Free formed in London in 1968 as a four-piece band. The original line up was Paul Rodgers on vocals, Paul Kossoff on guitar, Andy Fraser on bass, and Simon Kirke on drums. Kirke and Kossoff had played together in previous bands (at one point supporting Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac) and had seen Rodgers perform in his own projects. Fraser, just 15 years old, had already played with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. He came via the recommendation of Alexis Korner, a key player in the development of the Blues in the UK. Korner deserves a post of his own if I can get round to it.
The early days of Free consisted of listening to lots and lots of Blues (B.B. and Albert King) and playing loads and loads of gigs. As the only member with a driver's license, Kossoff was responsible for getting the band to and from shows across the UK.
After two years of gigging Free found success with their third album Fire And Water (1970) an album that defined their sound as blues-fuelled rock. Including All Right Now, one of the only Free songs that still gets regular airplay, Fire And Water made it to number 2 in the UK and number 17 in the US. The success of the album saw Free invited to play their biggest gig: the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival in front of an audience of 600,000.
Unfortunately, in keeping with the 60's rockstar narrative, Kossoff developed a Quaalude habit. The stress of constant touring combined with Kossoff's unreliable attendance lead the band to break up in 1971. There was a brief reunion in mid 1972 as well as some lineups without Kossoff, but by 1973 Free was done for good.
Kirke and Rodgers would go on to play together in Bad Company, and Kossoff continued working on other projects and by 1975 Kossoff had seemingly turned a corner. A1976 tour featuring Bad Company supporting Kossoff's new band Back Street Crawler was planned. However, on a flight from L.A. to New York in March 1976 Kossoff suffered a pulmonary embolism and died.
Despite being together less than five years Free left behind an incredible catalogue of music. I've picked five of my favourites, listed below in no particular order:
I'm A Mover - Tons Of Sobs (1968)
From Free's first album after signing with Island Records, I'm A Mover is the bluesiest sounding song in this post. The opening riff has a B.B. King vibe while the lyrics work with a lot of blues imagery ('born by the river' and 'long windy roads'). But Rodgers' soaring vocals make the lyrics feel more Led Zeppelin than B.B. King. Overall, the song sits somewhere between Rock and the Blues. You can hear the beginnings of Free's signature sound as Kossoff's vibrato sits perfectly underneath Rodgers' singing and in the not so bluesy outro.
Don't Say You Love Me - Fire And Water (1970)
Slower and more inventive than I'm A Mover, this song starts off more Soul than Blues or Rock. The piano is played by bassist Andy Fraser, who along with Paul Rodgers wrote Don't Say You Love Me and most of Free's music. The guitar playing, and the song overall, is more restrained than you would expect, at least for the first four minutes. The chorus, both lyrically and musically is anthemic with Rodgers taking centre stage. His vocals are the driving force throughout especially during the fadeout at the end.
Trouble On Double Time - Free (1969)
Trouble On Double Time opens in typical Rhythm and Blues fashion, with instrumentation that reminds me of Albert King's Under A Bad Sign but with a vocal style more like Otis Redding than straight blues. In fact, Rodgers released an album covering both artists and more in 2014. After a just under a minute of straight R'n'B there is a sudden break separating the verses and this combined with Kossoff's solo two thirds of the way through make it clear this song is a lot more than a Stax tribute.
Fire And Water - Fire And Water (1970)
The first song on this list that is truly Free's own sound Fire And Water is also the first song on the album of the same name. Where previous songs featured innovative arrangements drawing heavily on other genres Fire And Water is pure Rock. Grinding guitars fill the verses complete with lyrics telling a tale of heartbreak and tearful goodbyes. Then a soaring guitar solo with three separate tracks each recorded by Kossoff. The solo is breathtaking, the guitars blend together seamlessly and Kossoff's vibrato is on full display.
My Brother Jake - My Brother Jake (1971)
Drummer Simon Kirke described My Brother Jake as 'jaunty' and 'cheeky' in the liner notes to the compilation album Molten Gold - The Anthology. Released only as a single, it performed unexpectedly well reaching number 4 in the UK singles charts. The upbeat piano playing and the steady beat certainly give it a laid back feeling. The song's story of a man with potential wasting his life down the pub feel slightly tragic after Kossoff's early death. Nonetheless, with both Rodgers and Kossoff unleashing their respective talents and the final lyric reminding Jake of his potential it is a great uplifting track.
