Having interviewed Paul Rodgers 4 times, I can tell you he's a class act. A rock-n-roll legend who's so down to Earth you could just go have a beer with him and feel that you're with "one of the guys". God Bless Paul and Cynthia.
The band I was in APPLE SPICE BAND supported FREE back in the day at Spa Royal Hall Bridlington. We were in awe of playing with our favourite band and were so pleased they were great guys speaking to them in the adjoining dressing room. Still have a promo photo (army background) that the boys signed. Great times,great memories.
In my opinion Paul Rodgers has the best octave range in rock history next to Freddy Mercury. I mean why else do you think he works with Queen. His vioce is very bluesy for a white man and he's got a lot of soul hence the nickname- "White man with soul". Simon Kirke is one of the best straight ahead strikers next to Charlie Watts and Phil Rudd. As for Paul Kossoff he never received the recognition for his talent, and was snatched away from his fans with what seems like all the good musicians.
Well, my initial reaction to this series was: what a great documentary. The commentators certainly helped crystalise my own thoughts that Free were special together - more than the sum of the parts. Yet, the longer it went on, the more I kept thinking: hey, this is only two-dimensional. Yes, I learned a few things - some of these guys are music pros - I'm not, so I've got to give them - or their thoughts - a dose of respect. Maybe "Heartbreaker" was a song for Koss. BUT, more or less every single song the choose to analyse is of the same rock-blues genre centering on eg The Stealer, All right Now, Fire and Water, Wishing Well etc. Nobody, not one, comments on the ballads. Why not? Songs like Monday Morning, Be My Friend - for goodness sake, these are essential pillars of Free, songs that made the albums the great icons of rock that they are, songs that are simply unavoidable if you want to assess the band properly. It's like a documentary on the Stones that doesn't mention "Ruby Tuesday" or "Angie" because they are not stomping rock tracks in the "Satisfaction" mould. Sorry, Mr Producer - you get just 3/5 - good start, but please go back over it again. It's not an insult to the band, but it's certainly not the last word - it could, and should, have been so much better.
The two guitarists demonstrating also played The Stealer different to each other, and, much more importantly, the n a section that highlighted Koss’s use of 6 string chords completely missed the most important part of the song, where 6 string chords actually do feature. That being the chorus.
Tommy was the Dio of D.J's...weedy chap who sounds like a big chap and 'bloody loved' a lot of things..."How were those potatoes Tommy and Ronnie?"...in unison,"BLOODY LOVED 'EM!!!".
You prefer the stuff nearest to the blues...they became more progressive in their rock later. Depends what you like...the gritty, gut wrenching, core blues ethnicity or the dynamics and more original songwriting that came later on. I used to like the later stuff but now like both equally, depending on the way I feel.
I went to see Bruce in his post Cream days with Chris Spedding who had a minor hit with ‘Motorbiking’. I had no interest in Spedding who must have known by the size of the audience who they’d come to see. Fraser has to be given credit for his outstanding ability at just 15 years old when he became part of Free. But the revolutionary has to be Bruce who brought bass playing out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
I know fans have always put Fire & Water as Free's best album... but my favorites have always been the first two... Tons Of Sobs & Free... I feel in my opinion that pound for pound the first two albums are better albums as whole... I think because of the massive hit All Right Now - fans automatically assume that it's their best album & I don't think it is... don't get me wrong it's still a good album.... Just not their best... only my opinion...
3 Guys ? I must add The Jam , Motörhead, Rush - I didn’t listen to or understand the Sabbath or The Who “ three of them “ comment in the video though. Some of my fave bands have only 3 anyway - the above plus britpop stars Supergrass too 😁 I’ve a Tommy Vance Show with Frees’ 1969 BBC studio session aired on 05 May 1980 - also was Purples’ and Yes’ first sessions. All better than the LP versions in my humble opinion ❤️from Wessex
That is not true. His father & the band members tried but drug addiction help was not as available as it is today & it still needs improvement. Read the book Free at last, it has a lot of information in from people who knew him. His story is tragic but you cannot blame other people for his addiction.
what happened to music? Are we condemmed to listen to the likes of justinbeiber for all eternity. No.little girl listen to this little girl av a guitar little girl you gonna go far little girl.
Andy Fraser was an excellent bass player BUT to say he was a revolutionary bassist is rubbish.... He was doing what Jack Bruce had done a few years earlier, and added his own signature to it... Most rock bassists from the late 60's to the mid-70's were copping the Bruce style... Geezer, John Paul, Andy, etc... They all owe their "style" to Jack Bruce.. Having said that, I am not a Jack Bruce fan boy, but I appreciate his contribution of (excuse the pun here) "freeing" up the role of the electric bass in a blues rock setting... They all cited Jack as an inspiration, role model, and mentor as musicians as well... It was an exciting time to be a bass player in a rock n roll band!
Brain Scar Old Skool shuffle? Pfffffft! Not even close. JB pioneered that rock style. AF wasn’t a bass player by trade, he was a guy who could play bass (and other instruments) well.
Great band, but shitty documentary.. for months I've played All Right Now wrong thanks to the fuck-wit on the acoustic guitar. Last time I checked, 3 of the 4 members of Free are still alive and well.. they can bloody well speak for themselves about their own music, and how or why they wrote it and performed it in their own particular way.
I always liked Paul Rogers voice, However Plant is an icon and deserves to be! And vibrato is bad because.....?"one of the first guys to work the microphone stand" "didn't over egg the pudding"? It's too bad Free didn't have somebody else to speak in their favour apart from these wankers. And what the fuck is a tommy vance any way ? thanks for the post however!
Crappest guitar players since the nineties? -- Free was in the era of the 70's, and broke up during the late 70's. So how can they be "stuck in the eighties"? Silly.
