the Free Design Appreciation Thread

Cafe Society
1

Dude, who loves the Free Design?

It seems like every summer, I end up dude-jamming Kites are Fun when I just need to soak in the season and feel light of heart and free of spirit. Such a great band…they basically did the happy side of the psychedelic era, a la the Association or the Turtles, but with the compositional prowess of classical or jazz composers. The result is easy, breezy, innocent and playfully psychedelic songs but with breakbeats that would make David Axelrod blush and arrangements so sprawling and harmonically intricate that they make Pet Sounds sound like the Shaggs.

I’ve really been digging their final (at least before their 2000 comeback record) album, There is a song (1970, I think). It’s a little more serious and somber than their more playful records, but it’s probably their best full-length. The title track is outstanding.

2

Well, since this was DOA, I’ll change this from an appreciation thread to an “hey, you guys should all really check out the Free Design!” thread.

3

It’s a shame that no one responded to this thread, because the Free Design really were one of the greatest pop-psych-vocal-harmony groups, and their music at its best was absolutely top-notch. Kites Are Fun is usually the first point of reference when checking out the group, but of all their albums, I have a special bond with Star/Time/Bubbles/Love, which has my favorite Free Design song on it, “Bubbles.”

The thing about the Free Design, which “Bubbles” encapsulates so well, is that their music was utterly unique. The sound is crisp, fresh and clean. There’s funky keyboard and bass, and the drums are just super tight. The harmonies are beautiful, and the whole song is in an unusual, shifting time signature that’s complex but seems simple. But juxtaposed with the clean sunshine-pop sound and “ba-bubble-bubble-bubble” vocals, are some super-dark lyrics.

*Blowin’ bubbles outta the window
Chewin’ bubblegum and blowin’ big bubbles
Gettin’ gettin’ ridda ridda all my troubles,
Watchin’ the tadpoles glubba, glubba in the puddles
Soap bubbles carry my dreams up high
Bubble gum kinda keeps my heart from gettin’ heavy and cryin’

Ma ‘n’ Pa are arguin’ again,
today I lost my best friend
The kitty has a little cold,
‘n ‘ grammama is getting older
My tummy has a little pain,
‘n’ when does Jesus come again?..*

(Check out those tongue-twister lyrics, by the way–mostly sung in 7/8 time, I believe…)

There were, of course, other and less well-known groups excelling in vocal-pop and sunshine pop sounds. One was Inner Dialogue, who released an eponymous LP on Ranwood that’s not too hard to find. In Canada, Kurt & Noah released an album called There Are Things… that is harder to track down, but totally worth it. The album Singers, Talkers, Players, Swingers and Do-Ers by the Hellers has some nice sunshine pop mixed with weird electronic sounds.

Speaking of vocal pop albums that make Pet Sounds seem drab, Home and Away by Del Shannon is a slice of pure, orchestrated popsike genius. Produced by Andrew Loog Oldham, backed by the TOP session players in 1966-1967 London (including John Paul Jones, Nicky Hopkins, and Jimmy Page), replete with strings, oboes, harpsichord and woodwind flourishes, Del Shannon managed to make an album unequalled by Mr. Wilson & co. Check <a href=“http://www.delshannon.com/homeandawaystudio.htm”>this link</a> for more.

4

That Hellers album is great! I’ve never met another person that had even heard of it.

Based on this response alone, I’ll personally pay for your membership if you decide to stick around here.

5

You’re too kind! I’m happy with guest status for now, but instead (if you haven’t heard it yet), use the $14.95 to check out that Del Shannon album. If you like pop-psych (and I’m guessing someone who digs the Hellers does), your socks will officially be knocked off by Home and Away. EMI has just reissued it, so it’s easily accessible now; actually, “reissued” might not be the correct term, since Liberty shelved it in 1967 and never issued the album in the first place! Anyway, before, you’d have had to track down an out-of-print 2-CD set that had the album tracks sandwiched in there, but now EMI has seen fit to release it upon the world in its original order.

From there, it’s a quick step to Del’s psychedelic album The Further Adventures of Charles Westover, which is at almost the same level of genius. And up until recently, the original vinyl wasn’t super-expensive (good news to a rabid vinyl collector like me!). But since it’s shot up recently, the import CD reish is probably your best best.

Damn, that guy was great.

Anyway, back to the Free Design… they’re a great example of a band that did not make one bad record. If a listener likes one record, they’ll like 'em all (and the group made, what, seven albums?). Hell, anyone who likes **Stereolab ** has a moral obligation to listen to them, to hear how much the 'Lab borrowed from Chris Dedrick et al…

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Hey, Stereolab even finally broke down and just called a song “The Free Design!”

I love Del Shannon - I think the guy’s so ridiculously underrated in that his name just never comes up, and when provoked, I’ll even call “Runaway” the greatest pop single in history. I’ve had a quasi-bootleg/weirdly compiled “Home and Away” for a few years, but I’ve never checked out “Further Adventures…” Will do, immediately.

7

As much as I like Stereolab, sometimes I think their entire recorded output could be reconstructed by throwing VU, Free Design and United States of America in a blender and setting it to ‘frappe.’

Someone else who’s up on Home and Away! You probably have the same weirdly-compiled recording I did… Have you heard the Billy Nicholls album Would You Believe? You might dig that as well, considering he wrote several of the songs Shannon covered…

8

You can’t forget Can!

I think the most egregious United States of America-stealers are Broadcast, especially their earlier records. At least Portishead flat-out said “this song is dedicated to the United States of America” in the liner notes for “Half Day Closing.”

9

It’s funny you should mention that… for whatever reason, I’m more willing to forgive Broadcast their musical kleptomania. Maybe it’s because I think they get better–weirder, and more like themselves–with each album. I know most folks ride for *The Noise Made By People, * but my favorite album by them is Tender Buttons. They’re starting to get more out-there (or maybe they’re replacing their USA fetish with a 50 Foot Hose fetish? :stuck_out_tongue: ).

Wow… from Free Design to Can in seven posts… this thread has taken some… *unexpected * turns.