''Contact'' is the eleventh studio album by the American vocal group

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

, released in 1985 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

History

Upon its release, ''Contact'' quickly became the Pointer Sisters' second-most successful album to date; it was certified platinum, denoting U.S. sales of over one million, and helped the trio win an American Music Award for "Favorite Video Group" in 1986. ''Contact'' yielded U.S. chart hits with the singles " Dare Me" (Hot 100 #11, UK #17), "Freedom" and "Twist My Arm." Another song, "Back in My Arms", was released as a single and video in the UK. A track from the ''Contact'' sessions, entitled "Just a Little Closer", was released on the ''

We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones for the album '' We Are the World''. With sales in excess of 20 milli ...

'' charity compilation album in 1985. ''Contact'' was remastered and issued on CD with bonus tracks in 2011 by Big Break Records.

Track listing

Personnel

The Pointer Sisters *

Anita Pointer Anita Marie Pointer (January 23, 1948December 31, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter, best known as a founding member of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters. She co-wrote and was the lead singer on their hit song " Fairytale", which ga ...

– lead vocals (1, 5, 9), backing vocals *

June Pointer June Antoinette Pointer (November 30, 1953 – April 11, 2006) was an American singer, best known as the youngest of the founding members of the vocal group the Pointer Sisters. Early life and career Born the youngest of six children to minister ...

– lead vocals (3, 6, 8), backing vocals *

Ruth Pointer Ruth Esther Pointer (born March 19, 1946) is an American singer best known as the eldest and last surviving original member of the family vocal group the Pointer Sisters. Career Joining her sisters in 1972, the Pointer Sisters released their ...

– lead vocals (2, 4, 7), backing vocals Musicians * Andy Goldmark – synthesizers (1, 3), drum machine programming (1, 3), arrangements (1, 3), acoustic piano (3) * Bruce Roberts – synthesizers (1), drum machine programming (1, 3), arrangements (1, 3) * Paul Fox – additional synthesizers (1, 2, 4, 9),

E-mu Emulator II The Emulator is a series of digital sampling synthesizers using floppy-disk storage that was manufactured by E-mu Systems from 1981 until 2002. Although it was not the first commercial sampler, the Emulator was innovative in its integration ...

(5, 8) * Howie Rice – arrangements (1), additional synthesizers (1, 2, 4, 7, 9), guitars (1, 3, 8), synthesizers (3, 6, 8), handclaps (3), drum machine programming (8, 9),

Minimoog The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...

(9) * Steve George – keyboards (2, 4, 5), synthesizers (2, 4), arrangements (2, 4, 5), synth bass (5) * Steve Mitchell – additional synthesizers (2, 7),

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

(3, 5), handclaps (3),

Oberheim DMX The DMX is a programmable Digital data, digital drum machine manufactured by Oberheim Electronics, Oberheim. It was introduced in 1980 at a list price of and remained in the company's product line until the mid-1980s. The Oberheim DMX was the se ...

programming (6), synthesizers (8), drum machine programming (8) *

Jeff Lorber Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952) is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After six previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for ''Prototype'' ...

– synth bass (3), synthesizers (9), guitars (9), drum machine programming (9) *

Mark Goldenberg Mark Goldenberg (born October 2, 1952) is an American guitarist and songwriter, noted for his session work and composition of successful songs for Linda Ronstadt, the Pointer Sisters, and others. Biography Early career Raised in Chicago, Illi ...

– acoustic piano (6), synthesizers (6), guitars (6), drum machine programming (6), arrangements (6) *

Tommy Faragher Thomas Edward Faragher is an American producer, composer, songwriter, singer, and arranger. He is originally from Redlands, California. Performer Faragher started his career as a singer and keyboardist with his family, who formed a group called ...

– keyboards (7), synthesizers (7) * Steve Farris – guitars (2) *

Michael Landau Michael Christopher Landau (born June 1, 1958) is an American musician, audio engineer, and record-producer. He is a session musician and guitarist who has played on many albums since the early 1980s with Boz Scaggs, Minoru Niihara, Joni Mitchel ...

– guitars (4) *

Robbie Nevil Robert S. Nevil (born October 2, 1958) is an American pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and guitarist who had five ''Billboard'' top 40 hits including his songs " C'est la Vie" (#2, 1986), "Dominoes" (#14, 1987), and " Wot's It to Ya" (#1 ...

– guitars (7), drum machine programming (7), arrangements (7) * Peter Rafelson – guitars (8) *

Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts ...

– bass (1, 2) *

Neil Stubenhaus Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist. Career He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. In one of his early bands, The Neighbourhood in 1969, he played with future Kiss guitarist Vinnie V ...

– bass (4) * Jennifer Condos – bass (6) * Welton Gite – bass (8) *

Pat Mastelotto Lee Patrick Mastelotto (born September 10, 1955) is an American rock drummer and record producer. He has been a member of King Crimson, Stick Men, Mr. Mister and O.R.k., as well as working as a session drummer with XTC, The Pointer Sisters an ...

– drum machine programming (2, 4, 5), drums (4, 5) * Harry Stinson – drum machine programming (6) * Brock Walsh – drum machine programming (7), arrangements (7) *

Paulinho da Costa Paulinho da Costa (, born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948) is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Me ...

– percussion (1, 4−9) * Terral "Terry" Santiel – percussion (1, 3, 5, 6) * Debra Dobkin – percussion (6) *

Larry Williams Lawrence Eugene Williams (May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and pianist from New Orleans. He is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to ...

– saxophones (5) *

Phil Kenzie Phil Kenzie is an English multi-saxophone player and rock and roll musician. He has been voted by fans as "one of the greatest rock 'n' roll sax players of all time." Born in Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdo ...

– saxophone (6) * Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone (5) * Gary Grant – trumpet (5) *

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', '' Rock with Y ...

– trumpet (5), horn arrangements (5) *

Paul Buckmaster Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Shawn Phillips, Elton Joh ...

– string arrangements and conductor (2, 4) *

Richard Page Richard Lewis Page (born 22 February 1941) is a former Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979, and from 1979 to 2005. Early life Born the so ...

– arrangements (2, 4, 5) Production * Producer – Richard Perry * Associate producers – Andy Goldmark (tracks 1 & 3); Howie Rice (track 1); Bruce Roberts (tracks 1 & 3); Steve George (tracks 2 & 4); Richard Page (tracks 2, 4 & 5); Mark Goldenberg (track 6); Robbie Nevil (track 7); Brock Walsh (track 7). * Production manager – James C. Tract * Production coordinator – Bradford Rosenberg * Recording engineer – Michael Brooks * Additional engineers – Clif Jones, Glen Holguin, Alex Schmoll, Gary Skardina and Don Smith. * Assistant engineers – David Dubow, Glen Holguin, Julie Last, Ray Leonard, Bob Loftus, Kraig Miller, Alex Schmoll and Delilah Seroussi. * Basic track engineering – Paul Rey (track 2); Ian Eales (tracks 4 & 5); Ernie Sheesley (track 7). * Remix engineer – Don Smith * Mastered by

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and distri ...

at Precision Mastering (Hollywood, CA). * Art direction and design by

John Kosh John Kosh, known simply as Kosh, is an English art director, album cover designer, graphic artist, and documentary producer/director. He was born in London, England and rose to prominence in the mid-1960s while designing for the Royal Ballet a ...

and Ron Larson * Photography by Randee St. Nicholas

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Contact (Pointer Sisters Album) 1985 albums The Pointer Sisters albums Albums produced by Richard Perry RCA Records albums