Album Release

Released 1972

There is a Song (Ambrotype) 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. 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 Sandy 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 album may be the group’s most fully realized and rewarding endeavor.

Released 1971

One By One is more muted and more emotional. The songs seem a bit more personal (“One By One”, “Friendly Man”), and the harmony arrangements are less ornate, grayer. However, I was initially surprised at how much I was digging the “Light My Fire” cover. For the Free Design, it’d become this jazzy, psych-lounge odyssey that should have been playing during the love scenes in all the bizarre sci-fi think pieces big at the time. Another oddity: what are A-list jazz guys Billy Cobham, Randy Brecker and Bob Mann doing on a Free Design record? “Felt So Good” (and the less convincing “Go Lean on a River”) is kind of a clean version of the big band rock made infamous by Blood, Sweat & Tears, given a kick by the heavyweight ringers. My faves are the title track, “Friendly Man” and “Going Back”, the latter of which should probably be copied and branded by Rufus Wainwright ASAP. — Dominique Leone, April 06, 2005

Released 1970

Sing For Very Important People is something of a children’s album, replete with songs about cowboys, Sesame Street, familiar Free Design pastimes of kites, bubbles and even a short lullaby at the end. According to Bruce Dedrick (who would leave the band following this record), the album was partially inspired by Mary Travers becoming a mother (she of big folk-pop players Peter, Paul & Mary)– if that seems twee, just remember Belle & Sebastian named themselves after a French kid’s show. Chris Dedrick’s opener “Don’t Cry, Baby” uses lightly melancholy, but just as exquisitely placed vocal harmonies to impart its message of perseverance and love. Again, if the message matters to you, you might find yourself balking at the total lack of irony or edge. Yet, as on “Children’s Waltz” and “Lullaby”, the wave of pastel, hymnal harmonies are hard to deny on aesthetic grounds. About half the record contains previously released songs, which could take steam out of its impact for fans (or collectors), but even then, songs like “Kites Are Fun” and “Bubbles” are some of the best the band produced. — Dominique Leone, April 06, 2005

Released 1970

Sing For Very Important People is something of a children’s album, replete with songs about cowboys, Sesame Street, familiar Free Design pastimes of kites, bubbles and even a short lullaby at the end. According to Bruce Dedrick (who would leave the band following this record), the album was partially inspired by Mary Travers becoming a mother (she of big folk-pop players Peter, Paul & Mary)– if that seems twee, just remember Belle & Sebastian named themselves after a French kid’s show. Chris Dedrick’s opener “Don’t Cry, Baby” uses lightly melancholy, but just as exquisitely placed vocal harmonies to impart its message of perseverance and love. Again, if the message matters to you, you might find yourself balking at the total lack of irony or edge. Yet, as on “Children’s Waltz” and “Lullaby”, the wave of pastel, hymnal harmonies are hard to deny on aesthetic grounds. About half the record contains previously released songs, which could take steam out of its impact for fans (or collectors), but even then, songs like “Kites Are Fun” and “Bubbles” are some of the best the band produced. — Dominique Leone, April 06, 2005

Released 1969

Heaven/Earth, for the most part, continues the soft, psychedelic pop of the first two records. “You Be You and I’ll Be Me” spices up a typically elaborate vocal arrangement with an uptempo, percussive rock groove and a horn chart similar to concurrent Blood, Sweat & Tears or Chicago. However, the surprisingly cynical “2002: A Hit Song” provides the most spark on the record, suggesting that The Free Design weren’t satisfied with their niche market. The singers outline a brief formula for a chart-topper (directed to the “teenyboppers”), only to admit in frustration, “We did all this last time, and it did not work.” Elsewhere, the funky jazz take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime” offers evidence that the band were willing to step out of the mold they’d crafted for themselves. The reissue includes both sides of a solo single by Ellen Dedrick and several tracks featuring the band as backing singers for a 1968 LP by future music-mogul Tommy Mottola. — Dominique Leone , June 28, 2004