The 5th Dimension - The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975 (2016)

A 50th anniversary celebration calls for some champagne…champagne soul, that is! Back in 1966, Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson first started making beautiful music together, and the world of pop music has never been the same. Now, in 2016, 50 years later, Real Gone Music is proud to present the most comprehensive 5th Dimension collection ever compiled, a 3-CD set containing their complete singles for the Soul City and Bell labels (plus their first single on the Bronco label as The Versatiles and their lone single release for Arista), 61 tracks of swinging, soulful harmonies, brilliant arrangements, groundbreaking production, and some of the best songwriting to come out of the ‘60s and ‘70s. This 3-CD set—which is housed inside a sumptuous, 8-panel digipak mini-album featuring rare photos—not only includes 30 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), featuring such legendary 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,” but also some rare, non-LP single sides and single edits, nearly all making their CD debuts here! With production by the great Bones Howe, vocal arrangements by Bob Alcivar, and the instrumental accompaniment of the famed Wrecking Crew, the confluence of talent on these sides is simply staggering. And, of course, The 5th Dimension brought the songwriting genius of Laura Nyro and Jimmy Webb to the masses; their collaborations with Webb in particular remain among the pinnacles of ‘60s pop. Remastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios, and with notes by Paul Grein featuring quotes from all four living members (Billy Davis, Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue and Lamonte McLemore) that trace the historic arc of the group, The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975 isn’t just the definitive look at The 5th Dimension; it’s a collection that defines the whole sunshine pop genre.

Tracklist:

CD 1
The Versatiles
01. You're Good Enough For Me
02. Bye Bye Baby
03. I'll Be Lovin' You Forever
04. Train Keep On Movin'

The 5th Dimension
05. Go Where You Wanna Go
06. Too Poor To Die
07. Another Day, Another Heartache
08. Rosecrans Blvd.
09. Up-Up & Away
10. Which Way To Nowhere
11. Paper Cup
12. Poor Side Of Town
13. Carpet Man
14. The Magic Gardens
15. Stoned Soul Picnic
16. The Sailboat Song
17. Sweet Blindness
18. Bobbie's Blues (Who Do You Think Of)
19. California Soul
20. It'll Never Be The Same Again



CD 2
01. Medley- Aquarius-Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)
02. Don'tcha Hear Me Callin' To Ya
03. Workin' On A Groovy Thing
04. Broken Sing Bird
05. Wedding Bell Blues
06. Lovin' Stew
07. Blowing Away
08. Skinny Man
09. The Declaration
10. Medley- A Change Is Gonna Come-People Gotta Be Free
11. The Girls' Song
12. Puppet Man
13. A Love Like Ours
14. Save The Country
15. Dimension 5ive
16. On The Beach (In The Summertime)
17. This Is Your Life
18. One Less Bell To Answer
19. Feelin' Alright
20. Love's Lines, Angles & Rhymes
21. The Singer



CD 3
01. Light Sings
02. Viva Tirado
03. Never My Love
04. Together Let's Find Love
05. I Just Wanta Be Your Friend
06. (Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All
07. The River Witch
08. If I Could Reach You
09. Tomorrow Belongs To The Children
10. Living Together Growing Together
11. What Do I Need To Be Me
12. Everything's Been Changed
13. There Never Was A Day
14. Ashes To Ashes
15. Flashback
16. Diggin' For A Livin'
17. Harlem
18. My Song
19. No Love In The Room
20. I Don't Know How To Look For Love



All thanks to original releaser!