FREE: "Heartbreaker"

Original released on LP Island ILPS 9217

(UK, January 1973)

The final Free album, "Heartbreaker" was patched together from a variety of sessions - and it often sounds like it. Aside from drummer Simon Kirke and singer-guitarist Paul Rodgers, the band was in fragments. Lead guitarist Paul Kosoff - who was suffering from the drug demons that would eventually kill him - appears on only half of the album, and it certainly takes away some of the communal vibe that Free was all about. There are some great moments, however, most notably the opening track, "Wishing Well," which was a minor FM hit in the United States in 1973. Although Kosoff isn't on this track, it has most of the power and glory that defined the band. The rest of the record is by no means filler, but only proves what a great band Free was, even if their ranks had dwindled. (Matthew Greenwald in AllMusic)

Free At Last

Original released on LP Island ILPS 9192

(UK, May 1972)

Following Paul Rodgers' unsuccessful project titled Peace and Andy Fraser's ill-fated Toby, Free rebuilt themselves and released "Free at Last" in the summer of 1972. The band went right back to what they knew best, with Rodgers baring his blues-rock soul to Kossof's moody electric guitar. Tracks like "Sail On," "Soldier Boy," and "Travelling Man" come out on top as some of the band's most emotive material, proving that their breakup in 1971 had no real effect on their chemistry. "Little Bit of Love" was released as a single in the U.K., peaking at number 13, while the album itself broke the Top Ten there, stalling at number 69 in the U.S. The band's mixture of laid-back blues and gritty, bare-boned rock & roll is as poignant and as expressive as it was on "Tons of Sobs" or "Fire and Water", even though Paul Kossof's problems with drugs were beginning to be more and more evident. Eventually, Kossof's addiction affected the entire band, hindering Free's ability to go on tour to promote the album. After "Free at Last", Andy Fraser left the group and created the band Sharks along with Chris Spedding, while Kossof was busy with his own Back Street Crawler project. John Bundrick re-joined along with Tetsu Yamauchi for 1973's "Heartbreake", Free's final release. (Mike DeGagne in AllMusic)

FREE: "Highway"

Original released on LP Island ILPS 9138

(UK, December 1970)

"Highway" was recorded just three months after Free scored the career-redefining hit "Alright Now," and while their profile was at a career-topping high, their morale was heading toward an all-time low. Guitarist Paul Kossoff was reeling from the death of friend Jimi Hendrix; a new single, "The Stealer," bellyflopped ignominiously; and, when the album followed suit, the band itself was not far behind. Heavily influenced by their admiration for the Band, "Highway" has understandably been described as Free's answer to "Music from Big Pink", sharing both the laid-back vibe and mellow looseness of that role model. Where it went awry, of course, was in the fact that Free were not cut out to be country-rock guitar-twangers, no matter how fiery their missionary zeal. Yet the strutting rockers "The Stealer" and "Ride on a Pony" alone shatter the brave new mood, while reflective romancers like "Love You So" and "Be My Friend" could well have been composed specifically to rid the band of the shadow of "Alright Now," and prove that underneath the coolest exterior, there beat a heart of molten gold. Of course, Free had bathed in such waters before, and the closing "Soon I Will Be Gone" certainly bears comparison with any of their past ballads. Nevertheless, too much of "Highway" reacted to the pressures of the recent past rather than building upon the strengths that had made such events possible in the first place. (Dave Thompson in AllMusic)

FREE: "Fire and Water"

Original released on LP Island ILPS 9120

(UK 1970, June 26)

If Fleetwood Mac or Humble Pie had never formed, Free would be considered one of the greatest post-Beatles blues-rock bands, and "Fire and Water" shows why. Conceptually fresh, with a great, roots-oriented, Band-like feel, the album found Free distinguishing itself with the public like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple did (in terms of impact only) in 1970. Free presented itself to the world as a complete band, in every sense of the word. From Paul Kossoff's exquisite and tasteful guitar work to Paul Rodgers' soulful vocals, this was a group that was easily worthy of the mantle worn by Cream, Blind Faith, or Derek & the Dominos. They have been unique for their characteristic melancholy moods, their musicianship and their songwriting. This album, that brings three of their best known songs, is their masterpiece. Eric Clapton adored Paul Kossoff for his vibrato on guitar and Rod Stewart claimed Paul Rodgers to be the best singer of the whole decade! You will still find "Mr. Big" in the repertoire of great guitarists as Warren Haynes and others. (in AllMusic)

FREE: The Second Album

Original released on LP Island ILPS 9104

(UK, October 1969)

Free's second album was recorded with the band itself in considerable turmoil as principle songwriters Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser demanded strict discipline from their bandmates, and guitarist Paul Kossoff, in particular, equally demanded the spontaneity and freedom that had characterized the group's debut. It was an awkward period that saw both Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke come close to quitting, and only the intervention of label chief Chris Blackwell seems to have prevented it. Few of these tensions are evident on the finished album - tribute, again, to Blackwell's powers of diplomacy. He replaced original producer Guy Stevens early into the sessions and, having reminded both warring parties where the band's strengths lie, proceeded to coax out an album that stands alongside its predecessor as a benchmark of British blues at the turn of the 1970s. (Dave Thompson in AllMusic)

FREE Debut Album

Original released on LP Island ILPS 9089

(UK 1969, March 14)

Although Free was never destined to scrape the same skies as Led Zeppelin, when they first burst out of the traps in 1968, close to a year ahead of Jimmy Page and company, they set the world of British blues-rock firmly on its head, a blistering combination of youth, ambition, and, despite those tender years, experience that, across the course of their debut album, did indeed lay the groundwork for all that Zeppelin would embrace. That Free and Zeppelin were cut from the same cloth is immediately apparent, even before you start comparing the versions of "The Hunter" that highlight both bands' debut albums. Where Free streaks ahead, however, is in their refusal to compromise their own vision of the blues - even at its most commercial ("I'm a Mover" and "Worry"), "Tons of Sobs" has a density that makes Zeppelin and the rest of the era's rocky contemporaries sound like flyweights by comparison. The 2002 remaster of the album only amplifies the fledgling Free's achievements. With remastered sound that drives the record straight back to the studio master tapes, the sheer versatility of the players, and the unbridled imagination of producer Guy Stevens, rings crystal clear. (Dave Thompson in AllMusic)