Black & White (Pointer Sisters album)
(Redirected from What a Surprise)
| Black & White | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 12, 1981 | |||
| Studio | Studio 55 (Los Angeles, California) Celebration Recording (New York City, New York) | |||
| Genre | R&B, pop, soul | |||
| Label | Planet | |||
| Producer | Richard Perry | |||
| Pointer Sisters chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Black & White | ||||
| ||||
Black & White is the eighth studio album by the Pointer Sisters, released in 1981 on the Planet label.[1]
History
[edit]Black & White was their fourth record with producer Richard Perry and yielded the #2 pop hit "Slow Hand". The fourth single release, "Should I Do It", reached #13 in the spring of 1982, making Black & White the first Pointer Sisters album to yield two Top Twenty hits. Black & White was certified Gold in September 1981. The album was remastered and issued on CD with bonus tracks in 2009 by Wounded Bird Records.
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
Record World said that the second single "What a Surprise" has "sing-song choruses and a simple yet effective melody line."[4]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweet Lover Man" | Jerry Ragovoy, Len Roberts | 4:12 |
| 2. | "Someday We'll Be Together" | Russ Ballard | 4:39 |
| 3. | "Take My Heart, Take My Soul" | Ken Gold, Mickey Denne | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Slow Hand" | Michael Clark, John Bettis | 3:54 |
| 5. | "We're Gonna Make It" | David Foster, Mike Cotton, Anita Pointer, June Pointer | 3:56 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "What a Surprise" | A. Pointer, J. Pointer, Trevor Lawrence | 3:50 |
| 7. | "Got to Find Love" | David Lasley, Willie Wilcox | 4:04 |
| 8. | "Fall in Love Again" | Patrick Henderson, Wornell Jones | 4:30 |
| 9. | "Should I Do It" | Layng Martine, Jr. | 3:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Holdin' Out for Love" | Cynthia Weil, Tom Snow | 3:22 |
| 11. | "What a Surprise" (Original Edit) | 4:11 |
Personnel
[edit]The Pointer Sisters
- Anita Pointer – lead vocals (2, 4, 5-6), backing vocals, vocal arrangements
- June Pointer – lead vocals (1, 5, 7-9), backing vocals, vocal arrangements
- Ruth Pointer – lead vocals (3), backing vocals, vocal arrangements
Musicians
- James Newton Howard – keyboards (1), synthesizers (1, 3, 8)
- John Barnes – keyboards (2, 3, 6-8), electric piano (4), acoustic piano (9)
- Ed Walsh – synthesizers (2, 6, 7)
- William Smith – organ (4)
- Mike Cotten – synthesizers (5), synthesizer programming (5)
- David Foster – keyboards (5), arrangements (5)
- Greg Phillinganes – electric piano (9)
- Danny Faragher – organ (9)
- Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (1-4, 6-9), guitar solo (8)
- Tim May – guitar (1-4, 6-9)
- Nathan Watts – bass (1-4, 6-9)
- Mike Porcaro – bass (5)
- John Robinson – drums
- Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1-4, 6-9), congas (5)
- Trevor Lawrence – tenor sax solo (3, 6, 9)
Production
[edit]- Richard Perry – producer
- Trevor Lawrence – associate producer
- David Foster – production assistance (track 5)
- Gabe Veltri – recording
- Piers Plaskitt – additional recording
- Bill Schnee – remixing
- Tim Dennen – assistant engineer
- Stuart Furusho – assistant engineer
- Bobby Gerber – assistant engineer
- Larry Emerine – mastering
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
- Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, California) – mastering location
- Michael Barackman – music coordinator
- Susan Epstein – production coordinator
- Michael Solomon – production coordinator
- Kosh – art direction and design
- Aaron Rapoport – photography
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] | 15 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[6] | 39 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] | 10 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 21 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 13 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[10] | 9 |
References
[edit]- ^ Pointer, Ruth (2016). Still So Excited!: My Life as a Pointer Sister. Triumph Books.
- ^ Hanson, Amy. Black & White review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 550.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 3, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 235. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pointer Sisters – Black and White" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Pointer Sisters – Black and White". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "The Pointer Sisters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "The Pointer Sisters Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Black & White at Discogs (list of releases)
