The Free Design Kites Are Fun

Fans of the Beach Boys, the 5th Dimension and other seminal pop artists have a gaping hole in their music collections if it doesn’t contain Kites Are Fun, the 1967 soft-psych-pop masterpiece from The Free Design. Never heard of the band? You’re not alone. Although now admired by audiophiles such as Beck, Stereolab and The Polyphonic Spree, The Free Design never achieved mainstream fame – an injustice that still puzzles many critics. In 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. Nine of the album’s songs 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. Thirty six years after its release, and for the first time in North America on CD, Light In The Attic proudly presents The Free Design, introducing the group to a new generation of listeners.