Post by Pete70s on Dec 26, 2003 23:01:53 GMT -5
Since there was no album posted today, I figured it wouldn't hurt if I posted Saturday's album of the day a few hours early. Today's album is:
Portrait - The 5th Dimension, 1970
1-Puppet Man
2-One Less Bell To Answer
3-Feelin' Alright
4-This Is Your Life
5-A Love Like Ours
6-Save The Country
7-Medley: The Declaration/A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got To Be Free
8-Dimension 5ive
9-On The Beach (In The Summertime) (Bonus Track)
This album was a turning point for the group. A new decade, a new label, and a new sound that came about by accident. It was several months after this album was released and the singles had peaked when they would have an unlikely hit that would give them a whole new direction.
After a phoenominally successful run on Johnny Rivers' Soul City label in the late 60's, they found themselves looking for a new record deal after Soul City closed it's doors. A bidding war ensued, and they were eventually signed by Bell Records early in 1970. Besides that, nothing seemed to change. Bones Howe was still their producer, the tracks were still played by the same session musicians (Hal Blaine, Joe Osborne, Larry Knechtel, Tommy Tedesco, etc...) as their earlier hits, and they still covered material by Laura Nyro, Jimmy Webb, and Sedaka/Greenfield, so the groups signature sound remained intact.
But times were a-changing, and the "hippie-soul" of their earlier records was quickly becoming passe. The album yielded 4 chart hits by mid-summer, none of which cracked the Top-20.
The first was a double-sided hit, which was an 10-minute medley on the album. "The Declaration" b/w "A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got To Be Free". Issued to radio stations as a 10" vinyl record, it recieved little airplay. "The Declaration" is a word-for-word recitation of the Declaration Of Independence, set to music. In the Nixon era, radio stations were skittish about playing a record that endorced overthrowing the Government (although they were the EXACT words stated in the doccument!). A decent amount of college radio airplay took the record to #64 for "The Declaration", and #60 for "Change/Free". Not a good showing for their first release..
A more commercial direction was in order for their next two singles, "Puppet Man" (covered by Tom Jones a year later) and Laura Nyro's "Save The Country". The singles would make #24 and #27 respectively. Much better, but considering that they'd had 2 #1 smashes in '69, it may have looked like they were finished.
Feeling that the album had run it's course by late summer, the label released the non-lp "On The Beach (In The Summertime)". I don't know WHY this wasn't a hit, it is far better than any of the singles released from the album thus far, but it stalled at #54. By this point, the group really needed a hit.
It was in mid-fall that Bones Howe got a call from a DJ at a small MOR station in L.A. He was told that a song on the Portrait album was getting a tremendous response everytime it was played, and that if released as a single it could be a huge hit. The song was "One Less Bell To Answer", a Bacharach/David song that was never before considered for single release because it did not have the groups signature sound. A well timed appearance on the TV show "It Takes A Thief" and a single release gave the group their much-needed hit, as well as a new sound.
"One Less Bell To Answer" was a sleek ballad sung by Marilyn McCoo. Their next four Top 20 hits would be the same. Clearly, the group had found their new sound, no longer were they the "Black Mamas & Papas" as they were viewed in the 60's. They went from being a "hippie-soul" group to a "soul" group, and Marilyn got much of the attention.
Unfortunately, the rest of the group started to get pushed to the back. Their last Top 40 hit, 1973's "Living Together, Growing Together" was a return to their classic sound, which sounded extremely dated by '73. It was obvious at that point that the group was finished.
But "Portrait" stands as a great effort by a group at a crossroad. It was obvious that they were searching for something, and they would eventually find it.
Some of the other cuts are good, "Feelin' Alright" is their take on the Dave Mason classic (who HADN'T covered that song in the early 70's?). "This Is Your Life" is Florence LaRue's take on a Jimmy Webb tune. But the real gem here is the instrumental "Dimension 5ive", what a knockout cut!
Also interesting to note is that EVERY song on this album was released in 45 rpm format, as either an A or B side, so it's obvious that SOMEBODY at the label believed in it.
Portrait - The 5th Dimension, 1970
1-Puppet Man
2-One Less Bell To Answer
3-Feelin' Alright
4-This Is Your Life
5-A Love Like Ours
6-Save The Country
7-Medley: The Declaration/A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got To Be Free
8-Dimension 5ive
9-On The Beach (In The Summertime) (Bonus Track)
This album was a turning point for the group. A new decade, a new label, and a new sound that came about by accident. It was several months after this album was released and the singles had peaked when they would have an unlikely hit that would give them a whole new direction.
After a phoenominally successful run on Johnny Rivers' Soul City label in the late 60's, they found themselves looking for a new record deal after Soul City closed it's doors. A bidding war ensued, and they were eventually signed by Bell Records early in 1970. Besides that, nothing seemed to change. Bones Howe was still their producer, the tracks were still played by the same session musicians (Hal Blaine, Joe Osborne, Larry Knechtel, Tommy Tedesco, etc...) as their earlier hits, and they still covered material by Laura Nyro, Jimmy Webb, and Sedaka/Greenfield, so the groups signature sound remained intact.
But times were a-changing, and the "hippie-soul" of their earlier records was quickly becoming passe. The album yielded 4 chart hits by mid-summer, none of which cracked the Top-20.
The first was a double-sided hit, which was an 10-minute medley on the album. "The Declaration" b/w "A Change Is Gonna Come/People Got To Be Free". Issued to radio stations as a 10" vinyl record, it recieved little airplay. "The Declaration" is a word-for-word recitation of the Declaration Of Independence, set to music. In the Nixon era, radio stations were skittish about playing a record that endorced overthrowing the Government (although they were the EXACT words stated in the doccument!). A decent amount of college radio airplay took the record to #64 for "The Declaration", and #60 for "Change/Free". Not a good showing for their first release..
A more commercial direction was in order for their next two singles, "Puppet Man" (covered by Tom Jones a year later) and Laura Nyro's "Save The Country". The singles would make #24 and #27 respectively. Much better, but considering that they'd had 2 #1 smashes in '69, it may have looked like they were finished.
Feeling that the album had run it's course by late summer, the label released the non-lp "On The Beach (In The Summertime)". I don't know WHY this wasn't a hit, it is far better than any of the singles released from the album thus far, but it stalled at #54. By this point, the group really needed a hit.
It was in mid-fall that Bones Howe got a call from a DJ at a small MOR station in L.A. He was told that a song on the Portrait album was getting a tremendous response everytime it was played, and that if released as a single it could be a huge hit. The song was "One Less Bell To Answer", a Bacharach/David song that was never before considered for single release because it did not have the groups signature sound. A well timed appearance on the TV show "It Takes A Thief" and a single release gave the group their much-needed hit, as well as a new sound.
"One Less Bell To Answer" was a sleek ballad sung by Marilyn McCoo. Their next four Top 20 hits would be the same. Clearly, the group had found their new sound, no longer were they the "Black Mamas & Papas" as they were viewed in the 60's. They went from being a "hippie-soul" group to a "soul" group, and Marilyn got much of the attention.
Unfortunately, the rest of the group started to get pushed to the back. Their last Top 40 hit, 1973's "Living Together, Growing Together" was a return to their classic sound, which sounded extremely dated by '73. It was obvious at that point that the group was finished.
But "Portrait" stands as a great effort by a group at a crossroad. It was obvious that they were searching for something, and they would eventually find it.
Some of the other cuts are good, "Feelin' Alright" is their take on the Dave Mason classic (who HADN'T covered that song in the early 70's?). "This Is Your Life" is Florence LaRue's take on a Jimmy Webb tune. But the real gem here is the instrumental "Dimension 5ive", what a knockout cut!
Also interesting to note is that EVERY song on this album was released in 45 rpm format, as either an A or B side, so it's obvious that SOMEBODY at the label believed in it.
