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The Free Design - 1969 - Heaven/Earth
The Free Design were a Delevan, New York based vocal group playing jazzy pop music. Their music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop, which were pop music subgenres at the time, which later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck and The High Llamas. The members were all members of the Dedrick family: Chris Dedrick (who wrote most of the songs), sister Sandy and brother Bruce were the original lineup. Younger sister Ellen joined the group later, and youngest sister Stefanie joined near the end of their initial career. Their father, Art, was a trombonist and music arranger. Their uncle Rusty Dedrick was a jazz trumpeter with Claude Thornhill and Red Norvo. They formed the band while living in New York City. Chris has said the group was influenced by vocal groups like The Hi-Los (who performed in Greenwich Village frequently at the time) along with Peter, Paul and Mary and the counterpoint experiments of Benjamin Britten. Their trademark sound involved complex harmonies, jazz-like chord progressions, and off-beat time signatures, all products of Chris's classical training. The band released seven albums from 1967 to 1972, the first six on Enoch Light's Project 3 label and the last one, There is a Song, on the Ambrotype label. For the most part, they were accompanied on the albums by studio musicians. Heaven/Earth is the third album, released in 1969. The band was dissolved in 1972. 01 - My Very Own Angel 02 - Now Is the Time 03 - If I Were a Carpenter 04 - You Be You and I'll Be Me 05 - Girls Alone 06 - 2002 - A Hit Song 07 - Summertime 08 - Where Do I Go 09 - Hurry Sundown 10 - Memories 11 - Dorian Benediction LINK
