''Special Things'' is the seventh studio album by the

Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American pop and R&B singing group from Oakland, California, that achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, bl ...

, released in 1980 on

Planet Records Planet Records was an independent American record label founded in 1978 by record producer Richard Perry. It was distributed by Elektra/Asylum Records until 1982, when Perry sold it to RCA Records. Label history Beginnings The label was found ...

History

The album marked their third venture with producer

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

and featured a more stylized R&B/pop production, launching the group into its most successful period. The album spawned their second top three gold-certified single, "

He's So Shy "He's So Shy" is a song recorded by American vocal group The Pointer Sisters for their seventh studio album ''Special Things'' (1980). Written, as "She's So Shy" and intended for Leo Sayer, in December 1979 by Tom Snow and Cynthia Weil, "He's So ...

". The album also contains minor hit "Could I Be Dreamin’" and two songs written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

, "The Love Too Good to Last" and "Where Did the Time Go".

Track listing

Personnel

The Pointer Sisters *

Anita Pointer Anita Marie Pointer (January 23, 1948December 31, 2022) was an American singer-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 garnere ...

– lead vocals (1, 3, 5, 8), backing vocals, vocal arrangements *

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 (2, 4, 6, 7), backing vocals, vocal arrangements *

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

– lead vocals (9), backing vocals, vocal arrangements Musicians *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, singer-songwriter, and musical director based in Los Angeles, California. A prolific session musician, Phillinganes has contributed the role of keyboards to numerous alb ...

– keyboards (1, 3-5, 7, 9), synthesizers (5),

clavinet The Clavinet is an electrically amplified clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds by a rubber pad striking a point on a tension ...

(6) *

Tom Snow Thomas Righter Snow (born 1947 in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American songwriter. Biography Snow has written songs for Gayle McCormick "( Even a Fool Would Let Go" with Kerry Chater – a song covered by a number of artists including Kenny ...

– keyboards (2), synthesizers (2), arrangements (2) * Lance Ong – synthesizers (3, 4) *

Michael Boddicker Michael Lehmann Boddicker (born January 19, 1953) is an American film composer and session musician, specializing in electronic music. He is a three times National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (N.A.R.A.S.) Most Valuable Player "Synthesi ...

– synthesizer programming (5), synthesizers (8) * John Barnes –

Fender Rhodes The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...

(6), keyboards (8) *

Clarence McDonald Clarence "Mac" McDonald (1944 or 1945 – July 21, 2021) was a Los Angeles-based American pianist, composer, arranger, and producer. McDonald was known for his musical diversity, enduring melodies and signature groove. His most famous composition ...

– acoustic piano (6) *

– horn arrangements (3), string arrangements (3, 7), keyboards (7) * Paul Jackson Jr. – guitar (1, 3, 5, 9), guitar solo (4) * Tim May – guitar (2, 6, 8) * Ben Bridges – guitar (4) *

Marlo Henderson Marlo Henderson was an American guitarist and saxophonist, who played in mainly blues and R&B genres. As a session musician he played on albums such as '' Off the Wall'' by Michael Jackson, '' Them Changes'' by Buddy Miles, '' Face to Face'' by Ev ...

– guitar (4, 5, 7) *

Mark Goldenberg Mark Goldenberg (born April 10, 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, Illin ...

– guitar (6, 8) * David Williams – guitar (7, 9) *

Nathan Watts Nathan or Natan may refer to: People *Nathan (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name *Nathan (surname) *Nathan (prophet), a person in the Hebrew Bible *Nathan (son of David), biblical figure, son of King David and ...

– bass (1-5, 8, 9), percussion (5) * John Pierce – bass (6) *

James Jamerson James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases u ...

– bass (7) * Ollie E. Brown – drums (1, 3, 5) *

James Gadson James Gadson ( James Edward Gadson; born June 17, 1939) is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. He is also a singer and ...

– drums (2, 6, 8) * Raymond Pounds – drums (4) *

Ricky Lawson William Riser III (November 8, 1954 – December 23, 2013), better known as Ricky Lawson, was an American drummer and composer. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he worked extensively as a session musician, collaborating with Stevie Wonder, Mich ...

– drums (7, 9) * Paulinho da Costa – percussion (1-4, 8) * Jay Hutson –

alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...

(1), saxophone (4) *

Don Myrick Donald Myrick (April 6, 1940 – July 30, 1993) was an American saxophonist. A member of The Phenix Horns, he is best known for his work with Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins. He played alto, tenor, and soprano sax as a member of Earth, Wind ...

– alto flute (1), saxophone (4), alto sax solo (9) *

Bill Reichenbach Jr. William Frank Reichenbach Jr. (born November 30, 1949) is an American jazz trombonist and composer. He is the son of Bill Reichenbach, who was the drummer for Charlie Byrd from 1962 to 1973. He is best known as a session musician for television, ...

– trombone (1, 4) * Dick Hyde – trombone (4) *

Chuck Findley Charles B. Findley (born December 13, 1947 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania) is an American trumpet player known for his diverse work as a session musician. He also plays other brass instruments such as flugelhorn and trombone. His technical abilities ...

– trumpet (1), flugelhorn (1, 3) * Steve Madaio – trumpet (1, 4), flugelhorn (1) * Warren Looney – flugelhorn (3) * Larry Gittens – trumpet (4) * Gary Grant – trumpet (4) * Henry Sigismonti –

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

(1) *

Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National C ...

– arrangements (1, 6, 9), horn arrangements (1, 4, 6, 7, 9), string arrangements (1, 5, 6, 9), conductor (1, 5, 6, 9), orchestration (3) * Sid Sharp – concertmaster (1, 3, 5-7, 9)

Production

* Richard Perry – producer * Trevor Lawrence – associate producer * Gabe Veltri – recording * Tim Dennen – assistant engineer * Jim Küenzi – assistant engineer *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979. Biography Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...

– assistant engineer * Raven Royce-Jordan – assistant engineer * James Guthrie – remixing * Mike Reese – mastering *

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charles ...

– mastering * The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA) – mastering location * Daniel Kushnick – production coordinator * Michael Solomon – production coordinator *

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 ...

– art direction, design *

Aaron Rapoport Aaron Rapoport (born May 22, 1954) is an American photographer, best known for his photographs of musicians. Biography In a career that spans over three decades, Rapoport has photographed in a wide variety of areas including commercial photogr ...

– photography

Chart positions

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1980 albums The Pointer Sisters albums Albums produced by Richard Perry Planet Records albums