The Age of Aquarius

by The 5th Dimension

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"! ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	02/01/2008
Label:	Buddha Records
UPC:	0886972375625
Rank:	42402

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. The Hideaway
7. Workin' on a Groovy Thing
8. Let It Be Me
9. Sunshine of Your Love
10. The 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

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

Technical Credits

Bones Howe   Engineer,Producer,Sounds,Arranger
Robin Diamond   Project Coordinator
Steve Strauss   Project Coordinator
Glenn Delgado   Project Coordinator
Pierre Delanoe   Composer
Bill Stafford   Project Coordinator
Glenn Korman   Archives Coordinator
Brooke Nochomson   Project Coordinator
Dana Renert   Project Coordinator
Mathieu Bitton   Design,Reissue Art Director
Christina DeSimone   Project Coordinator
Mandana Eidgah   Production Coordination
Mikhael Kollander   Composer
Karyn Friedland   Project Coordinator
Bill Holman   Arranger
Jimmy Webb   Composer
Jeremy Holiday   Production Coordination
Laura Nyro   Composer
Jack Bruce   Composer
Galt MacDermot   Composer
Gene Raskin   Composer
James Rado   Composer
Eric Clapton   Composer
Eric Kaz   Composer
Pete Brown   Composer
Rob Santos   Reissue Producer
Neil Sedaka   Composer
Ed Osborne   Project Coordinator
Robin Manning   Project Coordinator
Rudy Stevenson   Composer
Mike Ragogna   Liner Notes
Manny Curtis   Composer
Gerome Ragni   Composer
Elliott Federman   Mastering
Gilbert Becaud   Composer
Roger Atkins   Composer
Ron Wolin   Art Direction,Design
Ginger Kollande   Composer
Larry Parra   Project Coordinator
Mike Hartry   Digital Transfers
Ann McClelland   Production Assistant
Ed Caraeff   Photography
Antonio Salis   Composer
Lucio Salis   Composer
Mario De Sanctis   Composer
Bob Alcivar   Arranger,Vocal Arrangement
Bob Dorough   Composer
Fran Landesman   Composer
Arlessa Barnes   Project Coordinator
Joanne Feltman   Archives Coordinator
Felicia Gearhart   Project Coordinator
Tom Tierney   Production Assistant
Russ Wapensky   Production Assistant
Laura Gregory   Project Coordinator