5th Dimension, The - Respect - Live '1995; 2022

Tracks list

       Captured in the act here are Lamonte McLemore, Ron Townson, Billy Davis,
Jr., Marilyn McCoo, and Florence LaRue during an early-'70s stint on the Vegas
Strip, in the main room of Caesar's Palace. The performance offers an adequate
sampling of the 5D's classics and concurrent pop songs that attendees would
likely be familiar with. The "love"-themed medley starts things off with a
hot-steppin' "What the World Needs Now" that segues into a quirky reading of
"All You Need Is Love" and winds down with Jimmy Webb's exceptional "Have You
Tried Love." The funky and thoroughly entertaining interpretation of Willie
Hutch's" I Just Want to Be Your Friend" is marked by some tasty brass, perfectly
supporting the powerful vocalists. After a brief greeting from LaRue, the 5D
launch into an extensive combo of Laura Nyro compositions. "Stoney End," "Stoned
Soul Picnic," "Sweet Blindness," "Wedding Bell Blues," and "Save the Country"
all figure prominently in the 5D's songbook. "Never My Love" — a
significant side for the Association several years earlier — is one of
two singles to be lifted from The 5th Dimension/Live!! with McCoo incorporating
a hauntingly lovely lead. We return momentarily to the Nyro catalog for the
outstanding musical production of "Eli's Coming" before mellowing out
considerably on the Davis, Jr./McCoo duet "Together Let's Find Love," which was
the album's second 45. "Shake Your Tambourine" instantly recalls James Brown
thanks in part to Bob Alcivar's top-shelf orchestration, not to mention
arrangements by the group's musical director Rene DeKnight. A six-song Jimmy
Webb assortment follows with "Up, Up and Away," "Paper Cup," "This Is Your
Life," "The Girl's Song," "The Worst That Could Happen," and "MacArthur Park"
all packed into a nearly seven-minute medley that earns the 5D a deserved
ovation. Another highlight is the palpably paranoid dramatization of Bobbie
Gentry's "Ode to Billy Joe." Each member adopts a role as the dark tale is
unraveled before the listener's ears. Wrapping up the festivities is a
full-throttle and audience-interactive version of "I Wanna Take You Higher"
concluding with an equally incendiary "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In." ~ Lindsay
Planer



Tracklist:
1 01. The 5th Dimension - Be Good to One Another (04:06)
1 02. The 5th Dimension - Here We Are Falling in Love Again (03:00)
1 03. The 5th Dimension - Everybody Wants to Call You Sweetheart (02:46)
1 04. The 5th Dimension - The Way I Feel About You (02:48)
1 05. The 5th Dimension - You Never Cry Like a Lover (03:31)
1 06. The 5th Dimension - Going Through the Motions (03:24)
1 07. The 5th Dimension - If That's the Way You Want It (03:35)
1 08. The 5th Dimension - Know It Like Your Name (02:57)
1 09. The 5th Dimension - Better Use Your Head (03:49)
1 10. The 5th Dimension - Monday, Monday (02:45)
1 11. The 5th Dimension - Going Out of My Head (03:49)
1 12. The 5th Dimension - Hurry Sundown (03:03)
1 13. The 5th Dimension - The Beat Goes On (02:57)
1 14. The 5th Dimension - Respect (03:15)
1 15. The 5th Dimension - How Insensitive (04:29)
1 16. The 5th Dimension - Ode to Billie Joe (06:30)
1 17. The 5th Dimension - Shake Your Tamborine (03:57) 

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