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The Point! and  by  ReleasedDecember 1970Recorded1970Length32:01Harry Nilsson chronology
(1970)The Point!
(1970)
(1971) from The Point! "" / "Are You Sleeping?"
Released: February 27, 1971 Professional ratingsReview scoresSourceRating7/103/5

The Point! is the sixth  by American songwriter and musician , released in late 1970. It was accompanied by an animated film adaptation directed by , which aired a few weeks after the album's release in early February 1971 on the ABC-TV network. Its , "", peaked at number 34 on the  .

The Point! is a  that tells the story of a boy named Oblio, the only round-headed person in the Pointed Village, where by law everyone and everything must have a . Nilsson explained his inspiration for The Point!: "I was on  and I looked at the trees and I realized that they all came to points, and the little branches came to points, and the houses came to point. I thought, 'Oh! Everything has a point, and if it doesn't, then there's no point to it.'"

Story

The round-headed Oblio has had to wear a  since birth to conceal his "pointless" condition from his pointy-headed peers. However, Oblio is accepted in the town despite his nonconformity, until one day, when the son of an evil  is unwittingly dishonored by Oblio. The count's son challenges Oblio to a one-on-one game of Triangle Toss, where participants catch triangles on their heads. Oblio wins with the help of his dog Arrow. In a fit of rage, the count, who wants his son to rule the land one day, confronts the good-hearted but timid king to reaffirm the law of the land, which states that those who are pointless must be banished from the kingdom and into the Pointless Forest. A jury reluctantly convicts both Oblio and Arrow, leaving the king with no choice but to send the pair away.

Oblio and Arrow are sent to the Pointless Forest, but soon discover that even the Pointless Forest has a point. They meet curious creatures like giant bees, a "pointed man" pointing in all directions who proclaims "A point in every direction is the same as no point at all", a man made of rocks, three dancing fat sisters, and a walking, talking tree who helps Oblio see that everyone has a point, though it might not be readily displayed.

Oblio and Arrow spend the night in the Pointless Forest, then awaken to a large stone hand with the finger pointing to their "destination point". They take the road indicated by the hand and make their way back to the Land of Point, where they receive a hero's welcome from the land's citizens, and the king. Oblio begins to tell his story but is interrupted by the furious count, who is then silenced by the king.

Oblio tells the king and the people of the land that everything has a point, including the Pointless Forest, and himself. Angered, the count pulls off Oblio's pointed hat, but is taken aback when he sees a point on top of Oblio's bare head.

Upon this revelation the points of everyone else in the land disappear and pointed buildings become round.

Album

The Point! album, unlike the later film, features Nilsson himself telling the story directly to the listener, providing all the characters' voices as well as the narration.

A small comic book was included with the vinyl record when it was first released. The comic was illustrated by Gary Lund, who was also the production designer of the animated film.

Track listing

All tracks are written by .

Side oneNo.TitleLength1."Everything's Got 'Em"2:252."The Town" (Narration)1:313.""2:044."The Game" (Narration)1:495."Poli High"2:416."The Trial and Banishment" (Narration)2:117."Think About Your Troubles"2:49Side twoNo.TitleLength8."The Pointed Man" (Narration)2:429."Life Line"2:2110."The Birds" (Narration)1:5811."P.O.V. Waltz"2:1212."The Clearing in the Woods" (Narration)1:5313."Are You Sleeping?"2:1714."Oblio's Return" (Narration)3:08