Forgotten Fretmasters #15 - Paul Kossoff 

It was pointed out already that “All Right Now” did NOT, in fact, get to #1 in the U.K. It only got to #2. It did, however, reach #1 in over 20 other countries.

Free was such a great band. For me, Paul Kossoff's playing on Come Together In The Morning is one of the most emotional recordings in rock music. It gives me goosebumps every time.

Paul's father (a very famous actor in the U.K) spent the rest of his life touring schools in the country giving talks on the dangers of using drugs. I had the privilege of meeting David on one such occasion and found him a very humble and gracious man who was deeply scarred by by the loss of his son, Paul. Very sad.

Saw them live at Guildford civic Hall just after the Free album. Magic band. Unforgettable.

He certainly isn't forgotten by me. If anyone hasn't heard of Paul Kossoff, I would recommend they listen to the Free songs such as 'Oh I Wept', 'Be My Friend', 'Moonshine' (live) (beautiful guitar solos) and, best of all, the original 1973 version of 'Come Together in the Morning' from the 'Heartbreaker' album. The latter features some spine-tingling guitar. Still the most beautiful guitar solo I have ever heard. So much feeling and emotion. Some of his playing on the two Back Street Crawler albums is also stunning. For example 'Blue Soul', 'Just For You' and 'Leaves in the Wind'.

Tragedy drugs did for him immensely talented musician listened to Free constantly in 70s

Great work.You really put alot of effort into this.Congratulations.Subscribed.

Free were insanely good and impossibly young

Poison squirt irresponsible in people body,vengeance is ours it will come.

SOULJAHZ ROCKERZ

Paul Rogers was once asked “Paul, who was the best guitar player you’ve ever played with, Jimmy Page or Brian May?”. His answer, “Paul Kossoff.”.

Paul Kossoff will never be forgotten. One of those elite guitar heros that knew exactly how to make the guitar come alive with feeling.

Not many guitarists bring me to tears..!! Paul is and will always be untouchable

The Kossoff vibrato is legend. Makes the hair on the nape of your neck and arms stand up and gives you chills. You know it when you hear it. Poor man couldn't help himself.

Paul Kossoff...rightly belongs in the realm of Page...Clapton and Peter Green as one of the greatest British guitarists of all time.

Kossoff is and will always be my all time favorite guitarist, nobody moves me like Koss. I love so many guitarists, but for me Koss could always just hit me in the heart deeper. And he was a genius, those inversion chords of his, it was so unique. And his control was that of a great singer, like Whitney Houston but on guitar. Koss played like a singer, like a damn fine singer too which is insanely difficult. I know he didn’t write too many songs completely by himself, mostly he had the ability to elevate mediocre songs into absolute gems 💎 once Koss played on them. But the songs he did completely write by himself were Hendrix level genius in my book. Moonshine for example played a big part in starting the stoner rock genre, Oh I Wept had genius beautiful chords and use of open strings, so much more going on than you might first think. Once you sit down to play those magical chords it blows your mind that someone wrote that. The simplicity is very deceiving, and Koss is one of the hardest players to try to play like. Then there’s his masterpiece Molten Gold, which is Hendrix level genius to me. And it’s just so sad. He only kept evolving, he was even better in Back Street Crawler, he was just in very bad health, but he kept evolving. Had he lived and stayed away from the drugs, had he not leaned on them I’m so sure we’d be talking about him today amongst all the biggest names. He really should be listed amongst all the biggest names in my book 🙏💙 great video! Very very well made and researched, you put a lot of care into this episode! 🙏🙏

Most people know and care more about the guitar he played then the man himself. Thank you for this video.

Kossoff forgotten? Never! What a loss! That solo on the live version of Mr Big (Doing their thing) 1970 gives me goosebumps every single time! That shit is like matches & gasoline..... Kossoff is the poster child for the guitar face, nobody can do it better

In 1972 I spent 24 weeks in hospital with a badly fractured femur. I was in an ortho ward with 5 other young-ish blokes. When All Right Now came on the radio we would all turn our radios up flat out with the AM radio naturally distorting at high volumes. When THAT chord is hit it would reverberate throughout the whole floor of the Royal Adelaide Hospital. To this day, when I hear it I always crank the sound system for that part of the song.

Awww there was no one like Koss I still listen to Free most days & never tire of hearing a brilliant band of musicians who were F R E E Koss was just so amazing & irreplaceable, never been another like him RIP Koss & Andy Fraser

Koss is NOT forgotten and never will be!!!!!!

Thank you sir for this informative video on Paul Kossoff. You may already know this. Back in the last century I heard Paul Rodgers being interviewed and asked about PK. Paul Rodgers said that one time during a recording session PK was in an isolated area/booth to record a solo. I"m not sure how a recording studio works, but Paul Rodgers asked the engineer to let him hear what PK was playing on guitar. Paul Rodgers said that he could "hear Koss 'singing' along to his solo". PK had the solo in his mind and heart and poured it out into his hands and fingers. And somewhere in a Jewish cemetery in North London, on the headstone at the grave of Paul Kossoff is the inscription "All Right Now". It's such a shame that PK didn't live longer so he could have shared more of his music with the World. Paul Kossoff RIP.

Everyone knows Koss was the Boss - when you hear him rip that verbrato with a cleanish tone you know, like Trower and Beck - in a class of his own - his sound is in his hands . I learned guitar to Free, Stones etc - but Free are my all time fav band and Koss - to be fair sometimes erratic - just the best when he gets it right..

Paul and Tommy Bolin, both gone at 25. Sad, Sad, Sad!

He is definitely not forgotten in the guitar community 😃✌️

One of the greatest vibratos at his touch.

Free Live 1971 "Moonshine." Good players can all play fast. Only the greats can play slow. Masterclass on vibrato.

Thank you so much for this great and sympathetic tribute to Paul. He was truly gifted and is missed beyond words. R.I.P. Paul

I’ve played guitar 48 years, but it’s surprising how little I know about the unsung hero’s like Paul K. Thanks again for all your research and presentations. I always liked PK because, as you mentioned, in so many words...he was a phrase player; not a shredder. I want the lead player to tell a story with his guitar; not play as many notes as possible, during a solo;)

His vibrato was amazing and he played with so much soul. And that's what matters. It's not about how fast you are or how many tricks you can do, it's about whether and how you move people. And Paul Kossoff really moved people with his playing.

Will people please stop using the phrase “ Underrated “ when talking about musicians, it’s ridiculous. You can use “unknown, not well known, not popular, niche and so on. We are never told by whom they are underrated ? If your talking about people who haven’t heard them? Then how can they underrate them? Stop it! Please it drives me nuts!👍

The TV Junior was not his first decent guitar. I owned that guitar for a number of years from around 1979, and it actually came back from the States with him after a tour. The guitar in question was the early 60s SG Junior he owned around the age of fourteen or fifteen. The TV Junior (a '57 model) is now part of the Hard Rock Cafe collection.

Nice tribute, man. And some excellent and poignant comments below. Everyone rightly mentions the tone and the vibrato which absolutely defined Koss’s playing style. But for me it has always been about the texture & emotion. At his absolute peak, his fills and licks were like little diamonds sprinkled beautifully behind the melody - in a way that only he could, do - right up until the arrival of Mark Knopfler 10 years later.

For my money, Paul Kossoff had the best Les Paul tone ever, and probably the best tone of any guitar full stop. Whenever I'm judging the tone of a Les Paul guitar, Kossoff's tone is the benchmark I refer to. His vibrato and bends are second to nobody's and his playing is probably the most difficult to emulate. His soulful playing on Be My Friend, and Heavy Load bring tears to my eyes, and just like Dave Gilmour, he's another prime example of not needing to play a hundred notes a minute because his phrasing serves every Free song perfectly. Back in the early 90s we had a covers band, but we were all such Free nerds that at least 6 of their songs were on our setlist....Alright Now, Mr Big, Wishing Well, I'm a Mover, Ride on a Pony, and Fire and Water. Sometimes we'd add I'll Be Creepin and Be My Friend to those, we may as well have been a Free tribute band 😆 It's a great shame that Koss left us too soon, and there isn't a bigger catalogue of his playing. But Forgotten Fretmaster? He never has been forgotten in my mind 👍

Paul Kossoff was one of the best.

Kossoff was the one who insisted to name the band "Free"; the record company had wanted to name them "Heavy Metal Kids"!

Excellent summary of the criminally short life and career of a true master guitarist. Cannot quite remember which tracks first blew me away, but whatever the track, Koss’s stunning vibrato always pulls me up short. I think I need to pull,out my vinyl copies of ‘Back Street Crawler’ and the ‘Koss’ compilation- both long overdue for another listen. Thank you. Again.

Thank you The Guitar historian for the video. ... ☺ Being contemporary as a teenager, to me, Free were, (still are) the best blue/rock group of the day and their music has stood the test of time. Paul Kossoff's control/tone of his Les Paul together with his cranked amp was really something else and along with Peter Green, these two guitarists are the most significant for me. I've read that Paul in his formative band days in the London blues scene, he regarded Peter Green as his mensch. The book 'Heavy Load' is a fantastic read and it's really worth Free appreciators seeking out a copy if they have not already got one.

Would love to see you do a deep dive into Duane Allman. it'd be very interesting to get your take on him

In the early 80's Paul's Dad, David visited my school to hand out some of his books (he had written Bible stories, but made them appealing and accessible to children) and give a talk on the dangers of drugs. He spoke at length about Paul, and did impressions of how Paul acted when he was high. It was, at once, funny, poignant and moving. At the end of the talk, he played some of Paul's music. This was my introduction to 'Free' and I've never looked back. 'Fire and Water' inspired me to take up guitar, specifically (and probably a little strangely) the haunting outro to 'Heavy Load'....anyway, Free are still in heavy rotation, for me 40 or so years later - and i'm still trying to perfect that Kossoff tone. Just thought i'd share.

I love Paul Kossoff. I’m so happy you are bringing him to young audiences; nobody gave an electric guitar such sweet soul. ❤️God bless him.

No one has ever had the tone of Paul Kossoff, even with one of his guitars. Jason Blue from live at Croyden is peerless despite the poor recording quality.

I dated Paul's niece, who is also an amazing musician.

I haven’t forgotten him. A very unique style.

I have always been a huge fan of Free. Truly one of the best British bands of their day. Kossoff stands out as one of the greats for me and I would urge anyone who is not familiar with Free to go check them out. His stinging guitar and vibrato is unmatched by anyone for my money. Sadly he is long gone but the music he helped create lives on. RIP Paul.

Free were the coolest band that ever existed. They had a really basic sound. Hmm, that doesn't sound complimentary, I don't know how else to say it.... Maybe it was because there were just two guitars and no unnecessary extra stuff just to fill in the space. Andy Fraser's bass playing is wonderfully melodious and Kossoff puts more emotion into one note than anyone else can put into ten. I don't remember the first time I heard All Right Now, it just seems to have always been around but I vividly remember hearing Wishing Well for the first time and every time I hear it I'm transported back to that moment, doing my homework in my bedroom with Radio Luxemburg in the background. Take off your hat, kick off your shoes.....

Two words. Mr Big. Free live solo wrenches out my soul tears it up and stomps on it. I saw him with John Martyn and a few times with Back Street Crawler. To those of you wondering about his tone... old Les Paul, heavy strings, hard picking and a strong left hand. Lead from the Les Paul directly into the Marshall Amps with 2 4x12s per amp. Simple. 🙃

I am a big Free fan as well as Back Street Crawler. Paul Kossoff was a great guitarist for sure. Thanks for spotlighting him.👍✌️🤘😀🤘

thanks for this video, i met koss in a friend's flat in tottenham arournd 73/74 where he turned up out of the blue to jam with our mutual friend - i would have sworn that he had a battered looking goldtop, but it's a long time ago and after watching i'm guessing that it could have been a stripped or faded burst - he was one of the greats and his passing was a tragedy. to hear just how good he was listen to "molten gold" - sublime imo. again, thanks for this.

Good job, very professional and sensitive looks at a fine young musician who died before he figured out his identity. RIP Paul Kossoff.

Oh god, this man was so so good. The Free Live album was recorded at the Locarno, my own home city in Sunderland UK, when I was six years old. It wasn't called that when I was a teenager, it was then called The Mecca. A bowling alley downstairs and Sunderland Mayfair, a huge two level nightclub upstairs. It was the only place in Sunderland that did Heavy Metal nights. They were on a Saturday from 8 til 2am. Then I'd stagger 4 miles back home completely pissed and happy. It was my entire existence as a youth. I simply lived for next Saturday there. Every metalhead from miles around went there. It was the only place they'd let us in with long hair denim and leather and a patched up cut off on. I've seen bands on here that probably wouldn't even remember they'd been there, from iron maiden to ac/dc to Ozzy. I only wish I was born a few years sooner then I would have definitely been in there when Free recorded their 1st live album. Kossoff was an astounding guitarist and I've always listened to Free when I was feeling sad somehow. They just sort of resonate with me that way. Here in England (not sure about the wider world), Kossoffs father was on national TV and went all around the country if I remember correctly, preaching the ills of drug misuse. He seemed to me like a truly humble guy, very sad. But he always burnt in my mind and even today when I hear Free or see the name Kossoff mentioned, I instantly think drugs and see his father in my mind on tv. I was a bit wild in my youth, always pissed and rockin, but I never touched drugs... ever!! Still rockin here at 56 though! Thank you for this upload, it took me back there a bit to some really good times. (Then made me bore the arse off everybody probably with my nostalgia, for which I apologise). But hey... keep rockin

It’s no accident that Two of my heros are Gary moore and paul kossoff they both had great vibrato and both had super accurate string and tone bending skills among a miríad of other talents.

Paul was wonderful. Gone from us far too soon and greatly missed and mourned. God bless and keep him.

Criminally underrated is exactly right. Such a shame that All Right Now is the only song most people know of Free. Paul Kossof was a master riff-maker!

Mr big solos live... so many different versions but all amazing . Kos was the bollox. And andy Fraser bass virtuoso battling back and forth with kos totally utterly fantastic. RIP both legends

I was lucky to see Free circa 1969 at an all nighter in Burton Pidsey and a few weeks later in a pub in Grimsby. Happy Days

It’s Andy FRASER NOT FRASIER. Why can no one get it right? 🤨

Also wish Paul Kossoff , Tommy Bolin & Rory Gallagher would have found each other

Mate, tbis is absolute gold! Your videos are just brilliant. I only found your channel yesterday and have watched about 6 hours worth of content already. Big slap on the back for your hard work. Namaste x

FRASER! Not Frazier for heaven's sake. You've been spending too much time in Cheers bar.

Excellent! Very well done. Paul needs to be remembered. Thank you.

Paul Kossoff had the most distinctive vibrato of any guitar player with the possible exception of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Eric Clapton actually approached him once and said Hey how do you do that?

Paul's feel was exceptional, basic but I've never heard anyone shake the hell out of a Les Paul like he did. The song 'I Love You So' always brings a tear to my eye and his riffs are amazing and seldom talked about. The live performance of 'Songs Of Yesterday' is a benchmark to any band wanting to tighten-up and bring soul! Nice vid.

One of the greatest and most underrated guitarist of all time. I was lucky enough to Free when they were promoting the Tons of Sobs album. And a couple more times after that. Thanks for this great tribute. Cheers and regards from England. 😊😎🎸

Paul Kossoff is a legend! Greetings from Germany!

3:15 - I think Kossoff meant the finish was gold lamé rather than "lame".

Kossoff’s black Strat was sold in the newspaper. This became the famed, modified guitar of a fan named Dave Murray.

Great video on a criminally underrated guitarist, although Paul began classical lessons as a child and so possessed a guitar years earlier than the Eko. And Gibson didn't use quilted Maple on original 'bursts. Only flame and plain.

Great retrospective - I never saw free, but I saw Back Street Crawler in Newcastle in 1976. Kossoff's playing was awesome, but he was obviously in a bad way health-wise at that time - unable to string a sentence together - best and saddest concert ever...

Thanks for this one…Paul could say more with one note than any other shredder could say with a thousand. Maybe cliche, but very true in this case.

Good old Paul put some 'sting' in those strings. He would grab you by the heart and soul and take that tone all the way. Deeply missed and has my respect for raising the bar with his great playing. A rock and soul brother.

Eric Clapton once asked the 17 years old Kossoff how he got his sustain. That says it all.

I assure you I have never forgotten him. What an incredible player and what an incredible tone he could coax out of a Gibson Les Paul. Paul was amazing.

Mr. Kossoff lives on through his music. We all still can gain something from that.

Binging your channel. Don't mind me; I have taste.

You're right beautiful playing and tone

Guitar Historian, thank you SO MUCH for posting this! Koss may be the most underrated guitarist ever. Tone and vibrato for miles....never matched then, certainly not matched now. RIP PK 🙏

I remember when he died the new musical express said whenever anyone tells you drugs are OK just remember Paul kossoff.

This was great. Have been a Kossoff fan since the early 80s. Great guitarist, sadly missed 🙏

That quote from Paul Rodgers at the end gave me goosebumps. So heartfelt and eloquent.

Great video thanks. Paul's playing on BSC's The Band Plays On is often overlooked, he was on fire! Great rhythm playing, soaring solos and interplay. Great modern guitar tone for the time and a more mature and even stronger vibrato. From the raw rock energy in the tracks Survivor, New York New York, All The Girls Are Crazy to the deep blues of It's A Long way down to the top and Jason Blue.

Koss was a one off. A tone king with his LP. RIP sir.

One of my favorite songs of all time "Magic Ship" Total Les Paul sound!

Paul Kossoff has always been in my top 3 guitarists list, the other 2 are Peter Green and Eric Clapton. Enjoyed listening to your appreciation of him.

Time away , you can hear the cry from the guitar , that was the best solo from him. There no others can put the feelings on the guitar. Miss his tone .

Saw Free several times and at the IOW. Great band they were incredibly popular way before All right now. One of my favourite shows I saw them at was The Farx club in Potters Bar. I wrote to Andy Fraser many years ago and he remembered that show as well. Great band, fond memories ringing around my brain

I would like hearing your take on Alex Lifeson. Apologies if I’ve overlooked it on your channel.

I found Free again a couple years ago and listen to them regularly now. Paul has become one of my all time favorite players!

Koss vibrato was unmatched.only Peter green could match him for feel alone

Chris Spedding has him in ' Guitar Jamboree '

Thank you so much I really love your content ..I been listening to free lately even though I know the band from way back .. but I seem the way Paul kossof was such a talented man but so underrated plus came out in an era where a lots of talented guitar players were around kind of made him look unnoticeable, nowadays ppl starting to get to appreciate his legacy..Amen Paul kossof one of the greatest guitar heroes in earth 🎶🎸

Great great guitar player. Free is a band everybody who loves music should check out.

Fifty years on I still consider "All Right Now" to be the coolest single ever. It was also the first solo that I ever learned to play. (I used to play it all on one string.) In the 1972-73 era when I was getting into bands at school, I found guitar heroes such as Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Blackmore, etc., intimidating and at a level beyond anything that I could possibly aspire to. Where I found hope was with two guitarists who played melodic solos that I could learn by listening to them on my turntable, namely Paul Kossoff and Carlos Santana. For that I will always be grateful.

Thank you for a very informed article. I was so naive about his guitar history. I think you will never appreciate a LP Special unless you are in an auditoria and its coming through a decent loud pa rig then the complexity of the string polyphony will really hit you. Just as an opinion I would say Paul Rodgers consumption was as heavy as Paul kossoffs but the deal was more psychofancy than drugs. Ask Country Joe ask Peter Green people milling about pretending that they love you and some with agendas to push , is not a good place to be in. Like howling wolf used to say , you have to keep on being there but the moment you get to No1 you are down to zero again. Mandrax was a drug that every recreational taker would have in their stash back in the day because they could be used to smooth heavy acid trips or be crushed up and smoked in joints. Not that I am saying it would be wise to take any street drug but in those times there were people who took the gamble but god help anyone who takes a drug which isn't approved or listed these days.

Great piece of analysis. Glad to see so many recent comments and interest in Paul still. He is not forgotten.

This was a very fitting tribute. Merci for your research and presentation.

I don't rate him highly ... just ok.

I'm glad that you mentioned Paul Rogers, one of the greatest voices ever

A gifted musician, whose life was blighted and destroyed by heroin. At his short-lived peak, Paul was brilliant. "The Stealer", "I'll Be Creepin" and "Mourning Sad Morning" captures him at his best. Remember Paul this way.

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