Released 1968
The Free Design released You Could Be Born Again, adding youngest sister Ellen to the lineup. Having another voice allowed Chris to write more complex vocal arrangements, but otherwise, the album is very similar to the debut. It features several covers of current pop hits, including “California Dreamin’”, The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby”, The Turtles’ “Happy Together” and Burt Bacharach’s “The Windows of the World”– and despite the brash dual-trumpet solo attack on the Mamas & the Papas tune, these songs contribute to a faceless professionalism that diminishes the album’s impact. Chris Dedrick provides the most distinctive music, especially the gorgeous “Ivy on a Windy Day”. Opening with a ghostly choral section, the song eventually settles into soft pop, featuring an unusual chord sequence that wouldn’t sound out of place on recent Stereolab records– in fact, Laetitia Sadier has cited the band as one of her all-time favorites. The reissue appends two non-LP bonus tracks: an easy-listening holiday ballad “Christmas Is the Day” and the oddly titled “Close Your Mouth (It’s Christmas)”. — Dominique Leone, June 28, 2004