Label: Columbia Records (Europe), COL 483707 2
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Country: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Time: 62:21
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 343 Mb
Charts: US #24, UK #27.
The best known song on the album is the hit single "Eight Miles High", an early excursion into psychedelic rock. Musically, the song was a fusion of John Coltrane-influenced guitar playing—courtesy of lead guitarist Jim McGuinn—and raga-based musical structure and vocals, inspired by the Indian classical music of Ravi Shankar. Written mostly by Clark in November 1965, while the Byrds were on tour in the U.S., the song was pivotal in transmuting folk rock into the new musical forms of psychedelia and raga rock. Regardless of its innovative qualities, however, many radio stations in the U.S. banned the record, believing the title to be a reference to recreational drug use. Although the song's lyrics actually pertained to the approximate cruising altitude of commercial airliners, and the group's first visit to London during their 1965 English tour, both Clark and rhythm guitarist David Crosby later admitted that the song was at least partly inspired by their own drug use.
The album also included the McGuinn-penned songs "5D (Fifth Dimension)" and "Mr. Spaceman", with the latter being an early foray into country rock and a semi-serious meditation on the existence of alien life. In spite of its tongue-in-cheek lyrics, both McGuinn and Crosby were serious about the possibility of communicating with extraterrestrial lifeforms via the medium of radio broadcast. McGuinn in particular felt that if the song was played on radio there was a possibility that extraterrestrials might intercept the broadcasts and make contact. However, in later years McGuinn realized that this would've been impossible since AM radio waves disperse too rapidly in space.
"5D (Fifth Dimension)", on the other hand, was an abstract attempt to explain Einstein's theory of relativity, which was misconstrued by many as being a song about an LSD trip. In particular, Variety magazine targeted "5D (Fifth Dimension)" shortly after its release as a single, claiming that it was one of a recent spate of pop songs to include veiled drug references in its lyrics. This resulted in some radio stations in America refusing to play the song. The organ arrangement on "5D (Fifth Dimension)" was played by Van Dyke Parks.
(full version: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Dimension_(album))
01. 5D (Fifth Dimension) (02:36)
02. Wild Mountain Thyme (02:33)
03. Mr. Spaceman (02:12)
04. I See You (02:41)
05. What's Happening?!?! (02:38)
06. I Come And Stand At Every Door (03:06)
07. Eight Miles High (03:37)
08. Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go) (02:20)
09. Captain Soul (02:56)
10. John Riley (03:00)
11. 2-4-2 Fox Trot (The Lear Jet Song) (02:21)
Bonus Tracks:
12. Why [bonus] [single version] (03:02)
13. I Know My Rider (I Know You Rider) [bonus] (02:46)
14. Psychodrama City [bonus] (03:26)
15. Eight Miles High [bonus] [alternate-RCA studios version] (03:22)
16. Why [bonus] [alternate-RCA Studios version] (02:43)
17. John Riley [bonus] [instrumental version 1] (16:53)
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