The Ultimate 5th Dimension [Original recording remastered]

The 5th Dimension | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 27, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Arista
• ASIN: B00008W2NU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,052 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars OK set, but get Up Up and Away Definitive Collection instead, February 3, 2004

By 

James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ultimate 5th Dimension (Audio CD)

It took awhile to get some decent 5th Dimension collections on cd. Now it can numb the mind trying to sort them out. The two-disc Up Up And Away: The Definitive Collection has every hit but Harlem, yet also includes quite a few filler album tracks of varying quality.

This ULTIMATE disc is a lot leaner (21 tracks instead of 36), but also has most of their singles. The initial hit Go Where You Wanna Go presented the 5th as folk-rock clones of the Mamas and the Papas. With the follow-up singles, the 5th created their own niche by frequently utilizing the exceptional songwriting talents of Jimmy Webb and Laura Nyro. Webb upped the emphasis on pure pop by providing the 5th with Up-Up And Away and Carpet Man. When the 5th moved on to the Nyro material like Stoned Soul Picnic and Sweet Blindness, a good deal of soul entered into the mix. By 1969, the 5th Dimension sound hit its apex as the Hair medley Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In and cover of Nyro's Wedding Bell Blues dominated the airwaves. Aside from the McCoo-led Wedding Bell Blues, these '60s singles were very much a group effort and a lesson in harmonic bliss.

The 5th's biggest hit of the '70s, the moving One Less Bell To Answer, was practically a solo Marilyn McCoo recording and signaled a strong change in direction for the group. Thereafter, all of their most successful singles would be easylistening McCoo-dominated numbers like Love's Lines, Angles and Rhymes, (Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All, and the stirring If I Could Reach You. Great performances all, but they sadly wasted the group's greatest strengths: their peerless harmonies and their adeptness at various musical styles (they weren't originally called the Versatiles for nothing!) The singles which featured the entire group during the '70s may not have been as prosperous at radio, but they have their moments, particularly Save The Country and Puppet Man.

Besides the always left off Harlem, there are other hits missing from this set: the glorious Light Sings and their live album's Together Lets Find Love (both are on the Definitive Collection). Instead, the final track is a non-hit take on the standard "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" that is not available on any other 5th Dimension retrospectives.

If you want a strong sampling of the 5th's best work and you can live without some of the hits, this single disc set is okay. But do yourself a favor and go with the far more complete UP UP and Away: The Definitive Collection instead.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all. Ultimate Fifth Dimension!, January 27, 2004

By 

WAYNE ALLAN DICKSON (Glasgow, Lanarkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate 5th Dimension (Audio CD)

(...)

The compilation is beautifully remastered. If you are a fan and are trying to work out a reaon to buy, the previously unreleased track is worth it alone. More than that, the single mix of Ashes To Ashes is featured and it is amazing. The album version was included on the 2CD Up-Up And Away collection and I didn't think that much of it, but the longer single mix is the 5th at their absolute best. A great collection.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great selection of songs - all ruined by poor sound quality, January 29, 2004

By 

CD Roy (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ultimate 5th Dimension (Audio CD)

The good news is that the song selection on this CD truly represents the very best of the 5th Dimension. The bad news is that the beauty of the 5th Dimension's arrangements and harmonies is sadly lost by the inexcusably and horrendously poor sound quality of this CD.

The lows are muddy and the highs lack sparkle on this so-called "Ultimate Collection". The intricate arrangements of these songs, which include trumpets, flutes and the rich voice of Marilyn McCoo, cannot truly be appreciated given the poor mastering of these recordings .

This CD is released under the Arista and BMG labels. Considering the size and reputation of these companies -- along with the costly price of this CD -- music buyers deserve better.

I downloaded a sample track from the 5th Dimension's "Definitive Collection", off Kazaa. This two-disc CD collection, which was released by Arista back in 1997, has superior sound quality.

I'm so disatisfied with this CD that I'm going to order the 5th Dimension's "Definitive Collection". Do yourself a favour and do the same!