Priority appears at last.......plus !
Roderick Keech | Australia | 06/23/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Since 1973, The Pointer Sisters have been recording everything from funk to retro to high-camp to rock and dance/disco. The departure of Bonnie in 1978 for her `two hit wonder' stint with Motown, left Ruth, Anita and June taking a pivotal turn in their musical career by signing up as the first act to be produced and recorded by Richard Perry on his new label, Planet.
Energy (P1), their 1978 Planet debut, sent them for the first time soaring into the mainstream charts with their take on Bruce Springsteen's `Fire'. (Technically they had a mainstream `country' hit with 1974's `Fairytale', the first country song written and sung by an African-American girl group.) That's A Plenty
Here, compiled together, are two albums that are as similar as chalk and cheese - one look at each album's cover art tells the story.
1979's `Priority' (P-9003) was the Pointer Sisters' second album for the Planet label. Unlike 1978's `Energy', `Priority' was much more grounded in rock, even down to the album cover art that gave the sisters a grunge/ex-crim look. The fans were confused and as a consequence the album failed to even chart, despite having a selection of excellently executed covers of the Stones (Happy), Graham Parker (Turned up too late), Ian Hunter (Who do you love) and another great Springsteen track (She's got the fever). Also included was the achingly beautiful ballad (Dreaming as one) by William D Smith & David Parker, which showed the Sisters' ability to harmonise as only sisters can.
To listen to it today, remastered, it is hard to understand why it has taken 30 years to appear on CD. Their fourth Planet album `Black & White' (P18) has been included in this Broadside `twofer'. If you are wondering about the break in sequence, the third album for Planet, Special Things, was released on CD for the first time in 2007 by Wounded Bird in the US (now deleted).
1981's `Black & White' was not only their fourth album for Planet but also their fourth Top Ten album. It was the perfect follow-up for `Special Things' in that it was directed more clearly at a pop market, serving up one of their most enduring hits, `Slow hand', and cementing their career direction - up, up and up, resulting in their mega hit albums `So Excited' and `Break Out'. This is not the first time `Black & White' has appeared on CD - BMG issued a poorly remastered version Black & White in the US in 1995, so it is great to have it here, in a much better state.
Ideally, it would have been preferable to have `Energy' and `Priority' together, as musically they are more alike, but I guess licensing being what it is these days, we have to be very grateful for what Broadside have given us.
At last, we are delivered with albums, not the unbelievable number of compilation CDs that BMG have pumped out through the years. So, finally here's the real deal - entire albums heard the way you should hear them. You can't get a much better deal - two classic Pointer albums from the early Planet years on one newly and excellently mastered CD. Broadside should be commended for the high standard of packaging too, with all lyrics included (in a font size anyone can read:) and full album cover art.
With such an excellent product at a bargain price, it makes you wonder why anyone would consider buying the same albums issued separately and not remastested by Wounded Bird, that are due to be released in July 2009. True, they may have a bonus track or two, but if their release of Special Things is anything to go by, the bonus track was previously unreleased for a reason - it was just not good enough.
My advice is to buy this version immediately before it is deleted !
Remastering : A+
Packaging: A+
Content: A+
Value: A+"
Priority Gets a Remastered Release!
gassy goon | 11/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD of 2 classic POINTER SISTERS albums on CD really does sound amazing! I was debating which releases to buy - this import or the individual releases of both PRIORITY and BLACK AND WHITE individually on the US Wounded Bird label. I chose this UK issued CD as I read that it was remastered, and that the US versions were not. As soon as WHO DO YOU LOVE came on, I heard the difference from the album that I've ben listening to for 30 years, and the brilliant sound on this CD. PRIORITY sounds fantastic! It truly is remastered with clarity like never before. This album is the Pointer Sisters truly letting it all hang out. They let loose on these songs and starting with June rocking out like she loved to on Ian Hunter's WHO DO YOU LOVE, and then Ruth really singing the hell out of Bob Seger's ALL YOUR LOVE, this album showcases the Pointers in some of their gutsiest singing that they ever did. They really did have a real affinity for this material, and PRIORITY takes their rock sound a step further than even heard on their prior album, ENERGY, which was a huge album for them. Out of the 9 songs on this album, only a few were ever released on a compilation, so this CD is worth the long, long wait. No shortage of great songs , with some of these album tracks being some of the best Pointer Sisters performances that they ever recorded. Ruth does a slow blues/rock 6 minute scorching performance on Bruce Springsteen's [ SHE'S GOT ] THE FEVER, and also BLIND FAITH is another highlight from her. June gets 4 songs, Ruth 3, Anita 2. They're backed by the same stellar musicians as on ENERGY, but it rocks out even stronger here.
BLACK AND WHITE sounds terrific too. It has been on CD before, but has been out of print. This is more of the " hit " sound of the Pointers, containing SLOW HAND and SHOULD I DO IT. It's a really good album, though more viable commercially to have hits with, and this album was big too. There's always something on every Pointer Sisters album where they really get into it. On here, it's definitely June's FALL IN LOVE AGAIN, which is not a ballad, but a song that ends with a jam between the guitar solo and June really getting down with this song! One of her best vocals ever. Ruth's TAKE MY HEART TAKE MY SOUL is great too, as is the self penned WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT.
Get this CD. You won't be sorry, as the sound is totally amazing."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1