The 5th Dimension - The Complete Soul CityBell Singles 1966-1975 (2016)

The 5th Dimension could hardly be called un-anthologized. During their '70s peak, budget-line LPs flooded the bins and, back in 1986, the fledgling Rhino Records devoted one of its first compilations to a double LP called Anthology 1967-1973. During the digital era, the group's studio albums popped up in various forms from Buddha, Collectors' Choice Music, and Raven, while Arista released a variety of compilations -- the best being 2004's The Ultimate 5th Dimension -- before the catalog leapfrogged into the domain of Sony, which then issued a double-disc set called The Essential 5th Dimension in 2011. Even with this considerable catalog, Real Gone's 2016 triple-disc The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975 fills a void, as it anthologizes the A- and B-sides of everything the group released on Soul City and Bell, including four rarely anthologized early sides by their early incarnation, the Versatiles. These early tracks bear a considerable grooving Motown influence and their very presence winds up illustrating how once the hits started coming for the 5th Dimension, they wound up stripping away any danceable rhythms. Some of these funky beats came back when they were closing their run at Bell -- the B-side "My Song" hits surprisingly hard, "No Love in the Room" has a nice TV theme gloss -- but generally, the 5th Dimension stuck to the middle of the road throughout their time at the top, something that the big hits always suggest. Most listeners will be satisfied with a leaner collection, one that leans on the AM pop singles, but this deep dive shows the consummate showbiz skill of the group and its producers, a team that always knew how to play toward the post-hippie, post-Motown mainstream of the Age of Aquarius and beyond.