The Magic Garden

For the 1970s children's television show, see The Magic Garden (TV series). For the 1951 film, see The Magic Garden (film).
The Magic Garden
Studio album by The 5th Dimension
Released December 1967 (1967-12)
Recorded July 15, 1967 – November 1967
Genre R&B, pop, soul, sunshine pop, psychedelic soul
Length 35:29
Label Soul City Records
Producer Jimmy Webb, Bones Howe
The 5th Dimension chronology
Up, Up and Away
(1967)		 The Magic Garden
(1967)		 Stoned Soul Picnic
(1968)
Singles from The Magic Garden
  1. "Paper Cup"
    Released: 1967
  2. "Carpet Man"
    Released: 1968
  3. "The Girls' Song"
    Released: 1970
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]

The Magic Garden is the second album by American pop group The 5th Dimension, released in 1967 (see 1967 in music). Considered a concept album, it tells the story of a couple's love, and the end of their relationship. In more recent discussions of the album, that love affair is said to be about Jimmy Webb, who authored 10 of the album's 11 tracks, with singer and then-girlfriend Susan Horton. The song MacArthur Park is also about that relationship. The only non-Jimmy Webb song on the album, Ticket to Ride, is an unused track from the group's first album, Up, Up and Away, the title track of which was also written by Webb.

Carpet Man, the album's second single, found great success in Canada, charting at #3 on Toronto's CHUM chart, and #11 on the RPM chart, in March 1968. The song has been covered by The Nocturnes, The Charade, The Parking Lot, and by the founder of The 5th Dimension's Soul City record label, Johnny Rivers. The group performed the song on both Kraft Music Hall, on an episode hosted by John Davidson (entertainer), and on The Ed Sullivan Show.

One of the album's cuts, The Worst That Could Happen, was culled from the lp and released as a single by Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge in January 1969, and became a smash top 3 hit in the USA. The 5th would have to wait for their next album, Stoned Soul Picnic, to achieve the same chart placement. To capitalise on the success of The Worst That Could Happen, Soul City Records re-titled The Magic Garden and re-released it as The Worst That Could Happen. The re-release reverses the front and back covers of the original lp. Although now titled "The Worst That Could Happen" on the album cover, the label on the vinyl itself still carried The Magic Garden as its title.

The original Magic Garden album was released in both mono (SCM-92001) and stereo (SCS-92001). It is unknown whether its reissue as The Worst That Could Happen was also reissued in mono: stereo copies keep its original matrix number on Soul City / Liberty, SCS-92001.

The album, retitled "The Worst That Could Happen". The front cover is an image originally used on the back cover of The Magic Garden.

Track listing

All songs were written by Jimmy Webb, except where noted.

  1. "Prologue" – 1:24
  2. "The Magic Garden" – 2:48
  3. "Summer's Daughter" – 3:03
  4. "Dreams/Pax/Nepenthe" – 3:24
  5. "Carpet Man" – 3:16
  6. "Ticket to Ride" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 4:00
  7. "Requiem: 820 Latham" – 4:26
  8. "The Girls' Song" – 4:09
  9. "The Worst That Could Happen" – 2:37
  10. "Orange Air" – 2:38
  11. "Paper Cup" – 2:48
  12. "Epilogue" – :56


Personnel

Music
Production

Charts

Album

Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
1968 Black Albums 43
1968 Pop Albums 105

Singles

Billboard (North America)

Year Single Chart Position
1967 "Paper Cup" Pop Singles 34
1968 "Carpet Man" Pop Singles 29
1969 "The Girls'Song" Pop Singles 43

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
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