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The Free Design

Kites Are Fun

Light In The Attic

LITA004CD

Cassette Tape $12
CD $12
LP Black $21
Digital Download $10.99
  • LP housed in a deluxe gatefold Stoughton tip-on jacket
  • 50th Anniversary Record Store Day Black Friday edition
  • “Golden Sky” color wax
  • Updated booklet with liner notes by Michael White
  • Newly restored artwork

Description

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of Light In The Attic’s very first reissues, we are bringing back The Free Design’s debut album, Kites Are Fun. Featuring lyrics rife with social commentary masked by sugary yet complex harmonies and jazzy progressions, Kites Are Fun is a sunshine-bubblegum-daisy-puppy pop masterpiece that stands the test of time. Fans of the Beach Boys, the 5th Dimension and other seminal pop artists will wonder how they could’ve overlooked this 1967 gem, now admired by the likes of Beck, Madlib, and Belle & Sebastian.

The Free Design never achieved mainstream fame – an injustice that still puzzles many critics. Born out of the the Greenwich Village scene of 1966, the family act was filling New York City coffee houses with dreamy, deceptively complex harmonies when acclaimed producer Enoch Light signed the siblings – Bruce, Chris, and Sandy Dedrick – to his Project 3 label. One year later, The Free Design debuted with Kites Are Fun. By 1972 they had released six albums, but with the likes of Zappa, Zeppelin, and Bowie on the scene, their tightly-knit vocal arrangements and intricately beautiful melodies were drowned out by the glitz and glamour of more heavy-hitters.

Nine of the album’s song are originals, notably the title track, which became an instant soft-pop classic; well-chosen covers, including the Beatles’ “Michelle” and Simon & Garfunkels’ “The 59th Street Bridge Song,” complete the collection. This Record Store Day Black Friday, 50 years after its original release, Light In The Attic is proud to introduce The Free Design to a new generation of listeners.

Available: November 24th, 2017 (in-store only)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of Light In The Attic’s very first reissues, we are bringing back The Free Design’s debut album, Kites Are Fun. Featuring lyrics rife with social commentary masked by sugary yet complex harmonies and jazzy progressions, Kites Are Fun is a sunshine-bubblegum-daisy-puppy pop masterpiece that stands the test of time. Fans of the Beach Boys, the 5th Dimension and other seminal pop artists will wonder how they could’ve overlooked this 1967 gem, now admired by the likes of Beck, Madlib, and Belle & Sebastian.

The Free Design never achieved mainstream fame – an injustice that still puzzles many critics. Born out of the the Greenwich Village scene of 1966, the family act was filling New York City coffee houses with dreamy, deceptively complex harmonies when acclaimed producer Enoch Light signed the siblings – Bruce, Chris, and Sandy Dedrick – to his Project 3 label. One year later, The Free Design debuted with Kites Are Fun. By 1972 they had released six albums, but with the likes of Zappa, Zeppelin, and Bowie on the scene, their tightly-knit vocal arrangements and intricately beautiful melodies were drowned out by the glitz and glamour of more heavy-hitters.

Nine of the album’s song are originals, notably the title track, which became an instant soft-pop classic; well-chosen covers, including the Beatles’ “Michelle” and Simon & Garfunkels’ “The 59th Street Bridge Song,” complete the collection. This Record Store Day Black Friday, 50 years after its original release, Light In The Attic is proud to introduce The Free Design to a new generation of listeners.

Artist Bio

Hailing from New York, The Free Design were a late ’60s/early ’70s family pop group, releasing seven brilliant albums and influencing countless musicians (Beck, Belle & Sebastian, Cornelius, Stereolab…). Fans of The Beach Boys and The Association take note…

Preview Tracklist

  • 1 Kites Are Fun
    2:42
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  • 2 Make The Madness Stop
    3:08
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  • 3 When Love Is Young
    2:54
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  • 4 The Proper Ornaments
    2:49
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  • 5 My Brother Woody
    2:35
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  • 6 59th Street Bridge Song
    2:52
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  • 7 Don't Turn Away
    3:59
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  • 8 Umbrellas
    2:28
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  • 9 Michelle
    3:13
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  • 10 Never Tell The World
    2:32
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  • 11 A Man And A Woman
    3:04
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  • 12 Stay Another Season
    4:37
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  • 13 The Proper Ornaments (Mono)
    2:45
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  • 14 Kites Are Fun (Single Version)
    2:42
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