Riding the waves of their 1983 smash, Break Out, Pointer Sisters hit 1985 with their follow-up, Contact, their first for RCA, after Planet Records was sold to them. While the album didn't fare as well as its predecessor, there's no doubt that the momentum from it was what pushed initial sales. It would become their second most successful album to date, reaching platinum certification.
Not only would it produces multiple singles, Dare Me, Freedom, and Twist My Arm, the latter which spawned a highly successful music video which helped the trio win Favorite Video Group at the 1986 American Music Awards. The video absolutely drips with all things 80's weirdness, and tops it all off with Bobcat Goldthwait. Check it out!
If that music video didn't make you feel good, there's something wrong with you.
Twist My Arm is also the track that kicks everything off for the album, and it essentially picks up with the high energy sound of hits like Jump, Neutron Dance, and I'm So Excited. This is followed by, Hey You, which puts Ruth Pointer front and center for some more of that deep vocal goodness from ala previous hit, Automatic.
By track four, Back In My Arms, I was really digging everything. Contact felt like the perfect sequel to Break Out.
Overall, it was good stuff. Lot's of 80's goodness, and one definitely worth checking out. In addition to the above noted tracks, I was also particularly keen on Bodies And Souls, Contact, and Dare Me. I can't believe I had forgotten about the latter, but I love when I find hits I don't remember. It's a nice bit of icing on the cake. The music video on the other hand...well, that's something I wish I could forget with its Rocky type vibe.
Things end on the ballad side with the excessively long, over six minutes, Freedom. If I had one issue with the album, it would be that.
Prior to moving on from 1985, the girls contributed the outtake, Just A Little Closer, to the USA For Africa album, We Are The World.
Unfortunately, the high the sisters were on was about to start coming down. Their next release, 1986's Hot Together, would see a massive slump in sales, as well as hit singles. There would, however be contributions to soundtracks to some of the biggest movies of the year, and we'll get into all of that tomorrow.
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