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Black & White (Pointer Sisters album)

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(Redirected from What a Surprise)
Black & White
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 12, 1981
StudioStudio 55
(Los Angeles, California)
Celebration Recording
(New York City, New York)
GenreR&B, pop, soul
LabelPlanet
ProducerRichard Perry
Pointer Sisters chronology
Special Things
(1980)
Black & White
(1981)
So Excited!
(1982)
Singles from Black & White
  1. "Slow Hand"
    Released: May 1981
  2. "What a Surprise!"
    Released: 1981
  3. "Sweet Lover Man"
    Released: 1981
  4. "Should I Do It"
    Released: December 1981

Black & White is the eighth studio album by the Pointer Sisters, released in 1981 on the Planet label.[1]

History

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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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sweet Lover Man"Jerry Ragovoy, Len Roberts4:12
2."Someday We'll Be Together"Russ Ballard4:39
3."Take My Heart, Take My Soul"Ken Gold, Mickey Denne4:06
4."Slow Hand"Michael Clark, John Bettis3:54
5."We're Gonna Make It"David Foster, Mike Cotton, Anita Pointer, June Pointer3:56
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."What a Surprise"A. Pointer, J. Pointer, Trevor Lawrence3:50
7."Got to Find Love"David Lasley, Willie Wilcox4:04
8."Fall in Love Again"Patrick Henderson, Wornell Jones4:30
9."Should I Do It"Layng Martine, Jr.3:53
2009 remastered bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Holdin' Out for Love"Cynthia Weil, Tom Snow3:22
11."What a Surprise" (Original Edit) 4:11

Personnel

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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

Production

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  • 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

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Weekly chart performance for Black & White
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

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  1. ^ Pointer, Ruth (2016). Still So Excited!: My Life as a Pointer Sister. Triumph Books.
  2. ^ Hanson, Amy. Black & White review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
  3. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 550.
  4. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. October 3, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Pointer Sisters – Black and White" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "Charts.nz – Pointer Sisters – Black and White". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  8. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Pointer Sisters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Pointer Sisters Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
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