Hometown Heroes
I love the 1980s. 1988 was a weird year for a best-of list for my birthday, because most of my favorite music from the 80s comes from the first half of the decade. The early 80s were the peak of new wave, which is one of my favorite genres and time period of music. But that wasn’t all there was!
One of my favorite albums from this era is Break Out by the Pointer Sisters, some of our greatest hometown heroes from Oakland, right here in the Bay Area. Sisters Ruth, Anita, and June Pointer were the very essence of local legends. Some might call this a dance album or a new wave album, but there is too much soul in the Pointer Sisters’ voices, so I call it once of the most danceable R&B albums of all time.
Break Out is one of the most successful albums on the Billboard charts of the 1980s—and for good reason. First, it had four consecutive top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, plus two more in the top 50. This was a huge accomplishment in the 80s, in the era long before streaming; now a popular album can control the entire top 10 simultaneously.
And the four top-10 singles are each so excellent. I know this album well enough that I didn’t even need to listen to the songs to write about them, but I listened anyway because it’s so much fun to listen to. The original album only has 10 tracks, so I’m going to briefly go through each of them. I’m going to go off the 1984 re-release rather than the 1983 original, because the re-release has the flawless remix of “I’m So Excited.”
(1) Jump (For My Love)
Renamed for the 1984 re-release because of the Van Halen song “Jump,” released earlier that year, this song starts the album out with a bang. This is perhaps the poppiest song on the album, but it just a dancey feast for the ears with some excellent vocal work. Good luck not jumping along.
(2) Automatic
The rich contralto voice of Ruth Pointer shows through most on this track. The song is incredibly danceable, but also the song is just a total jam, and the lyrics are actually hilarious. It basically describes how she turns into a malfunctioning robot around her crush.
(3) I’m So Excited (12” Remix)
This has got to be in my top 20 favorite songs of the 1980s. It was originally released on their preceding album, So Excited!, in 1982. Really, the 12” Remix is just longer than the original, but that is very much a good thing. But including a remix of song that had already charted in the top 40 two years earlier, then going to number 9 just because people wanted to hear more of it is really quite an accomplishment.
(4) I Need You
The first slow song on the album is still an absolute charmer. All three sisters sing lead on this song, which makes it special. It’s a fairly standard upbeat ballad, but it’s still really fun to listen to.
(5) Neutron Dance
I mean, what a great song. To think we’re still on the A-side of the same album. My friend B.C. covers this song with her band, Shake It! It always makes people dance. I truly have zero clue what any of the lyrics in this song mean, it’s a vague disaster allegory against the tapestry of one’s life, although the Soviet government apparently thought it a Cold War allegory. Co-written by the legendary Allee Willis, writer of songs like “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” by Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield, “September” by Earth Wind & Fire, and Got You on My Mind by Bonnie Raitt, this song is just pure fun.
(6) Dance Electric
Yet another fun dance song, just pure dance joy with some excellent guitar licks. It reminds me of “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby, but with an unmistakable Pointer Sisters flair.
(7) Easy Persuasion
The album starts to slow down a bit here. But you couldn’t dance all the way through a 10-track album, you’d get too tired. This is probably my least favorite song on the album, but the Pointer Sisters still do some great vocal gymnastics.
(8) Baby Come and Get It
This song is actually pure filth, of the best kind.
“I said ‘Now-now-now-now, sweet darling
You sure want a lot for your dime’
Then you talk so, so sweet and dirty
You drive me right out of my mind.
Delicious. Sexy. The chorus refrain “Baby come and get it” is remarkably unsexy and reminds me of several Jem and the Holograms songs. But I love this song.
(9) Telegraph Your Love
I mean, have telegraph-related allegories in song lyrics held up in the 2020s? I feel like it might have been dated in the 1980s. But this song has a great groove and is fun to sway your hips to.
(10) Operator
Okay, the telecommunication puns are kind of gaggy. But considering how little attention was paid to most B-sides of popular albums in the 80s, this is still a remarkably strong closer to an all-around fantastic album.
Thanks for going on this journey with me! Gosh, I love this album. I think I was just looking for an excuse to listen to it.