The 5th Dimension – Portrait
(Bell Records 1970 SBLL135)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
G&L Flipback Textured Sleeve in Nr MINT condition
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire also includes pop, R&B, soul, and jazz.
Originally known as The Hi-Fi’s, the group changed its name to The 5th Dimension in late 1966 and was best-known during the late 1960s and early 1970s for popularizing the hits “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 The Magic Garden LP.
The five original members were Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson. They have recorded for several different labels over their long careers. Their first work appeared on the Soul City label, which was started by Imperial Records/United Artists Records recording artist Johnny Rivers. The group would later record for Bell/Arista Records, ABC Records, and Motown Records.
Some of the songwriters popularized by The 5th Dimension went on to careers of their own, especially Ashford & Simpson, who wrote “California Soul”. The group is also notable for having more success with the songs of Laura Nyro than Nyro did herself, particularly with “Stoned Soul Picnic”, “Sweet Blindness”, “Wedding Bell Blues”, “Blowin’ Away”, and “Save the Country”. The group also covered music by well known songwriters such as the song “One Less Bell to Answer”, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and the songs and music of Jimmy Webb, who penned their hit “Up, Up and Away”, including an entire recording of Webb songs called The Magic Garden.
Portrait is the fifth album by the American pop group the 5th Dimension, released in 1970. This is the group’s first album for Bell Records, having switched from the Soul City Records label. The cover features an impressionistic portrait by famous artist LeRoy Neiman.
Track listing
- Side one
- “Puppet Man” (Howard Greenfield, Neil Sedaka) – 3:00
- “One Less Bell to Answer” (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) – 3:31
- “Feelin’ Alright?” (Dave Mason) – 4:28
- “This Is Your Life” (Jimmy Webb) – 4:13
- “A Love Like Ours” (Bob Alcivar, Lamonte McLemore) – 2:39
- Side two
- “Save the Country” (Laura Nyro) – 2:39
- “Medley” – 10:12
- “The Declaration” (words are from the U.S. Declaration of Independence, the only known setting of it to music) (Julius Johnsen, René DeKnight) from the play “Bread, Beans & Things”
- “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke)
- “People Gotta Be Free” (Eddie Brigati, Felix Cavaliere)
- “Dimension 5ive” (Bob Alcivar) – 4:15
Personnel
- Billy Davis Jr. – lead vocals (tracks 3, 7), background vocals
- Florence LaRue – lead vocals (tracks 1, 4), background vocals
- Marilyn McCoo – lead vocals (tracks 1–2), background vocals
- Lamonte McLemore – lead vocals (track 5), background vocals
- Ron Townson – lead vocals (track 9), background vocals
Additional personnel
- Michael Anthony, Mike Deasy – electric guitar
- Dennis Budimir, Tommy Tedesco – rhythm guitar
- Fred Tackett – finger pickin’ guitar
- Joe Osborn – bass
- Hal Blaine – drums, percussion
- Larry Bunker – congas, mallets, percussion, drums
- Gary Coleman – mallets, percussion
- Larry Knechtel – piano, organ, tack piano
- Jimmy Rowles – piano
- Gary Illingworth – electric piano
- Bob Alcivar – arranger
Production
- Producer: Bones Howe
- Engineer: Bones Howe
- Mastering: Elliot Federman
- Digital transfers: Mike Hartry
- Reissue producer: Rob Santos
- Production coordination: Jeremy Holiday
- Production assistant: Bones Howe, Ann McClelland, Tom Tierney, Russ Wapensky
- Product manager: Mandana Eidgah
- Project coordinator: Arlessa Barnes, Glenn Delgado, Christina DeSimone, Karyn Friedland, Felicia Gearhart, Laura Gregory, Robin Manning, Brooke Nochomson, Ed Osborne, Larry Parra, Dana Renert, Bill Stafford, Steve Strauss
- Archivist: Joanne Feltman, Glenn Korman
- Research: Joel Whitburn
- Assistants: Larry Cox, Johnny Golden, Rik Pekkonen
- Arranger: Bob Alcivar, Bill Holman, Bones Howe
- Art direction: Beverly Weinstein
- Reissue art director: Mathieu Bitton
- Design: Mathieu Bitton
- Cover painting: LeRoy Neiman
- Liner notes: Mike Ragogna
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