The Free album by album thread

Run that number up to 100%. he did not play on Tons of Sobs, Not sure he played until Heartbreaker, but I'm old and the memory isn't what it used to be.

 

I thought Heartbreaker also was when Paul R. played guitar for the first time on a Free album.

 

My favorite Free album is probably Heartbreaker which is maybe a bit odd because it's where the band was truly falling apart. Internal friction between Bundrick & Rodgers was at a boiling point and Fraser was gone replaced by Tetsu (the ultimate replacement rock 'n' roll bass player). For the sessions, Kossoff wasn't even used that much. Snuffy Walden was the primary guitarist with Kossoff playing the role of a session musicians (appearing on only 5 of the 8 tracks).

Anyway, bringing it back to the present and not jumping ahead/hijacking: I think I like diluted Free better than anything else the band ever did. I'm not a huge fan of ToS or anything else, really. ToS is okay, but waaay too bluesy for me. Sorry, but it gets boring for me. I'm just not a huge fan of blues rock (with some exceptions, of course). Secondly, and probably as controversial as my first statement, I have never liked Kossoff as a guitarist. I've always found his tone weak and when I listen to Free I always find myself saying, "why isn't the guitar more in the forefront?". Instead, it's Kirke's drums and Fraser's bass more dominant in the mix and Kossoff is kind of back there with a semi-distorted tone and filling in parts (at least that's what it sounds like to me). In short, something about Free often feels clunky to me; like the rhythm section isn't totally smooth and meshes nicely, and, well, Kossoff does what he does which I don't like.

There's your unpopular opinion of Free. Thanks for your time.

 

I might be in the minority but I was always disappointed by Highway. I like the more blues based material. It seems Kossoff shines brighter when playing it.

 

Free definitely had a sound that was different from a lot of the bands in the 70s. As you said, Koss is not really in the forefront. As time went on, Andy Fraser grew as a songwriter and his bass changed duties in the band. His basslines became the basis for their songwriting structures. He really came up in the mix with his McCartney and Motown stylings. A lot of high register stuff. It made their sound unique IMO.
However, you are not alone with not liking that type of sound. A friend of mine said almost the same thing you have about their song approach with the bass and drums.

You are also right about Koss being in the background filling in parts. However, I think this was part of his genius.....knowing when not to play and even then understating it. Also, he was a purist when it came to his tone. It can sound weak but that was the basis of his tone....a crying understated wail and as you can guess, I love it. I think he was one of the best ever.

I am not a huge blues rock fan either but this is one big exception. I keep going on about Koss but I think Paul Rodgers is one of the best ever. I don't know much about drumming but I have always liked Simon Kirke's sound.

I hope you check the thread out as it progresses.

 

Do Free fanatics look at Bad Company as a poorman's Free?

 

I always loved the way that space is used in the band. Such great
arrangements and parts. It's obvious a lot of thought went into
the sound and the feel of every track. Excellent dynamic work
also. They are unique in their minimalist approach for that
kind of music at the time. Looking forward to reading this whole thread.

 

Not me. I like Bad Co. very much.

 

I agree. That raw minimalistic emotive intensity of his tone, that's what I dig so much. Just look at that video of Mr Big - he's not playing many notes there but he squeezes so much emotion out of that Les Paul, it's just pouring out.

 

Bad Co. are ok but Free were better IMHO.

 

100% agree, agree!!! If I had to formulate a list of greatest guitar players, Koss would be in my top 5. If I had to do that list with guitarist with most emotion, Koss and Roy Buchanan would be neck and neck. Koss gets so overlooked, as does Free. Perhaps because a lot of people labeled them as Cream wannabe? I never agreed with that. Andy Fraser was a beast of a bass player.

 

Seems that Kosoff has the edge over Ralphs? Bluesier I guess? Indeed both were mighty fine in their own ways and I dig Free more as well.

 

IMHO, Andy Fraser is more overlooked as a bass player than Paul Kossoff is as a guitarist.

 

Mick Ralphs should have stuck with Mott The Hoople, another great band.

 

It's blasphemy I tell ya!

 

No accounting for crazy

 

Overall for the first three albums, Fraser was equally adept as Kossoff at economy of amount of notes that he played and overall emotional feel as Kossoff. Both were monsters in the band. Add the monster voice of Rodgers and the tasteful drumming of Kirke and you had a band that could turn goat urine into gasoline.

 

Moonshine from Tons of Sobs

An eerie sounding "Graveyard Blues" in A Minor. One of my favorite songs from Free.

The song starts out with a somber riff that starts on the open A string (5th string) and wearily climbs up an octave and then back down. Koss's guitar can be heard in the background sustaining and wailing away.....like a ghost hovering around the graveyard. Paul's Rodgers voice comes out of the right speaker panned giving a sound of isolation as he leans against his tombstone. The song shifts to an implied D Minor chord at :40 with the riff now restated starting on a D note. At 1:04 the chord shifts to an F Major chord . In a straight up blues the next chord would have been E Minor but in this case the song varies from straight blues with the F adding tension. The songs drops to an E 5 chord at 1:10. An amazing ascending turnaround starts at 1:16 starting on A and goes up to E with Koss leading the way back home to the next verses at 1:27. The lyrics are sad and dreary. Listen to the notes Paul Rodger's sings in the line "No Sunshine In My Weary Eyes". Fantastic blues vocalizing. The progression repeats until at 2:25 Simon Kirke plays a cool rhythmic cadence leading to the solo/interlude section based on the verse riff. Koss wails in A minor and A pentatonic with some blues notes thrown in. Listen for an amazing bend at 2:51. The chord shifts to D Minor at 3:04 with Koss playing horizontally over the chord....which means he does not necessarily focus on getting a D minor sound. Instead he remains focused on an A minor sound. This adds tension to the solo. When the songs shifts to the F chord at 3:28 Koss emphasizes the F sound by playing chordal tones. He follows up with the same approach when the E5 drops in. The turnaround comes back in at 3:39. The verses return with Koss wailing over Paul's somber vocals. The final verses play out until the turnaround re enters at 4:50 with the song ending on an A note from Koss with a little slide down as the song abruptly ends.

 

I like Mick Ralphs but IMO he did not sound as unique and distinctive as Paul Kossoff.

 

I've never heard such a reference. Bad Company probably made a ton more money and sold a lot more records, so they sure as hell weren't poor!
I like Bad Company, but I love Free.

 

I have never heard Free being compared to Cream. Am speechless just thinking about it as it is so off base.

 

I've read reviews where critics called Bad Company a poor man's Free. I think their point is that the musicianship is not as good or distinctive.

 

Heard it all the time growing up, saw an article in Circus MANY years back touting the same.

 

I'll be damned. I guess it's fine with me as I much prefer Free and that would be giving a critical nod and appreciation to Free. Makes me happy.