Fifth Dimension Show Grammy-Winning Skill

by Nick Marro, Rutland Daily Herald, June 27, 1968

The Fifth Dimension demonstrated why they are one of the more versatile groups in show business Tuesday night in a performance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center here.

The group, which is composed of five young Negroes, sang and danced their way through rock, blues, folk, and soul tunes with equal ease.

Following Spanky and Our Gang, another group which was equally diversified, the Fifth Dimension opened with an up
tempo version of “It’s Not Unusual,” then swung into a rock version of Lee Hayes’ and Pete Seeger’s folk song, “If I Had A Hammer.”

The group then sang its first hit, “Up Up and Away.” The song, which was composed by Jim Webb, received Grammy Awards for best records of the year, best performance by a vocal group, best contemporary single, and best contemporary group performance.

The audience showed its appreciation of the song with a thundering round of applause.

The group also sang two other of Webb’s compositions, “Never Going to be the Same,” and “Walk All Over You.” Both “Up Up and Away,” and “Never Going to be the Same” were on the group’s first album.

The Fifth Dimension demonstrated their ability to switch tempo when they went from their show-stopping poignant rendition of Bobbie Gentry’s ballad “Ode to Billy Joe” to a fast hip-shaking version of “Shake Your Money-Maker.’

While each member of the group carried the lead part through different songs, Billy Davis Jr. sang most of the rock-blues and soul leads. His adaptation of Aretha Franklin’s hit, “Respect,” received a good round of applause.

Ron Townses, the bearded Dimension, captivated the audience with his version of “Broadway.”

The Fifth Dimension ended their segment of the concert with their latest release, “Stoned Soul Picnic” which was sung by Davis while the other members of the group went into the audience and picked out people to dance with on the stage.

The group will release its third album under the title of “Stoned Soul Picnic” shortly.

Spanky and Our Gang proved to be equally diversified in their musical abilities.

Appearing at the Art Center for the second time, the group showed the audience why they were asked to return. While not being one of the more electrically oriented group in the business, the group provided a repertoire from blue grass to hard acid rock and an ability to hold an audience’s attention.

Lead guitarist Lefty Baker put down his electric guitar and picked up a five-string banjo and picked his way through a five-minute version of a blue grass song, “The Flint Hill Special.”

The group then gave the audience plenty of laughs with its versions of several commercials such as the Sominex restful sleep advertisement and shopping at Sears.

Miss Elaine McFarlane, better known as Spanky, demonstrated the flexibility and range a rock group can attain by adding a female voice.

It is clearly her voice range which makes songs such “Sunday Morning” and “Hazy Day” hit songs that they are.

Spanky told the audience that the group was very happy to return to the art center and dedicated their latest release, “Like to Get to Know You”, to them.

Malcolm Hale, who arranges most of the group’s material as well as playing classical guitar, sang the lead in a rearranged version of “Trouble,” a song made famous by Robert Preston in the film version of “The Music Man”.

The American Breed provided the audience with a rock sound which was indeed personal.

Using a mixture of hard rock, blues, jazz, and soul, the group demonstrated musically that they are capable of songs that become popular in today’s world of fast-moving music.

Relying heavily upon Chuck Colbert’s bass and Lee Graziano’s drums, the American Breed started off their career with five immediate hits, including “Bend Me, Shape Me,” “Green Light,” “I Don’t Think You Know Me,” and “Step Out of Your Mind.”

However, the group lacks the quality of holding an audience that the Filth Dimension have. The group, dressed in lemon yellow, orange orange, lime green, and taffy white suits, looked like a walking citrus commercial on stage. Some of the jokes they dropped were as sour as lemons. After playing a song about drugs, rhythm guitarist Al Ciner cracked a joke about LSD which went over like spilled battery acid.

The group ended its session with a segment of the old Mickey Mouse song, which perhaps indicates that their type of sound, unlike that of the Filth Dimension, is meant strictly for the youth.