The 5th Dimension

Carpe diem

Carpe diem

Well-Known Member
[Moderator: This series of posts was moved to its own thread for clarity.]

As I was scanning the internet today I had my playlist going in the background. The song Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In by "The 5th Dimension" came on and when I heard the iconic bass line by Joe Osborn kick in, I got "chills". Equally impressive was Hal Blaine's drumming on the track. Helped to make the whole song work. And the tight beautiful harmonies from the singers (McCoo, LaRue, Davis Jr, McLemore, Townson) ...the song is truly a masterpiece.

Like to post this video just as an example of Joe's bass line at the beginning; just tends to build excitement to what will follow. Thanks Chris for letting me borrow your thread!

Enjoy;



You've got to love those outfits...man, I miss that era!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Carpe diem said:
As I was scanning the internet today I had my playlist going in the background. The song Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In by "The 5th Dimension" came on and when I heard the iconic bass line by Joe Osborn kick in, I got "chills". Equally impressive was Hal Blaine's drumming on the track. Helped to make the whole song work. And the tight beautiful harmonies from the singers (McCoo, LaRue, Davis Jr, McLemore, Townson) ...the song is truly a masterpiece.

Like to post this video just as an example of Joe's bass line at the beginning; just tends to build excitement to what will follow. Thanks Chris for letting me borrow your thread!

Enjoy;



You've got to love those outfits...man, I miss that era!
Click to expand...


Great record and stellar bass line by Joe!! Kudos to Hal as well... man I miss those guys 😔
 
Carpe diem said:
As I was scanning the internet today I had my playlist going in the background. The song Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In by "The 5th Dimension" came on and when I heard the iconic bass line by Joe Osborn kick in, I got "chills". Equally impressive was Hal Blaine's drumming on the track. Helped to make the whole song work. And the tight beautiful harmonies from the singers (McCoo, LaRue, Davis Jr, McLemore, Townson) ...the song is truly a masterpiece.

Like to post this video just as an example of Joe's bass line at the beginning; just tends to build excitement to what will follow. Thanks Chris for letting me borrow your thread!

Enjoy;



You've got to love those outfits...man, I miss that era!
Click to expand...


Man this song is so good. I've never heard this song before. The bass line at the beginning is something else. Its very nice. Also the harmonies in this are beautiful. Instant chills.
 
What a great song, great childhood memories, and I had no idea it was Osborn and Blaine on this song. I love this forum, learn much! That base line is just chillingly good.
 
If you're a 5th Dimension fan, I heartily recommend a 2-cd hits set called either UP, UP, AND AWAY: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION, or it's later incarnation called ESSENTIAL. They're only different by one track. Both sound stellar.

1597843777770.png

If you want a great album by them, find THE MAGIC GARDEN. It's a themed album mostly written by Jimmy Webb, and it's one of those albums that is best listened to all in one sitting.

1597843809725.png
 
There is also on iTunes, The 5th Dimention "The Complete 45 Singles A's & B's 1965 - 1975". I believe the last 4 songs are in STEREO!!
 
Harry said:
If you're a 5th Dimension fan, I heartily recommend a 2-cd hits set called either UP, UP, AND AWAY: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION, or it's later incarnation called ESSENTIAL. They're only different by one track. Both sound stellar.

1597843777770.png

If you want a great album by them, find THE MAGIC GARDEN. It's a themed album mostly written by Jimmy Webb, and it's one of those albums that is best listened to all in one sitting.

1597843809725.png
Click to expand...
I own the Up Up and Away Collection and when I first purchased it in the late 90s I loved it it was truly a Very Definitive set I am curious about that one track difference though but now that it's in my computer and my tablet via SD card it's nice to have it available for quicker access
 
UP UP: DEFINITIVE contains "I'll Be Lovin' You Forever", while ESSENTIAL substitutes "California My Way". The order of the earlier tracks was altered to put them in a slightly better chronological order.

UP UP: DEFINITIVE was remastered by Bob Irwin of Sundazed Music, while ESSENTIAL was remastered again by Vic Anesini. I've not heard ESSENTIAL, but then UP UP sounds so good I didn't feel a need to change. The packaging on UP UP is prettier too.

1597923719669.png
 
The 20 bit mastering on this collection is very well done. I’ve had this since 1997. I got to see them in Las Vegas back in the late 80’s. McCoo and Davis had left for their duo/solo careers by then, but Florence handled the lead vocals, and owned them that night. We were there for the CES show, and my boss’s son just happened to be their manager! We sat in one of those circular booths up front. Classy act and show.
 
5th Dimension were a staple on radio when I was growing up and I always thought that Marilyn McCoo sort of set a benchmark for other singers in her genre by her performances.

The recording, 'Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In' has great energy and harmonies.

Tracks like 'Wedding Bell Blues' and 'Stoned Soul Picnic' are iconic and have lived lives of their own.

I also like the 'Travelling Sunshine Show', despite the corny script. I like the performances and the costumes look great.

I have a CD set released by Raven Australia with 'Portrait', 'Individually and Collectively', 'Love's Angles & Rhymes' and 'Living Together, Growing Together' on it. I also have 'Up, Up & Away' on CD. I haven't listened to any of these much but my impression is that a few of their big hit singles like those mentioned above were their best songs, (not surprisingly, I suppose). My memory is that the actual albums sound a bit homogenised and sort of generic. It might have been that they had too many songs that sounded the same - I can't remember, but I found that I wasn't very interested in the actual albums.

I bought a couple of the Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr albums on CD too, such as 'I Hope We Get to Love on Time' and 'The Two of Us', hoping for some other tracks as enjoyable as 'You Don't Have to Be a Star' but thought that some of the material wasn't the best.

I have Marilyn McCoo's solo CD, 'Solid Gold', but this is a real album of its time. That is, a bit disposable and disappointing.

I might explore the albums a bit more when I have time but my thought is that Marilyn McCoo could have continued making great music but that perhaps the material wasn't there to live up to her potential.

Still, nothing beats those earlier big hits, for that particular genre. And I agree with what others have suggested - Marilyn McCoo had a voice and sound that no-one else has ever been able to copy since.
 
I was always hit-oriented too and thought that the 2-disc collection was very much good enough. And then I listened to THE MAGIC GARDEN. I can say enough good things about it. I recall taking a flight out to the western states which took a number of hours, and I had the MAGIC GARDEN album on repeat the whole way. I couldn't get enough of it.

Way back in the 60's and 70s, I bought a number of their LPs, but always concentrated on playing their hits. Someday I'll need to revisit those old albums.
 
Harry said:
I was always hit-oriented too and thought that the 2-disc collection was very much good enough. And then I listened to THE MAGIC GARDEN. I can say enough good things about it. I recall taking a flight out to the western states which took a number of hours, and I had the MAGIC GARDEN album on repeat the whole way. I couldn't get enough of it.

Way back in the 60's and 70s, I bought a number of their LPs, but always concentrated on playing their hits. Someday I'll need to revisit those old albums.
Click to expand...

'The Magic Garden' sounds interesting, Harry. I'll have to try and find it. Jimmy Webb is a definite selling point. One of my favourites by him is 'Song for my Brother', as recorded by BJ Thomas.
 
Another Son said:
[SNIP]

And I agree with what others have suggested - Marilyn McCoo had a voice and sound that no-one else has ever been able to copy since.
Click to expand...

Yes, agreed - Karen and Marilyn have that in common; a voice no one has ever really copied successfully. A unique tonal quality. Both beautiful, talented women with amazing voices. I'm really glad this thread popped up, been enjoying listening to the 5th Dimension hits.
 
My brain has an interesting linking between Carpenters and The 5th Dimension going way back to 1972, and the long and winding tale follows.

The radio station that I listened to back then was an FM station that played a lot of both Carpenters and The 5th Dimension. Lots of Bacharach and Mendes, BJ Thomas, Bread - soft rock, basically.

When it was first announced that Carpenters were coming to town, my buddies and I - all fans, and just past our teenage years - decided we'd take a ride downtown to the Academy Of Music box office one evening to purchase tickets. To our dismay, the box office told us that the show was totally sold out, and meanwhile, the radio station was still running ads promoting the show.

So, on our way back home, we decided, on a lark, to stop by the studios of the station and tell them of our disappointment, hoping that they'd feel sorry for us and slip us some comp tickets or something. I'd never been to a radio station before, so this was an adventure.

The station was housed in an office building and we found our way in. There were no guards or security - this was 1972 and things were a lot more open. As we wandered into the station's lobby, the overhead feed of the station was playing, and on came "Last Night, I Didn't Get To Sleep At All", leaving an indelible impression on my mind, and I still flash back to that moment every time I hear the song.

The DJ on duty (some may remember him as the announcer on DOUBLE DARE - Harvey) came out to greet us and told us we'd be better to call the Program Director the next day and we were given his number. When we ultimately got in touch with him, we were informed that the Academy Of Music was just about to announce a second concert by Carpenters and to stay tuned for the announcement. The moment we heard it, off we went again to the box office and purchased our tickets for the second show.
 
David A said:
Yes, agreed - Karen and Marilyn have that in common; a voice no one has ever really copied successfully. A unique tonal quality. Both beautiful, talented women with amazing voices. I'm really glad this thread popped up, been enjoying listening to the 5th Dimension hits.
Click to expand...
In later years, I always thought Marilyn was the Whitney Houston (in her early years) of her generation. I think Marilyn could have had an amazing solo career. She had it all- the voice, the looks, the charm. She even sang the original version of Saving All My Love for You. Yeah- I was smitten. :)
 
I always forget how much I like them until I hear them again. Love the harmonies! You can really hear each of their voices. Thanks for sharing.
 
Wonder what Karen and Richard thought of them? Anyone have any idea? I would assume they'd liked them, given their voices and harmonies and style of many of their songs.
 
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