch on here. Let's enjoy the music! Ignore Janbot/Tori Amos troll @ R139. He pollutes this site. F&F. This type of personality cannot be helped in therapy or with drugs. He is hopeless. But Datalounge allows his racist hatred to continue? Why is R139/R142 and all his other posts allowed on DL? Please get rid of this man who makes life so hard always stocking people on this site. Online harrassement is a crime. So is that old man's smell.

I see the "Ancient" troll has flushed his cache, maybe even used a VPN. All for naught. Your writing style gives you away, troll.

I used up my FF on him.

"Stocking people" is worthy of Brendad.

I always thought their late 80’s stuff was just as good as the early 80’s stuff. I loved “Set Me Free.”

I always wondered how they decided who had to wear the dumbest costume - short cocaine straw?

Anyway, I don't think they fit the 'safe for white people' esthetic that was pushed from 85 to 93.

yeah thanks for your OPINION r116. I do not base an album's worth based on the Billboard Hot 100 chart position especially when it comes to the talent of groups like the Pointer Sisters. I thoroughly enjoyed the R&B heavy albums SERIOUS SLAMMIN' and RIGHT RHYTHM though they were not big charters. Even 1993's ONLY SISTERS CAN DO THAT was a good but overlooked album.

r116, "Wanting Things" from Steppin' is one of my fave performances from June too.

[quote]Are they live here? I seems so but I can't tell for sure.

I think they are all singing live here. Beautiful rich full voices.

Thanks for posting this R80! Amazing!

Anita is the one singing lead on I'm so Exited, isn't she?

Slow Hand was playing on the radio when I got my first blow job. 1984. I think of that every time I hear that song.

What do you think of when you are getting a blow job r155?

R155 What was playing on the radio when you got your first handjob, Blow Gabriel Blow?

Your dad, r156.

I saw them open for Lionel Richie in 1983 as BREAKOUT was taking off…….they were a great live group…..they had great harmonies and terrific stage presence…their wacky outfits seem like the inspiration for Tina Knowles designs for Destiny’s Child.

[quote]I preferred the Pointer Brothers.

[quote] Name two other female singing groups with the vocal and performance talent of the Pointer Sisters? AND the hit records.

En Vogue TLC

Oh please R161, don't be ridiculous!

I like the song "Fairytale" as well but their dime store Depression-era looks from the '70s were just not it. The Hollywood nostalgia for the 1930s, which arguably started with Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 and continued with What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, Chinatown et. al., did not serve the group's image well, especially as disco chic emerged later on in the decade through acts like Labelle.

I like their Elton John medley on the Cher show in 1975, especially when they sing Daniel

"I'm So Excited" scored to classic movie musicals.

This is a hidden gem of theirs that I always come back to listen to.

A Bacharach piece

Amazing that they all had these amazing voices when they all were snorting coke for decades. I mean June is a total powerhouse and she's thin too.

I like see how the love goes. About someone like me sucking off his best friends boyfriend.

Ready for some action by June pointer is about being horny AF and telling your parents to fuck off

How am I being ridiculous R162?

TLC had very little vocal talent. T-Boz is distinctive but her voice is tiny. Chilli's attempts at big vocalizing are laughable. Lisa wasn't a singer at all.

En Vogue had top vocal talent but they couldn't keep it together past a couple of albums. They were a trio by album three. What have they managed, another two albums in twenty years?

Ass smeller

I'm surprised I'm So Excited was never banned from TV because of that scene where's June's hairy pussy in visible as she's jumping out of the bathtub.

June even helped Bruce out.

I went to college in Massachusetts and Ruth Pointer and her family would come into the coffee shop I worked at. Very nice lady.

They weren't huge? They coasted through 2 distinct eras/decades of pop music racking up hit after hit. They were the Supremes, Destiny's Child, TLC of their day. They were THE black female power group.

I don't agree that they were The Supremes of their day. As mentioned above, they never the consecutive hit singles run that the Supremes had. Nor did they have the visual appeal or the cultural import. I love Pointer Sisters but I won't blow smoke.

*they never had

[quote]I don't agree that they were The Supremes of their day.

No one asked you.

[Quote] No one asked you.

I know you are but what am I.

Ruth has lived in the Boston area for many years now.

Op "Dare Me" always has a place on my gym playlist

I like the Song “Twist My Arm” from CONTACT.

En Vogue tried to imitate the Supremes on some tribute show and they sounded horrible.

R179 your signature was perfect. LOL

Mary Wilson, Cindy Birdsong and Kelly Rowland tried to imitate the Supremes on some tribute show and sounded horrible.

I got chip on my SHOULDAH with YOUR NAME ON IT

What caused the rift between Bonnie and her sisters?

Bonnie couldn't do drugs AND handle the workload.

Bonnie thought she was better and left the group a couple of years before the pointer sisters reinvented themselves with Richard Perry and had bigger success.

Bonnie was quite the pinup.

Every time I see Keke Palmer, I think how she could play Bonnie Pointer.

Anita didn't become a druggie afaik, Bonnie died of liver cirrhosis.

Did anyone see their tour of “Ain’t Misbehavin?” I have the cast album.

Which one showed her fur burger in the video?

R190 that sure was a shitty album.

June

[quote] En Vogue had top vocal talent but they couldn't keep it together past a couple of albums. They were a trio by album three. What have they managed, another two albums in twenty years?

R170, their sophomore album outsold their debut album. Five of their first six songs went to #1. The Pointer Sisters had one good album that barely cracked the top 10. And talk about trios. The Pointer Sisters weren't a quartet much longer than En Vogue so you and the two friends you asked to W&W your argument can eat me.

Anybody who thinks En Vogue were top singers needs their ears checks. They sounded shit live.

En Vogue was mostly shit

[Quote] The Pointer Sisters weren't a quartet much longer than En Vogue

The difference is that Pointer Sisters had a bigger second act. En Vogue underperformed as a trio.

Which group went chasing waterfalls?

En Vogue sounded hot together.

Um, that's not the real En Vogue, R198. Try this...

Try this R203

Full 100 piece orchestra and the Pointer Sisters.

That young lady is not a Pointer Sister.

Anita, Ruth and Ruth's daughter Issa.

I love that there's a Pointer Sisters troll.

But is there a Sweet Inspirations troll?

Nobody has the energy to troll for that cunt Cissy r208.

209 posts and no one posted one of my favorite PS songs....!!!

1981's "Should I Do It"...

What was the history of "Nightline"?

If you want to get back your lady.....you need to stay away from Tori Amos. YUK - as we say in Spain.

I wanna luvvah with a sloooooow hand...

"Bonnie Pointer has stated that she suggested to Berry Gordy that he have her remake 'Heaven Must Have Sent You' as a disco track after Pointer had heard the Village People hit 'Y.M.C.A.' and realized that 'Heaven Must Have Sent You' would work well with an arrangement similar to that of 'Y.M.C.A'."

I wonder if they were into pointing?

This is a story from when my parents were building their house in 1987. My mother originally hired a high-end carpenter who did all the carpentry on the Pointer Sisters' house, he was apparently excellent. My dad then guilt-tripped my mother into canceling him doing it and hiring my great aunt's husband instead, because they needed money for Christmas presents. That guy was chickenshit. As a human being in general, and his carpentry job gave me nightmares as a child. Our stairwell leaned everywhere and could pretty much fall down at any time.

He would bring his young sons to 'help him work' when all they'd do (all three) is eat sandwiches and treat my mom like shit. And did a terrible job.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk, and my families' Pointer Sisters connection.

The Pointer Sisters all lived in the same house?

Of course. They were siblings.

I remember when they were on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous in the 80’s and they all lived in the same house in Beverly Hills.

If my siblings and I lived in the same house we wouldn't last a week.

R220 It’s probably why one of them was always quitting the group and why they had so many issues. To be around each other 24/7 both at home and work and on the road is NOT a good idea.

They all thought they could make it as solo artists and none of them had solo success.

True r221. It's not a healthy way to live.

Ruth and Anita were able to get their shit together and leave drugs and booze behind but poor June and Bonnie couldn't do it and remained addicted until it killed both of them. June was a fucking hot mess her whole life.

What's wrong with siblings working and living together?

That was fucking fabulous R80! Never seen that clip and thanks for posting it.

Yes they are singing live. No lipsynching there. Aren't they stunning? They sounded exactly like the studio version.

Why did June never fix her bad teeth?

Funny today you get away with being a shit singer, but you wouldn't with having bad teeth.

Perhaps June was afraid getting extensive dental work would affect her singing. She was the best out of the bunch, IMO.

Conversely, Bonnie, no matter how fucked up she was, always had good teeth.

What's wrong with bad teeth?!

Freddie Mercury would be required to get a total makeover if he were a young singer today. Those teeth and that nose would be unacceptable.

[Quote] Freddie Mercury would be required to get a total makeover if he were a young singer today.

Agreed, girl.

Ed Sheeran is not the star that Mercury was. Mercury played up his sex appeal to the world. His teeth would have to be fixed today. Simple as that. I think that Anita had the best voice of the Pointer Sisters, but I won't argue about the fabulous June. June also kept her hair natural, even when The Pointers started out with their smooth church ladies at a picnic hairstyles. June was super cool. She caused them so much grief anc cost them so much $$$ and momentum over the decades. Bonnie wasn't missed as much and she was her sister's biggest fan. She did what she wanted to do. Bonnie was very attractive but the least gifted vocalist of the four.

r232 it's not the same. Ed Sheeran and Post Malone are not marketed as sex symbols and don't have a stylish image. Imagine Justine Timberlake with crooked teeth and a hooked nose. He would've had to get a total makeover.

June's problems (she was batshit insane and a hopeless drug fiend) definitely affected the Pointer Sisters professionally. She was unmanageable and could never get her shit together, and maybe the Sisters could've had a few more years of success if not for that.

Freddie Mercury was sexual but was he sexy to the majority? That's like claiming Prince was a sex symbol to the mainstream. Neither were, in my opinion.

Anita Pointer built a huge McMansion with a swimming pool in the shape of a “P” around 1986 or 1987. They did not live together!

Did they get confused about which restroom to use?

OK I went to look for the Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous interview and I was wrong - it was Anita’s house and they didn’t live together. I don’t know why I remembered it that way. But here’s the interview.

I’m guessing that “lifestyle” had to be downsized eventually when the hits stopped.

Didn't Anita write "I'm So Excited"? The money from that alone...

Damn, Anita lost her daughter Jada to cancer in 2003, three years before June died of cancer. I believe Anita has battled her own cancer in the last decade.

All three sisters co-wrote I'm So Excited with Trevor Lawrence.

Thank God it was re-released and hit even bigger the second time. Great royalties for them.

These bitches knew how to sing and how to have a good time!!

Ruth and Wendy Williams

^^The Richard Pryor story at 5:00 is worth it

They were on Gimme a Break as Nell's long-ago bandmates.

Adorable, gorgeous, fun and sometimes sober. Those ladies could always sing. They have fun with an old picture of Arsenio.❤️

Ruth seems to have a very content life in MA with her husband and younger kids.

Pointer bump

The surviving Pointers left the bumps behind, thankfully.

Please compare the Pointers with Sister Sledge. Are THOSE gals really sisters? Or just sistahs?

I read a post somewhere that the Pointers early in their career went to a Josephine Baker concert somewhere on the Peninsula, was it San Jose? Maybe a smaller town. They were impressed and puzzled by how little Baker did on stage. I got a sense from the article that they had no idea who Baker was or what she had been.

R252 was Josephine Baker still performing in the 70s??

r253, she gave her last performance in 1975.

r252 No one considers San Jose "the Peninsula."

Nobody wanted to see a bag of bones Josephine baker in the 70s perform. You pulled that story out of your ass, hun.

R254 if I remembered correctly, Josephine Baker died right after the opening night of her "comeback" tour. So it wasn't like she was constantly working until 1975. So yeah, I find that story suspect.

Has anyone mentioned the ain’t misbehavin tour / cd?

I liked this one from their 1993 album…sounds horribly dated now.

Lots of early 90s music sounds horribly dated now.

R259 it was a weak single. Other tracks were better off of that album like Only Sisters Can Do That and Tell It To My Heart

I don't think that sounds horribly dated, r259. 99.9% of pop music sounds of its time.

A lot of the early 90s music is dated in a particular way r262. It really sounds more dated than a lot of music from other time periods.

If it has more than one note and sounds like singing & not chanting, it sounds dated.

r264 a lot of music from the early 90s is a special kind of dated. It's unlistenable today.

It didn’t help that at the time the song at R259’s link was released another song called “don’t walk away” had been a smash hit for the much younger girl group jade.

I prefer Ruth's abode.

Pointer Shishtersh

"He's So Shy" is one of my favorites. It was released in July 1980.

Jump became the anthem for just about everything and it ruined the Pointer Sisters for me. I came to despise that song.

Jump is probably the Pointer Sisters "hit" that I listen to the least.

I never tire of Jump.

Jump was one of their worst songs.

They were known for their harmonies early in their career. But once they went pop crossover, they started to sound like a version of Bananarama; it was like their voices never matched.

Jump is a wonderful song. You're just a bunch of Grinch-y Gays!!

I like Automatic. One of those songs that take you right back.

Their "Jump" was better than Van Halen's.

[Quote] they started to sound like a version of Bananarama

Piffle.

Jump changed the face of pop music.

I'm So Excited is the better song, but let's not get into that kind of nonsense. Sometimes a thread runs its course. The Pointer Sisters were fucking fab.

My favorite....surprised it was named yet.

I will cut a bitch who says that "Freedom" isnt a stunning song ! The every first time I heard that song I was sitting in a little dumpy straight bar in St . Pete realizing that I had to let the guy I was in love with go . I cried like a bitch when it came on,all the straight drunks were eyeing me hard ! Beautiful soulful tune and still my favorite. I love the Pointer sisters ,but I loved the original lineup of En Vogue as much . Those bitches were fierce too.

[quote]Jump was one of their worst songs.

I agree. Girls Aloud did a remake of it in the early 2000’s and their version is way better - one of the few times I preferred a cover over the original. The Pointer Sisters version is too slow and you can’t really dance to it.

En Vogue are on Obama's playlist. You must be in your late sixties now, R282? Sad that the guy dumped you. Back in 1986? Did you ever leave the bar?

I will not stand for this hate of Jump. It's a classic!

One of the best and most fun shows I’ve ever seen was the Pointer Sisters at the Mirage in Vegas during one of Siegfried and Roy’s hiatuses.

The production on Jump sounds like a demo - like it’s missing something and underproduced.

I always found it bizarre how they randomly did background vocals on a Kenny Loggins track in 1985. They don’t even get a feature credit - just listed as background vocals. They were at their peak so it just seemed so random to do background vocals for someone else - Kenny Loggins of all people.

Common practice R288. Lots of great stars sang background vocals on a lot of great tracks from the old days. Maybe it was right after the We are The World taping?

I don't think Richard Perry and Co. had a natural feel for dance music. Compare the Break Out 12"ers with, say, the 12"ers from Madonna's first album. The Madonna backing tracks make the Perry & Co. backing tracks seem square.

The Pointer Sisters also added a lot of spice to Respect Yourself by Bruce Willis. Back when he was fun and didn't take himself so seriously.

Chaka doesn't get a feature credit on Steve Winwood's "Higher Love," does she? Though she was in the music video IIRC.

The Pointers Sisters also provided the backing vocals for the song "Emotion" by Barbra Streisand.

There was some criticism at the time because they were mixed so far into the background that you couldn't really even tell it was them. Shame, because if you have the friggin' Pointer Sisters, why not use them to your full advantage? Maybe Barbra's and their voices didn't blend that well together, so they placed the sisters further back in the mix. Who knows...in any case, the song flopped, the album flopped, and Barbra went back to Broadway tunes, which is more her style anyway.

It IS a very Pointers-esque sounding track, probably because it was produced by Richard Perry. You can easily picture it without Barbra, as a Pointers Sisters album cut from that period.

"Emotion" would have worked well for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers.

What caused the split with Richard Perry?

[quote] What caused the split with Richard Perry?

Probably the fact that he was no longer providing them with hits. When the "Serious Slammin'" album peaked at a pathetic #152 on the charts, the lowest chart placement of their entire career for any album up to that point, it was time for him to go. He'd served them VERY well overall, but the partnership was no longer working.

Of course, as it turned out, they did even worse without him, but they needed to try something different. They probably should have given him the heave-ho after "Contact", but I'm sure they felt loyalty to him.

Wonder why they did background vocals for several artists as if they were backup singers during their peak.

Perhaps the Babs track started out as a Pointers track, a la Madonna and Nick Kamen.

Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Luther Vandross, Michael Jackson and Alanis Morissette, Annie Lennox and Stevie Wonder all sang backup vocals on friends tracks AFTER they were superstars. Musicians used to hang out and actually record records in the studio. Live.

"Slow Hand" (Official Music Video)

Released: May 1981

Michael McDonald was famous for doing backup for other artists, established (Kenny Loggins) or newcomers (Christopher Cross). George Michael is on Elton John's "Nikita."

Rick Astley sings back-up on Elton John's Can You Feel the Love Tonight.

A little off topic treat:

How's this for a backup group - Melissa Etheridge, Patti Austin, Darlene Love. With Carlos Santana, Tito Puente and David Sanborn.

The great Al Green.

I'm often surprised at the places Ronstadt turns up. Like this nondescript cover of a Rodney Crowell tune that was a minor hit in 1980.. 70s LA musicians were all over each other's records (and in each other's beds, apparently).

Also kinda surprising that Stevie Nicks was singing backup on people's records when Fleetwood Mac was riding high as the most successful band in the world

Ronstadt's backing vocal is a lovely recognizable sound on this gorgeous Emmylou Harris track.

Quincy Jones got several A-list singers and musicians to do background vocals on his collaboration with Donna Summer. Including Dyan Cannon.

Grace Slick did the backing vocals on Heart's "What About Love."

I like slow hand. I like fast hands.

I love how Neutron Dance is such a great cocaine song. The ladies were speedy and grinding on that one. Good song. I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. Excited about that too.

They could have done some great work later in life if they had kept their health and minds together.

The Pointer Sisters sing this exact same arrangement on one of their early albums. But NOT like this. Bow down. Greatness.

Linda Ronstadt sang backup on many albums because she supports other singers. She supported other female singers like Nicolette Larson and Emmylou as well as female singer-songwriters like Karla Bonoff. She gave Aaron Neville a feature credit on her Cry Like a Rainstorm album. I became a fan of The Cretones, Warren Zevon, Karla Bonoff and Elvis Costello because of her interpretations (despite Costello acting like an absolute ass towards her).

I suspect the Pointer Sisters were the same. They had a distinct sound and it only could enrich one's song.

Puke on rondstadt

I liked their music as a kid and when a local concert was announced I begged my parents to take me. They got five tickets to take me and two girl cousins. My mortified parents decided during that performance they would no longer take me to any concerts after one of the Sisters (I don't remember which one) stuck her hand down the front of her pants and screamed into the microphone, "YOU GUYS WANT SOME OF THIS BLACK PUSSY, DON'T YAH? YOU WANNA FUCK ME GOOD!" There was a lot of cussing from the Pointer Sisters throughout, which is commonplace at concerts these days, but back then people were taken aback even though I recall an age restriction of no one under 13.

I never cared much for Linda Ronstadt but she sounds like a musical genius today.

The Pointer Sisters really lived the 70s/80s rock and roll life. It finally killed June and Bonnie and almost killed Ruth, but she was wise enough to get clean and sober.

R313 lol. I love your imaginary concert story, keep being you.

It always seemed like their run of hits ended rather abruptly. They were able to adapt from the early retro period to 70s funk and pop and 80s electro, and then it seemed like the faucet shut off when they were at the peak of their success. Was it just drugs? Richard Perry stopped being able to find them decent material?

I don't like Linda Ronstadt's music either and she is long before my time. BUT, she was a generous singer and a creative musical artist and collaborator. She used her popularity to highlight and support others. Repeatedly. In many genres. And to her credit, she never championed anyone who was crap. What a great time in music it must have been. Even if you don't like her singing - she was no dilettante. And yes, she does sound like a fucking genious today, as ponderous as some of her singing was.

There was a time when singers loved to just fucking sing. The Pointer Sisters said they came home from the road broke for most of a decade. They loved to sing and perform and create excitement. Not everyone had Ronstadt record sales. label or management. The Pointer Sisters had to work it bitch.

R313. Your story sounds possible but mean spirited and disingenuous. You're just that OLD white RACIST man who haunts Datalounge, posting shit about black artists and performers. You always use CAPS. Lusting after JFK jr or mooning over Tori Amos - you're equally ridiculous. Get lost.

Why would a concert have a no under 13 disclaimer, 35 years ago? You're nuts. I mean you, R313.

Black pussy is pretty though.

Jerk off to Tori Amos elsewhere.

I went to one of their concerts at the barn when I was 12 with my friend barb. We danced our white suburban asses off in the isles and got arrested in the parking lot after the concert from trying to buy blow from an under cover vice cop. My folks had to come to bail us out of juvie.

R313, pointer sisters were platinum sales plus artists on RCA records and Richard Perry produced them.

I mean r318

The should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I hate tori anus in retrospect

It's funny how they were so huge and then they were just over. Same thing with Hall and Oates at exactly the same time. Hit after hit in the first half of the 80s and then in the second half of the 80s they were MIA.

I've seen the poster at 318, who has multiple posts in this thread and others, as well as a few sock puppet accounts, calling other posters "FAGS" numerous times lately as well as rambling obscene attacks on other posters. How is this disgusting language allowed on a GLBT forum? Is this forum even moderated?

Huh? You're the one making up stories about proper church girls "cussing" in concert R325. You don't know me. At all. But I recognize the RACISTS on this site who post every day, over and over again. That's YOU R325/R313. You claim to be under 40, so when in the 1980s did your "parents" take you to see The Pointer Sisters? Back down old WHITE LOON. You're a liar and a you harass so many posters here. RACISTS love to RACE bait. And you LOVE to use CAPS!!

Don't ruin this thread as you have so many others. We will see you gone from this site. This is a forum for music and love. You nothing about either. Shoo R325!

* You know nothing about either. Shoo R325!

r326 I am not r313. You are a toxic personality who calls people "fags" constantly and attacks people and that is unacceptable on a GLBT forum. The moderation here must be very loose because on many other forums you would be kicked off immediately. I've found the contact info for DL and I have included some of your inflammatory posts and reported you.

But you are R313. You're reported everyday. You posted over 300 times on the JFK thread. And John Mulaney. And Janice Dickinson. And Beyonce. HATE. I didn't even know what a sock puppet was, until you accused me of it. Projection on your part. You post from multiple accounts and disrupt multiple threads. But it's your online harrassement and racist hate speech that is actionable. We are taking action. R313. R325. R328. Your comments and constant harassment of me and other black posters will have you gone from here. Or the company will be out of business.

For others who want to get rid of the disruptive OLD WHITE RACIST QUEER MAN @ R328 et al,

Contact:

Tony Travostino @datalounge.com

r329 you obviously don't know how to use the ignore function because I did none of those things.

Regardless, you've been reported and hopefully appropriate action will be taken. Calling people "fags" on a GLBT forum is unacceptable. Have a good night.

God bless you, KELT

Drag him R326. I report that crazy man everyday!

r326 and r332 are the same poster, using different accounts. If you check ignoredar the language is exactly the same.

R313 is panicked after that dumb ass lie story about attending a Pointer Sister concert where they grabbed and talked about their pussy. He was just a child with his parents! Racists who can't use their words come up with some strange scenarios. So mean. Old white racist fag alert @ R333. Devil.

r334 that post of yours was just sent to the webmaster. Every time you use "fag" and incendiary language directed at other posters, it's being reported. You are a cancer on this board and this has to end.

So go ahead and keep posting. I'm keeping a list and all of your hateful posts are being catalogued and sent until something is done about you. I'm done with your shit.

Who is afraid of the nut job at R335?

The Webmaster gets reports about that thing everyday. I save all my F&F for DL racist trolls. R335 is the worst on this site because it is also insane.

I'm so tired of that crazy loon guy R335, shitting on every thread. He comes in accusing people of saying things unimportant. And not in evidence. Fag is an okay word to use when it fits. What the fuck is wrong with R335? He *is* some old white racist fag IMO. About 80 years old. Angry at life. I can pity him but we young men and women won't take that abuse. He has hundreds of insane sounding posts on the JFK Jr. thread alone. And more on John Mulaney. Abusivie and RACIST, woman hating and supremist. A toxic mouth and diaper hole. Bury it in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen R337. Wash that bitch from our hands.

I don't know if anyone said this already, but here goes: their music didn't evolve with the times and they were getting older.

I haven't listened to the Serious Slammin' album but isn't it New Jack Swing? I think they should have used Patti Labelle as a template for the late '80s, early '90s. She was inconsistent on the pop charts but she was able to have a consistent run of high charting R&B hits. This trajectory would have been good for Pointer Sisters as the Richard Perry years eroded their black audience AND their legacy as real deal musicians.

I agree R340. It's easy to second guess. I think they lacked a bit of charisma. So many changes in style and looks in not young women who were reserved - but with many husbands and kids. Grandchildren before they were 40 years old. Drug use that wasn't really that known. June got all the bad publicity but they all were pretty heavy into cocaine. They lived the life but they didn't have an image anywhere near to Patti Labelle or a mesmerizing sound like Gladys or Aretha. They weren't Nona Hendryx either. The sisters were excited and on fire, but pretty smooth. So many people here dislike Beyonce but Destiny's Child took all that Pointer Sisters energy and vocal blend and set it on fire with SEX. Young beautiful women who could SANG. The changing vocal leads in the beginning. The world moves on, especially in pop music. The Pointers for better or worse aimed for POP music success. Can't remove the soul from church girls from Oakland and nobody ever tried. I think the Sisters were already a legacy act long before they retired. They were GREAT! I hope Anita and June have all the money and happiness they deserve.

June? Pretty smooth?

r341 you forgot to call people "fags" in that post

You're insane. R343. Stop harassing me on this site. NOW.

Nope. You're the one calling people fags with all your sock puppet accounts and you will continue to get called out for it.

No one pays any attention to you. You disrupt my brilliance and the worthy contributions of others R345. Do as you please. You are what you are.

What Datalounge won't remove, nature will. You'll be dead soon.

Keep going r346. We're getting you off of here permanently.

Ok R347. You do that gramps. Let real men have our time for now.

Where are the real men?

I like this track. Would have been a hit if properly promoted.

This song is a sexy, pulsating jam. Too bad no one was listening to them at the time.

I'm crazy about "Dare Me." I listen to it at least once a week often several times at the gym, in the shower, getting dressed. I don't know what it is about it. I want it played or sung at my funeral.

June and Anita were ten times the singer Beyawzze is and they were also smoking on stage.

I don't dislike Beyawzze and I do think she's a good singer and live act. But she doesn't have what the really great ones have.

Not in personality, sass or expression.

They should have done some Hi-NRG like this.

Oh, and I’M SO EXCITED. I got tired of that one too. So overused.

I loved this thread (except for the crazy people who pissed all over it), as I loved the Pointer Sisters. As said, they were pretty successful as such things are measured.

They had fame in the seventies, then made a comeback in the eighties. How many acts get two goes at the top? How many get one? The music industry is treacherous, and ‘why weren’t they bigger’ has a thousand possible answers, including getting in their own way. They touched millions and left a legacy, and how many can say that?

[quote] "Dare Me" always has a place on my gym playlist

Along with ‘Happiness’ and ‘I’m so excited!’ I never tire of these, although I was surprised that I have something like a dozen of their songs on my iTunes.

Pointer Shishtersh

He possesses me with SEXUAL POWER!

This is LIVE singing not lip synced

1988

If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady is fierce. Can't believe it wasn't a hit for them.

I recently heard the song Automatic and June sounds like a dude singing that, for years I did think a man sang it.

I love their voices because they had such versatility. They could sing low, they could sing high. Today Automatic would literally be sung by a computer. There would be NO character to the song or the singing.

The Pointer Sisters were bitches who could sing, unlike the autotuned mumblers of today.

R360, I thought Air Supply was a man and a woman with a low voice.

[quote]I loved this thread (except for the crazy people who pissed all over it)

That's the odious "ancient white fags" troll, who's been a pox on DL for some time

r360, Ruth sang lead on "Automatic".

One member of TPS could sing a mean baritone! I love hearing these super low bass notes sung by a woman. Karen Carpenter could hit that even I cannot. I can’t discern which one it was. Guess I need more testosterone.

Did anyone mention they sang the pinball song from Sesame Street? 123456789101112