line-up 1: (1969)

- Jerry Duane -- vocals

- Jerry Keller -- vocals

- Trade Martin -- vocals

- Don Meehan -- vocals

- Anne Phillips (aka Anne Latta Dinsmore)  -- vocals

- William B. Phillips -- vocals

- Gene Steck -- vocals

- The Crew Chiefs (Gene Steck)

- Johnny and the Jokers (Trade Martin)

- Jerry Keller (solo efforts)

- The Mamselles (Anne Phillips)

- Trade Martin (solo efforts)

- Don Meehan (solo efforts)

- Anne Phillips Choir (Anne Phillips)

- The Anne Phillips Singers (Anne Phillips)

- The Starlettes (Anne Phillips)

Genre: pop

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Queen Anne's Lace

Company: Coral

Catalog: CRL 757509

Year: 1969

Country/State: US

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: minor edge wear

Available: 1

Catalog ID: 6065

Price: $20.00

Cost: $66.00

When I first heard this album I could have sworn I was listening to The Free Design ... so your own opinion on this collection is likely to be influenced by how you feel about the Dedrick siblings.

Like the liner notes say "Queen Anne's Lace combines the delicate airiness of an intricate wisp of lace ... and the tenacity of an enduring free form flower."  I have no idea what the hell that means, but it certainly sounded artsy and like I said above, 1969's "Queen Anne's Lace" sounded like something out of The Free Design's MOR- jazz-pop catalog.   It was also interesting to note that while the liner notes gave you the impression this was a true group, the back cover black and white photo didn't show a group, rather a single woman.  The woman was presumably Anne Phillips who the liner notes credit as singer/writer/composer/arranger and producer, though elsewhere a William B. Phillips was credited as the producer (I'm going out on a limb assuming the two are related in some fashion).  Phillips' musical career stretched back to the mid-'50s when she was a member of The Norman Luboff Choir and The Ray Charles Singers.  By the mid-'60s she'd recorded with her own Anne Phillips Choir, The Mamselles and The Stralettes.   Musically "Queen Anne's Lace" offered up a mixture of popular covers (frequently with vastly different arrangements) and a couple of Phillips-penned originals.  Like The Free Design (and a lot of bad Christian bands), the popular covers (Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Paul Simon) were executed in a slick, just-this-side-of-MOR style that was very mid-1960s in feel and sound.  Philips originals such as 'No Worry Tour', 'The Happiest Day of My Life' and 'Back To Where We Started from (Spinning Song)' sported a similar upbeat MOR feel, but were kind of interesting precisely because they were so kitschy.   Obviously Phillips and company were aiming to make an impact on the "youth" scene, but without scaring off mom and dad and the grandparents. While it wasn't a great album, I have to admit it wasn't a total disaster.  A little too cool to be considered cocktail jazz and a little too smooth to be labeled sunshine-pop ... 

This one certainly wasn't going to be for everyone and I can tell you there are certain times I don't want anything to do with it - as an example this would not be a good soundtrack for a Superbowl party.  That said, it you happen to be in a retro mood (think warm, sleepy Sunday mornings), or just have an interest in exploring that particular musical time and place, this album is great.  

The album was also released with an alternate, slightly more attractive cover:

"Queen Anne's Lace" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) The Fool On the Hill (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 3:06   rating: ** stars

'Even The Beatles original 'The Fool On the Hill' had kind of a jazzy feel to it, so it shouldn't be particularly jarring to hear it recast as a 'hip' Free Design-styled piece.  The voices and arrangements were all quite nice, but the end result sounded like a something penned for a toothpaste commercial ...

2.) (There) Always Something There To Remind Me (Burt Bacharach - Hal David) - 2:58   rating: ** stars

Hum, Burt Bacharach's '(There) Always Something There To Remind Me' was always pretty MOR and here Phillips managed to push it over the edge.  This one really sounded like something off of one of those faceless discount albums grandparents bought in an effort to be cool.  

3.) No Worry Tour (Anne Phillips - Hilary J. Lipsitz)- 3:17 rating: *** stars

While the harmony rich sound remained consistent, perhaps because it was an original number, 'No Worry Tour' was actually worth hearing.  

4.) Ticket To Ride (John Lennon - Paul McCartney) - 2:19   rating: ** stars

Every wondered what it would sound like if your local high school choir covered a Beatles track ?  If you have, just check out their cover of 'Ticket To Ride'.   Hard to imagine a Beatles song as being sleep inducing, but this cover is. 

5.) Sally Go 'Round the Roses (Zel Sanders - Lona Stevens) - 3:09 rating: *** stars

Simply due to the fact it generated a bit of energy, their cover of The Jaynetts' Sally Go 'Round the Roses' was probably the standout performance on the first side.  Nothing you were going to remember five minutes after you heard it, but so what ...  Loved the bass line on this one.

(side 2)

1.) Neon Rainbow (Wayne Thompson) - 2:20 rating: *** stars

While their version of 'Neon Rainbow' was pleasant and the harmony vocals were absolutely glorious (the title refrain is a keeper), it's doubtful anyone would prefer this version over The Box Tops' original.  Shame the song faded out so abruptly.

2.) Thank the Beautiful People (Thank the Young) (Peter Cofield) - 2:50 rating: *** stars

I used to regularly go to Saturday evening folk mass and 'Thank the Beautiful People (Thank the Young)' sounded like something my local Catholic young peoples choir would have performed.  That's not to say it was bad (once again the harmony vocals were amazing), rather didn't have much going for it if you were looking for something in the progressive, psych, or rock genres.   

3.) The Power of the Flower (Peter Cofield) - 2:42 rating: **** stars

Yes, yes, 'The Power of the Flower' simply dripped mid-1960s themes and sound, but I have to admit that it was a great track.  You had to laugh at the lyrics, but there was something uplifting and charming in the song's naive bliss.  Great tune too boot.  WIth the Baroque trumpet solo this could have been used as a television theme song, or a toothpast commercial. 

4.) The Happiest Day of My Life (Anne Phillips) - 2:10 rating: *** stars

Another Phillips original, 'The Happiest Day of My Life' was a bit too close to The Association, but it had a nice bass pattern and sported some of the album's best harmony arrangements.  It's one of the tracks that would have made a nice single. and given the sentimental lyrics, I'm surprised it hasn't become a wedding day favorite,

5.) Dangling Conversations (Paul Simon) - 2:59   rating: ** stars

I've never particularly like the Simon and Garfunkle original, but their of 'Dangling Conversations' came off sounding like a piece of incidental music written for some crappy 'B' art film.     

6.) Back To Where We Started from (Spinning Song) (Anne Phillips) - 2:03 rating: *** stars

The final original composition, 'Back To Where We Started from (Spinning Song)' was interesting from a technical standpoint, showcasing some of their most sophisticated vocal arrangements (including a touch of lysergic influences), over a simply bongo base.  Only complaint with this one was that it faded out too quickly.  

For hard core fans, there's also an obscure pre-LP single:

- 1968's 'You Have Turned Me Every Way But Loose' b/w 'Windows and Doors' (Mona-Lee catalog number 218X)

Phillips is still active in music (as of 2023) and has a web presence at: Anne Phillips