Genre: Sunshine Pop / Psychedelic Pop
Media: CD
Disk (release) country: EC
Year of publication: 2011
Publisher (label): RPM
Part number: RETRO 897, RETRO 898
Country of the performer (group): UK
Audio codec: FLAC (*.flac)
Rip type: tracks
Audio bitrate: lossless
Duration: 02:27:38

In response to the legendary American band The Free Design, a group of a similar musical direction appears in the UK, which simply called itself Design. The band was formed in 1968 by singer, vocalist and composer Tony Smith while he was working for the BBC in London. It included Barry Alexander, Gabrielle Field, Kathy Manuell, John Mulcahy-Morgan and Geoff Ramseyer. Their musical style can be called a hippie-ballad vocalism with elements of folk rock, and with very melodic psychedelic harmonies, which in America at that time was called "sunshine pop", and there was nothing like it on the English scene yet. The band signed with Adrian Kerridge of Lansdowne Studios and recorded their first album, Design, during the summer of 1969.
In November 1970, shortly before the release of the first album, Tony Smith left the band unexpectedly and was replaced by guitarist Jeff Matthews, who had previously played with John and Joff in Free Expression.
After they appeared on The Morecambe and Wise Show in 1971, Design became one of the most popular television acts in the UK, making later guest appearances on dozens of other television shows. Subsequently, the first two albums were released in the US on Epic Records. They toured with Gilbert O'Sullivan, starred in cabaret shows and the London Palladium, and recorded several albums in later years such as Tomorrow Is So Far Away (1972), Day Of The Fox (1973) and In Flight (1974) before Gabriel Field and Geoff Ramseyer left the group in October 1974. The remaining four recorded the 1976 album By Design before finally disbanding in October 1976.
In general, the Design project was not very successful commercially, but it cannot be called a failure either. As music critic Simon Crisp wrote, the band's melodies and vocals were simply outstanding, and if they released an album, for example, in 1968, then the success would be overwhelming, which cannot be said about the first half of the seventies, because that musical fashion dictates its terms. After all, the style of "sunshine pop", which Design tried to adhere to, by that time had lost its relevance even in its homeland in America.
But ever since the group ceased to exist, their original albums have been in great demand among connoisseurs and collectors, because they were still highly appreciated by music critics, including in such magazines and books as "Shindig!" and Galactic Ramble. In June 2011, the first four Design albums were re-released for the first time on CD by RPM Records.

Tracklist:

2011 - Design - Tomorrow Is So Far Away (01:11:57)
1970 - Design
01 Coloured Smile
02 Willow Stream
03 Marguaretta
04 The Lonely
05 Thinkin'
06 Matchbox Man
07 The Minstrel's Theme
08 Speak
09 Buttercup Stranger
10 Children Of The Mist
11 Dawn Chorus
1972 - Tomorrow Is So Far Away
12 Take A Boat
13 Celestina
14 Strawberry Fields Forever
15 Sad Fisherman
16 Jennifer No One
17 The Time Has Come
18 The Jet Song
19 Ladybird Don't Fly
20 Tomorrow Is So Far Away
21 Butterfly Catcher
22 Love Is
23 Man We Was Lonely

2011 - Day of the Fox - In Flight (01:15:41)
1973 - Day of the Fox
01 Nature's children
02 Day of the Fox
03 I feel the earth move
04 Can this be love
05 Pisces hymn
06 Meet my friends
07 If you think about me
08 Fallen angel
09 Yellow bird (Have you no home)
10 You'd better believe it
11 When morning comes
1974 - In Flight
12 Wherever you may go
13 A famous myth
14 Teach me how to fly
15 Archie Franks
16 Dirty work
17 Don't apologize
18 Second love
19 End of the party
20 I'll be back again
21 I am the greene manne
22 Losing you
23 After the rain 

Personnel:
Tony Smith - vocals, guitar, 1968-70
Gabrielle Field - vocals, 1968-74
Kathy Manuell - vocals, 1968-76
John Mulcahy-Morgan - vocals, percussion, 1968-76
Geoff Ramseyer - vocals, 1968-74
Barry Alexander - vocals, 1969-76
Jeff Matthews - guitar, 1970-76