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.
