On
the Free Design's 1970 record,
Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love, not much has changed with the Dedrick clan. The group's amazing vocal harmonies are still very much in evidence, the lush arrangements are still fuller than Grizzly Adams' beard, and the songs, like the cute and silly "Kije's Ouija" and the finger-snappingly groovy "Keep Off Your Frown" (which sounds like an unlikely cross between
Oscar Brown, Jr. and
the Zombies), are still lighthearted and fun. Most of the songs sound like they exist in the the Dedricks' own strange little world of harmony and childlike innocence; the only one that sounds influenced by the times is "I'm a Yogi," which has sitars, a mild psychedelic break, and groovy lyrics. It sounds more like Yogi Bear than the Maharishi, but then that is the charm of
the Free Design. The record is filled with some of the band's best work: the bouncy, perky "Bubbles" (a song later covered by
Dressy Bessy on the Powerpuff Girls soundtrack record); the sweet "Butterflies Are Free," which features the Dedrick sisters on lead vocals, the brash (for them) "That's All, People," which sounds like a lost
Jimmy Webb track, with great vocal interplay among the siblings. The only track that falls short is their cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," which is the rare
Free Design effort that sounds like run-of-the-mill elevator music. Pretty much any
Free Design recording is going to be a treasure for fans of intelligent, witty, and above all, sophisticated sunshine pop.
Stars/Time/Bubbles/Love is no exception. [Light in the Attic's 2004 reissue of the album contains extensive liner notes and two bonus tracks: the previously unreleased "To a Black Boy" and the single version of "Butterflies Are Free."] ~ Tim Sendra