While the Christmas season upon us, Real Gone Music has just announced a release which may be a perfect last-minute gift idea or stocking stuffer: The 5th Dimension's The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975, coming out on December 23.

The quintet of Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore and Ron Townson first came together as The Versatiles in late 1965 before becoming The 5th Dimension in 1966.  The soul group (their sophisticated, elegant vocal sound has been described as "champagne soul") had a string of successes first on Johnny Rivers' Soul City label through 1969 before moving to the Bell label in 1970.   The lush productions of Bones Howe, sparkling arrangements of Bob Alcivar, and the group's unmistakable vocal blend kept The 5th Dimension at the vanguard of soul and pop.

Most fondly remembered for their large bodies of work with Jimmy Webb ("Up, Up and Away," "This is Your Life") and Laura Nyro ("Wedding Bell Blues," "Stoned Soul Picnic"), the group also had hits from other sources including Broadway (Hair's "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In"), Neil Sedaka ("Workin' on a Groovy Thing," "Puppet Man"), Burt Bacharach and Hal David ("One Less Bell To Answer," "Living Together, Growing Together") among others.  The initial line-up stayed together through 1975 where they moved to ABC Records for one album (Earthbound, previously premiered on CD by Real Gone in 2014 with liner notes by our very own Joe Marchese) before Billy Davis, Jr and Marilyn McCoo left to form their own hitmaking duo.  The 5th Dimension moved on to Motown for a brief stint, and then did not record anything until the mid-1990s.  Today, the a version of the group tours with Florence LaRue in the lead.

Real Gone's 3-CD set features a total of 61 songs, all in the original single mixes.  Most of these are in mono and have never appeared on CD before.  It has been remastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios and features liner notes from Paul Grein with quotes from all four surviving members of the group.  We've got Real Gone's press release and tracklisting below together with pre-order links if you'd like to go up, up and away with The 5th Dimension!

LOS ANGELES - A 50th anniversary celebration calls for some champagne...champagne soul, that is! Back in 1966, Billy Davis, Jr., Florence LaRue, Marilyn McCoo, Lamonte McLemore, and Ron Townson first started making beautiful music together, and the world of pop music has never been the same. Now, in 2016, 50 years later, Real Gone Music is proud to present the most comprehensive 5^th Dimension collection ever compiled, a 3-CD set containing their complete singles for the Soul City and Bell labels (plus their first single on the Bronco label as The Versatiles and their lone single release for Arista), 61 tracks of swinging, soulful harmonies, brilliant arrangements, groundbreaking production, and some of the best songwriting to come out of the '60s and '70s. This 3-CD set--which is housed inside a sumptuous, 8-panel digipak mini-album featuring rare photos--not only includes 30 Pop and 15 R&B hits, all in their hard-to-find, mono mixes (only the last four tracks on the set are in stereo), featuring such legendary recordings as "Up--Up and Away," "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In," "Wedding Bell Blues," "One Less Bell to Answer," "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All," and "If I Could Reach You," but also some rare, non-LP single sides and single edits, nearly all making their CD debuts here! With production by the great Bones Howe, vocal arrangements by Bob Alcivar, and the instrumental accompaniment of the famed Wrecking Crew, the confluence of talent on these sides is simply staggering. And, of course, The 5th Dimension brought the songwriting genius of Laura Nyro and Jimmy Webb to the masses; their collaborations with Webb in particular remain among the pinnacles of '60s pop. Remastered by Mark Wilder at Battery Studios, and with notes by Paul Grein featuring quotes from all four living members (Billy Davis, Jr., Marilyn McCoo, Florence LaRue and Lamonte McLemore) that trace the historic arc of the group, The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975 isn't just the definitive look at The 5th Dimension; it's a collection that defines the whole sunshine pop genre. Coming December 23 (just in time for Christmas)!

The 5th Dimension, The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975 (Real Gone Music, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

1. You're Good Enough for Me (The Versatiles)
2. Bye Bye Baby (The Versatiles)
3. I'll Be Lovin' You Forever
4. Train Keep On Movin'
5. Go Where You Wanna Go
6. Too Poor To Die
7. Another Day, Another Heartache
8. Rosecrans Blvd.
9. Up Up & Away
10. Which Way To Nowhere
11. Paper Cup
12. Poor Side Of Town
13. Carpet Man
14. The Magic
15. Stoned Soul Picnic
16. The Sailboat Song
17. Sweet Blindness
18. Bobbie's Blues (Who Do You Think Of?)
19. California Soul
20. It'll Never Be The Same Again

CD 2

1. Medley: Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures)
2. Don'tcha Hear Me Callin' To Ya
3. Workin' On A Groovy Thing
4. Broken Wing Bird
5. Wedding Bell Blues
6. Lovin'
7. Blowing
8. Skinny Man
9. The Declaration
10. Medley: A Change Is Gonna Come/People Gotta Be Free
11. The Girls' Song
12. Puppet Man
13. A Love Like Ours
14. Save The Country
15. Dimension 5ive
16. On The Beach (In The Summertime)
17. This Is Your Life
18. One Less Bell To Answer
19. Feelin' Alright?
20. Love's Lines Angles & Rhymes
21. The Singer

CD 3

1. Light Sings
2. Viva Tirado
3. Never My Love
4. Together Let's Find Love
5. I Just Wanta Be Your Friend
6. (Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All
7. The River
8. If I Could Reach You
9. Tomorrow Belongs To The Children
10. Living Together Growing Together
11. What Do I Need To Be Me
12. Everything's Been Changed
13. There Never Was A Day
14. Ashes To Ashes
15. Flashback
16. Diggin' For A Livin'
17. Harlem
18. My Song
19. No Love In The Room
20. I Don't Know How To Look For Love