Real Gone Music has announced the December 23 release of The 5th Dimension: The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975, a three-CD set that includes all of the hit recordings made by Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore and Ron Townson, along with several rare sides, including the group’s first single on the Bronco label as the Versatiles and their lone single release for Arista. The release is being touted as the most comprehensive 5th Dimension collection ever compiled.
The 61-track collection is housed inside an eight-panel digipak mini-album featuring rare photos and includes all 30 of the quintet’s pop (and 15 R&B) hits, all in their hard-to-find, mono mixes (only the last four tracks on the set are in stereo). Featured are such classic hit recordings as “Up, Up and Away,” “Stoned Soul Picnic,” “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All,” and “If I Could Reach You,” as well as some rare, non-LP single sides and single edits, nearly all making their CD debuts here. Pre-order is available here.
Related: Read about a recent documentary on the Wrecking Crew, the studio musicians behind hundreds of hits
Many of the 5th Dimension’s recordings featured production by Bones Howe, vocal arrangements by Bob Alcivar and the instrumental accompaniment of the Wrecking Crew. Remastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios, the see features notes by Paul Grein, with quotes from all four living members (Billy Davis Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue and Lamonte McLemore).
Track List
Disc 1
You’re Good Enough for Me
Bye Bye Baby
I’ll Be Lovin’ You Forever
Train Keep On Movin’
Go Where You Wanna Go
Too Poor to Die
Another Day, Another Heartache
Rosecrans Blvd.
Up Up & Away
Which Way to Nowhere
Paper Cup
Poor Side of Town
Carpet Man
Stoned Soul Picnic
The Sailboat Song
Sweet Blindness
Bobbie’s Blues (Who Do You Think Of?)
California Soul
It’ll Never Be the Same Again
Disc 2
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In (The Flesh Failures)
Don’t Cha Hear Me Callin’ to Ya
Workin’ on a Groovy Thing
Broken Wing Bird
Wedding Bell Blues
Lovin’ Stew
Blowing Away
Skinny Man
The Declaration
A Change Is Gonna Come/People Gotta Be Free
The Girls’ Song
Puppet Man
A Love Like Ours
Save the Country
Dimension 5ive
On the Beach (In the Summertime)
This Is Your Life
One Less Bell to Answer
Feelin’ Alright?
Love’s Lines Angles & Rhymes
The Singer
Related: Part 1 of BCB’s interview with Jimmy Webb, who wrote several of the 5th Dimension’s biggest hits
Disc 3
Light Sings
Viva Tirado
Never My Love
Together Let’s Find Love
I Just Wanta Be Your Friend
(Last Night) I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All
The River Witch
If I Could Reach You
Tomorrow Belongs to the Children
Living Together Growing Together
What Do I Need to Be Me
Everything’s Been Changed
There Never Was a Day
Ashes to Ashes
Flashback
Diggin’ for a Livin’
Harlem
My Song
No Love in the Room
I Don’t Know How to Look for Love
Watch the 5th Dimension on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1969
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