5 Stars
Every rock band that ever forms should be made to listen to Free and, in particular, their third album, “Fire and Water,” so they can learn from the outset what a band requires and needs. A great singer (Paul Rodgers) out the front with one of the best and most recognizable voices in rock ’n’ roll, and a mercurial lead guitarist (Paul Kossoff) who is the image of what every lead guitarist should look like, long shaggy hair and impossibly good looks.
Paul Kossoff’s refined playing led the way to Free’s unique sound, playing every note from his Les Paul custom-built guitar. When the desire took him, he could play guitar at a hundred miles an hour with venom and spite, but his ability to pick the right notes and leave space stood him out from other guitarists.
Filling in those spaces left by their guitarist was one of the greatest rhythm sections ever to combine. Andy Fraser, as well as being a fine songwriter, was an innovative bass player, always keeping the beat going but often playing the bass guitar as if it was a lead instrument.
Behind any great band is always a great drummer, and Free was no exception, with Simon Kirke bashing away at the traps, driving the band ever forward. The rhythm section gave Free a very special groove.
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Fire and Water was delivered to a record-buying public after their first two albums, which were superb but failed to catch the record-buying public’s attention. For their third album, a slicker, more commercial feel was given to the music, although keeping the original free spirit of the music. The album was a smash hit all over the world, selling over two million copies and climbing to number four on the Billboard chart. This was even more remarkable as although by then veterans of the circuit, they were all still under twenty when this album was released.
The album leads off with the title track, a stomping rocker that sweeps all before it, building through the gears while showing off the band’s every aspect.
Every song on this album is a gem, but three deserve extra credit. The pounding ‘Mr. Big,’ which on the live stage became an absolute monster, and of course the full-length version of ‘Alright Now,’ which brought the band worldwide attention as it was a global smash hit, sometimes several times over.
The Paul Kossoff solo on this full version is perfection. But it was not on the single, which truncated the solo. This was not the band’s choice, but some meddling music executive from Island Records who thought he knew what it takes to have a hit single.
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For sheer passionate beauty, ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ takes some beating—pure raw emotion in the singing and playing.
With the success of this album, Free could play in front of 600,000 adoring fans at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. Unthinkable just six months earlier.
Sadly, it was not to last, as after one more album, the poorly received Highway, released the same year, the band broke up due to inner difficulties. The band later reformed, but the magic had gone and further albums were inconsistent. Although the live album is a classic, and some of the singles are worthy.
After final dissolution, Rogers and Kirke went on to form Bad Company and bask in superstardom. Andy Fraser could not settle on any path and flit from one page of his life to another⸺he formed and played in Sharks, whose album “First Water” showed some nice touches, but Fraser was gone by the time the second album came out. Sadly, Paul Kossoff succumbed to substance abuse in 1976, aged 25.
A tragic end to a superb band
Free
Paul Rodgers – Lead Vocals
Paul Kossoff – Lead Guitar
Andy Fraser- Bass Guitar
Simon Kirke –Drums
Grooved by Mott The Dog at Fletchers’ Folly on the Dark Side of Pattaya.
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