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Rating: The Free are a “one hit wonder” group, or rather, they're remembered as such, thanks to the immortal riff of “All right now”, dating back to 1970, used in countless commercials and included in an equally large number of rock, hard-rock, disco rock, blues-rock collections, etc.
In short, with just one hit they managed to build a decent bank account. But if there's usually just fluff behind a group with a (albeit million-dollar) single hit, in this case only time has taken away the honors that this excellent album deserves: to be clear, we're not looking at a masterpiece, but…
When the Free were founded in '68, the four members barely added up to 72 years of age: the youngest was sixteen-year-old Andy Fraser, bassist and cornerstone of the group's sound along with Paul Kossoff's guitar; the oldest were drummer Simon Kirke and singer Paul Rodgers, who penned lyrics about heart-breaking women and the melancholy of life, reminiscent of delta bluesmen.
They mostly covered blues tracks, and what stands out is Rodgers' perpetually hoarse, theatrical voice, imitating blues intertwined with soul styles, alongside Fraser's prodigious use of the bass, with pulsating lines and phrases that don’t strictly follow the guitar chords: essentially, rock mixes with the groove of black soul, adding depth to Kirke's solid drumming and Kossoff's fluid and classy guitar, one of those who believes a note in the right place is worth more than seven played with teeth at a dizzying speed.
They became known for their live performances rather than their first two albums, until in '70 they released this very “Fire and water”, the pinnacle of their brief career both artistically and in terms of sales. The opening is the title-track, with an evocative guitar phrase leading to a logical chord progression, almost consequential and necessary in its course, here accompanied by the bass: Rodgers narrates in an almost monotone voice about a cruel woman, whose love disappears as quickly as it arrives, while Kossoff crafts a splendid solo by overdubbing three guitars, the first holding high notes for several seconds, while the second and third intertwine and arpeggiate in an almost psychedelic manner. It all ends with a brief drum solo.
The Free can be defined as one of the groups that attempted a true contamination of rock with other genres: for example, take the almost reggae interventions in the chorus of “Oh I wept”, reflected in the progression of the beautiful “Remember”, a sunny track that (another blues trope) talks about the days of youth gone by, with an unmissable guitar solo, over Fraser's warm and almost danceable bass line. “Heavy load” is another example of how this isn’t a common rock group: an almost dissonant piano intro that drifts into the dark, with Fraser metronomically striking his strings, Rodgers' ragged voice, notes that seem to get lost in a darkness with no way out, the only glimmer provided by a couple of distorted guitar hints anyways intoxicated.
“Mr. Big” is yet another stroke of genius in the album: the first two minutes are insignificant, another rock progression, what's important is the guitar starts to rise around two minutes and twenty seconds, heralding something, like a carriage climbing to the highest point of a roller coaster. Then, the descent: a long, vibrant, and exhausting bass solo, with Fraser climbing and digging into increasingly baritone notes, using every known way along the E scale, with the guitar (note how roles are reversed) called to assume a purely rhythmic role. A real treat. “Don’ t say you love me” confirms the rule that every hard rock album needs a slow song, and what a slow song it is: a perfect blues in B minor with a soul rhythm, showcasing Rodgers' real vocal abilities, almost like a crooner; the structure is raw, but the involvement is total and the atmosphere is perfect. Finally, the band’s double-edged sword, “All right now”, famous riff in A, clean solos by Kossoff, bass in great shape, Kirke’s drumming perfectly matching the song’s needs.
Masterpiece? No, I wouldn’t say so, even though the overall average is extremely high: it's simply an excellent album, thoroughly enjoyable almost forty years after its release, offering an original vision of hard rock, ahead of the crossovers of the years to come; nonetheless, it's a pity the Free didn't continue on this path: after releasing a dispensable live album and a decent couple of albums, they disbanded in '73. Kossoff died in '76 with a needle in his vein; Rodgers has recently reinvented himself as the frontman for the reformed Queen.
But that's another story…
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Fire and Water (04:04)
Every single day, I got a heartache comin' my way
I don't wanna say goodbye
Baby but look at the tears in my eye
I don't wanna say goodbye
Mama but look at the way you made me cry
Every way that's nice
You show you've got a heart that's made of ice
and I know
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes, to make a poor man's heart break
A poor mans heart break
Baby you turn me on
But as quick as a flash your love is gone
Baby I'm gonna leave you now
But I'm gonna try to make you grieve somehow
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes to make a poor man's heart break
A poor man's heart break
And my heart is breakin' too
(ahh yeah)
(alright)
I don't wanna say goodbye baby
But look at the tears you made me cry
Every way that's nice
You show you've got a heart that's made of ice
And I know
Fire and water must have made you their daughter
You've got what it takes to make a poor mans heart break
Fire, fire and water must have made you their daughter
Baby you've got what it takes to make a poor man's heart break
Heart break
Baby and my heart is breakin�
ohh my heart is breakin�
ohh listen
02 Oh I Wept (04:29)
Oh I Wept
For days
Filled my eyes
With silly tears
But I don't
Care no more
I don't care if
My eyes get sore.
I take my seat on the train
And let the sun come melt my pain
Come tomorrow I'll be far away
In the sunshine of another day.
A worried mind
Makes so hard to bear
Hard to live
And hard to care.
But I don't
Care no more
I don't care if
My eyes get sore.
Now I've left
It all behind
I did not care
To be so unkind.
Oh,
I did not...
But the street
Is warm and bright
Far away
I'm gonna be tonight
03 Remember (04:28)
Do you remember
Every morning
We would dress
And we'd be still yawning,
In the street
Where people meet
We would wander around
In the northen heat.
All these days are gone
My Baby, now I'm all alone
I wish I had you near me
Baby, I wish I had you here
In the summer
Days were lazy
And sometimes the heat
Would drive us all crazy
Singing songs all night long
Till the light thru' the window
Said another day had come
All these days are gone
Baby, now I'm all alone
I wish I had you near me
I wish I had you here.
Baby, do you remember
Every morning
We would dress
And we'd be still yawning,
In the street
Where people meet
We would wander around
In the northen heat.
Baby, oh these days are gone
And I'm all alone
I still remember
The good old days we spent together
Baby I can't forget
You know me
I can't forget
The good old days we spent together
05 Mr. Big (05:58)
I work hard everyday
Come rain or shine
And I don't need no one
To tell me 'bout a girl of mine
She's got so much love
And she saves it all for me
I would not be lying
That's the way it's got to be
So Mr. Big
You'd better watch out
When only you hang around me
Oh for you now
I will dig
A great big hole in the ground.
I don't care who you are
So don't explain
Just get out of here
And don't come back again
I don't want a thing from you
I don't want to give you nothing too
Get out of here
Before I lose my cool.
Mr. Big
Oh watch out
Baby and don't you hang around me
Oh for you now
I will dig
A great big hole in the ground.
So Mr. Big
You'd better watch out
When only you hang around me
Oh for you now
I will dig
A great big hole in the ground
07 All Right Now (05:31)
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-woha
There she stood in the street
smilin' from her head to her feet;
I said, "Hey, what is this?
Now baby, maybe,
maybe she's in need of a kiss."
I said, "Hey, what's your name baby?
Maybe we can see things the same.
"Now don't you wait, or hesitate.
Let's move before they raise the parking rate."
All right now, baby, it's a-all right now.
All right now, baby, it's a-all right now.
(Let me tell you now)
I took her home to my place,
Watchin' every move on her face;
She said, "Look, what's your game baby?
Are you tryin' to put me to shame?"
I said "Slow, don't go so fast, don't you think that love can last?"
She said, "Love, Lord above,
now you're tryin' to trick me in love."
All right now, baby, it's a-all right now.
All right now, baby, it's a-all right now.
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By Duane
Free, much more than numerous other bands of that glorious scene, left a deep mark on rock history and were an inspiration to many.
'All Right Now' is an extraordinary piece, with incredible drive, a sharp and indelible riff, undoubtedly the emblematic track of Free and a true generational anthem.
