The commercial failure of the Free Design remains one of the most baffling mysteries in the annals of pop music -- with their exquisitely celestial harmonies, lighter-than-air melodies and blissful arrangements, the group's records were on par with the work of superstar contemporaries like the Beach Boys, the Association and the Cowsills, yet none of their singles even cracked the Hot 100. The Free Design originally comprised siblings Chris, Bruce and Sandy Dedrick, natives of Delevan, New York whose father Art served as a trombonist and arranger with Vaughn Monroe; when Chris moved to New York City in 1966 to attend the Manhattan School of Music, he recruited Bruce (now living on Long Island) and Sandy (a teacher in Queens) to form a folk group, and soon the trio emerged as a popular attraction on the Greenwich Village coffeehouse circuit.
In time Chris began composing original material for the Free Design to perform, and with the assistance of their father, the siblings cut a demo, ultimately signing with producer Enoch Light's audiophile label Project 3. The title track from their 1967 debut LP Kites Are Fun was also their first single, cracking the Top 40 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart but reaching only number 114 on the pop chart -- somewhat amazingly, it was the Free Design's biggest hit. Another Dedrick sister, Ellen, joined the group after graduating high school, making her debut on 1968's You Could Be Born Again. "2002--A Hit Song," from 1969's Heaven/Earth, satirically addressed the Free Design's continuing inability to make a commercial impact, but still the group's chart woes continued, and with their next effort, 1970's Songs for Very Important People, they targeted a new audience -- children.
Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love, also released in 1970, returned the Free Design to their adult constituency; after issuing One by One two years later, the group was dropped by Project 3, at which time they relocated from New York to Canada. There Chris Dedrick recorded a solo album, Be Free, which went unreleased; signing to the Ambrotype label, the Free Design recorded one final LP, 1973's There Is a Song, before disbanding in 1975. In the years to follow, Chris remained the most musically active sibling, forming the choral ensemble Star Scape Singers as well as arranging and composing for the Canadian Brass. He also won a series of Gemini Awards for his scores for Canadian film and television productions. By the 1990s, hipster favorites including Cornelius, Pizzicato 5 and Louis Philippe were regularly citing the Free Design as a key influence, resulting in the 1998 release of Kites Are Fun: The Best of the Free Design. The new millennium saw the Free Design convene for another album -- 2001's Cosmic Peekaboo -- which gathered Sandy, Chris, and Bruce Dedrick back together again.
Chris Dedrick (guitar, trumpet, vocals, recorder)
Sandy Dedrick (keyboards, vocals)
Ellen Dedrick (vocals, percussion, 1968-1972)
Bruce Dedrick (guitar, vocals, trombone, 1966-71, 2001)
суббота, 23 мая 2009 г.
The Free Design
The Free Design - There Is A Song - 1972 (US) Pop Rock, Vocals, Jazz Pop, Folk Rock
There Is a Song was the last Free Design record the group made until 2001's Cosmic Peekaboo. It was recorded during a time of change for the group and the Dedrick family, as the group had parted with its label, Project 3, and Chris Dedrick moved to Canada. The album was released on the tiny New York label Ambrotype and was even easier to ignore than their other releases. Luckily for fans of the band, Light in the Attic rescued it from its fate and put the album out on CD, because it is definitely worth hearing. The group moved away from the big arrangements and orchestras of its past releases; most of the album is anchored musically by simple acoustic guitars and colored in subtly by just a few horns and strings. Their rich vocal harmonies hadn't changed at all, however, as Chris and sisters Ellen and Sandra sound as innocent and star-struck as ever. Despite its obscurity, the album holds some of the group's finest compositions and performances, like the relentlessly upbeat "Canada in Springtime," the sweetly spiritual "Peter, Paul and Mary," the bouncy "I Wanna Be There," and the breathtakingly clear-and-cool title track. The Dedricks fell in with a philosophy professor named Arthur Mills while in Canada, and many of the songs have a trippy, deeply felt intellectual point of view that comes from his teachings. As Chris says in the liner notes, they were exploring new definitions of love, freeing themselves from previously held notions of love, and opening themselves up to the possibilities of love and life. Songs like "The Symbols Ring," "Love Does Not Die," and "There Is a Song" delve into these issues, but manage to escape being pedantic or clunky by being so wonderfully melodic and beautiful. In fact, the entire record is beautiful, and while it doesn't have any jaw-dropping moments like "Kites are Fun," "Bubbles," or "My Brother Woody," the album may be the group's most fully realized and rewarding endeavor.
A1 Canada in Springtime 2:27
A2 Kum Ba Yah 3:15
A3 Peter, Paul and Mary 4:12
A4 Pineapple Crabapple 3:08
A5 The Symbols Ring 3:46
B1 Stay 2:53
B2 I Wanna Be There 3:17
B3 There Is a Song 3:01
B4 A Child Is Born 3:18
B5 Love Does Not Die 3:42
B6 Chorale 1:12
B7 Fugue 2:03
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The Free Design - One by One - 1971 (US) Pop Rock, Vocals, Jazz Pop
This 1971 record would be the last one the band would record for Project 3, and while it may lack some of the great songs that marked their earlier records, it's still marked by charm. Sounding more like the Carpenters than the Association, the band indulge in some covers and light funk, and end up making a record that occasionally betters either of those. On par for a Free Design record, they serve up music and arrangements that are as light and breezy as you can imagine, but the lyrics are often bitter and pointed -- often attributed to the band's frustration at their lack of success. Musically, the harmonies and tight arrangements are in fine form. The opening and title track, "One by One" soars, while "Felt So Good" shows the markings of a new decade with it's less crystallized production, happy, laid-back guitar, and punching horns. Brass sections make repeat appearances on the record, with "Like to Love" aflutter with spirited horn arrangements and hip-swinging ultra-light funk, and their cover of "Light My Fire" uses muted horns and ends up evoking the sounds of some proto-quiet storm radio broadcasts. The high point of the record is the impossibly simple light rock of "Friendly Man," with its orchestral flourishes, country-rock guitar, heavenly harmonies, and the chorus of "friendly man/friendly person." When the tambourine kicks in and the big sing-along refrain follows it's endemic of everything that is great about the band. Another high point of the record is the mid-paced piano ballad "Going Back." The album ends thunderously with "Friends." It's a grandiose affair with a big buildup (a multitude of electric guitar squeals) and a heavy air of drama that almost seems to point out that the band knew they were at the end of their tenure as undervalued pop songwriters.
A1 One by One 3:47
A2 Felt so Good 2:53
A3 Friendly Man 3:32
A4 Light My Fire 4:38
A5 Like to Love 2:06
B1 You Are My Sunshine 5:15
B2 Go Lean on a River 3:04
B3 Going Back 2:43
B4 Love Me 3:17
B5 Friends (Thank You All) 6:45
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The Free Design - Sing for Very Important People - 1970 (US) Sunshine Pop, Vocals
The Free Design always sounded a bit like a pop group for children, and they made the leap there themselves on their wonderful 1970 album Free Design Sing for Very Important People. Inspired by Peter, Paul & Mary's Peter, Paul and Mommy album and the fact that all of the Dedricks were parents by then, the record collects some of their kid-friendly previously released songs like "Kites Are Fun," "Bubbles," and "Daniel Dolphin" and adds some songs written and recorded for the project. The tunes they came up with are among their best; "Don't Cry, Baby" is harmonically rich and lyrically charming, "Ronda Go 'Round" sounds like a song angels might make up to keep themselves happy while floating through the heavens, and "Love You" is a bubbling a cappella delight. They also cover a few songs, turning in a sweet version of "Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?," a reverent and solemn "Children's Waltz," a chamber jazz take on "Scarlet Tree," and a loping "Little Cowboy" (which was written Art Dedrick, the siblings' father). The Free Design's almost unbearably light and sweet feel, their flowing harmonies, and their lyrical and musical childlike sense of wonder make the record a smashing success artistically. It's too bad not many kids got a chance to hear it at the time -- the world might have turned out to be a much mellower place. At least we can spin it for our very important people now.
A1 Don't Cry, Baby 3:04
A2 Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street 2:12
A3 Children's Waltz 4:15
A4 Scarlet Tree 2:10
A5 Little Cowboy 3:50
B1 Love You 2:25
B2 Ronda Go 'Round 2:33
B3 Bubbles 2:15
B4 Daniel Dolphin 3:27
B5 Kites Are Fun 2:34
B6 Lullaby 1:28
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The Free Design - Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love - 1970 (US) Sunshine Pop, Vocals, Jazz Pop
On the Free Design's 1970 record, Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love, not much has changed with the Dedrick clan. The group's amazing vocal harmonies are still very much in evidence, the lush arrangements are still fuller than Grizzly Adams' beard, and the songs, like the cute and silly "Kije's Ouija" and the finger-snappingly groovy "Keep Off Your Frown" (which sounds like an unlikely cross between Oscar Brown, Jr. and the Zombies), are still lighthearted and fun. Most of the songs sound like they exist in the the Dedricks' own strange little world of harmony and childlike innocence; the only one that sounds influenced by the times is "I'm a Yogi," which has sitars, a mild psychedelic break, and groovy lyrics. It sounds more like Yogi Bear than the Maharishi, but then that is the charm of the Free Design. The record is filled with some of the band's best work: the bouncy, perky "Bubbles" (a song later covered by Dressy Bessy on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack record); the sweet "Butterflies Are Free," which features the Dedrick sisters on lead vocals; the brash (for them) "That's All, People," which sounds like a lost Jimmy Webb track, with great vocal interplay among the siblings; and the strangely bossy Christmas tune "Close Your Mouth (It's Christmas)." The only track that falls short is their cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," which is the rare Free Design effort that sounds like run-of-the-mill elevator music. Pretty much any Free Design recording is going to be a treasure for fans of intelligent, witty, and above all, sophisticated sunshine pop. Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love is no exception.
A1 Bubbles 2:15
A2 Tomorrow is the First Day of the Rest of My Life 3:40
A3 Kije's Ouija 3:12
A4 Butterflies Are Free 2:42
A5 Stay Off Your Frown 2:43
B1 Starlight 2:53
B2 Time and Love 2:50
B3 I'm a Yogi 4:19
B4 Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head 3:00
B5 Howdjadoo 1:55
B6 That's All People 2:29
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The Free Design - Heaven/Earth - 1969 (US) Psychedelic Pop, Sunshine Pop, Vocals, Jazz Pop
1969's Heaven/Earth is the Free Design's third album. It carries on the tradition of excellence the group's first two albums had firmly established. It was also very much of a piece with the rest of their output -- no big changes. The record is overflowing with beauty and weirdness and lush arrangements with plenty of groovy touches that instantly date the record but also give it a hipness that is lacking in other MOR vocal group records. However, the true genius of the band is the fresh clear voices of the Dedrick siblings and the way Chris Dedrick arranged them. Tunes like the swinging "Now Is the Time," the witty and alarmingly cynical "2002 - A Hit Song," and the quietly inventive version of "If I Was a Carpenter" have sublime and unusual vocal harmonies that soar and swoop like psychedelic eagles, always surprising and often breathtaking. Some of the other tracks here worth mention are the sweet samba of "My Very Own Angel, Girls Alone," which features Sandy and Ellen harmonizing over a full big-band arrangement, and the moody and quite amazing "Dorian Benediction," which manages to sound like the Electric Prunes with Miles Davis sitting in and the hippest monks on earth chanting along. Heaven/Earth is worth a listen by anyone who likes vocal harmony and the sweet, innocent sounds of sunshine pop.
A1 My Very Own Angel 3:00
A2 Now Is the Time 2:14
A3 If I Were a Carpenter 3:17
A4 You Be You and I'll Be Me 2:34
A5 Girls Alone 3:55
A6 2002 - A Hit Song 2:34
B1 Summertime 3:36
B2 Where Do I Go (From "Hair") 2:14
B3 Hurry Sundown 3:04
B4 Memories 3:39
B5 Dorian Benediction 4:27
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The Free Design - You Could Be Born Again - 1968 (US) Psychedelic Pop, Sunshine Pop, Vocals
The Free Design's second album offers fewer original songs than its predecessor, but a sound every bit as fresh and original as that earlier album. Chris Dedrick provides the title track, an upbeat, uplifting piece, not as hauntingly beautiful as "Kites Are Fun," but pretty in its own right, and followed by the ethereal "A Leaf Has Veins." The quartet also takes the risk of inviting comparisons with their West Coast rivals, the Mamas & the Papas, turning in a swinging rendition of "California Dreamin'," as well as gorgeous, ornate covers of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and Bonner & Gordon's "Happy Together," though perhaps the best moment here is their harmonized cover of Duke Ellington's "I Like the Sunrise" from "The Iberian Suite." The overall tone of You Could Be Born Again is more subdued and sophisticated than the group's debut, but it is also a more elaborate album musically, with a larger array of support musicians. The originals -- of which the prettiest examples are "I Found Love," "Daniel Dolphin," and "Ivy on a Windy Day" -- mesh nicely with the covers into a beguiling whole with a slightly spacy, psychedelic tone beneath its quiet elegance.
A1 You Could Be Born Again 2:38
A2 A Leaf Has Veins 2:30
A3 California Dreamin' 2:25
A4 The Windows of the World 2:33
A5 Eleanor Rigby 2:44
A6 Quartet No. 6 in D Minor 2:40
B1 I Like the Sunrise 3:37
B2 I Found Love 2:42
B3 Daniel Dolphin 3:27
B4 Happy Together 2:54
B5 Ivy on a Windy Day 2:39
B6 An Elegy 3:22
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The Free Design - Kites Are Fun - 1967 (US) Psychedelic Pop, Sunshine Pop, Vocals
This 1971 record would be the last one the band would record for Project 3, and while it may lack some of the great songs that marked their earlier records, it's still marked by charm. Sounding more like the Carpenters than the Association, the band indulge in some covers and light funk, and end up making a record that occasionally betters either of those. On par for a Free Design record, they serve up music and arrangements that are as light and breezy as you can imagine, but the lyrics are often bitter and pointed -- often attributed to the band's frustration at their lack of success. Musically, the harmonies and tight arrangements are in fine form. The opening and title track, "One by One" soars, while "Felt So Good" shows the markings of a new decade with it's less crystallized production, happy, laid-back guitar, and punching horns. Brass sections make repeat appearances on the record, with "Like to Love" aflutter with spirited horn arrangements and hip-swinging ultra-light funk, and their cover of "Light My Fire" uses muted horns and ends up evoking the sounds of some proto-quiet storm radio broadcasts. The high point of the record is the impossibly simple light rock of "Friendly Man," with its orchestral flourishes, country-rock guitar, heavenly harmonies, and the chorus of "friendly man/friendly person." When the tambourine kicks in and the big sing-along refrain follows it's endemic of everything that is great about the band. Another high point of the record is the mid-paced piano ballad "Going Back." The album ends thunderously with "Friends." It's a grandiose affair with a big buildup (a multitude of electric guitar squeals) and a heavy air of drama that almost seems to point out that the band knew they were at the end of their tenure as undervalued pop songwriters.
A1 Kites Are Fun 2:38
A2 Make the Madness Stop 3:09
A3 When Love Is Young 2:55
A4 The Proper Ornaments 2:49
A5 My Brother Woody 2:38
A6 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) 2:52
B1 Don't Turn Away 3:59
B2 Umbrellas 2:28
B3 Michelle 3:13
B4 Never Tell the World 2:32
B5 A Man and a Woman 3:04
B6 Stay Another Season 4:35
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