The Pointer Sisters (album)

The Pointer Sisters is the self-titled debut by the Pointer Sisters, released in 1973 on the Blue Thumb label.

The Pointer Sisters
Studio album by The Pointer Sisters
Released	May 1973
Recorded	Wally Heider Studios (San Francisco, California)
Genre	R&B, soul, funk, jazz
Length	46:47
Label	Blue Thumb
Producer	David Rubinson & Friends, Inc.
The Pointer Sisters chronology
The Pointer Sisters (1973) That's a Plenty (1974)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	B [2]

History

The album yielded the hits "Yes We Can Can" and "Wang Dang Doodle" and became a success based on word of mouth after heralded performances at The Troubadour in Los Angeles and the Helen Reddy Show. The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and reached number three on the R&B albums chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in February 1974. The album was remastered and issued on CD in 2001 by MCA Records.

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Yes We Can Can"	Allen Toussaint	6:02
2.	"Cloudburst"	Leroy Kirkland, Jimmy Harris	3:12
3.	"Jada"	Pointer Sisters, Bruce Good, Jeffrey Cohen	4:40
4.	"River Boulevard"	Barbara Mauritz	5:52
5.	"Old Songs"	John Shine, Bruce Good	4:01

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"That's How I Feel"	Wilton Felder	7:07
7.	"Sugar"	Pointer Sisters	2:19
8.	"Pains and Tears"	Norman Landsberg	2:36
9.	"Naked Foot"	Neal Tate	3:46
10.	"Wang Dang Doodle"	Willie Dixon	7:34

Personnel

• Anita Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Bonnie Pointer, June Pointer – vocals
• Willie Fulton – electric guitar
• Tom Salisbury – piano
• Norman Landsberg – piano on "Old Songs"
• Ron McClure – acoustic bass, electric bass
• Rod Ellicott – bass on "River Boulevard"
• Gaylord Birch – drums
• Ed Marshall – drums on "Cloudburst" and "Jada"
• The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils – backing band on "Wang Dang Doodle"

Production

• David Rubinson & Friends, Inc. – producer, mix-down engineer
• Norman Landsberg – associate producer
• Fred Catero, Jeremy Zatkin – recording engineers, mix-down engineers
• George Horne – mastering engineer
• H. B. Greene – portraiture, design

Chart positions

Chart (1973)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	13
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	3

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[3]	Gold	500,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. Hanson, Amy. The Pointer Sisters review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-12.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: P". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 10, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. "The Pointer Sisters: The Pointer Sisters". riaa.com. RIAA.

External links

• The Pointer Sisters at Discogs (list of releases)