We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago…..
You may only know the English rock outfit Free by their massive 1970 hit “All Right Now”
The band featured one of the great rock voices of all time in Paul Rodgers. They also had an excellent young guitar player named Paul Kossoff. The band had splintered in 1971 but regrouped in 1972 to record a new album. The effort was to help Kossoff who was mired in an addiction to Quaaludes.
The album, called “Free At Last” doesnt really break any new ground. It’s straight ahead blues-rock although mostly slower, sadder lyrical content. I personally liked the track “Child” the best but it’s all fine. Rodgers, who would later front Bad Company and join up with Queen after the death of Freddie Mercury, is really good at this stuff. Kossoff, who would form the band BackStreet Crawler later before dying young, gives us some sparking solos and fills. Bassist Andy Fraser and drummer Simon Kirke (who would also join Bad Company) are solid.
There were alot of bands working in this genre. Rodgers and Kossoff helps Free rise abouve the rabble.
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