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.