Cosmic Peekaboo

The Free Design | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 20, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Efa Imports
• ASIN: B000058DX7
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,746 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Peekaboo

2. Younger Son

3. McCarran Airport

4. Destiny

5. Springtime

6. Listen

7. The Hook

8. Music Room

9. The Only Treasure

10. Day Breaks

11. Perfect Love

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In southern California in the '60s, a number of bands mixed hip rock and square pop to create a highly distinctive sound. Groups like the Beach Boys, the Association, the Mamas and the Papas, and Love made beautifully arranged recordings that were simultaneously uplifting and dripping with melancholy. Around the same time, the Free Design were concocting similar sounds on the East Coast. Cosmic Peekaboo is the group's first recording since the early '70s, and not surprisingly, their sound has mellowed. Don't expect effervescent pop classics like "Bubbles" or "Kites Are Fun." However, they do still have the same basic sound: gorgeous sibling vocal harmonies backed by thoughtful arrangements. At times this reflective album flirts with schmaltz, but the disc also features lovely songs like "Cosmic Peekaboo," "Day Breaks," and the standout "Listen," on which flugelhorn, violin, and piano parts nicely accompany the group's sonorous singing. Fans of the Free Design owe Cosmic Peekaboo a listen. --Fred Cisterna

Product Description

Originally released in 2001, this release saw the return of one of the most idiosyncratic and original groups from the '60s, The Free Design, cited as a main influence by artists like Stereolab (who named an entire EP after the group), The High Llamas, Saint Etienne and Cornelius. Marina. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the wait?, March 21, 2001

By 

jimac51 (Allentown, Pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cosmic Peekaboo (Audio CD)

It has been almost 30 years since the Free Design made an album. Light and airy music with a backbone. This kind of music never found a mass audience before. How could anyone take a song about flying a kite seriously? And yet that was the magic of this group. Something seemingly ordinary and innocent is celebrated precisely because it is ordinary and innocent. Their songs of the past were about kites,bubbles,fluffernutters and,oh yeah,a relative getting killed in Vietnam and the insanity of that war. Light and airy with a viewpoint. An oxymoron? This new album is both a continuation from 1972 and a nod to the new millenium. Songs about Springtime,the break of day,playing "Peekaboo" continue themes of celbrating the ordinary and innocent. It is the act of celebration that makes this music so special. The blending of sibling voices Sandy,Chris and Bruce Dedrick with an added plus of vocalist/pianist/co-producer Rebecca Pellet cut straight to the heart. If you have the domestic compilation of their Project 3 material"Kites Are Fun"(Varese 5954} you won't be disappointed with the Free Design of 2001. It may have been worth the wait. But lets hope it is not another30 years for the next installment.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back Dedrick Family Singers!, April 11, 2001

By 

Bob Wylde (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cosmic Peekaboo (Audio CD)

I guess true genius never fades.

Similar to Brian Wilson's first solo album from 1988, "Cosmic Peekaboo" is evidence that a beloved sound can evolve and mature while retaining many of the characteristics that one would expect from pop legends.

All the sounds and vibes that Free Design fans know and love from their 60s' recordings are still present - listen to the fade out refrain on "Peekaboo", or Bruce Dedrick's "McCarran Airport" and "Springtime" and experience the type of pop thrill that today's Free Design fans (i.e. Stereolab, Saint Etienne, High Llamas, etc.) try to replicate.

The melody and class have always been there - now there's "experience" in the Free Design formula. Many of Cosmic's songs couldn't have been written by a 20 year old Chris Dedrick. A melancholic, mature vibe (it was always there - even in a children's song like "Daniel Dolphin") is evident in a number of the tracks on the new record. "Day Breaks" is a genuinely moving experience.

Chris Dedrick has written an introduction to the cd that explains where they've been and what prompted the release. Like the music contained within, the CD is packaged in a way that reflects The Free Design in 2001.

It's on Marina - a label that has become increasingly familiar to those who look for quality.

Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thank you, free design!, May 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cosmic Peekaboo (Audio CD)

Oh well, this record is simply gorgeooooous. I loved the original sixties recordings by the Free Design, and this brandnew album features all their classic trademarks: stunning vocal harmonies, unusual & unique songwriting, great thoughtful lyrics and truly mindblowing arrangements. A favourite track on this album is the great "Springtime", already a classic song in its own right (if you ask me). Think of Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks trying to write a hit single - and then SUCCEED. In a better universe this would be a smash hit. This album is a treat for each fan of classic, well arranged pop music in a Beach Boys/Harpers Bizarre vein. Beautiful albums like this are so rare, don't hesitate to buy it. This is really worth all your cash!