Customer Reviews

Energy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've heard some of the tracks off of the Pointer Sisters' ENERGY CD/ALBUM on the many various compilations that are out there like the hit single "Fire" and "Happiness," but those are just the tip of the iceberg. Since I didn't have this album as a kid, and it went out of print pretty fast, I never heard the rest of the offerings.

Let me say that ENERGY is another standout album from the Pointer Sisters! I don't know why it took so long to be re-issued?

The music is a fusion of rock and gospel, and though most of the songs are covers like "Angry Eyes" by Loggins & Messina, "Fire" by Bruce Springsteen, and "Everybody Is A Star" by Sly & The Family Stone, the Pointers put their own stamp on the music with their wonderful harmony.

Other stand outs for me besides "Fire"--which Anita does beautifully-- though the whole album is great: "Lay It On The Line"--June takes the lead on this complete with piano, guitar and snare drums; "Come And Get Your Love"--Ruth takes lead and this song rocks with organ sounding like a gospel hymn; "Happiness"--June on lead with Ruth and Anita right on her heels, the song has an infectious beat; "Echoes Of Love"--Anita on lead and this song sounds like early Hall & Oats, but it's another catchy tune with great harmony.

There are three bonus tracks: "Love Is Like A Rolling Stone," "If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady," (previously released on other compilations) and "Happiness" 12" version.

The fold-out, one page cover shows some pics from the album jacket. No liner notes.

Wounded Bird Records has done a good job remastering the CD like another reviewer pointed out.

I definitely would recommend ENERGY to fans of the Pointer Sisters. It's a good solid album that doesn't sound dated at all.

This is one of The Pointer Sisters absolute classic albums. It was their emergence into rock & the beginning of their second phase of their career as big hitmakers for both singles and albums. Now a trio of 3 lead singers - Anita, June and Ruth , they hooked up with established big name producer Richard Perry, and recorded this classic album. The direction was totally new for them - doing rock material from songwriters & bands such as BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, STEELY DAN, FLEETWOOD MAC, LOGGINS & MESSINA, DOOBIE BROTHERS & SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE. Each Pointer gets their share of leads , with Anita being the one who got the most hits , starting here with the mega-smash " FIRE " written by Springsteen, which went to #2 on the charts. There are so many GREAT songs & performances on here. It stands the test of time. They group was now free from the old sounds of their 40's numbers, and broke loose with doing a contemporary mix of rock and R&B. It has the influence of Labelle , who had just broken up the year before. The Pointers took some pointers , and headed off into the right sound with this album.

" LAY IT ON THE LINE " starts it all off with June doing one of her sassiest lead vocals on this rock song with electric guitar solos by Waddy Wachtel. " DIRTY WORK " is amazing & has a powerful build-up that illustrates how the Pointer's could really let loose. " HYPNOTIZED " is a nice atmospheric spacey song where each Pointer takes a lead verse. Both of these tracks I remember as being played on my local FM rock station! " COME AND GET YOUR LOVE " is a totally amazing powerful song sung by Ruth, with blistering guitars that truly rocks hard [ on par with Mother's Finest or Nona Hendryx ]. Other stunning songs are " HAPPINESS " with more of a pop/dance sound that is a nice change , and was the second single released from here, but wasn't as big a hit as " FIRE "; " ANGRY EYES " - a nice concisely arranged & performed rock song; and their nod to fellow Bay Area rock/funk pioneer SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE with a great version of " EVERYBODY IS A STAR ".

I bought this CD in a Toronto record store around 1995 or so. It was only released on CD in Europe by the label ARIOLA sometime in the 90's. The packaging does not include the lyric/photo sheet, but it is a VERY rare CD to find. It's the music that matters, and this is the album that re-launched the Pointer Sisters in 1978-1979 , marking their long run with hits into the 80's. SONY/BMG who own the rights to this classic album would be wise to reissue this album, as well as as unreleased songs from the sessions. I know that the great B-side to " FIRE " , entitled " LOVE IS LIKE A ROLLING STONE " , sung by June, would be a great addition to have on CD. Also, their strong follow-up rock album " PRIORITY " from 1979 would be great to hear on CD at last also.

A true classic for anyone. The Pointers were off & running with this album, that established them as a diversified group who could do rock, and any other genre of music great.

WHERE DO I START! first of all i have been e-mailing WOUNDED BIRD

RECORD LABEL FOR THE PAST 7 YEARS TO RELEASE "ENERGY" on CD- plus i

and others have been discussing WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR-why has'nt this been released on CD yet. well now it has. EVERYTHING JUST FELL INTO PLACE WITH THIS RELEASE IN 1978---richard perry an amazing producer starts

PLANET RECORDS his own label distributed by ELEKTRA RECORDS. AND PLANET

1--IS POINTER SISTERS "ENERGY" what a master piece truly magic and truly

in my opinion one of the best releases ever. THE POINTER SISTERS what

a amazing group. all 3 sisters have their own signature sound and

voice their own. and each song each sings fits perfectly with their

style. i am so glad to have this on CD. and thank you WOUNDED BIRD

which is a pretty cool label releasing out of print CD's and putting

classic recordings on CD"s. they did it with maria muldaur, nicolette

larson, ben orr, and now the pointer sisters and candi staton. it is

like magic. no need in talking about the greatness of this release

each song is classic and i have to say better than the original artists.

"as i come of age" sends chills to me. just wish june pointer was around

to see this released. still miss and love you june. and thanks AMAZON

for having this in stock from what i hear there was such a demand

some are on back order. i already own BLACK AND WHITE and just got

ENERGY in and also PRIORITY. and fans need to stop with the sound quality it is fine to me. i am just happy this is on CD and having

extra songs is just more to love. thanks to the POINTER SISTERS who

have given me so much pleasure listening to your beautiful vocals.

better get this because it may go out of print like SPECIAL THINGS

did

For some years now I owned this album on vinyl and,to be honest I never listened to it that much. The main reason is for anyone whose mainly familiar with the Pointer's huge pop hits circa 1980-1985 this might come as something of a musical shocker. Obviously this is the sister's debut on Planet,with Richard Perry of course at the controls.So what's the big deal about that?Well the Pointer's,known as a funky R&B act with a lot of jazz and country mixed it were suddenly released this album possitioning them as an impassioned rock trio,with some often greasy rocking guitar riffs from Waddy Wachtel. What makes this album so unique is the sister's gospel and R&B backrounds made them ideal to be one of many pioneers of late 70's rock 'n soul. Honestly it was a style mostly associated with white musicians and at the same time the Pointer's were delivering it from the source. And even if you a hardcore R&B/funk fan this won't put you off at all. In fact I bet you'll be pretty excited after hearing it. True it's an album of covers,some more known than others but if the power and every of "Lay It On The Line","Angry Eyes" and "Come And Get Your Love" doesn't wack you over the head first than the milder "Dirty Work","As I Come Of Age" or even the breakout hit on this album "Fire" certainly will. There are also a handfull of songs that are,by the standards of the day conventional "commercial R&B" type songs such as to be heard in the sneaky shuffle of "Hypnotized" and the....well gospel country-disco flavor of "Happiness",written by their old stand by from the Blue Thumb days Allen Toussaint. "Echoes Of Love" ironically takes a Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers song and...gives it a bit more of a pre McDonald era Doobie sound. It's kind of a clever if unintentional musical twist on Perry's part."Everybody Is A Star" has the same basic arrangement as Sly's original put the music is given more of a country-pop flavor than anything the original was implying.The bonus tracks include "Love Is Like A Rolling Stone",an excellent,rocking outtake that should've made the original albums "tune stack" but somehow missed the final selection. The remix of the funky "If You Wanna Get Back Your Lady" is great but........it's a song originally from the 1982 album So Excited which was commercially and musically as far from this kind of album as you could get so,it seems chronologically out of place here to an extent. The 12# mix of "Happiness" basically only extends the ending a minute longer or so:nice but no big deal. In general this is a fine Pointer Sisters release. The music may sound shocking but the approch is almost older than dirt in pop music:this is simply a late 70's update on what the Isley's and Ike & Tina were doing in the early 60's. But even so,in a very uncertain and mixed up musical environment I have to give Perry and the Pointers credit for having them make a comeback by virtue of boldness and versitility as opposed to just keeping up with the joneses.

By all means this rating isn't for the album in general, but the mastering job is terrible. They need to re-release this on CD with better sound absolutely!

Extremely disappointing. This item has either being badly remastered or not remastered at all. Dreadful sound. Hopefully Cherry Red UK will pick this up and do it properly.

I, like other reviewers that I have just read have been lobbying for this album to be released on cd for years. I just could not understand why it was not being released. When I discovered Wounded Bird via the Nantucket albums, I emailed them suggesting this album a couple years ago.

Although the transfer is not perfect. I think they did a decent job. A remaster would have been nice.

I must confess that I am not a big Pointer Sisters fan. I was mostly into just rock and roll. But this is a great album. I have been listening to it since it came out. When a friend suggested it to me, I was stunned. THE POINTER SISTERS?????? Really...lol

But let me tell you it only took 1 listening to Angry Eyes and Dirty Work to convince me. All people involved did a fantastic job of putting this album of covers together. I like most, if not all, of them better than the originals.

So give it a listen. I think you will be pleased.

PS, If you have never heard of the band (Nantucket) that I mentioned earlier. Give them a shot. One of the most unappreciated/unknown rock bands of the late 70s. It's always fun to discover great music that you have never heard of.

If your a Pointer Sisters fan, as I am, get this CD. If you are not a fan already, get the CD anyway and you will certainly become one. The Energy album came out in 1978 when the Sisters were in transition from their old eclectic jazz and blues - remember them with their thrift shop outfits? But it was before the pop sound they became best known for, e.g. Jump (For My Love), Automatic, Neutron Dance, I'm So Excited, Hot Together, etc.

The Energy album is a full-blown 70s era rock album with a little funk and a little gospel. (BTW: It is NOT soft rock, which is in my mind an oxymoron.) "Fire" and "Happiness" became hit songs, but there are several other great songs/covers on the album that just never got out there. "Come Get Your Love" (not the Redbone song) is a mindblower, and "Dirty Work", "Hypnotized" and "Angry Eyes" are all incredibly great covers.

I am seeing reviews from so-called audiophiles who complain about poor sound quality on this re-issue from Wounded Bird, and this complaint is a great dis-service. I've listened tons of times and do not perceive any such thing. You would miss out if you pass up on this CD. It has become a favorite of mine.

Performances - 5 Stars (and then some)

Sound Quality - 2 Stars, if that

I have waited 25 years for this to be issued on cd, other than the one very limited very expensive German pressing from 84. I had almost given up hope. It's finally here. But what happened? Trust me, this was NOT remastered in any way shape or form. This is one of the worst sounding cd's I've ever heard. There is no high end at all on any of the songs; they sound compressed; some of them seem like them they were mastered from an 8th generation tape (extended version of Happiness being one of those). The company must have taken whatever tapes Sony sent them without question, and just turned the recorder on. There, it's done.

A 30 year old cassette dub from my vinyl album still sounds better than this. I just listened to that one again.

But the performances are INCREDIBLE. Forget the pop/disco stuff that came afterwards. This .. This is the real thing. The vocals send chills down my spine. It's a very inspired collection of rock covers wiht the best possible production and arrangements. Hypnotized, Angry Eyes(WOW), Dirty Work, Everybody Is a Star, As I Come of Age, Happiness, etc. Not sure if Lay It On The Line was a cover, but it was a great way to start the album. Guess I need to find the time to start experimenting on this with Audacity.

I just bought the Brit import of Priority with Black & White, and there is a HUGE improvement in sound quality. That's what Energy should have sounded like. Maybe Broadside will be able to license this album after all the quality complaints have rolled in.

3 stars ? I can hear the booing now.

I have been the first in the queue petitioning Sony/BMG over the years to remaster this classic as part of their Legacy/Heritage series, all to no avail.

Instead of affording this gem the royal treatment it so richly deserves, they have once again offloaded it to a reissue company. A previous reviewer has praised Wounded Bird for their remastering of this CD. It is NOT remastered, it is reissued, which means the original master tapes of the album were used without any of the time consuming (but invaluable) effort that goes into remastering each track of each song, to get the best possible sound.

The result is average.

I can state this with full conviction as Sony licenced tracks to Hip-O, who did remaster them, making them sound fuller and richer. Even the vinyl transfer to CD with a little boosting that I did years ago sounds better.

OK, so if you're an average consumer with a basic sound system you won't be worried by this - you will just be grateful for the release, and that's fantastic. But if you have better equipment and expect more respect be accorded what has to be one of the all-time classic albums of the late 70s, then you will be disappointed.

I bought the UK-released 'twofer' of 'Priority & Black & White'Priority/Black & White, which WAS remastered and is an excellent bargain, unlike these individual Wounded Bird releases. It is a pity Broadside didn't get the rights to this one too. Maybe now that Special Things has been deleted, they may pick it up and release another 'twofer' including Energy, and nicely remaster them as they did with the other Planet albums.

In summary :

5 stars: for releasing it at all

3 stars: for the cheap transfer