PORTRAIT - The 5th Dimension

YEAR: 1970

LABEL: Bell

TRACK LISTING: Puppet Man, One Less Bell To Answer, Feelin' Alright, This Is Your Life, A Love Like Ours, Save the Country, Medley - The Declaration - A Change Is Gonna Come - People Gotta Be Free, Dimension Five

IMPRESSIONS: I used to spin the record on my black portable record player which closed up and could be carried like a suitcase. In 1970, the 5th Dimension was the ding dang diggety fershnizzle, ya'll. And this wasn't even the first album by the group I had; their first LP had been around the house since I was five seconds old. The song "The Declaration" is actually the Declaration of Independence set to music; and like SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK it is the reason why I can recite the entire document to this day. And if you need any more validation for the pop supremacy of the 5th Dimension . . . Nick Drake loved them!

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Puppet Man, One Less Bell To Answer, Feelin' Alright, Save the Country, Medley - The Declaration - A Change Is Gonna Come - People Gotta Be Free

FACT SHEET: PORTRAIT is the 5th Dimension's fifth album. The group consists of Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore and Ron Townson. This is the group's first album on Bell Records after leaving Soul City Records. PORTRAIT is one of the first albums recorded on a 16-track recorder. The impressionistic cover painting is by LeRoy Neiman.