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Rating: A roaring boom greets a random note, an almost intimidated "Hello" and one of the most famous riffs of the '70s. Thus begins the gritty and totally imperfect "Free Live," an album from 1971. The idea of a live album did not arise for commercial purposes, but was absolutely humanitarian: breaking up the band would have meant accelerating the slow decline of guitarist Paul Kossoff, whose dependencies were already firmly entrenched in the oblivion of hard drugs. It was only for this reason, then, that the two great personalities of the group, Rodgers and Fraser, recorded two more albums after the breakup that followed the release of Highway, the lowest point of their career in terms of sales. The two hotheads had already quarreled many, many times, and songwriting together could no longer recreate the magic that had produced some of the group's most beautiful and refined pearls.
This live album can be considered one of the most beautiful collections of Free, certainly from a spontaneous point of view. Many collections have indeed been released over the years, but none really manage to do justice to this great hard blues band, mainly because most of the tracks have been re-mixed, losing that sense of vintage that creates a mystical aura around the albums.
A handful of tracks characterize "Free Live." Almost on purpose, the album opens with one of the worst renditions of the epic "All Right Now" in the group's history. Kossoff is surely under the influence of some substance because often the simple but ingenious riff is out of tune, crackles, and disappears entirely. Even Paul Rodgers' voice is not at its best, and although the grit is there, the boy has accustomed us to much better (see the live at the Isle of Wight to believe it).
With the other songs, Free seems to recover, retracing the highest points of their career, although in general, the execution often turns out to be a bit slower compared to the originals, especially "I'm A Mover", "Ride On A Pony", and the cover "The Hunter", resulting less aggressive. A little gem is the rendition of "Be My Friend", poignant and emotional as never before, perfectly charged by Paul's voice, which recovers to the fullest, hoarse and sensual just right, and by the perfect intersection between Fraser's devilishness and Simon Kirke's very simple drumming. In short, compared to the track on Highway, this version is much better.
Kossoff is also in better shape with "Mr. Big", where the guitar solo is even longer than the bass one, which seems quite uninspired and thrown there haphazardly. The album closes with a previously unreleased song, "Get Where I Belong", another high point of the album: the acoustic guitar is a novelty (there are indeed few acoustic songs by Free), while special kudos go to Fraser and his magical touch alternated with fitting choruses, and to Paul Rodgers who daringly adds some piano chords at the end. The song is therefore a pleasant final surprise. If you want to listen to the album, I recommend getting the version containing the bonus tracks, as other songs from the same concert are included, such as "Woman", "Walk In My Shadow", and "Trouble On Double Time", as well as a more decent version of "All Right Now".
A final note goes to the original idea of the cover, a package directly sent to the listener, with the faces of the band members on the stamps: a brilliant idea... Shamelessly copied in the same year by the Italian prog group Raccomandata ricevuta Ritorno, but someone said that to imitate is to admit you admire someone, so it's okay.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 All Right Now (06:24)
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.
02 I'm a Mover (03:46)
I was born by the river, just like this river,
I've been moving ever since
Ain't got no body to call my own you know
I've been moving since the day I was born
Life is a game just made for fun, I don't need no body
No, I don't love no one
Yes, I'm a mover baby
Now get out of my way will ya?
Don't try to stop me now
Following the footpath one fine day,
When I asked a wise man which was the way,
He said "follow you heart and look for yourself,
And come back and tell me what you have learned".
Yes, I'm a mover.
Went back and told him I'd found me a wife,
Eleven children and a real good life,
Told him I'd left this happy home,
'cause I need to return to the long winding road
Yes, I'm a mover
03 Be My Friend (05:56)
Mmm...mmm...
All i need...
Is a friend
Someone to give me, a helpin' hand
When i'm afraid, in the night
Someone to squeeze me
And tell me, it's all right
You know i worry
huh
Such a lot
And i would give, all i've got
Just to have, someone believe in me
Just to do that, and put me back on evenly
Listen...
Baby, baby
Be my friend
Baby, baby
Be my friend
Baby, baby
Be my friend
I will love you, till the very end
Whoa, oh, ooh, ooh
You make me feel
A stronger love
Than anyone, i've ever known
Oh, i need, someone like you
You give me something, so strong and true
Oh, baby, baby
Be my friend
Baby, baby
Be my friend (yeah yeah)
Baby, baby
Be my friend
I will love you, till the very end
Won't ya, Won't ya baby, baby, baby, baby
Be my friend...
I will love ya, i will love ya, till the very end
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Baby, baby, baby, baby
I will love you
I need your lovin' baby
M-na m-na m-na m-na...(fades)
04 Fire and Water (03:56)
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
06 Mr. Big (06:13)
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 The Hunter (05:29)
They call me the hunter
'cause thats my name
Pretty little woman like you
Is my only game
I bought me a love gun
Just the other day
And I aim to aim it your way
Ain't no use to hide
Ain't no used to run
'cause I got you in the sight
Of my girly gun
The first time I saw you
Standing on the street
I said to myself
Oh! ain't she sweet
I got my love gun loaded
With hundreds of kisses
Soon as I pull the trigger baby
There will be no misses
Ain't no use to hide
Ain't no use to run
'cause I got you in the sight
Of my girly gun
Ain't no use to hide
Ain't no use to run
'cause I got you in the sight
Of my girly gun
The first time I saw you
Standing on the street
I said to myself
Oh! ain't she sweet
I got my love gun loaded
With hundreds of kisses
Soon as I pull the trigger baby
There will be no misses
Ain't no use to hide
Ain't no use to run
'cause I got you in the sight
Of my girly gun
08 Get Where I Belong (04:19)
Help me to repair
Things I have done wrong
Help me to find a way
To get where I belong
All you can say
When you're feeling this way
Is that somebody needs you
And wants you to stay
And all you can do
When your something is through
Is take all your time
Don't let it get you blue
Help me to repair
Things I have done wrong
Help me to find a way
To get where I belong
There' too many people
In this whole emptiness
Trying to find
A little happiness I hope
Too many people
Just hiding their face
And I'm hiding my face
In this lonely lonely place
Help me to repair
Things I have done wrong
Help me to find a way
To get where I belong
If you need any help baby
To maybe open your mind
Just give me a call
And I'll be right there on time
Just give me one reason
To stand in your light
And I would stand in your light
Till my night is right
Help me to repair
Things I have done wrong
Help me to find a way
To get where I belong
Oh! To get where I belong
Gonna get where I belong
Gonna get where I belong
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