Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 2.99 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1.22 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 138 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968-73, 2002 Island / Universal Japan | UICY-9130~32 / UICY-9200~03
Rock / Blues Rock / Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Famed for their perennial "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy sound of British blues down to its raw, minimalist core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970's superstars like Foreigner, Foghat and Bad Company. Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the blues unit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend, drummer Tom Mautner. After deciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers recruited drummer Simon Kirke (since Mautner was at university) and 16-year-old bass phenom Andy Fraser from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; with the aid of Alexis Korner, who also suggested the name Free, the fledgling band signed to the Island label, issuing their bluesy debut Tons of Sobs in 1968.

Free's eponymous 1969 follow-up expanded on their roots-based sound, incorporating rockers like Albert King's "The Hunter" as well as muscular ballads like "Lying in the Sunshine" into the mix. Although both of the first two albums fared poorly on the charts, 1970's Fire and Water became a tremendous hit on the strength of the primal "All Right Now," a Top Five smash powered by Rodgers' gritty, visceral vocals. After headlining 1970's Isle of Wight festival, the group appeared destined for superstardom, but the LP Highway did not fare nearly as well as anticipated, and after a grueling tour which yielded 1971's Free Live, the band dissolved amidst ego clashes and recriminations.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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While Rodgers went on to form Peace and Fraser founded Toby, Kossoff and Kirke teamed with bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick to record the album Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit. When none of these new projects proved successful, the original lineup of Free re-formed to record 1972's Free at Last, which launched the hit "Little Bit of Love." However, drug problems nagged the group, as Kossoff's longtime battle with heroin continued to worsen; soon Fraser exited to form Sharks with Chris Spedding, leaving Rodgers and Kirke to record the majority of 1973's Heartbreaker while a drug-addled Kossoff watched from the sidelines. Soon, the group disbanded again, this time for good: while Rodgers and Kirke went on to found Bad Company, Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler before dying of a drug-induced heart attack on March 19, 1976.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Tons of Sobs (1968) (Japan UICY-9130)

Although Free was never destined to scrape the same skies as Led Zeppelin, when they first burst out of the traps in 1968, close to a year ahead of Jimmy Page and company, they set the world of British blues-rock firmly on its head, a blistering combination of youth, ambition, and, despite those tender years, experience that, across the course of their debut album, did indeed lay the groundwork for all that Zeppelin would embrace. That Free and Zeppelin were cut from the same cloth is immediately apparent, even before you start comparing the versions of "The Hunter" that highlight both bands' debut albums. Where Free streaks ahead, however, is in their refusal to compromise their own vision of the blues – even at its most commercial ("I'm a Mover" and "Worry"), Tons of Sobs has a density that makes Zeppelin and the rest of the era's rocky contemporaries sound like flyweights by comparison. The 2002 remaster of the album only amplifies the fledgling Free's achievements. With remastered sound that drives the record straight back to the studio master tapes, the sheer versatility of the players, and the unbridled imagination of producer Guy Stevens, rings crystal clear. Even without their visionary seer, however, Free impresses – three bonus tracks drawn from period BBC sessions are as loose as they are dynamic, and certainly make a case for a full Free-at-the-Beeb type collection. Of the other bonuses, two offer alternate versions of familiar album tracks, while "Guy Stevens Jam" is reprised from the Songs of Yesterday box set to further illustrate the band's improvisational abilities. As if they needed it.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Free (1969) (Japan UICY-9131)

Free's second album was recorded with the band itself in considerable turmoil as principle songwriters Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser demanded strict discipline from their bandmates, and guitarist Paul Kossoff, in particular, equally demanded the spontaneity and freedom that had characterized the group's debut. It was an awkward period that saw both Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke come close to quitting, an eventuality that only the intervention of label chief Chris Blackwell seems to have prevented. Few of these tensions are evident on the finished album – tribute, again, to Blackwell's powers of diplomacy. He replaced original producer Guy Stevens early into the sessions and, having reminded both warring parties where the band's strengths lie, proceeded to coax out an album that stands alongside its predecessor as a benchmark of British blues at the turn of the 1960s.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Fire And Water (1970) (Japan UICY-9132)

If Fleetwood Mac, Humble Pie, and Foghat were never formed, Free would be considered one of the greatest post-Beatles blues-rock bands to date, and Fire and Water shows why. Conceptually fresh, with a great, roots-oriented, Band-like feel, Free distinguished itself with the public like Black Sabbath and Deep Purple did (in terms of impact, only) in 1970. Free presented itself to the world as a complete band, in every sense of the word. From Paul Kossoff's exquisite and tasteful guitar work, to Paul Rodgers' soulful vocals, this was a group that was easily worthy of the mantle worn by Cream, Blind Faith, or Derek & the Dominos.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Highway (1970) (Japan UICY-9200)

Highway was recorded just three months after Free scored the career-redefining hit "Alright Now," and while their profile was at a career-topping high, their morale was heading toward an all-time low. Guitarist Paul Kossoff was reeling from the death of friend Jimi Hendrix; a new single, "The Stealer" – the follow-up to The Hit – bellyflopped ignominiously; and, when the album followed suit, the band itself was not far behind. Heavily influenced by their admiration of the Band, Highway has understandably been described as Free's answer to Music From Big Pink, sharing both the laid-back vibe and mellow looseness of that role model. Where it went awry, of course, was in the fact that Free were not cut out to be country-rock guitar-twangers, no matter how fiery their missionary zeal. Yet, the strutting rockers "The Stealer" and "Ride on a Pony" alone shatter the brave new mood, while reflective romancers like "Love You So" and "Be My Friend" could well have been composed specifically to rid the band of the shadow of "Alright Now," and prove that underneath the coolest exterior, there beat a heart of the molten gold. Of course, Free had bathed in such waters before, and the closing "Soon I Will Be Gone" certainly bears comparison with any of their past ballads. Nevertheless, too much of Highway reacted to the pressures of the recent past rather than building upon the strengths that had made such events possible in the first place, and you reach the bonus tracks appended to the 2002 remaster despairing that they will ever rediscover that earlier flair. But the 1971 hit single "My Brother Jake" is a gorgeous knockabout clearly informed by the Faces' recent assault on Free's own throne, while a couple of BBC session tracks, sensibly highlighting both the best ("Ride on a Pony") and the worst ("Be My Friend") of the album itself, pack a punch that was clearly absent in the studio. In fact, whatever your opinion of Highway itself, the bonus tracks comprise an entire new reason to pick up the album.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Live! (1971) (Japan UICY-9201)

Following Paul Rodgers' unsuccessful project titled Peace and Andy Fraser's ill-fated Toby, Free rebuilt themselves and released At Last in the summer of 1972. The band went right back to what they know best, with Rodgers bearing his blues-rock soul to Kossof's moody electric guitar. Tracks like "Sail On," "Soldier Boy," and "Travelling Man" come out on top as some of the band's most emotive material, proving that their breakup in 1971 had no real effect on their chemistry. "Little Bit of Love" was released in the U.K., peaking at number 13, while the album itself broke the Top Ten there, stalling at number 69 in the U.S. The band's mixture of laid-back blues and gritty, bare-boned rock & roll is as poignant and as expressive as it was on Tons of Sobs or Fire and Water, even though Paul Kossof's problems with drugs were beginning to be more and more evident. Eventually, Kossof's addiction affected the entire band, hindering Free's ability to go on tour to promote the album. After At Last, Andy Fraser left the group and created the band Sharks along with Chris Spedding, while Kossof was busy with his own Back Street Crawler project. After Kossof's death in 1976, John Bundrick re-joined along with Tetsu Yamauchi for 1973's Heartbreaker…Free's final release.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Free at Last (1972) (Japan UICY-9202)

This album seems to be almost uniformly criticized in reviews but I would make a case that it holds its own fairly well against the rest of Free's catalogue. True, it is not all up to the consistent high standard of `Free and Water' or `Heartbreaker', but it nevertheless contains much good material and demonstrates clearly the evolving style of the band, away from the relatively simple arrangements of the early albums and towards the keyboard-dominated sound of `Heartbreaker'. This album was the last by the original four members of Free, but though he is not credited I suspect that some of the keyboard work might have been by John `Rabbit' Bundrick, who officially joined the band later, for their final album. Although there are a couple of tracks which some might regard as `filler', the standard of composition and playing is high, with the shorter more concise songs near the start and the later songs being more lengthy, slow and thoughtful. There is a sense of introspection in some of these later songs which matches the mood of much of the `Heartbreaker' album, and this evolution of Free's sound should not be dismissed just because it differs from, for example, stompers like `All right now'. So although the band was undoubtedly suffering from internal disputes and the effects of drug use during the making of this album, it has always deserved a place in the collection of Free aficionados.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - Heartbreaker (1973) (Japan UICY-9203)

Free's return in 1972 was scarred by any number of traumas, not least of all the departure of bassist Andy Fraser and the virtual incapacity of guitarist Paul Kossoff – one-half of the original band, and the lion's share of its spirit as well. But did their erstwhile bandmates let it show? Not a jot. The hastily recruited Tetsu Yamauchi, and vocalist Paul Rodgers himself, filled the breach instrumentally, and probably 50 percent of the ensuing Heartbreaker ranks among Free's finest ever work. Of course, any record that can open with the sheer majesty of "Wishing Well," Rodgers' so-evocative tribute to Kossoff, is immediately going to ascend to the halls of greatness, all the more so since Kossoff himself is in such fine form across both this cut and the next three – completing side one of the original vinyl, "Come Together in the Morning," "Travellin' in Style," and "Heartbreaker" add up to the band's most convincing sequence of songs since the days of Fire and Water. Further into the disc, two contributions from another new recruit, keyboard player John Bundrick, fall a little flat, a fate they share with the previously unreleased "Hand Me Down/Turn Me Round," one of the 2002 remaster's six bonus tracks. But a pair of solo Rodgers songs, "Easy on My Soul" and "Seven Angels," close the album with as much emotion as it opened on, and one could well argue that, after such a treat, the aforementioned bonus tracks are all but unnecessary, especially as the first few simply offer outtakes, alternates, and B-sides from the sessions themselves. As the CD wraps up, however, two final tracks reveal what happened once the album was completed, peeping into the band's rehearsal room on the eve of their summer tour of Japan to catch "Heartbreaker" and "Easy on My Soul" in such rough but eloquently heavenly form that this most emotionally weighted of Free's albums could demand no deeper coda.

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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Free - The Complete Mini LP Set (1968-1973) {2002 Island Japan UICY-9130~9203, Disk Union Promo Box}

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