Free
Heartbreaker

THE REVIEW

Many know the Free only for their worldwide hit “All Right Now”, and it's a real shame. In the seven albums they produced, there are a lot of sensational songs that have inspired generations both then and now.
Heartbreaker is the last album, dated 1973. The lineup is not classic, but still valid: besides Paul Rodgers as vocalist and Simon Kirke on drums, we find the Japanese Tetsu Yamauchi on bass, who replaced the charismatic Andy Fraser. For the first time, Free also acquired a keyboardist, the Texan John “Rabbit” Bundrick. The guitar is alternated between Snuffy Walden and the usual Paul Kossoff, who was going through a rough patch due to his continuous drug use. The situation within the band was not the best, which was reflected in the record, which is in some respects very melancholic.

The record opens with “Wishing Well”, which had a fair amount of success, and whose words made it seem like a warning from Rodgers to his friend Kossoff.

Throw down your gun
you might shoot yourself,
or is that what you are tryin' to do,
put up a fight
you believe to be right
and someday the sun will shine through

But Rodgers always denied it. The track is truly beautiful and powerful, played with energy by all the musicians. “Come Together In The Morning” is the second track, and one of the best of their entire career; it is a very sad but very intense song, especially Paul Kossoff's guitar solo. His style is unmistakable: few notes stretched throughout the solo, almost making it seem like a lament. It is followed by “Travellin’ In Style”, which might seem like the weak point of the record, but actually serves to break up the songs, as it is the only one with a completely cheerful melody. “Heartbreaker”, on the other hand, is another powerful track, characterized by gloomy music and seemingly sad lyrics, talking about a man aware of his failure in life but wanting to start over again. The influence of Bundrick's style is noticeable in “Muddy Water”, a truly remarkable song, especially for the fantastic bass lines, and “Common Mortal Man”, which seems like another dedication to Kossoff, as it talks about the visions of drug addicts. After a mediocre “Easy On My Soul”, the album closes with “Seven Angels”, the very last song of Free. The atmosphere here is magical and surreal, making the imagination soar to who knows where.

As soon as the tour was over (which did not include Kossoff), Free disbanded. Tetsu Yamauchi joined the Faces, Paul Kossoff and John Bundrick formed Back Street Crawler. Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers went on to form Bad Company. Rodgers was also offered to join Deep Purple by Ritchie Blackmore. Rodgers refused, and Ian Gillan was replaced by the talented David Coverdale, who left no regrets. But that's another story....