Friday Rewind- The Fifth Dimension

"Black Folk Gettin' Down In Outer Space.....I Can Dig It." The Fifth Dimension had such a smooth, "non-threatening" sound, especially for the time. Remember, this is 1969.....Everybody else was talking about war and politics in their music....You know, "The Man" and "The Government," and such. Not these guys though.....They spoke of "love, harmony and understanding." And you know what, I don't fault them for it either. I think it was a refreshing change in an otherwise turbulent time. Then again, what do I know.....I wasn't even a gleam in my mother's eye yet. However, I can't even front, their harmonies were on point though...What gets me about this tune is how it literally jumps from one tempo to another in the blink of an eye. The 1st part, "Age of Aquarius" is almost borderline "hoky," but with soul (if that even makes sense). The 2nd part "Let The Sunshine In" is just too funky for its own good. Growing up, I had always thought that it was 2 separate songs, because the 1st part sounded absolutely nothing like the 2nd one. Good on them for staying on rhythm, cause I would have been all the way off beat with that change.

Hearing this song, I'm always reminded of the movie "Hair," where a version of this was playing at the end of the film, as the main character, Berger, is going off to war in his friend's place. For those who haven't seen the movie, I wont say anymore from there......But in either case, enjoy this classic from 1969.....

Until Next Time......