Came home from the nam (oakland) on twa 1970,my first time i was 12 the stewardess showed me the cockpit and i got a set of kiddie wings,man i was in heaven
Wonderful individual singers and together produced great harmonies. What strikes me about this biography of the group is how there is no negative history, no drug addiction, alcoholism, abuse, rehabs, interventions, illicit love affairs, not even ego conflicts or differences of artistic opinion.Just seems like five very happy, successful,well adjusted people. So different from the usual rocknroll story. Very nice if true,but seems too good to be so.
Howard greenman, as a touring drummer all through the 70's I crossed passed with them while I was backing up other artists at jazz festivals ect. They were the sweetest people you ever wanted to know. They were clean of body, mind, and soul. Talent in spades.
@@williamfeilhauer My brother was pianist for Marilyn on her TV show, Solid Gold. He says she and Billy were sweethearts (unlike several other famous people he played for).
There was of course a certain amount of disagreement having to do with singing leads - the record company's were always wanting to promote songs with strong leads rather than ensemble singing. Billy Davis was the lead singer to begin with, but it wasn't long before the public was clamoring to hear more and more of McCoo. The others (naturally) wanted a more even distribution of opportunities. It made sense for Davis and McCoo to eventually move on to develop solo and duet material. That freed up Townsend, McLemore and LaRue to take on more lead roles. But even that situation didn't last long with Townson leaving in 1976.
Marilyn and Karen Carpenter to me are the best female vocalists of all time in contemporary music. Pitch perfect great at harmony and most importantly just as good live as on the recordings . I am Guitar playing Rock n Roller however when I want a pleasant mood I listen to those two. Just amazing talent
The Fifth Dimension were fantastic singers. My mother whom was a Music Teacher's Consultant for a Board of Education in Canada, used the 5D Best of... album as part of her lesson-plans for late 60s and early 70s grades 6 to 8 students. She told me she was drawn to the 5D sound as the group could always maintain perfect pitch and carry a harmonized melody better than any other popular recording artist of the day. Beautiful songs, which are timeless, I still have that Fifth Dimension best of... album in my record collection. One of the many bands I wanted see 'live' yet never did.
With so many changes and so many different people joining group, it was hard for me to keep up, after looking at this, I still don't know what happened to the 5th dimension!!!
M. McCoo's rendition of ' One Less Bell ' is one of the best performances of ANY song by ANY artist in ANY genre. She just GETS IT !! There's no alteration you could make that wouldn't lessen it.
They had a hauntingly beautiful sound which made them one of my favorite bands of all time. They make up much of my playlist. Thank you for doing this wonderful video.
Most of their hits were covers of Laura Nyro originals: Wedding Bell Blues, Stoned Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness, Save the Country, Blowin' Away, Blackpatch. Nyro's Eli's Comin' was a top 10 hit for Three Dog Night. In November 1969 Nyro songs were at 1,2 and 10 on Billboard - Wedding Bell Blues (5D), And When I Die (Blood Sweat and Tears), Eli's Comin' (Three Dog Night).
We were able to watch Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. in concert not too long ago. They performed at Biloxi, Mississippi in 2010! It was such an awesome show!!! 🎼
Baritone singer Billy and soprano singer Marilyn have been married for 53 years, and still record and tour together. Alto singer Florence LaRue performs with her own lineup of the 5th Dimension. Bass singer Lamonte McLemore retired from the group in 2007, and is now a full-time photographer. Tenor singer Ron Townson passed away on August 2nd,2001. Their final two hits together were “Last Night I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” and “If I Could Reach You” before Clive Davis dropped them from Bell Records, and changed the label name to Arista.
First concert that I ever saw in my life ! It was in 1972, It was at the Allentown fairgrounds I was 5 years old I saw it with my mother and my brother...
One of my favorite groups from that era. Their style of music was different than most R&B artists doing that time. They could do both; be soulful and contemporary. Three of my favorites of their’s are “ Wedding Bells “ ,“One last bell “and “Stone soul panic “ . I may have the titles wrong. Anyway this group had a big impact on the 60’s. Sad to hear of Ron Townson passing, RIP. But so good to see the other original members are still well and performing. Thanks for sharing.
Exactly. I posted their version of the song “My Song” from the Soul & Inspiration album back when it wasn’t on You Tube. I remember the first time I ever heard it. That song is 🔥🔥🔥
Waiting exited! The fifth dimension is my favorite of soul-rock band ever! This band is the soundtrack of my youth! This program w'll be beautiful! ☮️✌️👍🏆🎖️🎸🎸🎸
I like that you see them as Soul-Rock because I’ve often said that they were a fusion band of some kind due to the meaty they were doing on some of their albums that the public didn’t really get to hear UNLESS they bought or listened to the entire albums. “Half Moon” is an excellent example of what I mean and what they could and should have been doing more of.
Another interesting fact about the 5th Dimension: they recorded a version of Love Hangover around the same time Diana Ross recorded and released her version of the song, but Ross' version took off and became a major hit while the Dimension version sadly flounderd at #80 on the pop charts.
It was Florence LaRue & Marc Gordon, not Marilyn & Billy, who were married in a hot air balloon. Also, I took that photo of Marilyn & Billy onstage that's featured about 9 minutes into the video. I'm honored!
Well done! Thanks! 💕 I always loved them and their music. I recommend Ms. LaRue’s book. Wish there were more artists like them, who are about uplifting. Pure talent with positive vibes. Love them. Was just watching Aquarius. I hope we can all get back to love and respect, and supporting people like this.
Excellent video! I love the 5th dimension!! they r one of my favorite groups. I think you skimmed over the 1967 - 1975 most important part of their career a little too fast, but thats okay. You showed a short clip from the awesome 5th Dimension special, but I think that would be a fact u missed. The 5th dimension special was produced by Peter Max who is one of the most famous 60s visual artists. I think it would have been cool to show some clips from that, even though the video is owned by some dude who just happened to record it off his TV lol. Another fact that is often overlooked is that after the incredible success of the song Up Up & Away written by Jimmy Web; Jimmy Web went on to write every song but one on their 2nd album The Magic Garden. It's a fantastic sortof concept album record and the setting is featured prominently in the 5th Dimension Special i was just talking about. Peace.
I remember them as a kid they were awesome. Billy and Marilyn still together is the cherry on top of the banana split. God bless these extremely talented people living or departed, they are America's best.
Very good, upbeat, and interesting history of this excellent group. Today, in September 2022, with four new members and apparently with Florence LaRue, they're still touring. I'm going to see them next week. Great music from a time of great music.
I still remember seeing them at the Mohegan Sun's Wolf Den in the summer of 2001 when Florence LaRue was still performing as the original member of the quintet.
Artists or groups decline mostly because they don't write their own songs. If you're dependent on a pro songwriter to write your songs for you, what happens is that you get fed A-grade material only as long as you've had a recent top 10 hit. Then everyone is throwing you their best songs, hoping you'll record it. But if you go six months or a year without a hit, then you're old news, and the songwriters only give you the material that was rejected by the people currently at the top of the charts. It becomes a slippery slope: your material gets more and more unmemorable. until you're no longer considered a top draw. That's what happened to The 5th Dimension. They debuted with an LP that was fabulous, one great song after another. (Some of the deep cuts were even better than the singles.) However, over the years the quality of the songs on the LPs gradually declined to the point where only the singles were worth buying. Then even the singles became inconsistent in quality, and in their last years most of the singles were totally unmemorable. Another problem is that they started chasing trends rather than innovating and being themselves. Chasing trends usually is self-defeating. "California Soul", although by Ashford & Simpson, isn't A-grade material, frankly it sucks. "Puppet man" (by Greenfield & Sedaka) and "Save the country" (Nyro) are even worse. They had a fabulous sound, great voices and great harmonies, but they needed better management than they got. Better direction choosing material and better direction creating and sticking to a sound that was distinctly their own. And some of the choices for singles were headscratchers. Why did it take the company four tries to realize "One less bell to answer" was worth releasing as single -- after three bad choices? Somehow their management was failing them.
Great discussion, but the 5th Dimension never released "Eli's Coming" as a single. Their follow-ups to "Up, Up and Away" were "Paper Cup" and "Carpet Man," both Top 40 US singles. Thanks for sharing the identity of their costume designer Boyd Clopton. They always looked fantastic. Just a clarification, "Summer of Soul" which came out in 2021 feature footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. also wrote an autobiography back around 2003/2004 titled Up Up and Away: How We Found Love, Faith and a Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment Business Marilyn had a popular role on Days of Our Lives during the 80s as Tamara Price. She was Abe Carver’s girlfriend and Lani’s mother (I refuse to accept the most recent change in Days history per these hack writers 😐😩). Marilyn was in the Broadway play Showboat. Billy was James “Thunder” Early in the off Broadway version of Dreamgirls. Marilyn and Billy have been featured in both of the most recent Waltons movies on the Hallmark channel.
i cant talk enough about my memories of the band and how special the songs are to me.. about 20 years agowathing a pbs oldies show. mcoo and davis were an act. 10 min later the then fifth dimention with florence larue came out. i thought how hard wouldit have been to come out together
Billy Davis Jr and Marilynn McCoo also wrote a book back in the early 2000s. I was able to meet Ms. McCoo and get her autograph in the book. Unfortunately, I don’t have it with me where I am, right now, but you can look it up for the title. They did the book signing at my church home in Chicago.
I saw Florence LaRue's Fifth Dimension last year. They still got it, put on a great show. And Davis and McCoo are still happily married and singing together, over 50 years together. So impressive!
I'm an 90s kid 17 years ago my grandmother introduce me to The 5th dimension when we was watching old classic concerts on 📺 before she passed away . My uncles & aunts grew listening to the 5th dimension which is their childhood & teen years My grandfather was an army soldier while The 5th dimension became famous.
The Professor of Rock mentioned the Fine Young Cannibals has being a hit group that had one or two big songs then disappeared. How about an episode about them?
Fun facts: Tons more gold records and hits than mentioned in the video. 1960's Stone Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness. 1970's Puppet Man, Love's Lines Angles and Rhymes, Light Sings, Never My Love, Last Night I Didn't Get To Sleep At All, Ashes To Ashes, Flashback...
10:11 "Silly Love Songs" was *NOT* a Beatles record. That song was written by Paul McCartney and performed by him with his band, Wings in 1976(issued as Parlophone R-6014 in April of that year).
I'm surprised you missed the connection to "Friends of Distinction" - which had a very similar sound. Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McLemore sang in the "Hi Fis" with Harry Elston and Floyd Butler who would later co-found The Fifth Dimension.
Leonard Tucker last performance with the😢 fifth dimension May 8th Niagra FallsView Casino in Canada. His TENOR voice and stage presence for 17 years will be greatly missed. He retired to enjoy time with family and his frist grandson. He will be greatly missed.
i always considered them to be very similar to 3 Dog Night...a group best known for doing songs written by others. But why is there a Fifth Dimension song in the movie "Thank God It's Friday" but the song was left off the soundtrack album?
I listen to their music still, quite a bit. I love the skit they did to Wedding Bell Blues while singing it. Try as I might, I could not hear Marilyn McCoo's voice on the Blackbird album. Only Billy's.
I was a flight attendant in 1967 and was lucky to serve them on one of my flights they were all so nice. I've been a fan forever!
@@backiniowaswab4106 Correct! It was our honor to upgrade military, especially during those Vietnam years!
Came home from the nam (oakland) on twa 1970,my first time i was 12 the stewardess showed me the cockpit and i got a set of kiddie wings,man i was in heaven
That was the year I was born!!!!
I remember TWA using their hit Up Up & Away on a commercial in ‘68
THAT is so AWESOME! They always seemed so down to earth.
Wonderful individual singers and together produced great harmonies. What strikes me about this biography of the group is how there is no negative history, no drug addiction, alcoholism, abuse, rehabs, interventions, illicit love affairs, not even ego conflicts or differences of artistic opinion.Just seems like five very happy, successful,well adjusted people. So different from the usual rocknroll story. Very nice if true,but seems too good to be so.
Great Group of the late 60s.
Howard greenman, as a touring drummer all through the 70's I crossed passed with them while I was backing up other artists at jazz festivals ect. They were the sweetest people you ever wanted to know. They were clean of body, mind, and soul. Talent in spades.
@@williamfeilhauer My brother was pianist for Marilyn on her TV show, Solid Gold. He says she and Billy were sweethearts (unlike several other famous people he played for).
@@patricksullivan4329 that's to cool. I'd give all my tomorrows to spend a couple months back in the 70's music was that good
There was of course a certain amount of disagreement having to do with singing leads - the record company's were always wanting to promote songs with strong leads rather than ensemble singing. Billy Davis was the lead singer to begin with, but it wasn't long before the public was clamoring to hear more and more of McCoo. The others (naturally) wanted a more even distribution of opportunities. It made sense for Davis and McCoo to eventually move on to develop solo and duet material. That freed up Townsend, McLemore and LaRue to take on more lead roles. But even that situation didn't last long with Townson leaving in 1976.
Marilyn McCoo, one of the greatest singers of all time--an incredibly beautiful tone.
I rate her the best female singer of 60s-70s. I don't even have to think hard about it.
@@GeraldM_inNC We are in agreement. Voice like silk.
@@GeraldM_inNC ⁿ00999999999999999999999ⁿ09999999⁷⁰]
Marilyn and Karen Carpenter to me are the best female vocalists of all time in contemporary music. Pitch perfect great at harmony and most importantly just as good live as on the recordings . I am Guitar playing Rock n Roller however when I want a pleasant mood I listen to those two. Just amazing talent
Her range is incredible, One last Bell
Wedding bell blues was a favorite of mine when I was little. That is a good song I still listen to.
Written by the absolutely legendary Laura Nyro.
The 5th Dimension are NOT in the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame. Make a video about that!
Oooh SNAP. Jann Wenner and the Rock N roll Hall of fame lay yet another egg.
You're kidding????
I was wondering if they were in the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame, they should have been long ago. Dang.
Marilyn is a timeless beauty and talent. The complete Goddess!
Flo laru 2
I agree.
Yes, both.
Always thought Marilyn was gorgeous. She still is. Great band.
5th Dimension isn't a Band. THEY are a Vocal group.
"Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Too" was a summer variety show that was a HUGE success.
I was fortunate enough to hear them in concert in 1970. Incredible!
I saw them in Vegas but it was after Marilyn and Billy left and it wasn't the same.
I saw them 3 years earlier. They were the half time entertainment at a Harlem Globetrotters game!
The Fifth Dimension were fantastic singers. My mother whom was a Music Teacher's Consultant for a Board of Education in Canada, used the 5D Best of... album as part of her lesson-plans for late 60s and early 70s grades 6 to 8 students. She told me she was drawn to the 5D sound as the group could always maintain perfect pitch and carry a harmonized melody better than any other popular recording artist of the day. Beautiful songs, which are timeless, I still have that Fifth Dimension best of... album in my record collection. One of the many bands I wanted see 'live' yet never did.
My parents love this group so much. I still have the program from 1972 where they had seen them at the Valley Forge Music Fair in Pennsylvania.
@@craigbrown8984 Nice collector's piece.
I did 1 TIME IT WAS GREAT
They were a huge part of a Golden Age of music. Magical.
With so many changes and so many different people joining group, it was hard for me to keep up, after looking at this, I still don't know what happened to the 5th dimension!!!
M. McCoo's rendition of ' One Less Bell ' is one of the best performances of ANY song by ANY artist in ANY genre. She just GETS IT !! There's no alteration you could make that wouldn't lessen it.
"One Less Bell " is beautiful..it make me cry 😢 I love all of their songs..
The 1970 Soul Train version is a treasure!!
great song.
This is just bubblegum pop, not serious music. You can't compare it to vocalists such as Linda Rondstadt or even Kate Bush. Or even Maggie Bell.
@@Theineluctable_SOME_CANT 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
They had a hauntingly beautiful sound which made them one of my favorite bands of all time. They make up much of my playlist. Thank you for doing this wonderful video.
Couldn't agree more!
FIFTH Dimension isn't a Band. THEY are a Vocal group
Marilyn Mcoo appeared on Days of our Lives as Tamara Price
5TH Dimension has recorded the song Love Hangover. Plus was briefly w/ MOTOWN RECORDS in 1976
Most of their hits were covers of Laura Nyro originals: Wedding Bell Blues, Stoned Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness, Save the Country, Blowin' Away, Blackpatch. Nyro's Eli's Comin' was a top 10 hit for Three Dog Night. In November 1969 Nyro songs were at 1,2 and 10 on Billboard - Wedding Bell Blues (5D), And When I Die (Blood Sweat and Tears), Eli's Comin' (Three Dog Night).
Laura Nyro, Bronx's own! Nothing or since like her.
Great observation indeed
they were great at interpreting other people's heartfelt songs
Loved them in the 60s and still really enjoy hearing them in 2022
Absolutely beautiful and excellent analysis of the best vocal band ever...the friends of distinction is also another great vocal force
Thanks for the comment, Grover!
Great job! My cousin had all their albums, I was just a little kid but loved them. Marilyn McCoo is as smooth as silk.
We were able to watch Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. in concert not too long ago. They performed at Biloxi, Mississippi in 2010! It was such an awesome show!!! 🎼
Baritone singer
Billy and soprano singer
Marilyn
have been married for 53 years,
and still record and tour together.
Alto singer
Florence LaRue performs with
her own lineup of the 5th Dimension.
Bass singer
Lamonte McLemore retired from the group in 2007,
and is now a full-time photographer.
Tenor singer
Ron Townson passed away on
August 2nd,2001.
Their final two hits together were
“Last Night I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All”
and
“If I Could Reach You” before
Clive Davis dropped them from
Bell Records,
and changed the label name to
Arista.
They always were "working on a groovy thing." I always loved their songs. A great story.
First concert that I ever saw in my life ! It was in 1972, It was at the Allentown fairgrounds I was 5 years old I saw it with my mother and my brother...
One of my favorite groups from that era. Their style of music was different than most R&B artists doing that time. They could do both; be soulful and contemporary. Three of my favorites of their’s are “ Wedding Bells “ ,“One last bell “and “Stone soul panic “ . I may have the titles wrong. Anyway this group had a big impact on the 60’s. Sad to hear of Ron Townson passing, RIP. But so good to see the other original members are still well and performing. Thanks for sharing.
Magic Happens
Exactly. I posted their version of the song “My Song” from the Soul & Inspiration album back when it wasn’t on You Tube. I remember the first time I ever heard it. That song is 🔥🔥🔥
I love this classic group and all of their SONGS 🎵 This group is sooo underrated..
Waiting exited! The fifth dimension is my favorite of soul-rock band ever! This band is the soundtrack of my youth! This program w'll be beautiful! ☮️✌️👍🏆🎖️🎸🎸🎸
I like that you see them as Soul-Rock because I’ve often said that they were a fusion band of some kind due to the meaty they were doing on some of their albums that the public didn’t really get to hear UNLESS they bought or listened to the entire albums. “Half Moon” is an excellent example of what I mean and what they could and should have been doing more of.
Another interesting fact about the 5th Dimension: they recorded a version of Love Hangover around the same time Diana Ross recorded and released her version of the song, but Ross' version took off and became a major hit while the Dimension version sadly flounderd at #80 on the pop charts.
The 5th Dimension's Age of Aquarius was waaaaay better than Diana and the Supreme's !!
Seen these artists in Peoria Illinois 1979 ,, NEVER forget them ,great performance, I Miss THEM
Stoned Soul Picnic is one of my favorite 5th Dimension songs.
Mine too.
I remember riding in a friend of my dad's convertible,it was summer of 65 .Up,Up and Away came on the radio!!WOW!!
Up Up and Away was released in 67.
As a child of the 60's I loved The 5th Dimension and I thought Florence was the most beautiful woman on the planet!!
Yes she is still beautiful.
I was around 9 in the late 60’s , and I couldn’t wait till they’d come on tv on those variety shows back then
It was Florence LaRue & Marc Gordon, not Marilyn & Billy, who were married in a hot air balloon. Also, I took that photo of Marilyn & Billy onstage that's featured about 9 minutes into the video. I'm honored!
Thanks for the insight!
Who was Marc Gordon? From Ms. Harper Stacey.
@@harperstacey9604 He was the group's manager.
@@MrDimension5 thanks for the info. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
Exactly. Marilyn is not a fan of hot air balloons. 😂
First record album I bought was the Fifth Dimension Aquarius. ( Still have it)
Wonderful wonderful group!
Wonderful!
I remember the first time I heard Age of Aquarius and I was like WOW what the heck is this?!!
Absolutely fantastic, I still love and play them in2023 😁❤️👍👍👍👍👍👍
Well done! Thanks! 💕 I always loved them and their music. I recommend Ms. LaRue’s book. Wish there were more artists like them, who are about uplifting. Pure talent with positive vibes. Love them. Was just watching Aquarius. I hope we can all get back to love and respect, and supporting people like this.
I'll check it out!
Man, I Love this channel!!!
I was born in '57 so The 5th Dimension was part of what i grew up with.
I loved the band.
One bit you missed. They recorded one single as the versatiles on bronco records. Your good enough for me was released in 1966/1967.
Excellent video! I love the 5th dimension!! they r one of my favorite groups. I think you skimmed over the 1967 - 1975 most important part of their career a little too fast, but thats okay. You showed a short clip from the awesome 5th Dimension special, but I think that would be a fact u missed. The 5th dimension special was produced by Peter Max who is one of the most famous 60s visual artists. I think it would have been cool to show some clips from that, even though the video is owned by some dude who just happened to record it off his TV lol. Another fact that is often overlooked is that after the incredible success of the song Up Up & Away written by Jimmy Web; Jimmy Web went on to write every song but one on their 2nd album The Magic Garden. It's a fantastic sortof concept album record and the setting is featured prominently in the 5th Dimension Special i was just talking about. Peace.
I love the 5th Dimension but didn't know their story. Thanks for the history.
Wildly popular talented group all over AM radio during my childhood.
Age of Aquarius and so much more
Very well-done bio of this classic Black R&B singing band. I love Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
i saw the fifth dimension at EPCOT center, WDW FL. they sang so well, all the hits.
I truly love this group
They were, and still are FABULOUS!!
What a great group, will always love them and there music God bless. 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🎼🎼🎼🎼
I remember them as a kid they were awesome. Billy and Marilyn still together is the cherry on top of the banana split. God bless these extremely talented people living or departed, they are America's best.
This was a really good documentary on the 5th dimension I really enjoyed this my very first time actually seeing a documentary on this group very nice
Awesome, thank you!
Very good, upbeat, and interesting history of this excellent group.
Today, in September 2022, with four new members and apparently with Florence LaRue, they're still touring.
I'm going to see them next week.
Great music from a time of great music.
Thanks for listening
They’re my favorite group in my kid years but I also like all of their music today.
Thanks for your great videos! This group was outstanding.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Saw them in 1973 in theatre in the round Chicago! Great!
Thanks for sharing this history of the 5th Dimension. I enjoyed this group immensely, with "Up, Up and Away" my favorite among their hits.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I still remember seeing them at the Mohegan Sun's Wolf Den in the summer of 2001 when Florence LaRue was still performing as the original member of the quintet.
Great music by great people. Glad to hear they had a lifetime of success.
I love 'Wedding Bell Blues'.
That was an awesome synopsis of this most wonderful group. Thank you so much 😊
Glad you enjoyed it!
So prolific, and such terrific music!
Absolutely phenomenal group!! Love all their music
You forgot to mention "The Magic Garden " album in 1967.
Artists or groups decline mostly because they don't write their own songs. If you're dependent on a pro songwriter to write your songs for you, what happens is that you get fed A-grade material only as long as you've had a recent top 10 hit. Then everyone is throwing you their best songs, hoping you'll record it. But if you go six months or a year without a hit, then you're old news, and the songwriters only give you the material that was rejected by the people currently at the top of the charts. It becomes a slippery slope: your material gets more and more unmemorable. until you're no longer considered a top draw. That's what happened to The 5th Dimension. They debuted with an LP that was fabulous, one great song after another. (Some of the deep cuts were even better than the singles.) However, over the years the quality of the songs on the LPs gradually declined to the point where only the singles were worth buying. Then even the singles became inconsistent in quality, and in their last years most of the singles were totally unmemorable.
Another problem is that they started chasing trends rather than innovating and being themselves. Chasing trends usually is self-defeating. "California Soul", although by Ashford & Simpson, isn't A-grade material, frankly it sucks. "Puppet man" (by Greenfield & Sedaka) and "Save the country" (Nyro) are even worse.
They had a fabulous sound, great voices and great harmonies, but they needed better management than they got. Better direction choosing material and better direction creating and sticking to a sound that was distinctly their own. And some of the choices for singles were headscratchers. Why did it take the company four tries to realize "One less bell to answer" was worth releasing as single -- after three bad choices? Somehow their management was failing them.
Interesting take. I haven't thought about that much.
Interesting analysis, Gerald. Who do you manage? What's your role on the music biz?
Great singers and wonderful personalities- love them all❤❤❤❤❤
I still play their greatest hits. They made hits of many Laura Nero songs.
Great discussion, but the 5th Dimension never released "Eli's Coming" as a single. Their follow-ups to "Up, Up and Away" were "Paper Cup" and "Carpet Man," both Top 40 US singles. Thanks for sharing the identity of their costume designer Boyd Clopton. They always looked fantastic. Just a clarification, "Summer of Soul" which came out in 2021 feature footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.
Shout-out to Boyd Clopton. His designs helped define them.
They did sing it for like 10 seconds on their live album.
This is Art, I love The fifth dimension music, for me it´s the best of all
Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. also wrote an autobiography back around 2003/2004 titled Up Up and Away: How We Found Love, Faith and a Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment Business
Marilyn had a popular role on Days of Our Lives during the 80s as Tamara Price. She was Abe Carver’s girlfriend and Lani’s mother (I refuse to accept the most recent change in Days history per these hack writers 😐😩).
Marilyn was in the Broadway play Showboat.
Billy was James “Thunder” Early in the off Broadway version of Dreamgirls.
Marilyn and Billy have been featured in both of the most recent Waltons movies on the Hallmark channel.
i cant talk enough about my memories of the band and how special the songs are to me.. about 20 years agowathing a pbs oldies show. mcoo and davis were an act. 10 min later the then fifth dimention with florence larue came out. i thought how hard wouldit have been to come out together
Still listen to their music!
Billy Davis Jr and Marilynn McCoo also wrote a book back in the early 2000s. I was able to meet Ms. McCoo and get her autograph in the book. Unfortunately, I don’t have it with me where I am, right now, but you can look it up for the title. They did the book signing at my church home in Chicago.
I've always enjoyed there music. They where a class act .
I saw Florence LaRue's Fifth Dimension last year. They still got it, put on a great show. And Davis and McCoo are still happily married and singing together, over 50 years together. So impressive!
Met Marilyn and Billy Jr. while grocery working for pavilion/ vons west hollywood squeezing grapefruit. Lol. ❤. Rip, bro.
I'm an 90s kid 17 years ago my grandmother introduce me to The 5th dimension when we was watching old classic concerts on 📺 before she passed away . My uncles & aunts grew listening to the 5th dimension which is their childhood & teen years My grandfather was an army soldier while The 5th dimension became famous.
I love the videos. Great stuff.
The Professor of Rock mentioned the Fine Young Cannibals has being a hit group that had one or two big songs then disappeared. How about an episode about them?
Yes, I always wondered what happened to them~
I was just a little tyke, but I was in love with Marilyn. She was SUCH an angel, with a voice like warm maple syrup. I still love her to this day!
The 5th Dimension are still performing with original singer, Florence LaRue
Thank you so much...
This was my era...It still blows my mind of the group's name and Aquarius especially now...
I miss all them together.
Fun facts: Tons more gold records and hits than mentioned in the video. 1960's Stone Soul Picnic, Sweet Blindness. 1970's Puppet Man, Love's Lines Angles and Rhymes, Light Sings, Never My Love, Last Night I Didn't Get To Sleep At All, Ashes To Ashes, Flashback...
Thanks for the info!
One of the most Dynamic Singing Groups Ever.
I don't like when other extras come along to replace original members but I understand
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr celebrated 53 years if marriage last month.
I think this group has yet to be topped. They were just outstanding.
The 5th Dimension never released a single of Eli's coming. It was an LP cut from their 1972 Live album.
🎯
Yet another Laura Nyro song, featured as the side one closer on her second album, and a big hit for three dog night.
Thank the fith for all your music me growing up all the way to i hope we get to love in time
Great job doing the history!
I saw the 5th in Vegas at the summer of love concert down town. Awesome show an it was free.
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr have done guest appearances on Days of Our Lives.
10:11 "Silly Love Songs" was *NOT* a Beatles record. That song was written by Paul McCartney and performed by him with his band, Wings in 1976(issued as Parlophone R-6014 in April of that year).
The Blackbird album is more about Lennon and McCarthy songs and not really about Beatles songs.
GREAT,GREAT,GREAT INFO ON THEM-THANKS
Our pleasure!
I'm surprised you missed the connection to "Friends of Distinction" - which had a very similar sound. Marilyn McCoo and Lamont McLemore sang in the "Hi Fis" with Harry Elston and Floyd Butler who would later co-found The Fifth Dimension.
It stopped being the 5th Dimension when Marilyn and Billy left. Doesn’t matter who they had to replace them.
cool video! You should do one on Unit 4 + 2
Great fan of The 5th Dimension, they were in a musical genre all of their own .
This didn't mention the song "If I could reach you", I thought this was Marilyn's best song.
Agreed.
Leonard Tucker last performance with the😢 fifth dimension May 8th Niagra FallsView Casino in Canada. His TENOR voice and stage presence for 17 years will be greatly missed. He retired to enjoy time with family and his frist grandson. He will be greatly missed.
i always considered them to be very similar to 3 Dog Night...a group best known for doing songs written by others. But why is there a Fifth Dimension song in the movie "Thank God It's Friday" but the song was left off the soundtrack album?
I listen to their music still, quite a bit. I love the skit they did to Wedding Bell Blues while singing it. Try as I might, I could not hear Marilyn McCoo's voice on the Blackbird album. Only Billy's.
Well done!
So I love this group& I missed them