Free Design
Kites Are Fun (it)
Fully licensed, limited to 500 copies on 180gr vinyl. 1967, just like it was yesterday, pre Vietnam war scenario, high hopes and a new bright horizon, soon to be fall. Meanwhile, the music and - in this case - the celestial vocal harmonies of the East Coast unit formally known as Free Design, their 1967 debut 'Kites Are Fun' is still a case in point and a major influence on today's alternative pop. Often referred as the East Coast answer to Mamas & the Papas, the band had a more ethereal and eclectic approach. From the gentle orchestral accompaniment of 'Make The Madness Stop' to the folkish bossa of 'When Love Was Young' through the sensational arrangements of 'Proper Ornaments' - a number eventually championed by Madlib in the stunning tribute 'The Now Sound Redesigned' (released on Light In The Attic in 2005) - you'll find more than a singular approach. Produced by none other than Enoch Light the album is still an astonishing piece of heavenly art-pop with such a lysergic counterpoint.