Beats The Hell Out of The Neutron Dance

April 30, 2008 5:01 AM

The Pointer Sisters rehearse.

So imagine how they sound with an audience.

posted by StopMakingSense (11 comments total)

Good stuff -- didn't realize that they could do some hot jazz so well. And timely, too, as the Sisters will be performing in my town in the next week or so (benefit for charitable org).
posted by davidmsc at 5:34 AM on April 30, 2008

one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve
posted by jenkinsEar at 6:24 AM on April 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Sister on the right: killing afro, and what a fabulous face! Gotta say, though, their take on Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" is way too histrionic for me, and all in all I always found their jazz shtick to be a little too forced, but hey, they had their thing, and I know a lot of people had a lot of fun at their shows. The live clip ("You Can Can") strikes me as the most natural, relaxed tune for them to perform, out of all these collected here. Well, after all, they were basically R&B singers: I don't think any of them could really pull off some serious jazz vocals like, say, Betty Carter, for example.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:35 AM on April 30, 2008

I just randomly watched the first half hour of Beverly Hills Cop... it occured to me that the early eighties were sort of an interesting time in music. Neutron Dance is probably the most "1984" song out there apart from maybe "Borderline" or something.
posted by autodidact at 6:42 AM on April 30, 2008

Yes we can can
posted by furtive at 7:27 AM on April 30, 2008

re flapjax: The live clip ("You Can Can")

used drum set for sale...best offer...already burned all my sticks
posted by timsteil at 9:41 AM on April 30, 2008 [1 favorite]

Funny, I was listening to a few Harry Nilsson albums yesterday and thinking that there was such a huge, retro, old-timey phase in the late 60's, early 70's. Tack pianos, warbly ballads about the good old days. And this kind of faux swing 40's thing.
It seemed like everyone was going all apeshit over antiques in the 70's, (using it as a verb: "we're going antiquing!")
My parents made our suburban basement look like an Olde Tyme pool hall.

Interesting to see the Pointer Sisters in this context, though, since I always thought they were so showbizzy; Variety Show fodder. They always seemed to be on the Carol Burnett show.
posted by chococat at 9:49 AM on April 30, 2008

Don't nobody go bustin' on Neutron Dance, now!!
posted by BobFrapples at 10:04 AM on April 30, 2008

I can't wait to watch these when I get home. The Pointer Sisters were the first concert I ever went to and I have very fond memories of listening to their albums on my brand new Walkman.
posted by desjardins at 11:09 AM on April 30, 2008

Thank you for posting these. The Pointers' Blue Thumb-era recordings and repertoire are excellent and overlooked treasures. Their band kicked on both the funk and the jazz tunes, besides. Although they give up a little to the hardcore vocalese bands in terms of precision, they had (and, I hope, still have) great voices and a great act. Their version of "Black Coffee" is, for me, definitive.
posted by the sobsister at 5:07 PM on April 30, 2008

A friend just gifted me with Break Out. I love that my friends not only understand my love of thrift store obtained 80s records, but know that I actually mix with them when I'm all alone. My brain doesn't really know how to reconcile that record with these videos.

(still trying to figure out how to mix their "I'm So Excited" with Le Tigre's cover ... because I'm a bad person)
posted by False Jesii Inc. at 8:28 AM on May 1, 2008