The Age of Aquarius

by The 5th Dimension, Marilyn McCoo, Jack Bruce, Laura Nyro, Bill Holman

Overview

The Age of Aquarius, the 5th Dimension's fourth album, was the group's commercial peak. They had already topped the charts with their medley of two songs from the Broadway musical Hair, "The Age of Aquarius" and "Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)," a platinum single that would earn them Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance, Group, when they released this album. It turned out that was only the tip of the iceberg: They returned to number one with another platinum single, "Wedding Bell Blues," penned by Laura Nyro, who had given them "Stoned Soul Picnic" the year before. And the album also spawned Top 40 hits in Nyro's "Blowing Away" and Neil Sedaka's "Workin' on a Groovy Thing." The 5th Dimension were the successors to the L.A. vocal group mantle passed on by The Mamas and the Papas (they even inherited the studio band of Hal Blaine, Joe Osborne, and Larry Knechtel). They smoothed out and commercialized everything they sang, and their work had a sheen and a zest that sometimes contrasted with the original tone of the material. On Broadway, the Hair songs seemed full of hippie rebellion; here, they seemed enthusiastic and optimistic. In a conflicted time, the 5th Dimension thrived on their ability to equivocate, and this album was their triumph -- just listen to them harmonize on "Sunshine of Your Love"!

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2008
Label:	Sbme Special Mkts.
UPC:	0886972375625
catalogNumber:	723756
Rank:	7778

Tracks

1. Aquarius/Let the Sunshine in (The Flesh Failures) - (From the American Tribal Love Rock Musical "Hair")
2. Blowing Away
3. Skinny Man
4. Wedding Bell Blues
5. Don'tcha Hear Me Callin' to Ya
6. Hideaway
7. Workin' on a Groovy Thing
8. Let It Be Me
9. Sunshine of Your Love
10. Winds of Heaven
11. Those Were the Days
12. Let the Sunshine in (Reprise)
13. Chissa Se Tornera (Who Knows If He Will Return)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

5th Dimension   Primary Artist
Marilyn McCoo   Vocals
Jimmy Rowles   Keyboards
Pete Jolly   Keyboards
Mike Deasy   Guitar
Hal Blaine   Percussion,Drums
Dennis Budimir   Guitar
Billy Davis   Vocals
Milt Holland   Percussion
Bones Howe   Sounds
Larry Knechtel   Keyboards
Florence LaRue   Vocals
Lamonte McLemore   Vocals
Tommy Tedesco   Guitar
Ron Townson   Vocals
Bill Fulton   Guitar
Joe Osborn   Bass

Technical Credits

Jack Bruce   Composer
Laura Nyro   Composer
Bill Holman   Arranger
Gilbert Bécaud   Composer
Eric Kaz   Composer
Bob Alcivar   Arranger,Vocal Arrangements
Pete Brown   Composer
Eric Clapton   Composer
Manny Curtis   Composer
Pierre Delanoë   Composer
Bones Howe   Arranger,Producer,Engineer
Mike Ragogna   Liner Notes
Rob Santos   Reissue Producer
Ron Wolin   Art Direction
Joanne Feltman   Archives Coordinator
Glenn Korman   Archives Coordinator