He confrmed the saying "the sound is in the fingers". No noodling, no fiddling just pure feeling. Koss was one of my three altime favorite players beside Peter Green and Rory Gallagher.
For me, Mr Kossoff’s outro on “Come Together in the Morning” is the most poignant, inexpressibly sorrowful piece of guitar I think I’ve ever heard. Not gently weeps, a cry of anguish.
I’m still haunted with sadness I was a teenager when he passed away and really loved his playing…..it was a heavy blow……I wonder what he would have progressed to if he hadn’t been an addict.
KOSS!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE all these guys,.but Paul and Paul both just LIGHT ME UP !!!! WHOOOO- HOOOOOOOOOO!!!! "Heartbreaker and "Heavy Load", those are the ones that really get to me - WOW!!!
You captured my thoughts exactly! Thank you. Jimis slow, controlled vibrato, precisely timed to any beat, was masterful. Kossoff is not even top 100 on a guitarists list people. @nick_be9159
This Band called Free were so incredibly good, Paul Kossoff ultimately sadly lost his life in 1976 through drug addiction but how the hell could a bunch of teenage guys ever do or acheive what they did back then today? ...
They went to art college. I went to art college . You were allowed to do anything you like as long as you were being creative. There was not a murder taking place everyday.
Probably because they practiced and worked hard at their music. Look at Paul Rogers, still going strong in his 70's and his voice remains one of the best in the business. Not like these young punks who think they can do anything they want, refuse to work for less than $50 hr for doing nothing. Nowadays there is no work ethic because this administration pays kids not to work, to sit on their ass and do nothing and get paid by starling our tax monies and giving it away to illegal aliens and losers.
Paul kossof is like Gary Moore,a great talent gone before they were ever appreciated. They and their quitars would have only appreciated with time.We are listening to Violins now that are almost 300 years old.Les Paul created a monster.
I'm 69 now and to this day FREE are still my favourite band and Koss still the best rock/blues guitarist despite all the great players that have followed him. THE FLAME STILL BURNS.
Agree, Bloody great band, Rogers must surely be one of the all time vocalist front men, and Paul's playing just raw and beautiful, Andy Fraser great bassman with Simon Kirke on sound and steady Drums, Yes a powerhouse, and all of them just wanting to play, no ego, just having fun playing to an audience. LOVE IT!!!
This band are in my top5 favs I always find my way back to free Simon kirke on drums solid never drops a beat, Andy frazer bass 15 years old when he joined free the inexplicable Paul kossoff on 🎸 the emotion the pained expression and that laconic finger tremelo sound he is my fav guitarist of them all and last but not least Paul Rodgers on vox what a fuckin great band and not without their share of tragedy. RIP MR PAUL KOSSOFF ILOVE U STILL ALWAYS WILL
@@jonathanmcguigan9967 Great words my friend, they somehow managed to squeeze a lifetime of most bands into five years, wish I'd seen Koss in the late 60's. Has to be said, the final album Koss did with Back Street Crawler titled "2nd Street" has some great soaring Koss moments.
Check out the young lads Toby lee, Uk Taj Farrant, Australia Both on RU-vid, music live's on. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-l7eN89R4--E.html Taj farrant.
I dont think there was ever a band dominated or its sounds lead by a bass guitar, but Andy Fraser achieved this! The rest was just pure sweet icing on the cake! The crashing undulating wave like motion of Simon Kirkes drumming, Kossoffs unique style & keening quivering guitar then, well its Pauls gravel, spit & sawdust voice mixed wth fire water whiskey & bitter chocolate voice just hasnt been bettered..ever Their Legend & musical Legacy will live on & on
@@johnryan3913 Ahh thank you kind Sir, i was & continue to be a devoted fan of FREE I cant think of any band in pop history who were as unique as Free were, the incredible talents of all of them, to have come together as if fate inexorably drew them as one quarter each & looking for the other 3 quarters to become a whole, as if the moulds had already been made & they answered the mystical call They were matched perfectly in an almost symbiotic musical harmony & everything just.. Well just worked & was so amazing & that Free sound was born & was like a heartbeat that drew in so many to move, entwine & know deep down this music was very special When Free was born they did indeed throw away the mould No one has been able to capture the essence the 4 of them created, like a living musical muse. I miss them every day, i play their music everyday since they broke up The sad songs physically hurt my insides, the painful lump in my throat, the hot tears burn & the feeling of loss is the saddest of all. Thankfully i was able to see many of their live concerts, here in Newcastle upon Tyne, at their live recording gig in Sunderland At various rock festivals, countrywide, a few gigs in London, every single time they played it was so electrifying & utterly euphoric to feel the movement & sound shudder into your whole body. No other band affected me this way, even being at live performances from Led Zepp at the hight of their greatness which was phenomenal & Plants vocals & Jimmys guitar playing left me speechless & they sounded better live than on record! They still couldnt get through to me the way Free could. Im so sad i never met them but i had their music & that was all i ever needed. Funnily i was just listening to " I'll be Creepin" just as i read your txt comment, now "Seagull" Is playing....beautiful just beautiful Anyway thank you for your lovely reply, im pleased you "felt" my devotion & know why im devoted To the best band ive ever had the utter pleasure of hearing & absorbing & moving my whole body & soul to. FREE 4 EVER🕊
@@pauldavies8638 Lololol no im not a journalist, if i had been id have lost my integrity & soul years ago Just a writer & the love of words How when strung together can play a masterpiece of beauty like the music of Chopin or Mozart or a masterpiece of terror & repugnance like the written works of Hitler or Pol Pot, Chairman Mao. Id like to think of myself as a Wordsmith, & whenever the feeling steals over me to express my thoughts & broadcast my outrage or support or opinion then i can dip into my paintbox of words, chose my medium then hit the crux of the matter or soothe the wild beast who has rent my tranquility & caused my wrath However its wrath that i use to fight with words as the unsung writer Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton ( 1800s) coined the phrase The Pen is Mightier than the Sword If you like sheer fantasy/sci fi Then read Lord Bulwer-Lyttons Book called The Coming Race Where the word " Vril" was used for the 1st time, created by Bulwer-Lytton as a ficticious name for a mystical energy! Nowadays quoted by all & sundry as being a well established source of energy or ET or mind transfer Etc etc but it doesnt exist in reality. Im a great fan of Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton & his works & his quotes he devised are legendary yet no one remembers HIM It was he who wrote: " It was a dark & stormy night as the crew sat round the deck" " The Great Unwashed" " The pen is mightier than the sword" There were a few others but the above are universally known but not who invented them, shame I loved reading The Coming Race book, its very lengthy & if reading something so long isnt your forte, it is on audio book but take a week off work to listen to it & digest its myriad concepts which arent far off the mark in todays society. Well thank you for yr praise im very touched, im pleased i kept my writing/s for my pleasure & didnt immerse them in the dirty word that is Journalism Have a day/week/month of good cheer & ebullient festivities full of madcap-ness & sheer buffoonery, its what makes life worth living PS dont you think the end of the Free song Baby Be My Friend, when Paul R builds up this repetition of soul & heart, gutsy raw Baby Baby Be my Friend, Its just so brilliant & gets me every time i hear it! 🎅🙋♀️💃🎶🎵🎄
@@itallia666 oh, you should be your command of English is really good I like reading Milton myself the words used just paint a picture so expressively, paradise lost is a good one. What I like about Be my friend is Andy Frazier bass work he plays it like it's a lead guitar, works his way up the fretboard and then back down again Paul is the master of sustain they are my favourite band and have remained so all my life, its romantic rock I lost my virginity listening to the Free story LP so they always hold a special place in my heart lovely corresponding with you best wishes Paul.
Koss is still to this day criminally underrated...he more than deserved to be huge! He had the most wicked vibrato technique I've ever heard...now you know where Angus Young got his! R.I.P., Koss....🎸👊✌🙏❤
Stefan Van der Spuy Please don't misunderstand me I have nothing against Angus Young I own many AC/DC records and have respect for him as a guitarist but Kossoff is in a class of his own that few can get anywhere near his tone control vibrato and feeling for every note is beyond compare . He undoubtedly influenced lots of others to play and emulate him but IMO he is unequaled.
I agree with you about Angus Young insofar as Angus Young is like Paul Kossof; Young's tremolo (or vibrato) is similar, practically the same. Young reminds me of Kossof all the time. Young must be influenced by Kossof
Koss is NOT underrated, i think. He's (rightly) considered one of the greatest (blues-)rock guitarists ever by the specialized press, by many other famous musicians & by so many RNR fans around the World! I agree with u about His influence on Ang's style...
The man was born to play guitar but taken far to soon from us from the scurge of drugs Hope hes playing up in heaven with the rest of Gods band and rocking the joint
"ROCK FISH" poster in chippie at 2:07 ! Enjoyed video, some very nice clips. Favourite guitarist, such control, restraint and heartfelt tone. Up there with Steve Hackett and David Gilmour. Free such a great band. Sad loss of a young talent.
I was one of the of the lucky people to see free at the IOW and many more times my all time favourite band now at the tender age of 70 just love free from the first time I went to see them ❤️
Summer 1969, Free were 2nd billing on the "Blind Faith Tour", (also with Delaney & Bonnie, W' Clapton) THEY stoled the show on a hot Summers day in Santa Barbara! Kossoff had that visceral ingredient that few obtain!!! Dammit! RIP
The song Just For You by Backstreet Crawler has guitar that sounds more like crying than anything else I’ve ever heard. For those who haven’t seen David Kossoff’s documentary on Paul, go see it.
Saw FREE in 69, nineteen yr old kids in BP Auckland co, Durham back room of Queens Head pub. Absolutely amazing even then. KOSS I think his playing said it all. My favourite band of all time.
..what were Free doing in Auckland in 1969? They'd only released Tons of Sobs and Free, by that stage. None of the music heads around the scene at that time made any mention of Free being in New Zealand. Such an obscure gig, did they pack their Marshalls with them?
God smiled as He put set in place the good fortune of these 4 meeting and forming a band, I LOVE Free! Roger's amazing gritty voice singing over Kossoff's one and only stinging vibrato, (I've never heard another guitarist approach it's emotion), , , yeah and the wonderful bass playing of Andy ("Mr. Big" in particular). Drummer aint too bad either! Thanks for this, great pics of Paul.
This is a much under appreciated four piece except maybe badfinger and big star, 3 of my favs simple word play cannot change the fact free had it going on all throgh the band sublime? Big star rocking and crying beautiful?, badfinjger thier story alone should make u cry, thanks to Gearge and apple recprding corp, for trying to save them from losing everuthing they worked so hard for simply stolen from the N.. Y mobsters who took every last penny? Heartbreaker,??? told u it would take more than simple wordplay??
It’s just a shame when Paul had an overdose, his father David promised the lord that he would work for free for God if he would spare Paul. I remember him on TV doing small biblical presentations and stories on TV which were quite popular. Paul survived but died from a further overdose. So tragic.
My favourite gutiarist and band. I love his playing on that live version of 'Moonshine' at the end of this video. Nearly 45 years after first hearing 'Come Together in the Morning', I still haven't heard a more haunting or moving guitar solo anywhere.
HE DEFINITLY PUT EVERYTHING IN TO HIS PLAYING, GREAT, I WAS GONNA SAY HE DIDNT LIKE TO LEAVE TO MUCH SPACE, THEN I HEARD THE SLOW BLUES....NICE! THE LEAD SINGER WAS GOOD TOO, ALOTTA SOUL, HE SOMETIMES SOUND LIKE A YOUNG ROD SWERART, SAME RASPY SOUL....I FEEL SLIGHTED THAT I NEVER LIKED OR HEARD THE BLUES ROCK FROM THE 60S AND 70S, UNTIL NOW, AT 40 I BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR 16MTHS, BUILT A STUDIO MADE IT MY FULL TIME JOB..STARTED LISTENING TO YOUNG CLAPTON, GREEN, BB, ALBERT KING FREDDIE KING..AND I WORKED HARD BUT IT CAME NATURAL TO ME, ESPECIALLY SOUL, AND HEAVY BLUES, I THINK BC IM A SINGER SO MY PHRASING WAS THERE! ANYWAY, I STUDIED THE GREATS PUT ABOUT 4000 HRS IN IN 16 MTHS THATS LIKE 8 TO 10 HRS A DAY NOOO DAYSSS OFFFF! ,NOT EVEN A HOLIDAY! JUST FELL IN LOVE AND BC OBSESSED, EVEN THREW MY CELL PHONE AWAY, WHO NEEDS THE AGGRIVATION? STARTED WRITING AND CRAZY ENOUGH IM MAKING AN ALBUM, THAT INDUSTRY PPL ARE INTERESTED IN, IM SHARING THIS ONLY TO SAY I WAS SOOOO MADDD THE 1ST YEAR BC A FRIEND OF MINE TOLD ME IF I DIDNT PARTY SO MUCH IN MY 20S AND 30S I WOULDVE BEEN A STAR! IT WAS LIKE GETTING KICKED IN MY CHEST, BC I SANG WELL, PPL ALWAYS HAD HIGH EXPECTATIONS FOR ME BUT I PARTIED AND WAS A NOTORIOUS WOMANIZER INSTEAD, AND GOT CAUGHT UP WITH DRUGS IN MY 30;S SO KOSSOFF HITS HOME....BC IF I WOULDVE PERSUED A MUSIC CAREER THEN? I WOULDVE DEFINITLY BEEN DEAD...WAY TOO WILD, WAY TOO DUMB, LOL BUT MY EXPERIENCES BROUGHT ALOT OF PAIN, LOST ALOT OF FRIENDS AND EVEN THOUGH I JUST STARTED PLAYING EVERYBODY KEEPS SAYING THAT I PLAY WITH ALOT OF EMOTION,AND ITS BC OF WHAT I WENT THOUGH... I CANT HEAR IT, TO ME IM TERRIBLE LOL BUT THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS? I FEEL LIKE IM 22 AGAIN, CLEAN 3 AND A HALF YEARS OFF OF PILLS, AND AT 40 IM EVEN BETTER BC IM OLDER, WISER, AND THERES SO MUCH MORE PAIN IN MY VOICE, AND LYRICS.. AND THATS WHAT CONVEYS EMOTION IN PEOPLE ESPECIALLY WHEN ITS AUTHENTIC...SO FUCK IT, ILL JUST ROCK ON NOW AT 40! R.I,P KOSSOFF ILL BE SURE TO HONOR HIM AND HIS STYLE IN MY MUSIC.....GOD BLESS!
The only trouble with this video - is it shows excerpts from newspaper articles, and doesn't give you time to read them.Who the he'll made this video?DEEJAYENPS
His father looks like a real sweetheart. Not many parents would assist their kids in following that particular path - and I'm sure that it caused many misgivings.....nonetheless.
You are right. And I can state with absolute certainly that Kossoff's dad, David, was a very loving, protective father who did everything he could to save Paul from himself...
Koss was a true blues master,tremendous feel and emotion in his playing. He's not mentioned along with the greats but his playing tells it all. Gone at 25 or26 but those who know their music won't forget his legacy
His father, David Kossoff, used to tour this brilliant anti-drug monologue about Paul around the schools: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-PbAgk73b9rc.html
I arrived to live in London in 1976 - too late to encounter the greatest guitar influence of my life - he died just a week or so before his planned Victoria concert. Oh I wept.
That black Les Paul custom at 1:00 I saw on eBay many years ago. I think his folks had bought it for him. Don't quite remember, but I think it was selling for $250,000. This is probably the only pic I've seen him playing it.
After the death of his son - mainly via his addiction to Mandrax - , the actor David Kossoff made it his life's campaign to travel around schools to rail against the evil of drugs......
Don’t you just hate drug addiction!! Paul unfortunately got involved with the wrong group of people, and just couldn’t stop himself. What a shame, the music world was robbed of a guitar genius that was so young!! Still gets to me even now 😔😔. RIP KOSS......
Went out of my way to see Free, Country Club, Marque, Middle Earth, Festivals etc. A Very Great and underrated Band. Soul seeping and roaring sliding and shaking, sometimes whispering from a guitar, base drums and voice. Thank you Free.
I AGREE WITH GEOFF BELOW - both of those guys were beyond compare - and of course Sir paul is the best by far - what a band - with Kirky holding it all together.
When Paul gave a peace sign,his fingers REALLY HAD SPACE STRETCHED...His knuckle spacers....look at his hand,he sure used something because that is not normal.
Have just found this guy…better late than never huh ? Wow what a gem, flawed genius, not gain drenched shredding. Why use 6 notes when you can say it with 3? Similar to PG bit sill different maybe I guess because he wasn’t a vocalist , I think PG was more invested (kind of need to be) in his playing because he was singing it, living it. Looking forward to digging through PK’s catalogue now
A few songs well worth searching for 'Come Together in the Morning' (original version) from the 'Heartbreaker' album, 'Moonshine' (live), ' Be My Friend', 'Oh I Wept', 'Sweet Tooth'. Also, from the two Back Street Crawler albums, 'Blue Soul', 'Leaves in the Wind' and 'Just for You'. I also love the solo on 'Dying Fire' from the 'Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit' album. Hauntingly beautiful guitar.
@@jimiray1969.You really don't know what you are talking about, but it is all just opinions. We are talking about soul and feeling and restraint (leaving space), rather than a thousand notes per minute. I don't know why I am wasting my time, as you are probably just an arsehole who likes trolling.
Aye . Never to be replicated I’m afraid Eric. Only that one soul could vibrate the string and air around it in such a manner . Crazy innit. We all vibrate in different ways .
I honestly think that Paul Rodgers was intimidated by Kossoff and therefore had to end the band as such given that Kossoff was the member with the most talent making it ever more difficult for Rodgers to appear as the Front Man . Bad Co was a much nicer backup to Rodgers vocals .
@@kennypaul428 what about the fella from America, Michael Bloomfield? I dont know too much about him but that he was Jewish and generally regarded as a major player and influence in the 60's blues rock movement.
Remember his last interview on the old Grey Whistle test with Keith Richards so sad RIP Paul pity we didn’t get to see more years of his guitar genius❤🎸🎸
