Okay, I've always been a fan of sunshine pop and I've always been a fan of The Stooges, MC5, Detroit Rock, rockabilly and garage rock. Do music genres have to be mutually exclusive to ones musical palette?
No … you need something tranquil to sooth the angry beast. It also helps you think "outside the box" …
I have discussed sunshine pop before, for discussions on sunshine pop see: what Frank is listening to #111, what Frank is listening to #148
Like a lot of east coast sunshine pop acts though, there are substantial elements of baroque pop in the music. For discussions on baroque pop: what Frank is listening to #94
Sunshine pop by its nature is quite light and easy on the ear. On a spectrum of sunshine pop you would get the Beach Boys or the Left Banke with their melodies and harmonies tempered by a jagged edge in lyric, or the use of rock instruments in a rock setting on one side whilst on the other end there would be MOR which encompasses The Free Design, The Association and some Nancy Sinatra. There's nothing wrong with Nancy (she's glorious) or The Association but it's a slippery slope from there to The Carpenters.
Sunshine Pop is not the music you are going to put on to charge yourself up before a Saturday night on the town … the boys are not back in town, one hand loose wont keep you satisfied and you aint gonna get Dixie fried.
It's not drinking or rooting music.
But as I sit here on a Sunday morning I find this is perfect Sunday morning music. Maybe the "celestial harmonies" and innocent clean cut lyrics remind me I should be going to mass (I'll go this afternoon … the young, hand clapping Catholics at the afternoon mass sing and harmonise in a manner not dissimilar to this anyway).
If you haven't heard of the Free Design don't feel bad as they are obscure though legendary among sunshine pop aficionados who have long held them in high esteem:
Allmusic: "The commercial failure of the Free Design remains one of the most baffling mysteries in the annals of pop music — with their exquisitely celestial harmonies, lighter-than-air melodies, and blissful arrangements, the group's records were on par with the work of superstar contemporaries like the Beach Boys, the Association, and the Cowsills, yet none of their singles even cracked the Hot 100".
The band formed in the middle 60s …..by way of background, from wikipedia: "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".
This is their first album for the Project 3 Audiophile label run by Enoch Light who produced this album (the label put out a lot of "stereo" lounge music especially percussion and Tony Mottola guitar albums …) and he is the perfect producer for them as a result of his slightly avant guard classical bent.
Unfortunately Project 3 being an independent were never going to be in a position to market or exploit the Free Design to the wider public.
Cest La Vie.
Apparently studio musicians (including guitarist legend Tony Mottola) are used on this album (and I believe most of the bands albums) which means the vocals, writing, arranging and conducting is done by the band, specifically Chris Dedrick (age 20!).
The groups covers indicate their influences but listening to this I can hear, apart from the sunshine and baroque pop, religious, classical, folk pop, choral group, vocal pop, easy listening, lounge, AM pop, soundtrack, and MOR schmaltz music. Any number of these genres isolated and in the wrong hands could well be mind numbing but here the music is sublimely intrusive … it literally works it's way into your head and floats around your brain.
The closest musical reference is some sort of a mix of Paul Simon and Brian Wilson with maybe more of the Wilson tempo. But whereas Brian took his vocal harmonies from doo wop and pop vocal groups the Free Design take their vocals from jazz vocal groups.
This is good.
It may all seem perfectly frothy MOR but it is in reality quite subversive.
Tracks (best in italics)
- Kites Are Fun – (Chris Dedrick) – what a way to start an album … amazing … the lyric is genius … Brian Wilson eat your heart out …
I like flying
Flying kites, flying kites, flying kites
Kites are fun, kites are fun, kites are fun
Flying kites, flying kites, flying kites
Kites are fun, kites are fun, kites are fun
See my kite, it's fun
See my kite, it's green and white
Laughing in its distant flight
All that's between us is a little yellow string
But we like each other more than anything
And we run along together through the field behind my house
And the little drops of rain caress our face and wash my blouse
And we'd like to be a zillion miles away from everyone
Cause Mom and Dad and Uncle Bill don't realise
See my kite, it's green and white
Laughing in its distant flight
All that's between us is a little yellow string
But we like each other more than anything
And we run along together through the field behind my house
And the little drops of rain caress our face and wash my blouse
And we'd like to be a zillion miles away from everyone
Cause Mom and Dad and Uncle Bill don't realise
- Make the Madness Stop – (Chris Dedrick) – this has more beat and irresistible …
Whoa, whoa, blow your mind but not completely
make the madness stop
Deplete we must the store of hate immense and men grouping groping nonsense
make the madness stop
Deplete we must the store of hate immense and men grouping groping nonsense
- When Love is Young – (Sandy Dedrick and Stephanie Dedrick) – "a slippery slope to the Carpenters" … but this is still at the top of the hill …
- The Proper Ornaments– (Chris Dedrick) – vocals with trumpets and cello … wow. Pure pop but if you listen to the lyrics – totally subversive …
Ba Ba Ba…
Ornaments of Life, ornaments of life
There’s your brand new car, sir, here’s your hat and gloves
There’s your pretty wife, sir, whom you almost love
Ornaments of Life, ornaments of life
There’s your brand new car, sir, here’s your hat and gloves
There’s your pretty wife, sir, whom you almost love
There’s your color TV set and your impressive pad
There’s your little baby girl you’re almost glad you had
Such a pretty dress, miss, such a graceful walk
Bubbling femininity, authoritative talk
There’s your man he’s prominent; treats you like a queen
All your little secrets kept, your reputations clean
The proper ornaments of life.
There’s your little baby girl you’re almost glad you had
Such a pretty dress, miss, such a graceful walk
Bubbling femininity, authoritative talk
There’s your man he’s prominent; treats you like a queen
All your little secrets kept, your reputations clean
The proper ornaments of life.
Gotta have status
have a paid vacation,
have an intellectual education
ornaments of life
proper ornaments of life
have a paid vacation,
have an intellectual education
ornaments of life
proper ornaments of life
- My Brother Woody – (Chris Dedrick) – a little weaker than the other tracks though still up there.
- 59th Street Bridge Song – (Paul Simon) – a song popular with MOR instrumental albums here the songs light, breezy lyrics are take to the extreme.
- Don't Turn Away – (Chris Dedrick) – Tony Mottola is on guitar (as is Jay Berliner) but there is some beautiful French Horn … romantic songs rarely get more romantic than this …
- Umbrellas – (Bruce Dedrick) – beautiful harmonies.
- Michelle – (Lennon/McCartney) – The Beatles song in name only … this is a total de-construction … like a 60s barber shop quartet (a cooler version of the B Sharps ?) … amazing.
- Never Tell the World – (Sandy Dedrick and Chris Dedrick) – their vocal freak out … and reminiscent (as quite a bit of this album is) of Les Double Six of Paris.
- A Man and a Woman – (Francis Lai) – the song of the film of the same name – another popular song with the MOR instrumentalists of the time … and another de-deconstruction.
- Stay Another Season – (Chris Dedrick) – reminiscent of the 5th Dimension and their "Up Up and Away" (as quite a bit of this is, also) … which came out in 1967 also. I don't know which came first …
And …
I'm keeping this and looking for more….but it's not cheap.
See you in church.
Chart Action
zip everywhere
Sounds
Kites Are Fun
and attached
Make the Madness Stop
The Proper Ornaments
attached
My Brother Woody
Don't Turn Away
Michelle
attached
Never Tell the World
Review
Bio
video doco:
Website
Trivia
- Apparently The Free Design later influenced the bands Stereolab, Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Beck, Super Furry Animals, Belle & Sebastian, Danger Mouse and The High Llamas. Again I implore you to by pass these marginal or otherwise risible crud acts and go to the source for inspiration.
Picture
Stereolab were never this cool … and I'm not sure if these guys are cool …
(originally posted: 26/09/2010)
