Energetic/stylized/sensitive projections from a bygone time
Phil Rogers | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 03/25/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Take an utterly beautiful, soulful band like the Fifth Dimension and add a heavy, professionally-crafted theatrical sheen, and you've got Rotary Connection. One of my amazingly astute and lively college companions/girlfriends was heavily into theatre - and was wild about them. If you like listening to music that's reminiscent of 'Hair' and/or 'Jesus Christ Superstar', RC will be right up your alley - they're definitely a very artistic/dramatic/appealing element of the late 60's counter-cultural ethos.
It's also notable that some of the instrumental breaks and harmonic underpinnings veer a bit in the direction of folks like Van Dyke Parks - quite an avant-garde touch, as it were, and quite flavorful, if that's were your tastes lie."
Oozing with class and character
bone@gvi.net | Atchison,Kansas | 06/12/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I thought about this for a long time and as it turns out it is really very simple. Aladdin is a wonderful album oozing with class and character. I had the pleasure of seeing these folks in concert shortly after Aladdin was released and to this day I consider their performance that evening one of my all time favorites. I don't know how it came to be that this album became lost in time, but I found it again and I am really glad I did."
Precious Lost Gem
Joseph P. Darak Jr. | Gallup, NM United States | 09/28/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"
I love Rotary Connection Music. It's not for everybody. Combine Sly & Family Stone with the Fifth Dimension on Psychedelic steroids & add classical backround arrangements, 4 great harmonizing singers & you have an idea of what to expect. This album is the 2nd and 5th RC albums combined. I like their first album the best. The 2nd one which you get here (Aladdin) I liked all the way thru. It continues the psychedelic strain on the first album except these are originals & not covers. On the 5th album which you get here (dinner music) it seemed as though the band, because of a lack of commercial success were no longer sure what they wanted or were supposed to be doing. There are several songs I like a lot, but some I could take or leave. That is why I give this combined album disk 4 instead of 5 stars. In case you don't know Minnie Riperton is a singer in this band. It took me awhile to realize that what I thought was instrumentation at first is actually Minnie's 5 octave voice soaring where no voice has gone before. A great album by a wonderful group. They have a sound all their own. Worth a curious checking out."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1