Sealed LP: Pointer Sisters: That's a Plenty

$

38

Pointer Sisters

That's a Plenty

FACTORY SEALED LP

Format: Sealed Album

Country: U.S.A.

Record Company & Release Number: Blue Thumb: BTS 6009

Original release date: 1974

Bar Code: NONE

Condition of the cover: Mint

Condition of this sealed album: Sealed - Assumed Mint

My inventory number: 208309B

Shipping Weight: 1 pounds, 0 ounces

Notes:

This Sealed Album came from a record store in Allentown, Pennsylvania called "Phantasmagoria" which went out of business in 1978. I purchased most of their unsold inventory several years later when I owned "Music Madness" - a new & used record store in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.

Since this Sealed Album was part of Phantasmagoria's inventory when they closed in 1978, it cannot be any newer than a 1978 pressing. Being a Sealed Album, I cannot tell specifically what pressing it is prior to 1978. In some cases, hype stickers might help to determine if it is a first pressing, but I cannot be any more specific.

Phantasmagoria used round colored stickers to indicate the price of their inventory. They had a sign on the wall with the color sticker combinations for the customers to use so they knew the price of what they were purchasing. Some of the Sealed Albums still have these stickers on them, and in some rare cases, the stickers are written on. Some of the Sealed Albums have prices on them. This is the price you would have paid for this Sealed Album in 1978 if you had bought it at Phantasmagoria. If this Sealed Album has a price on it, please don't confuse the price with the current value for this Sealed Album.

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• Bangin' On the Pipes/Steam Heat
• Salt Peanuts
• Grinning in Your Face
• Shaky Flat Blues
• That's A-Plenty/SurfeiU.S.A.
• Little Pony
• Fairytale
• Black Coffee
• Love in Them There Hills

• Gordon Messick: Trombone
• Weldon Myrick: Pedal Steel, Guitar (Steel)
• Ruth Pointer: Vocals
• Norbert Putnam: Bass
• Jim Rothermel: Clarinet
• David Rubinson: Arranger, Engineer
• Tom Salisbury: Accordion, Producer, String Arrangements, Associate Producer, Brass, Keyboards
• John Shine: Guitar
• Bobby Thompson: Guitar
• Jack Viertel: Guitar (Electric)
• Jeremy Zatkin: Engineer
• James Goodwin: Trumpet
• John Neumann: Bass
• Norman Spicher: Fiddle
• Jim Goodwin: Trumpet
• Randy Tuten: Cover Art
• Robert C. Thompson: Guitar (Acoustic)
• David Briggs: Piano
• Phill Brown: Engineer
• Bill Summers: Conga, Drums, Talking Drum, Shekere
• Jesse Ed Davis: Guitar (Electric)
• June Pointer: Vocals
• Anita Pointer: Vocals
• Britt Woodman: Trombone
• Gaylord Birch: Drums
• Kenneth A. Buttrey: Drums
• Fred Catero: Engineer
• Jeffrey Cohen: Producer, Associate Producer, Vocal Arrangements,
• Floyd Cooley: Tuba
• Bruce Good: Producer, Associate Producer, Vocal Arrangements,
• Herbert Greene: Cover Art
• David Grisman: Mandolin
• Steve Ham: Engineer
• George Horn: Engineer
• Paul JacksoJr.: Bass
• Norman Landsberg: Vocal Arrangements,
• Bonnie Pointer: Vocals
• The Pointer Sisters: Main Performer
• Bonnie Raitt: Slide Guitar
• Harry "Sweets" Edison: Trumpet
• Herbie Hancock: Piano, Clavinet, Arp, Fender Rhodes
• Ron McClure: Bass

Album Review for "That's a Plenty"

For their second studio long-player, the Pointer Sisters -- consisting of singing siblings Anita, Bonnie, June, and Ruth Pointer -- cut loose with a powerful collection of vintage pop, jazz, and modern R&B. Stylistically, 1973's That's A Plenty is as diverse as their eponymous debut and proves that the immense talents of the Oakland-born quartet were far more than just a one-off fluke. In fact, it was their multiplicity that may have initially prevented them from getting the exposure they deserved. The opening medley couples the tongue-in-cheek saga of their humble beginnings on the tastefully (if not a tad dramatically) arranged "Bangin' On the Pipes" with the rollicking bop of "Steam Heat," derived from the 1954 score of The Pajama Game. Things are cranked up considerably on the Pointers' breakneck rendition of Dizzy Gillespie's bebop classic "Salt Peanuts." The selection is taken at such an accelerated pace that the flurry might leave the listener exhausted by the song's conclusion. Of equal note are the accompanying instrumentalists, who ably keep pace with substantial verve and sonic savoir-faire. Although almost a musical antithesis, the uptown blues-infused take of Son House's "Grinning in Your Face" (aka "Don't Mind People Grinning in Your Face") unleashes a decidedly funky East Bay vibe. While steeped in the original, it is at once a wholly unique presence. "Shaky Flat Blues" is one of the two Pointer-penned pieces, as the Sisters take their cues more from the sophistication of Duke Ellington than anything happening in early-'7s pop or soul. That's A Plenty's title track is a hot-steppin' Dixieland rag with a tricky syncopation and mile-a-minute lyrics, while "Little Pony" is another classy remake of a venerable jazz number, this time from the luminous Count Basie catalog. The Pointers definitely do it justice by bringing it to an entirely new audience. The surprising rural twang of "Fairytale" is undoubtedly the most incongruous entry on the LP, garnering the ladies their first foray onto the country singles survey. The success resulted in not only a guest appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, but formidable lauds as Elvis Presley covered it to great effect both in the studio -- where it surfaced on 1975's Today -- and on the road. All the more compelling is the dark and lymphatic torch reading of "Black Coffee," brooding and seething with an undercurrent of palpable emotion -- especially during the improvised double-time scat vocals at the tune's conclusion. Perhaps saving their best for last, the redux of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's "Love in Them There Hills" is an extended outing that churns and burns into an inspired eight-minutes of unfettered funk, proving that the Pointers are easily as relevant as any of their contemporaries. [In 2004, Hip-O Select issued That's A Plenty on CD in a limited edition featuring a miniaturized version of the record jacket.] ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide

Pointer Sisters biography by Andy Kellman

The Pointer Sisters were as chameleonic as David Bowie, if not more so. The sibling group backed Grace Slick and Boz Scaggs, made stops at Sesame Street and the Grand Ole Opry, won a country Grammy, and appeared in the movie Car Wash, all before scoring four consecutive Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 hits in the mid-‘80s. From their early ‘70s releases on Blue Thumb through their ‘80s commercial run on Planet and RCA, the Pointers moved through boogie-woogie, bebop, blues, country, funk, disco, soft rock, electro-pop, hard rock, and several other subgenres as if they were all second nature. The sisters covered Willie Dixon, were covered by Elvis Presley, and released 15 Top 40 Hot 100 singles while sustaining a steady presence on the R&B, club, and adult contemporary charts.

Ruth, Anita, Bonnie, and June Pointer grew up in Oakland, California, daughters of a mother and reverend father who encouraged gospel singing and forbade blues and rock & roll. They developed their love for various forms of secular music through visits and slumber parties at the homes of friends, where they could listen to music and watch programs like American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show. The sisters’ public performances were limited to church, but once they were older, Bonnie and June formed a duo and were eventually joined by Anita; they provided background vocals for a number of artists, including Grace Slick, Boz Scaggs, and Sylvester. While performing with Walter Bishop, they caught the eyes and ears of the Atlantic label, who released the Pointer Sisters' first two singles: 1971’s Honey Cone-like “Don’t Try to Take the Fifth” and the following year’s “Destination No More Heartaches.” Neither song charted, but the abundant potential was obvious.

By the end of 1972, the group was a quartet that also featured Ruth. The Pointers left Atlantic for Blue Thumb, where they released five eclectic albums: The Pointer Sisters (1973), That’s a Plenty (1974), Live at the Opera House (1974), Steppin’ (1975), and Having a Party (1977). Among the hit singles from these releases were the empowering “Yes We Can Can” (written by Allen Toussaint), “How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side)” (a Toussaint-flavored song written by Bonnie and Anita with David Rubinson), and “Going Down Slowly” (a grinding take on Toussaint's “Going Down”). The most successful song of all was “Fairtyale,” a Bonnie- and Anita-penned departure into country music that peaked at number 13 on the Hot 100. This enabled the Pointers to perform at the Grand Ole Opry -- as the first African-American vocal group to do so -- and the song also won the 1974 Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. It was covered by Elvis Presley. The same year Having a Party was issued, the popular children’s television program Sesame Street first aired a classic animated segment called Pinball Number Count, which featured vocals the Pointers recorded several years earlier.

Between the release of Having a Party and the end of 1977, June and Bonnie departed from the group, with the latter initiating a solo career. Ruth and Anita signed a deal with producer Richard Perry's Elektra-affiliated Planet label, and June re-joined in time to record Energy (1978), which featured a cover of Sly & the Family Stone's “Everybody Is a Star” and the Toussaint-written “Happiness” (the group’s first single to hit the disco chart) but was otherwise rooted in rock, with interpretations of Steely Dan, Bob Welch-era Fleetwood Mac, and the Doobie Brothers, along with the second released recording -- following a version by Robert Gordon -- of Bruce Springsteen's “Fire,” a song intended for Elvis Presley. The Pointers took it to number two on the Hot 100 chart. The rest of the group’s years with Perry and Planet were extremely successful, culminating with 1983’s Break Out, an album that went multi-platinum due to a string of four state-of-the-art dance-pop singles. “Automatic,” “Jump (For My Love),” a remix of 1982’s “I’m So Excited,” and “Neutron Dance” all peaked in the Hot 100’s Top Ten. The women won two additional Grammys.

During the latter half of the ‘80s and the early ‘90s, the Pointer Sisters released five more albums on RCA, Motown, and SBK. 1985’s Contact, featuring the crossover hit “Dare Me,” was the group’s last album to go platinum. While they did not record any albums after 1993’s Only Sisters Can Do That, they continued to perform on an infrequent basis. Issa, Ruth’s daughter, provided backing vocals on the final album and joined as a full member when June left for health reasons. A victim of lung cancer, June passed away in 2006. The Pointer Sisters, however, continued performing throughout the rest of the decade.

This sealed album is being sold as a collector's item and cannot be returned due to manufacturer's defects. It may be almost impossible to replace many of the sealed albums I am selling. If I am aware of any defects, I will list it in the notes and pictures above.

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All album reviews, credits and artist biographies are from AllMusic Guide. If you haven't been to their web site, you should check it out. It's one of the most comprehensive music references on the internet. In some cases, credits may include reissue (CD) information. Obviously any credits referenced to CDs might not apply to this release.

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