POP MUSIC REVIEW : A Real Harmonious Convergence in Cerritos

They may be museum pieces, but at least they’re the originals. The Four Tops (their personnel hasn’t changed since they started out as the Four Aims in the 1950s) and the Fifth Dimension (they’ve suffered shake-ups and breakups but reunited for touring purposes in 1991) sang the same old songs Friday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, both with their trademark sounds intact.

And because those sounds rely on vocal harmony, a craft largely forgotten in these days of mumbled raps and overly styled solo singers, both groups sounded as if they had discovered something new. Though there were probably few in the audience who couldn’t name every song that either group performed, the double bill’s overall effect was as rewarding for its voicings as it was for nostalgic value. (The concert was also repeated Saturday.)

Not that such tunes as the Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself” or the Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away” were refurbished like the Sistine Chapel with spiffy, new arrangements. Both groups, backed by a 14-piece orchestra, hung close to the fabric of the originals, giving the evening the feel of a visit from old friends. Likewise, both groups sounded remarkably like they did when these tunes were recorded some 25 years ago.

The Dimension was at its best as a unit, weaving harmonies and exchanging leads as they did on “Stoned Soul Picnic” and “Sweet Blindness.” Their trademark blend of male and female voices, sometimes in unison though an octave apart, sometime in four-part harmony, is still richly layered and colored with unexpected mixes of timbre and resonance.

Less rewarding were the individual features: Marilyn McCoo’s “Wedding Bell Blues” and “I Didn’t Get to Sleep at All,” Florence LaRue’s “Never My Love,” Ron Townson on “MacArthur Park” and Billy Davis Jr.’s “The Worst That Could Happen.” Though each has attractive solo pipes, their performances underscored the fact that the Dimension is greater than the sum of its parts.

Davis’ strong gospel colorings continue to be the group’s strongest individual element, and though he rang and shouted during “A Change Has Got to Come,” his best-known vehicle, “Let the Sunshine In” from the musical “Hair,” was strangely missing from the program. Instead, the fivesome bounced around the revolving stage to a funky “Ticket to Ride” and a tiresome “Those Were the Days” that only seemed to underline the fact that the group’s pinnacle was reached a quarter century ago.

In similar fashion, the Four Tops were at their best spinning around the stage (in a contest of choreography, the Tops win hands down) while singing as a quartet. The group’s enthusiasm for such warhorses as “Reach Out I’ll Be There” and “Bernadette” helped get them across, and though there was some roughness along the edges of their harmonies, their collective sound had the depth and strength that made them so successful in the ‘60s.

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The voice of lead singer Levi Stubbs still carries the weight and plain-spoken conviction that propelled “Baby I Need Your Lovin’ ” onto the charts in 1964. But Levi also fell victim to the solo showcase, delivering, by himself, tired versions of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Teach Me Tonight.” His introductory references to Sinatra made his delivery of the standards seem even flatter by contrast.

The Tops did a thorough job of covering their hits, but they closed the set surprisingly enough with a medley of the Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” As inappropriate as this seemed--even a ballad rendition of Tommy Edwards’ “All in the Game” would have been more in line with the Tops’ legacy--the group’s vitality and irresistible stage moves had the crowd up on its feet for dance steps that hadn’t been seen in public since “I Can’t Help Myself” high-stepped to No. 1 in 1965.