Customer Reviews

Portrait

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Portrait" was supposed to have been a blockbuster in the mold of the group's last Soul City album, "Age of Aquarius," and though it does provide fans with an enjoyable and memorable recording, it's flaws are worth noting.

Foremost among these flaws is the splintering of the group's trademark ensemble vocals with "vocal solos" being credited unnecessarily. Bell Records saw Marilyn as the star vocalist of the group (despite Billy's powerful contributions to 5D's hit canon), and though Marilyn's gorgeous soprano DID help push the group to stardom, favoring her led to in-fighting and the eventual breakup of the original group.

Ironically, Marilyn's definitive performance of "One Less Bell..." was a fluke hit, released as the album's third single only after it garnered impressive regional airplay. The first single, the "Declaration" medley, was a blatant attempt to recreate the success of "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In," and though the medley itself is a novel concoction, it was an overlong and downright poor choice for a lead single. Though not an outright failure, it's revolutionary sentiments were too tame for the Left, and possibly scary for the Right. 45's of this single split the song in half to accomodate time limitations for the medium, and listeners were understandably puzzled by a song that drew a third of it's lyrics from the Declaration of Independence. Ironically, when the group performed this medley live at the White House, it was followed by dead silence until Nixon stood and started a round of applause. In some ways the medley is a remarkable piece, and is certainly the most overtly 'political' music 5D ever recorded.

Fortunately, there is a lot more to "Portrait" than it's major hit and it's major failing.

"Puppet Man" begins the album with a definite rock edge, and also provides some evidence for the better sound mastering done at Bell. (Original 5D albums for Soul City were recorded with tape equipment that became out-moded within a few years, as the technology rapidly improved.) "Feelin' Alright" echoes that sound and style very well, and seems poorly sequenced...Bacharach's "One Less Bell..." is sandwiched between the peppier pair.

Florence turns in a wonderful performance on Jimmy Webb's "This Is Your Life," backed by a fantastic ensemble vocal. "A Love Like Ours" is a pleasant offering, with a five part harmony that is typical of their earliest (and best) work as a group.

Laura Nyro's "Save The Country" is a bouncy and heartfelt call to arms for all peace-loving souls; it's a shame it wasn't a bigger hit. "Dimension 5ive" is an essential listen for anyone who thinks that 5D are "just singers." The vocal lines themelves are daunting, with several tempo changes and a fair amount of dynamic range. Incoporating elements of vocal jazz and tight harmony, this song is a great example of how 5D brought soul into what would have been a bland recording by any other artist.

This re-issue CD of "Portrait" includes "On The Beach...", a non-album single that was supposed to be "the" beach song in the Summer of '70. Perhaps the novelty of beach songs was wearing thin, because this groovy, dreamy song barely even registered on the charts. In any case, it is a fine addition that should have appeared on the concurrent album.

Sound for this CD is exceptional, and gives rise to some hope that the remainder of 5D's catalog on Bell ("Love's Lines...", "Individually & Collectively," "LIVE! ", "Living Together...", and "Soul & Inspiration") will see similar digital 'revivals' in the near future. For casual fans of the 5th, "Portrait" is a 50-50 choice, since all the hits are well documented elsewhere. If your interest extends to the group's history (that means hits plus filler/failures), this is an essential addition to your collection.

-Mic

Seeing the prices that are being asked for this CD really makes me feel guilty for picking it up for under $10 in my local Used CD Store.

Anyway, the 5th Dimension had that wonderful blend of pop & soul that gets criticised by some today as not being "black enough". White singers are accepted singing in all sorts of styles so why can't black singers?

This album in particular shows the group at their peak. The massive hit ballad "One Less Bell To Answer" is included here with Marilyn McCoo giving a heart wrenching performance. The rocking "Puppet Man" wasn't much of a hit but I think it is a fun song. I nearly wore out my copy of the 45.

Another great ballad, maybe the best on the album, is "This Is Your Life" which is sung by Florence LaRue who does a wonderful job.

The "Declaration of Independence/People Gotta Be Free/Change Is Gonna Come" medley took awhile to grow on me, but it definitely displays the group's soulfulness especially on the vocals of Billy Davis Jr.

The "Puppet Man" b side, "A Love Like Ours" is a nice, breezy song which goes through some interesting tempo changes & you get to hear the guys' voices more prominently.

This CD also offers a bonus track, the off beat ballad "On The Beach" which again displays some great vocals by Billy Davis.

I also have the group's anthology. If you are looking for another album to get besides a Hits Collection, this might be for you. Years ago, I had the "Aquarius" album which wasn't bad, but forced to choose between that album & "Portrait" I'd pick "Portrait".

In conclusion, the music on this CD represents a nice period of the 70s which is often overlooked when you could turn on the radio & hear a nice variety of music (Beatles; Motown; 5th Dimension; Aretha Franklin; Isley Bros; Carpenters; Streisand; Chi-lites; Al Green & great one shots like "Brandy" by Looking Glass & others all on the same station - sometimes during the same hour).

Portrait is the perfect combination of Pop and Rhythm and Blues with a touch of jazz. Top notch vocal talent combined with the best of LA's studio players keeps this album as fresh today as when recorded in 1970.

This 5th LP from the 5D (Their first for Bell Records,) was a somewhat surprising divergence from the Laura Nyro and Jimmy Webb coverage of the past, (though both are represented with one cut each on this release.) The story behind the 1970 release on 45 of their reading of the Declaration of Independence, "The Declaraction," is pretty amusing, considering the atmosphere of the Nixon era.

"On The Beach (In The Summertime)" is a great addition to the album (most of us grumbled when it never made it to LP originally) that wonderfully compliments the Lamonte McLemore number, "A Love Like Ours." Billy's rendition of Sam Cooke's moving, "A Change Is Gonna Come," (in "the Medley") has always been one of my favorites. This album goes great with 4th of July bar-b-que picnic get-togethers! Its got familiar hits, great cover tunes, reflective numbers, and even a jazzy, "Swingle Singer / Manhattan Transfer-styled" number in "Dimension 5ive."

A great set from the talented 5D, excellent re-packaging for CD (with detailed liner notes & credits,) PLUS the delightfully welcome BONUS TRACK! This one is a keeper, get it while you can!

.... as another reviewer here has stated.... this album combines jazz... soul and a little funk.... it's a tight album.... and I also feel that this group on the whole influenced a lot of white singer/songwriters (i.e. Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Carol King, and Paul Simon among others..) and one can definetely hear that on this album... highly recommended.... even if you don't like the whole thing.... there will be some songs that you'll love

The song that put this album "on the map" for me was the outstanding song "Save The Country" (June 1970), which was almost a religious revelation for me when I rediscovered it. Extremely inspiring, religious overtones, lots of vocal harmonies, inspiring chords, powerful horns and instrumentation, and a warm and fast-moving sound with handclaps. There were more popular songs that charted that same year from this album, notably "Puppet Man" (May 1970) and "One Less Bell To Answer" (November 1970) but I found those far less appealing. "The Declaration" medley is not very musical, but it's a laudable attempt to put the Declaration Of Independence into musical form, and therefore a convenient reminder that when government becomes destructive of inalienable rights, it is the right of the people to institute new government from scratch--a message that was right in line with the Zeitgeist of the early '70s, and--very sadly--even more applicable today. "Feelin' Alright" sounds good, but it's mildly disappointing in that it was copied too closely from Joe Cocker's original version, right down to the same piano riff, congas, and vibra-slap. (If you want to hear a really cool and unique version of that song, try to find a copy of Rare Earth's out-of-print 1970 album/CD "Get Ready," which puts organ, rock guitars and a new riff in that song.) "Dimension 5ive" is a decent instrumental with '60s style scatting. The bonus track "On The Beach" is very pleasant, largely because it's simpler than the usual 5th Dimension style.

For their 5th LP, and their first with new label Bell, the 5D went for a more adult contemporary approach leading off with first single "The Declaration" from the musical 'Bread, Beans and Things'. The song, as suggested by it's title, is a musical version of the Declaration of Independence, and although an interesting lesson in US Government, not exactly one of the group's best offerings. Perhaps if the flip side (a medley of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and the Rascal's "People Got To Be Free") had been promoted as the A-side, the single would have sold better. At any rate, the album did also yield the hit singles "Puppet Man", "Save The Country", and the million selling "One Less Bell To Answer", and also featured the LP favorite "This Is Your Life", probably Florence LaRue's finest hour, and could have easily been a single as well.

The album also features Billy's cover of Dave Mason's "Feeling Alright" as well as the songs "A Love Like Ours" and the vocally acrobatic "Dimension 5", but most noted is the inclusion of the single "On The Beach (In The Summertime)" which is featured here as a bonus track.

Billy Davis Jr is without question the most over-looked, GREAT male soul singer of the sixties/seventies. Just listen to his take on "Feelin' Alright" and "A Change is Gonna Come." As great as soul belters Dennis Edwards, David Ruffin and others were, Billy Davis could sing all of them under the table.

The vocal in general are top-notch here especially in today's bland vocal arena. These five would make any of today's groups run for cover!