Exposé – Point Of No Return (1987 US 12″ Promo)
Posted by DjPaulT on 3rd November 2011
BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1987
REQUEST
Exposé was initially formed in 1984 when Lewis Martineé, a Miami disc jockey and producer, decided to form a dance-based group. Working with his partners Ismael Garcia and Frank Diaz at Pantera Productions, talent scouts hired Sandra Casañas (Sandeé), Alejandra Lorenzo (Alé), and Laurie Miller as the group’s lineup, under the title X-Posed. The next year, the trio recorded “Point of No Return” for Pantera Records as a 12-inch vinyl single, which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song helped to introduce a still-popular genre of music that became known as freestyle, which often features keyboard riffs, a sing-along chorus, and electro funk drum-machine patterns in the music arrangement. The success of “Point of No Return” quickly led Exposé to sign with Arista/BMG Records, which promptly assumed distribution of the 12-inch vinyl single.
During the recording of the group’s first studio album Exposure, the personnel of the group changed. Reports vary based on the source. According to People magazine, one of the original singers quit while two of the girls were fired midway through the recording of the first album, but according to Billboard, all three were fired. Arista records felt that the three original singers lacked star potential. Martinee states that he made the decision himself to replace the three girls, while Miller maintains it was all their choice, and Jurado confirms that Lorenzo wanted to leave. Shortly thereafter, Casañas pursued a solo career and Lorenzo pursued other ambitions; they were replaced by Jeanette Jurado and Gioia Bruno. Miller began a solo career; she was replaced by Ann Curless.
In February 1987, the new lineup of Exposé released its debut album, Exposure, on Arista Records. Notably, unlike many classic girl groups, Exposé alternated lead vocals among its members. During the summer of 1987, a re-recorded version of “Point of No Return” was released, with Jurado performing lead vocals, and it topped out at #5 on the Hot 100. While the initial distribution of Exposure to suppliers contained the original 1984 version of that song, subsequent pressings contained the new vocal version; this has led to the original pressings of the album being considered a collector’s item.
SIDE A:
Point Of No Return (Extended Mix) 9:38
Mixed By – Mike Couzzi, Rique Alonso
SIDE B:
Point Of No Return (Crossover Mix) 5:45
Mixed By – Chris Lord-Algé*
Dub Of No Return (Strikes Again) 6:30
Mixed By – Mike Couzzi, Rique Alonso
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
CHARTS:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Point Of No Return (’87 Rerelease) | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #5 |
| 1987 | Point Of No Return (’87 Rerelease) | U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles | #39 |
| 1987 | Point Of No Return (’87 Rerelease) | U.S. Cashbox Top 100 Singles | #12 |
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Arista – AD1-9580
Format: Vinyl, 12″ RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre: Electronic
Style: Freestyle, Electro, Hi NRG, Latin
Credits: Executive Producer – Francisco J. Diaz
Producer, Arranged By, Mixed By, Written-By – Lewis A. Martineé
NOTES:
Produced & arranged for Pantera Productions.
A1 & B2 mixed at Criteria Studios, Miami.
B1 mixed at The Hit Factory, NYC
Find The 12″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Adobe Photoshop CS5
ClickRepair
dBpoweramp
Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
Downsampled to 16bit 44kHz using Adobe batch processing
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi PNG format, resized to JPEG format for posting.
PW: burningtheground
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Tags: 12", 1987, Chris Lord-Alge, Exposé, LeMike Couzzi, Point Of No Return, Rick "Billy Bob" Alonso, wis A. Martineé
Posted in Exposé | 17 Comments »
