Free & Bad Company - pick three albums..... total.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by stax o' wax, May 21, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor

    Location:
    Undisclosed
    Free were not as popular in the U.S. as in the U.K. However, Lynyrd Skynyrd for example say they were a major influence. Pete Townshend was a fan of Free as well.
     
  2. Jonny W

    Jonny W Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orangeburg NY
    Free was, quite simply, extraordinary. They were profoundly influenced by blues and soul music; they were very talented, very young, volatile, and destined not to last long.

    Their mega-hit All Right Now was a blessing and a curse; it brought them instant fame after two years of constant hard work, but gave listeners a somewhat inaccurate idea of their sound. All Right Now may well be the fastest tempo of any of their songs, and it is a more mainstream "rock" sound than most of their material. Those who know Free beyond All Right Now know that their sound is generally slow, earthy, intense, dynamic, and--without fail--rhythmic. Those who don't like Free often find their music awkward and lumbering, and sometimes refer to their supposed rhythmic ineptitude. This is incorrect. Free are inherently, constantly, rhythmic. They are the sound of movement. I refer to their rhythm as "cadence."

    Simon Kirke, who was still developing as a drummer, was wise enough to keep the licks simple, and the tempo clock-like. This allowed Andy Fraser--one of the most unique electric bassists in popular music--to punch, thrust, duck and weave, and always support, with his distinctive tuba-like tone, while Paul Kossoff--a guitarist of remarkable sensitivity and intensity--worked with him, chopping well-considered chords (often open, ringing chords of neither major nor minor dominance) against Fraser's mobile bass, and, at the right time, playing lead guitar of extraordinary simplicity, purity, and depth, and--again--sensitivity and intensity. The cherry on top of this rare mixture was young Paul Rodgers, who deserves his reputation as one of rock's best singers, but has never outdone his work with Free. Young Rodgers was mad-intense, and totally under the influences of his musical idols--soul singers such as Wilson Pickett, Ray Charles, and his personal favorite, Otis Redding. These teenagers (Fraser, just booted from John Mayall's band, was fifteen when Free was formed), like all young people, had no idea of what they couldn't do, so they just DID IT TO THE MAX!!

    Video of Free live is a peak musical experience. Footage of their Isle of Wight performance shows Kossoff, all of five foot three inches, hurling himself back against the Marshall amp cabinets that tower over him, baring his teeth, and writhing like a man being crucified, as he pours his energy into his '50s Les Paul, while Rodgers stalks and splays and virtually dances at the front of the stage, wielding the mic stand in both hands, and singing to the world with absolutely no trace of self-consciousness, let alone show-biz artifice.

    Their studio recordings are basically more controlled and arranged helpings of this same single-minded intensity. On their debut, Tons of Sobs, Free still used some standard blues forms, heard in songs such as Walk In My Shadow, Goin' Down Slow, and their cover of Albert King's The Hunter, but starting with the second album, self-titled, they left the twelve-bar form behind, but, crucially, retained the intensity, earthiness, and rhythmic cadence of blues and soul, making their sound an unusually potent one among bands categorized as "rock."

    Free's history is fascinating, but ultimately sad. After their messy demise, and their difficulty in finding commercial success after All Right Now, it's not surprising that Rodgers and Kirke opted for a more standard rock sound when they formed Bad Company. They had suffered the sadness and stress of attempting to tour while Kossoff was developing the massive drug habit which would ultimately cost him his life, as well as the frustration of having their rather un-commercial sound subsequently ignored by the public that had made All Right Now a huge hit. At this point these two driven musicians wanted a stable unit that could tour effectively, and attain commercial success with a more accessible sound, and this they attained. Fraser, who was now irrevocably at odds with Rodgers, and Kossoff, essentially dying slowly from drug use, were obviously out of the picture. Mick Ralphs and Boz Burrell, on guitar and bass respectively, served ably, and the best of Bad Company is very good indeed, but does not approach the singular musical depth and intensity of Free.

    At this time Free appears to be ripe for re-discovery and re-assessment. They are celebrated by the long-established Free Appreciation Society, which publishes a magazine devoted to Free and associated musicians and music, and they are the subject of a full length book (Heavy Load, by David Clayton and Todd K. Smith) which details their fascinating history. The comments responding to Free's music on YouTube indicate clearly that there are many listeners who recognize how special this band was.

    The music is there, for those who care to delve into it. Remember though--once in, you may be in for good. But you will love it!

    I love Free's music too much to pick three albums--but I will unhesitatingly recommend their second, third, and fourth records, Free, Fire and Water, and Highway.

    Enjoy!!
     
  3. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Your first post and you hit it out of the park. Welcome to the forum.
     
    Jonny W, hodgo, stax o' wax and 2 others like this.
  4. Munros1969

    Munros1969 Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    • Fire and Water
    • Bad Company
    • Straight Shooter
     
  5. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    I’m following you now
     
  6. gillcup

    gillcup Senior Member

    Location:
    Raleigh, NC, USA
    1. Free - Tons of Sobs
    2. Free - Free
    3. Bad Company - Bad Company
     
  7. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    That's an interesting combination. Seems at odds but maybe it's all in the time period you heard the albums?
     
  8. LoveYourLife

    LoveYourLife Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Bad Company - Bad Company
    Bad Company - Straight Shooter

    1 + 1 = 3

    Never heard a full Free album... sounds like I've been missing out.
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2018
    carlwm likes this.
  9. stax o' wax

    stax o' wax Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    The West
    Jonny W Thanks for sharing your considerable knowledge of this extraordinary band.
     
  10. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    I only like a best of bad co near my top 3 but i cant pick a comp or i may look like a snob.
    I may be one if the definition is prefering music with deeper roots?
     
    wayneklein likes this.
  11. carlwm

    carlwm Forum Resident

    Location:
    wales
    Well, I recently borrowed the whole Free studio catalogue from a friend. From the six records, there was maybe a double album's worth of stuff that appealed to me.

    I expected I'd like it more. My loss, I'm sure.
     
    All Down The Line likes this.
  12. LoveYourLife

    LoveYourLife Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I'm not a fan of "All Right Now" which is why I never delved further...
     
    carlwm likes this.
  13. arthurprecarious

    arthurprecarious Forum Resident

    Location:
    North East England
    I loved Free from when I was at school in the 70's. Bad Company, to me, weren't a patch on a Free but they were ok. I never saw Free but I saw all the members separately. I saw Back Street Crawler not long before Koss died and although they were a bit ragged they were pretty good. Their lead singer, Terry Slessor, lives near me and I have had a couple of chats with him. Seems like a nice bloke. He sings in a couple of Free tribute bands who are pretty good. I saw Andy Fraser with Chris Spedding at the annual Free convention here just before he died. They played a stomping version of Mr Big. I saw Bad Company around 2003 with Rodgers and Kirke and they were good and did a sprinkling of Free numbers. I have Paul Rodgers "Fee Spirit" live DVD/CD on order and am looking forward to that. Good to see some discussion about both bands.
     
    Zeki likes this.
  14. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    same
     
  15. E_Braunn_Fan

    E_Braunn_Fan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Upstate NY
    Free - Free
    Free - Fire And Water
    Free - Highway

    Free is my 4th favorite band of all time after Zappa, the Beatles, and P-Funk.

    Still one of the best purchases I ever made was the Molten Gold Anthology out of BMG Music Service as one of my free selections in 1994. At that time I had only heard All Right Now and figured I would take a chance and see if they had any other good songs. Ended up going out an searching for all of the individual albums within a few months and was lucky enough to locate all the Island Master import cd's at the House of Guitars. The imports cost a lot, but were worth every penny and I still have them.

    Heavy Load is a great book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes Free. Bought mine years ago directly from David Clayton online and he sent a personal letter with the book thanking me for my purchase and commented on how he used to periodically visit Upstate, NY.
     
    Last edited: May 23, 2018
    All Down The Line and Zeki like this.
  16. aoxomoxoa

    aoxomoxoa I'm an ear sitting in the sky

    Location:
    USA
    Fire and Water
    Tons of Sobs
    Bad Company s/t
     
  17. Jonny W

    Jonny W Forum Resident

    Location:
    Orangeburg NY
    Thank You to all those who enjoyed my spontaneous exposition on the subject of my favorite band (well they're on the short list; I can also go on at great length on the subject of any of my other favorites--Jack Bruce, Jimi Hendrix, Mountain, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Rory Gallagher...!)

    Is there a thread on Free here? I'd certainly contribute to it. If there's not, maybe some more organized person than myself, and more in tune with 21st century technology (I'm too backward to know how to post any of the terrific videos of Free), might be willing to start one.

    The band and it's history would definitely spark some interesting musical discussion. Their environment was the London of the late '60s, and involves the early days of the remarkable Island record label, in the days when president Chris Blackwell's office was directly upstairs from their Basing Street recording studio, and the outstanding artists signed to the label, including Jethro Tull, Traffic, John Martyn, and Fairport Convention, all worked and mingled, and made music together, with such notable producers as Guy Stevens and Andy Johns. There were many wonderful stories and anecdotes spawned by this rare environment (e.g. Chris Blackwell decided to indulge Guy Stevens in his desire to have a band named The Heavy Metal Kids, and declared, in his initial meetings with Free, that their band should adopt the name. The band, who for all their youth nevertheless had a very firm idea of exactly who and what they were and were not, unequivocally declined this offer. Blackwell then made it clear that the name change would be a condition of their recording for Island. The band stood up and stomped out of Blackwell's office (to make up later, of course, and win the fight and retain their real name.)

    The crossings of paths, and interactions, and coincidences associated with Free's history could fire some great digressive musical ponderings...

    Paul Rodgers's band that travelled from their home in Middlesborough down to London to seek their fortune included Mickey Moody, later with Whitesnake, and, more curiously, bassist Bruce Thomas who in the mid '70s became the bassist for Elvis Costello's Attractions.

    Linda Keith, the London fashion model who was Keith Richards's first serious love, according to Richards, and who was instrumental in bringing the unknown Jimi Hendrix to the attention of future manager Chas Chandler, turns out to have been the first cousin of Paul Kossoff. Her father, actor, disc jockey, radio presenter Alan Keith, born Alexander Kossoff, was the brother of Paul's father David Kossoff, a fascinating individual himself, and something of a Renaissance man, an actor on stage, screen, and television, an author who illustrated his own books, a sculptor, furniture designer, and a son of Russian Jewish immigrants, who wrote and lectured extensively on both Jewish and Christian themes. (I find it amusing to consider that Paul Kossoff, who must have been about 18, saw fit to seek an audition with The Rolling Stones who had just parted company with Brian Jones. It's unclear how far he got with this, but it's interesting to speculate on Keith Richards's reaction to the teenage cousin of the woman who'd broken his heart (and whose father he'd had to inform of Linda's dangerously escalating drug use, initiating much serious family drama) vying for the guitar spot in The Stones. Uh, not so fast, Paul... Luckily Koss already had one great band!)

    But it's late, and I believe I'm rambling....

    Hey, somebody start that Free thread!
     
  18. Werner Berghofer

    Werner Berghofer Forum Resident

    So you call a music connoisseur with good taste and the ability to judge a “music snob”? Strange.

    Anyway, my three albums of choice are “Tons of sobs”, “Free” and “Fire and water”. Andy Fraser and Paul Kossoff were the irreplaceable, incomparable core of this group. Their work is unique and is what made me love Free’s music immediately.

    The lyrics? Not so much, but keep in mind they were written by young men shortly after puberty, who knew little about women and life ;-)
     
    carlwm and All Down The Line like this.
  19. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Brilliant info and Post! I hope we see a Free thread very, very soon. Who knew Koss was related to Linda Keith amongst so many other things mentioned in your earlier post which i like but forgot to quote.
     
  20. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    As a kid i knew All Right Now and Wishing Well but soon learned this was not their trademark sound. In 93' I went to London and bought some cd's and am Forver in deep with Free. Recently i have purchased original UK pressings of most of their lps to get closer to their SOUND!
     
    carlwm likes this.
  21. Great description of the s/t album. One aspect that gets overlooked about the band is their awesome harmony vocals. Free Me, Mourning Sad Morning, Broad Daylight... really spectacular. Even The BBC sessions are tight in that department. What talent.
     
    All Down The Line likes this.
  22. Flaming Torch

    Flaming Torch Forum Resident

    I love the first 2 Bad Company albums and feel that only Fire and Water by Free is as good overall. I have never got over my disappointment with Run With the Pack and stopped buying Bad Company after that (there were also loads of exciting bands and records around from 1976 on).
    Re Free they are in my opinion undoubtedly one of the great great bands and all 7 albums have great performances and songs on them. I never got to see them live as I was a bit too young but I had some of their albums when they called it a day.
     
  23. Flaming Torch

    Flaming Torch Forum Resident

    That is a great overview in my opinion- thanks for posting.
    Going on to the first 2 Bad Co albums they made use of some old Mick Ralph songs (Movin On and Ready for Love) and Anna an older Simon Kirke song. So songwise they had a pretty strong line up with those first 2 albums.
     
    Last edited: May 25, 2018
    Jonny W likes this.
  24. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I wouldn't pick any Bad Company, though I like the debut and some other songs by them. Overall I find them cliched and a bit ordinary.

    By Free I'd go for the first three albums:

    Tons of Sobs
    Free
    Fire and Water

    The first is their heaviest sounding record, wonderfully energetic and I love the sound of it.

    The second is a more mellow album with many highlights. Broad Daylight is one of my favourite Free songs.

    The third is a real classic rock album. Fire and Water and All Right Now are rock standards. I prefer the full album version of All Right Now, but I've heard it too much now to be honest.

    I like Highway as much as the above, but it's another mellow album and I do think the second album is just a bit better. I love the live and sparse sound of the second album.

    The other two Free studio albums are good but a drop from the quality of the first four. Free Live is fantastic. I love that all the technical problems etc are left in. It captures the rawness and atmosphere well. A genuine live recording, unlike many rock live albums.

    What a fantastic band Free were.
     
  25. All Down The Line

    All Down The Line The Under Asst East Coast White Label Promo Man

    Location:
    Australia
    Yes too true sir, I guess Andy does most of the magnificent harmony vocals with Rodgers at times. The Beat Club Free me is beautiful to watch and hear and a real pity not detected in time to be on the Dbl DVD Forever Free.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine