Very Best Of Free Design

 (7 customer reviews)

First, a confession: I didn't really appreciate The Free Design on my first exposure to them--and I got to see them perform LIVE! Talk about "pearls before swine," when I saw this delightful vocal group in the early 1970's at Central Islip Senior High School, I must've rolled my eyes through much of the show. I really would've preferred Alice Cooper or Black Sabbath. Well, looking back, this music has aged better than some of the Coop's stuff, that's for sure. Thanks to a local thrift store and www.luxuriamusic.com, I rediscovered this quirky family band. Think Carpenters-In-Jazz-Lab without a care in the world. All the instruments and voices are real. There's a naive freshness here coupled with musical skillsets that are sorely missing today. You can tell this group was still absorbing pop influences like The Beatles. If you've reached a stage in life where you'd like to hear real people sing with real voices while playing real instruments, this might be a good place to start. Kites...Read more

The fact their career lasted from 67-73 (5 albums?) means this group were not slackers. Cutting to the chase: All tracks sound profesional, there are probably between 4 and 7 tracks that are worth the price of admission, depending on your taste. (I like 2, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16). Clever vocal and musical arrangements, unique only in their integration of several styles (jazz and chorale among them). Some sappy lyrics but not excessive (see Love Generation). While this group has the squeeky clean sound of many a commerical jingle (think they did some for that matter), this was a REAL group and is evident in their work. They are who they are (2 brothers and 2 sisters). If you are into Sunshine Pop, I'd give this an even higher rating. When the career dips into the 70's, the work starts resembling the Carpenters. Note: I wish Karen Carpenter had done a version of You Are My Sunshine as found on this CD! Still big in Japan for reasons unknown. (some have suggested the cover art appeals...Read more

I'm a child of the '60s but I had never heard of this group until I heard their song "Love You" over the closing credits of "Stranger Than Fiction." This prompted me to look the group up and get this collection of their best songs. It's good stuff with sophisticated harmonies, and I'm glad I got it.