High Energy vs Mary, Scherrie & Susaye albums

[Ollie9]

exactly. that 79 album wasn't Red Hot but rather a Hot Mess. lol

still the 4 Gus songs do definitely show that, given the right material, she was more than just a ballad singer. I wonder if she'd done something more like Martha's solo debut for MCA. something a bit more rock and roll and blues rather than disco and fast. I could hear her doing Storm in my Soul and her Save Me is excellent.

I do agree, though almost any other genre of music would have been better suited to her style of voice then the dreaded disco. I still hold with the theory it was sabotage lol. The Pointer Sisters had an album out in 79 named Priority. Almost every song on it might have been perfect for Mary...

[BobbyC]

Ollie--Priority is one of my all time favorite albums. Who Do Ya Love?

[Ollie9]

Ollie--Priority is one of my all time favorite albums. Who Do Ya Love?

It’s a really solid album Bobby that has stood the test of time. Though essentially a light rock orientated set, it has a bluesy feel to it. Favourite songs, “Dreaming As One” [[Stunning ballad) and “She’s Got The Fever”. Something like this album with a few more ballads thrown in would have been perfect for Mary. That debut album was the worst mistake of her career..........alas.

[RanRan79]

It’s a really solid album Bobby that has stood the test of time. Though essentially a light rock orientated set, it has a bluesy feel to it. Favourite songs, “Dreaming As One” [[Stunning ballad) and “She’s Got The Fever”. Something like this album with a few more ballads thrown in would have been perfect for Mary. That debut album was the worst mistake of her career..........alas.

"The Fever" is the bomb. I love to hear Ruth sing. Energy went gold, and I'm guessing that was on the strength of "Fire", which is a helluva song. But this change in sound I really don't think served the Pointers well with the public, hence why Priority flopped. Now in my mind, if any artists as soulful and pliable between genres as the Pointers couldn't turn Priority into a decent seller, Mary Wilson didn't have a chance in hell. Do I think Richard Perry would have been a perfect producer for Mary? Yeah, I think he could've given her a classic album as long as he focused on her strengths. I think these types of songs [[that the Pointers were doing in the late 70s) would have exposed Mary's weaknesses more than anything. And it's not like Mary didn't have the ability to go hard. She could. Listen to her "Save Me", she isn't half steppin with that one and it works. I just don't hear her on those rocker cuts. Mary has a very specific voice and IMO when she strays outside of a certain zone, there's a "tell her to PLEASE stop it" feeling that has a tendency to come over the listener.

[Ollie9]

"The Fever" is the bomb. I love to hear Ruth sing. Energy went gold, and I'm guessing that was on the strength of "Fire", which is a helluva song. But this change in sound I really don't think served the Pointers well with the public, hence why Priority flopped. Now in my mind, if any artists as soulful and pliable between genres as the Pointers couldn't turn Priority into a decent seller, Mary Wilson didn't have a chance in hell. Do I think Richard Perry would have been a perfect producer for Mary? Yeah, I think he could've given her a classic album as long as he focused on her strengths. I think these types of songs [[that the Pointers were doing in the late 70s) would have exposed Mary's weaknesses more than anything. And it's not like Mary didn't have the ability to go hard. She could. Listen to her "Save Me", she isn't half steppin with that one and it works. I just don't hear her on those rocker cuts. Mary has a very specific voice and IMO when she strays outside of a certain zone, there's a "tell her to PLEASE stop it" feeling that has a tendency to come over the listener.

“Priority” is probably my favourite Pointer Sisters album. One must Remember some of the best albums ever have not sold by the truck load.
I agree that Richard Perry might perhaps have been a good fit for Mary. Unlike Diana, unless the song is tailor made for her voice she can sound weak and ineffective. Her sound is not really a natural for the pop market. That is not where she shines.
For that 79 album there should have been a little light rock, a spoonful of R & B, a pinch of jazz and those all important ballads. This was the way to go. After this, perhaps moving more towards standards and jazz. Disco was career suicide as in square peg round hole. One can keep those warm summer nights lol.

[RanRan79]

“Priority” is probably my favourite Pointer Sisters album. One must Remember some of the best albums ever have not sold by the truck load.
I agree that Richard Perry might perhaps have been a good fit for Mary. Unlike Diana, unless the song is tailor made for her voice she can sound weak and ineffective. Her sound is not really a natural for the pop market. That is not where she shines.
For that 79 album there should have been a little light rock, a spoonful of R & B, a pinch of jazz and those all important ballads. This was the way to go. After this, perhaps moving more towards standards and jazz. Disco was career suicide as in square peg round hole. One can keep those warm summer nights lol.

If we were talking favorites and what we like, well anything goes. I couldn't care less about something being successful or not, just as long as I like it. But for Mary's debut, she needed hits, she needed visibility, she needed to succeed. So in that regard, I think any conversation about what Mary's debut album should've been like should keep in mind what was going to help her achieve the greatest success. I don't think Priority would have done that for Mary, just like it didn't do it for the Pointers.

But I definitely agree, some of the best music is never very successful with the general public. Many of my favs were not.

[marv2]

If we were talking favorites and what we like, well anything goes. I couldn't care less about something being successful or not, just as long as I like it. But for Mary's debut, she needed hits, she needed visibility, she needed to succeed. So in that regard, I think any conversation about what Mary's debut album should've been like should keep in mind what was going to help her achieve the greatest success. I don't think Priority would have done that for Mary, just like it didn't do it for the Pointers.

But I definitely agree, some of the best music is never very successful with the general public. Many of my favs were not.

I heard recently from someone that was in the studio on a couple of the nights that Mary was laying down vocals for her debut album that the best ones were not even included on the album when it was released! There were more than a few people that were there on the nights they were recording it that were surprised.

[RanRan79]

I do agree, though almost any other genre of music would have been better suited to her style of voice then the dreaded disco. I still hold with the theory it was sabotage lol. The Pointer Sisters had an album out in 79 named Priority. Almost every song on it might have been perfect for Mary...

While I agree that the cuts on Priority were a better fit for Mary than most of what ended up on her debut album, this would not have been the direction for her IMO. [[Personally, as a HUGE Pointers fan, Priority is maybe the one album where my attention isn't captured, possibly aside from the fantastic "She's Got the Fever".) I would've liked to have heard Mary doing stuff like Phyllis Hyman's Somewhere In My Lifetime album, minus the dance stuff. Or Brenda Russell's first album.

[BobbyC]

Ran Ran--you really didn't like Priority? Wow--I loved it! Loved Energy too!

[RanRan79]

Ran Ran--you really didn't like Priority? Wow--I loved it! Loved Energy too!

Of the Planet albums, the first two, Energy and Priority, just don't do it for me. I'm not crazy about the Pointers with the rock edge. The next four Planet albums I really like or really love.