The death on Tuesday of LaMonte McLemore, a founding member of The 5th Dimension, has led fans to revisit hits by that vocal group, which made some of the best pop records of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group was hugely successful, putting 20 singles in the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1967 and 1973 and winning two Grammys for record of the year, for “Up – Up and Away” and “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In.”

And yet, they have been underrated in recent decades – ignored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because they were so pop. Fortunately, the 5th Dimension got their flowers in 2021 with the release of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s Oscar-winning documentary Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised). The group, along with Sly & the Family Stone, Nina Simone and Stevie Wonder, performed at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which is chronicled in the documentary. Seeing footage of the group in 1969 – the peak year of their career – reminded people how truly great they were in their prime. It was also a useful reminder that you shouldn’t let a group’s image (in their case, perhaps a tad too pat and perfect) get in the way of your enjoyment of their music.

The 5th Dimension, which also included Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., Florence LaRue and Ron Townson (who died in 2001), went by the name The Versatiles when they recorded their first two singles. The name was apt. The 5th is best known as a pop quintet, but their music also incorporates other styles, including soul, jazz, rock and even light opera (thanks to Townson).

There were many reasons for the 5th’s success, but a big one was their choice of material. The 5th had a close relationship with two of the most gifted songwriters of their era, Jimmy Webb and Laura Nyro. Webb wrote four of their A sides and four of their B sides. Nyro wrote five of their A sides – all of which became major hits.

Johnny Rivers, who topped the Hot 100 as an artist in 1966 with “Poor Side of Town,” co-produced the 5th’s debut album with Marc Gordon. Rivers also wrote the album’s liner notes, in which he told fans what he saw in the group: “In the music world you see and hear a lot of singers, groups and sounds. Some good, some average, some bad. But just once in a great while a group comes on the scene that not only has that hit sound, but also strong visual appeal. That something that says we’re gonna be around for a long time…”

Here are the 5th Dimension’s 15 best Hot 100 hits.

Grein wrote the liner notes for the 2016 compilation The 5th Dimension: The Complete Soul City/Bell Singles 1966-1975 on Real Gone Music, which he drew on in compiling this new ranking.