Of course, there had to be a "concept." Here, the group was a bunch of traveling performers, out to entertain whomever they encountered along the way in a wagon with a make believe donkey pulling them through a cardboard cut-out world!

Yes, the set is clearly a studio soundstage, the audience applause is completely canned and every song performed is lip synched. But those elements only add to the fun of this campy relic from the days when Karen and Richard Carpenter could do their brand new single: "Superstar!"

I got the feeling that Merle Haggard never even met the group, since he didn't share a second of camera time with any of them. But he's on the show. And Dionne Warwick and Marilyn McCoo, both future hosts of another camp music program, "Solid Gold," duel it out with Florence LaRue Gordon in an almost cringeworthy "competition" of singing each other's hits. It only gets upstaged by the three of them doing the Tom Jones classic "She's A Lady!"

You'll see the sight gags and hear the typical one-liners and routines you'd expect from a program of this era. Bad special effects and tacky costumes? You betcha! but that's all a part of the charm.

It's fun watching The 5th Dimension standing in the wings, dancing and grooving to Carpenters performance of "Someone Like You."

Also, if you click the "trivia" button on the "bonus features" before you play the program, you'll get a "pop-up video" style blurb every few moments on screen. You'll want to turn this feature off during "Superstar." Trust me.

If you're a fan of The 5th Dimension, Carpenters, or Dionne Warwick, or you are interested in taking a peek into what entertained people decades ago, you'll want to add this deliciously tacky treat to your collection!

Highly Recommended!

13 of 14 found the following review helpful:


Hit Songs Are Included Only On A Medley  May 31, 2004 By C. W. Emblom "Bill Emblom"
I base my rating of two stars on the fact the group's hit songs such as Up Up And Away, Wedding Bell Blues, Acquarius/Let The Sun Shine In, and Stoned Soul Picnic are only very briefly sung with a few lines of each song. I bought the DVD with the idea they would sing the entire song, but was disappointed. If this doesn't bother you, I'm sure you will rate the DVD higher than I did.

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Fifth Dimension Travelling Sunshine Show  Jul 29, 2000 By Russ
I don't know why the other "reviewer" found the video quality poor "for the price". The video quality is excellent and could NOT be better. It is crystal-clear from a great master. Maybe they need to get glasses or clean their TV screen or get a better VCR - who knows! Most likely that reviewer isn't content with anything. Lots of great songs from the group at their prime, not to mention the appearances by The Carpenters and Dionne Warwick.

7 of 8 found the following review helpful:


Very disappointing.  Oct 09, 2005 By D. MCGUE
All of the group's best hits (Up Up And Away, Wedding Bell Blues, Acquarius/Let The Sun Shine In, and Stoned Soul Picnic) are on a medley with only only small portions of each of those hit songs. The rest of the tracks are relatively unknown. I like the 5th Dimension, but this DVD was extraordinarily disappointing.

If you want to see good performances by the 5th Dimenson, I found them: Two DVDs: "Straight from the Heart" and "Straight from the Heart, Vol II". Their performance on those DVDs are excellent! You won't be sorry.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:


The 5th Dimension take you away...  Mar 08, 2004 By C. Stach
...on a psychedelic post 60s trip full of innocence, kitsch, color and an everlasting smile on their faces. Stunning appearances by Dionne Warwick, Merle Haggard, the Carpenters and, of course, by the 5th themselves. There is and has never been a vocal group in pop history with a capability of creating wonderful, dense harmonies of such a technical brilliance! And this is the pure sound- without the gimmicks of modern music production like in today's casting groups. As natural, fresh and exciting as ever!
Unfortunately, the DVD was obviously produced from a video tape- and has not gone through any digital remastering process. So the picture is not as brilliant as you would expect from a DVD, but good enough to watch (Therefore only 4 stars). Nevertheless, this DVD is recommended! Sit back and enjoy a colorful musical journey into the past...

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