Very Best of the 5th Dimension [Import, Original recording remastered]

The 5th Dimension | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 1999)
• Original Release Date: May 21, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import, Original recording remastered
• Label: Bmg Int'l
• ASIN: B00000JR4J
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,593 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #23 in Music > Imports > R&B

Track Listings

1. Up, Up and Away

2. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In

3. Stoned Soul Picnic

4. Wedding Bell Blues

5. Workin' on a Groovy Thing

6. (Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All

7. Love's Lines, Angles, and Rhymes

8. One Less Bell to Answer

9. Another Day, Another Heartache

10. Paper Cup

11. California Soul

12. Carpet Man

13. Living Together, Growing Together

14. If I Could Reach You

15. Go Where You Wanna Go

16. Sweet Blindness

17. Puppet Man

18. Save the Country

19. On the Beach (In the Summertime)

20. Blowing Away

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Between 1967 and 1973, the 5th Dimension enjoyed 29 U.S. hit singles on the Soul City and Bell labels. This compilation selects all of their Top 40 hits (bar two live tracks) and tops up the running order with five lesser hits. Top-notch material by Jimmy Webb, Laura Nyro, Neil Sedaka and Bacharach & David is rendered as exquisite harmony pop by the vocal group and their producer Bones Howe. Although "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" (from the musical "Hair") and Nyro's "Wedding Bell Blues" were the chart-toppers, Webb's "Up, Up And Away" is the archetypal 5th Dimension sound. That the songs still sound remarkably fresh is due to the avoidance of formulaic writing, with no one writer or team being allowed to dominate. From the first hit, tellingly a cover of the Mamas & The Papas' "Go Where You Wanna Go," via material by Tony Macaulay, Sloan & Barri, and Ashford & Simpson, the quality never diminishes. Camden. 2005. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars First Class Best-Of, version two, July 18, 2000

By 

J. Collins "Paradise Bar & Grill" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Very Best Of The Fifth Dimension [IMPORT] (Audio CD)

This import collection is an abbreviated version of Arista Records' "definitive" 5D collection, and even shares that release's cover illustrations. It's also one of two Import CDs called "The Very Best Of 5D," currently available at Amazon. (The other is priced slightly less than this one.) The selections here represent a little more than half of those on "The Definitive Collection," and they include the group's best known singles and album cuts. It even includes "On The Beach," which was unavailable on CD until a few years ago.

There's no question that this is first rate vocal Pop, and there's not a clinker in the set. The only reason that I can't call this a "5 star" album is the fact that this collection is one of many, and offers nothing unique. I should mention that due to the abundance of material and the budget price of this disc, it IS a better buy than Arista's "Encore Collection," "Master Hits" and even the 28 year old "Greatest Hits On Earth." There is a similarly titled Import collection ("The Best of 5D") available now which should be passed over for this larger (and much more reasonably priced) compilation.

Now that Arista has licensed 5D's first five albums for CD re-issue, it's easier than ever to skip over all the 5D hit collections and opt for the intact albums that spawned those hits. This CD is an excellent choice for casual 5D fans or Pop Vocal enthusiasts. If you find yourself playing one of these "best ofs" often, do yourself a favor and get the Buddha Records reissues while they are still available.

-Mic

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars " Working on a Groovy Thing ", October 14, 2001

By 

douglas barton "emotions in motion" (Arlington, Va.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Very Best of the 5th Dimension (Audio CD)

Let me state at the beginning that to this day I'm not certain what possessed me to purchase this disc. I certainly don't care for "golden-oldies" and I tend to think of my listening taste as being far to "hip" to enjoy what many consider to be MOR artists! But....

I stumbled upon the cd here at AOL and seeing the single disc available,as opposed to the two-cd collection, I was strangely drawn to it. Now, with hind-sight being 20/20, I am so thankfull that I did. At 22 songs and over seventy-one minutes worth of music it was certainly worth the investment. As for the music...well, most of it can and should speak for itself! The Fifth Dimension were able to release music that encompassed not only Soul but also R&B plus a little Vocalese as well. All of this tied together with a perfect 'Pop' sensibility. Take a look at the song selection and you'll see what I mean. Composers such as Bacharach/David, Jimmy Webb and Lauro Nyro plus more! For the most part each song is extremely well performed and the musicianship is first-rate.
My greatest fear, that this was going to be an exercise in nostalgia, was initially true but oddly enough the music has held up well under the demands of time.Why I'm surprised...who can say! The shear variety and different styles of music that the 5th Dimension were capable of creating is to this day still amazing! And as for the song "Love's Line's, Angle's and Rhymes", my personal favorite, a more sublime song I've rarely heard.

I don't make a point of recommending discs to total strangers but I can safely urge you to purchase this one. Wonderful melodies, singers who can actually harmonize and no drum machines! Come to think of it.....this is pretty "HIP"!

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The promise of plastic........, March 22, 2006

By 

Daly Mavorneen "Brimstone" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Very Best of The Fifth Dimension (Audio CD)

This is definately the 5D compilation to acquire-40 songs for 7 bucks-instead of the rip-off Japanese Import, "The Best of the Fifth Dimension" which has 18 songs for 40 bucks! This Arista release is a baby-boomer's aural eden; the elasticity of the vocals mirrors the unfettered emotions and expansive hopes of the era that defined this music. Blissed-out soul, psychedelica and joyful pop collide in classics like "Up, Up And Away," "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In," and the lesser known, "Save The Country." And if long for this kind of music with today's sparkling production values, you should also pick up current groovesters Swing Out Sister (who out-Fifth Dimension Fifth Dimension on their cover of "Stoned Soul Picnic" on their "Shapes and Patterns" CD. Another British band who seem to have worshipped at the 5D shrine, Noonday Underground, will wow you on their "Self Assembly" CD, bursting with easy-listening, chorus-filled tunes: this is the promise of the Fifth Dimension coming true 25 years later!