Design -Design/Tomorrow is So Far Away (2 LPS) -Rare vinyl rip of band featured on Fading Yellow 5)

Design -Design. Sunshine Psych Pop, vocal harmony and sparkly acoustic fans will fairly gag when they hear this masterpiece. It would definitely fall into the Free Design and Collage domain but like the others, occupies its own unique locale and that locale might be called 'Art'. The musical arrangements are stunning and the vocal arrangements are creative but never inaccessible. The songwriting ranges from perky to zany to introspective to ethereal and on and on - exemplary.

Tracklisting:
1. Coloured Mile
2. Willow Stream
3. Marguaretta
4. The Lonely
5. Thinkin
6. Matchbox Man
7. The Minstrel's Theme
8. Speak
9. Buttercup Stranger
10. Children Of The Mist
11. Dawn Chorus

All songs by A.C. Smith except The Minstrel's Theme by Barry Johnston
Musical Director: Sydney Dale
Vocal Arrangements: Tony Smith

DESIGN: Kathy Manuell, Gabrielle Field, Tony Smith, Barry Johnston, Geoff Ramseyer and John Morgan Original B&W Graphic: Karenlee Grant

Design - Tomorrow Is So Far Away -Two of the original group members have been replaced but the essence is the same. The opening track, Take A Boat is as sensational as any cut from the 1st album as are a number of the others like Sad Fisherman and Love Is. There is an artful cover of the Beatle's Strawberry Fields Forever and a lush and faithful cover of The Groop's The Jet Song. One more cover is Paul McCartney's Man We Was Lonely that the group does beautifully by - a sight better than Paul himself did with this substandard, throw-away tune. Also of note is the album's title track, the lovely and tender Tomorrow Is So Far Away.

track listing :

Take A Boat
Jet Song
Celestina
Ladybird Don't Fly
Strawberry Fields Forever
Tomorrow Is So Far Away
Sad Fisherman
Butterfly Catcher
The Time Has Come
Man We Was Lonely

musicians

Barry Alexander : vocals
Gabrielle Field : vocals
Kathy Manuell : vocals
Geoff Ramseyer : vocals
Chris Spedding : guitars
Alan Parker : guitars
Herbie Flowers : bass
Tony Campo : bass
Clem Cattini : drums
Roger Coulam : keyboards
Alan Hawkshaw : keyboards


*see comments!/Make comments!