Free - 'My Brother Jake' Promotional Film 1971 - 2 different versions.
This is something often missed, but there are in fact TWO versions of the Basing Street shot 'My Brother Jake' promotional film currently. The original, shown here first, has the group miming to a mixed backing track (vocal omitted), while Paul Rodgers sings 'live' over the top. Great performance from PR of course, and really close to the studio recording that was released as the single. I should point out that the clapping at the end is Rodgers and Simon Kirke (it's on the multi-track recording master).
Following this original film is Andy's explanation of who the song is actually about, and then a second version of the promo. This was dubbed in 1991 with the Bob Clearmountain remix, actually done in 1984 but not released then as the project result was considered... not that great.... The remixes were eventually released when the Wigley's gum advert put 'All Right Now' back into the spotlight, and back into the charts. 'Jake' was issued as a follow up single at the time (1991). It's amazing how closely this studio piece matches the live performance on the film, only tiny clues it's wrong, until at the end you can see it's not quite what is being sung. Rodgers was great at singing things pretty much the same every time, once he had the phrasing he wanted. A true master. As this version is also all from the multi-track single master, and remixed, the audio is brighter and cleaner. Better? Well, honestly, I think it's nice to have the original as it was filmed. Oh, and the "Yeah" at the end of version 2, which is slightly longer at the tail, is Kirke.
From the Free Appreciation Society Magazine, issue 160
freeappreciatio...
'I've seen a lot written about 'My Brother Jake', and heard a lot of rubbish that has been talked about it too. Over the years I've had people tell me it was written about a roadie, or about Paul Kossoff. There's even the story often recounted by Bob Mortimer and Vic Reeves (who it seems these days likes to be known more by his real name Jim [James] Moir) about it being written by Paul Rodgers about his brother, Ged (Gerad). Well, I can tell you that none of those are correct. Andy wrote it, and he wrote all of it. The song was actually about a chap Andy knew called Horace Faith, and as Andy himself said in an interview with Matt Snow in 1991,
"I thought 'My Brother Jake' sounded better than 'My Brother Horace'..."
Horace Faith had a big hit towards the end of 1970 (peaking at No.13) with a song called 'Black Pearl' on Trojan Records (German release on the Fontana label). It falls into that 'Lovers Rock' or soft reggae genre, with a semi Caribbean beat smothered in lush strings. You can find it on 'RU-vid' easily enough. I can't say I'm a fan of the song myself, but Andy claims Horace was a good friend and I would suggest that came from pre-Free days, when Andy was playing those small Afro-Caribbean clubs in his silk shirt. Horace originated from Jamaica, and sadly I can't ask him about his relationship with Andy as he actually died just days before him on March 7th, 2015. Andy implies they were going to, or had done, some writing together, but I've found no released evidence of that anywhere, and in fact Faith's career runs to a handful of singles over various labels between 1968 and 1978. He seems to have had fleeting success, but 'Black Pearl', which appears on well over 80 compilation LPs, should have helped keep him, and writers Spector/Levine/Wine, flush (assuming he had a decent record deal). I asked Simon Kirke about Horace and he said he didn't know anything about him, so certainly suggesting he wasn't in the general circle of friends around the group (Free) at the time. Johnny Glover didn't remember him either, and he was never signed to Island Records. So it's a bit of a puzzle, with neither of the main guys alive to ask about their friendship. A shame really. I did once ask Andy about 'Jake' myself, and he told me who it was about, but not having a tape running from the phone at the time I forgot the name, which meant nothing to me at the time anyway. Doh! So I'm glad Matt Snow asked the question about it, as I'd never have remembered that!
I know a lot of people rate 'My Brother Jake' very highly. I am not one of them. I do appreciate how well recorded and performed the song is, and how concise and well executed the writing actually is, particularly the lyric. It's a very clever little song, superbly arranged. It just doesn't really appeal to me. I find it a bit... twee! However, I can see that it's a great single - and I bet Chris Blackwell felt the same way. It's got a wide appeal. Everyone knows a 'Jake', and it has to be said, if Paul Rodgers didn't particularly like the song, he still sang the shit out of it! His vocal is fantastic, and Kossoff rips through in some sections as well.'
16 окт 2024
