Thematically brilliant, densely orchestrated and packed with more hooks than a meat locker, The Point! was commissioned as the soundtrack to an ABC television special in 1971 with a voiceover narration by Dustin Hoffman. In subsequent VHS and DVD reissues of the film, Ringo Starr took on the voiceover reins, while Nilsson handled narration duties on the album itself, all self-written. But even without the narrative, the album would hold up as a tremendous concept in the sharply focused lyrical and musical themes that pop up across the entire LP.
Brief bits of one song are reprised in another, the story’s characters are referenced throughout, and all of the songs share similar instrumentation, however every tune is a magnificently crafted pop gem. Here, at the peak of his power as songwriter, lyricist and singer, not a soul in the world could match Nilsson’s ability. The entire album is required listening, but “Me and My Arrow” is an all-time favorite and “Think About Your Troubles” is perfection.
Loopyjoe was kind enough to donate these stunning scans of the LP’s original comic book, shown below.
“I was on acid and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the branches came to points, and the houses came to points. I thought, ‘Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn’t, then there’s a point to it.'” – Nilsson
Track listing:
Everything’s Got ‘Em
The Town (Narration)
Me and My Arrow
The Game (Narration)
Poli High
The Trial and Banishment
Think About Your Troubles
The Pointed Man (Narration)
Life Line
The Birds (Narration)
P.O.V. Waltz
The Clearing in the Woods (Narration)
Are You Sleeping?
Oblio’s Return (Narration)
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