Free was an English hard-rock band that released six studio albums and a live set between 1969 and 1973 on Island Records.
Their first two albums, Tons of Sobs and Free, appeared in 1969 and established their soft/heavy blues-based style. They reached their popular peak with the 1970 albums Fire and Water and Highway. After a brief pause where guitarist Paul Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke cut the album Free regrouped for the 1972 album Free at Last. Bassist Andy Fraser jumped ship to Sharks and the rest of Free concluded with the 1973 album Heartbreaker.
Free’s signature song, “All Right Now,” remains an evergreen of classic-rock radio. Kirke and singer Paul Rodgers recorded multiple albums in Bad Company. Kossoff made a solo album titled Back Street Crawler, the name of his subsequent band that cut two albums before his passing in 1976.
Members: Paul Rodgers (vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Simon Kirke (drums), Andy Fraser (bass, 1968-72), Tetsu Yamauchi (bass, 1972-73), John “Rabbit” Bundrick (guitar, keyboards, 1972-73)
Background
Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke teamed with bassist Andy Fraser and singer Paul Rodgers.
Kossoff (b. Sept. 14, 1950) and Kirke (b. July 28, 1949) hailed from an early, pre-record lineup of blues-rockers Black Cat Bones. They also backed American bluesman Champion Jack Dupree on his 1968 Blue Horizon release When You Feel the Feeling You Was Feeling.
Fraser (b. July 3, 1952) had a brief, unrecorded stint in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Rodgers (b. Dec. 17, 1949) played in an unrecorded beat group called The Wild Flowers — not to be confused with the pre-Soft Machine Wilde Flowers — with future Juicy Lucy/Snafu/Whitesnake guitarist Micky Moody and eventual Quiver/Moonrider/Attractions bassist Bruce Thomas.
Tons of Sobs
Free released their first album, Tons of Sobs, in March 1969 on Island Records.
“Over the Green Hills” opens and closes the set with a clipped acoustic figure that brackets the album in a short, bare refrain. “Worry” breaks that calm with a fast guitar figure, dark piano, and a vocal line that drives harder at each return.
“Walk in My Shadow” lands on a steady beat and sharp guitar jabs under Rodgers’ hard vocal line. “Wild Indian Woman” leans on its chorus, then clears room for a rising Kossoff solo. “Goin’ Down Slow” stretches into a patient eight-minute workout where guitar and piano answer each other over a slow backbeat.
“I’m a Mover” arrives with a brisk drum intro and a bass line that drives the song into a compact stomp. “The Hunter” pulls the pace down and builds its weight through thicker keyboard support and a tighter guitar attack. “Moonshine” slows the pace with a spare arrangement and an eerie vocal line. “Sweet Tooth” closes the main run on steady piano, a firm riff, and a looser final jam that leaves the last phrase to Kossoff’s guitar.
A1. “Over the Green Hills Pt. I” (1:01) — Rodgers
A2. “Worry” (3:25) — Rodgers
A3. “Walk in My Shadow” (3:20) — Rodgers
A4. “Wild Indian Woman” (3:19) — Fraser, Rodgers
A5. “Goin’ Down Slow” (8:08) — James Burke Oden
B1. “I’m a Mover” (2:49) — Fraser, Rodgers
B2. “The Hunter” (4:11) — Booker T. and the MGs
B3. “Moonshine” (5:01) — Rodgers, Kossoff
B4. “Sweet Tooth” (4:43) — Rodgers
B5. “Over the Green Hills Pt. II” (1:53) — Rodgers
Sessions occurred primarily in October 1968 at Morgan Studios in London with producer Guy Stevens and engineer Andy Johns. An extra December session added “The Hunter” and pushed the album from an intended November 1968 issue to its March 1969 release.
Island issued “I’m a Mover” as a December 1968 single (b/w “Worry”). Abroad, the album appeared on A&M (U.S.), Polydor (Canada), Festival (Oceania), and Fontana (Japan). Tons of Sobs later reached No. 197 on the Billboard 200.
Free
Free released their self-titled second album in October 1969 on Island Records. The album carries nine originals: eight from Rodgers and Fraser plus “Trouble on Double Time,” which credits the full quartet.
“I’ll Be Creepin’” opens with a prominent Fraser bass line, a measured pulse, and a vocal line that turns possessive heat into a slow strut. “Songs of Yesterday” tightens through meter shifts and a Kossoff solo that cuts across the rhythm with sharper turns. “Lying in the Sunshine” unloads through acoustic textures, softer backing voices, and a relaxed Rodgers delivery that keeps the song close to the microphone.
“Trouble on Double Time” jerks forward on a clipped riff and stop-start drum accents that give the track its rough swing. “Mouthful of Grass” pares the band down to near-instrumental form, then lets wordless backing voices hover above Kossoff’s guitar line. “Woman” leans on a dirty central riff, a held-back intro, and a harder vocal attack that gives the song its full-body charge.
“Free Me” settles into a slow bass figure and sparse backing vocals before Kossoff threads the center with a restrained solo built from bent notes and long sustain. “Broad Daylight” keeps the weight low, then drives toward its repeated refrain with periodic drum strokes and a clean guitar break. “Mourning Sad Morning” closes on acoustic guitar, close vocal harmony. Traffic flutist Chris Wood colors the final minutes in a dark lament.
A1. “I’ll Be Creepin’” (3:27)
A2. “Songs of Yesterday” (3:33)
A3. “Lying in the Sunshine” (3:51)
A4. “Trouble on Double Time” (3:23)
A5. “Mouthful of Grass” (3:36)
B1. “Woman” (3:50)
B2. “Free Me” (5:24)
B3. “Broad Daylight” (3:15)
B4. “Mourning Sad Morning” (5:04)
Sessions spanned between January 3 through June 6, 1969, in London at Morgan and Trident Studios with producer Chris Blackwell.
Ron Raffaelli shot the sleeve through strobe light, which turned the cover figure into a luminous silhouette against open sky.
“Broad Daylight” first appeared as a March 1969 single with “The Worm,” a non-album Fraser/Rodgers cut. In June, “I’ll Be Creepin’” appeared as a second advance single with “Sugar for Mr. Morrison,” another outtake. Both b-sides appear on Free CD reissues.
B. “The Worm” (3:06)
B. “I’ll Be Creepin’” (3:03)
Free released their third album, Fire and Water, on June 26, 1970, on Island Records.
The album contains five Fraser-Rodgers titles and a rare Rodgers/Kossoff co-write (“Oh I Wept”), plus the group-written “Mr. Big.” They scored their international breakthrough with the closing number, “All Right Now.”
“Fire and Water” opens in a foreboding stomp, sustains a dark midtempo drag, and hardens each return around a blunt refrain and a closing cadence. “Oh I Wept” unloads into a bruised vocal line and drifts through a slow, heartbroken descent. “Remember” quickens into a more open gait, then steers its nostalgic pull toward a firmer refrain and a cleaner release. “Heavy Load” strips to a bare, mournful shape and gathers quiet force across the final stretch.
“Mr. Big” rides a menacing pulse, widens through its long central break, and mounts toward a drawn-out crescendo. “Don’t Say You Love Me” lingers in a slow, exposed space, with a worn vocal line that holds the hurt close in a bruised lament. “All Right Now” bursts out on a huge riff, snaps through clipped stop-start turns, and lands in a broad closing release.
A1. “Fire and Water” (3:57) — Fraser, Rodgers
A2. “Oh I Wept” (4:26) — Rodgers, Kossoff
A3. “Remember” (4:23) — Fraser, Rodgers
A4. “Heavy Load” (5:19) — Fraser, Rodgers
B1. “Mr. Big” (5:55) — Fraser, Rodgers, Kirke, Kossoff
B2. “Don’t Say You Love Me” (6:01) — Fraser, Rodgers
B3. “All Right Now” (5:32) — Fraser, Rodgers
Sessions spanned January through June 1970 at Trident and Island Studios, where Free self-produced around engineer Roy Baker, Mike Sida devised the cover image, and Richard Polak supplied the sleeve photography.
Island issued “All Right Now” (b/w “Mouthful of Grass”) as a single on May 15, 1970. Andy Fraser and Paul Rodgers wrote it in the dressing room at Durham Students’ Union after a poorly received show left the band without a proper set closer. The single edit trimmed the longer album performance for radio issue. “All Right Now” reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, where the song remains an FM radio evergreen.
Fire and Water reached No. 2 on the UK Album Charts and No. 17 on the Billboard 200.
Highway
Free released their fourth album, Highway, in December 1970 on Island Records.
Highway trades blunt force for piano-led drift, slower narrative songs, and a quieter surface. “The Highway Song” ambles on a midtempo shuffle where ivory ease settles into a lazy summer sway. “The Stealer” struts on a crooked bass line and a clipped refrain that give the song its sly bite. “On My Way” relaxes into a warm, unhurried drift and lets Rodgers carry the center with an easy vocal line. “Be My Friend” darkens into a brooding plea and gathers force through its slow climb toward the closing refrain.
“Sunny Day” softens the sequence with a quiet, melancholy lilt and a restrained vocal line. “Ride on a Pony” snaps back with a dirty riff and a low-slung strut that never loosens its grip. “Love You So” lingers in a slow, soulful ache and turns its plea into a drawn-out lament. “Bodie” pares the pulse down to a sparse, pastoral lope and keeps the vocal close to the track’s plainspoken core. “Soon I Will Be Gone” closes the album in a haunted descent where acoustic texture, piano, and organ draw the song toward a final farewell.
A1. “The Highway Song” (4:14) — Fraser, Kossoff
A2. “The Stealer” (3:14) — Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff
A3. “On My Way” (4:04) — Fraser, Rodgers
A4. “Be My Friend” (5:45) — Fraser, Rodgers
B1. “Sunny Day” (3:07) — Fraser, Rodgers
B2. “Ride on a Pony” (4:17) — Fraser, Rodgers
B3. “Love You So” (4:54) — Rodgers, Kirke
B4. “Bodie” (3:05) — Fraser, Rodgers
B5. “Soon I Will Be Gone” (3:01) — Fraser, Rodgers
Free self-produced Highway in September 1970 at Island Studios with engineer Andy Johns.
Some pressings credit a photograph from This Is the American Earth courtesy the Sierra Club.
Island issued “The Stealer” (b/w “Lying in the Sunshine”) in the UK in November 1970. A&M paired the US single with “Broad Daylight,” and that release reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A&M issued “The Highway Song” (b/w “Love You So”) in the United States in January 1971. Highway reached No. 41 on the UK album chart and No. 190 on the Billboard 200.
In April 1971, Free released the standalone single “My Brother Jake,” a plea to a troubled friend backed with “Only My Soul,” both self-produced Fraser/Rodgers numbers.
“My Brother Jake” addresses a drifting, withdrawn figure who moves through life on instinct while others watch him slide further from connection and self-awareness. Beneath the concern, the singer holds faith that Jake can pull himself back and turn his force into something that matters. “Your candle is burning, the wheels of time are turning” gives the song its sharpest image: Jake still has life and inner spark, but time keeps moving, which turns the warning urgent.
Fraser conceived the song as a tribute to Horace Faith, the Jamaican reggae singer who scored a 1970 UK Top 20 hit with his cover of the Checkmates, Ltd. song “Black Pearl.” Rodgers changed “Horace” to “Jake” because the latter tracked better in the cadence.
A. “My Brother Jake” (2:55)
B. “Only My Soul” (2:30)
Free mimed “My Brother Jake” on the May 13 broadcast of Top of the Pops, which thrice aired the song amid spring in-studio numbers by Ashton Gardner & Dyke (“Can You Get It”), Cat Stevens (“Tuesday’s Dead”), East of Eden (“Jig-a-Jig”), The Hollies (“Hey Willy”), Labi Siffre (“Rocking Chair”), and The Rolling Stones (“Wild Horses”).
Despite the song’s origin, “My Brother Jake” foreshadowed tensions within Free as Paul Kossoff spiraled into substance abuse.
First Breakup
Free Live!
In June 1971, Island Records issued Free Live!, culled from UK gigs the prior winter.
The sequence draws two titles from Tons of Sobs, five from the 1970 studio pair, and one new studio coda. Side A spotlights their biggest hit and runs through direct stage pieces. Side B closes with “Get Where I Belong,” a recent studio track.
On Free Live! the songs come across in rougher, wider shapes, with Kossoff pushed farther into the foreground and the band leaning harder on tension, drag, and release. “All Right Now” opens in a ragged burst whose slips and overreach only add more voltage to the push. “I’m a Mover” hits with a tougher stomp and a broader guitar spread than the studio cut. “Be My Friend” slows to a tender ache, then lets the guitar lines turn that plea into something more exposed and fragile.
“Fire and Water” lands with a heavier tread and a more immediate sense of attack. “Mr. Big” starts from a sparse menace, then swells through its long middle stretch toward a full live crescendo. “The Hunter” arrives like an alarm call, with a thundering opening and a harder sense of pursuit than most of the set. “Ride on Pony” keeps its dirty strut and presses it with more bite onstage. “Get Where I Belong” ends the sequence in a subdued farewell that trades the live album’s raw force for a quieter, reflective coda.
A1. “All Right Now” (6:24) — from Fire and Water (1970)
A2. “I’m a Mover” (3:46) — from Tons of Sobs (1969)
A3. “Be My Friend” (5:56) — from Highway (1970)
A4. “Fire and Water” (3:56) — from Fire and Water (1970)
B1. “Ride on Pony” (4:30) — from Highway (1970; studio title “Ride on a Pony”)
B2. “Mr. Big” (6:13) — from Fire and Water (1970)
B3. “The Hunter” (5:29) — from Tons of Sobs (1969)
B4. “Get Where I Belong” (4:19) — March 1971 studio recording
Producer Andy Johns sourced two numbers, “All Right Now” and “The Hunter,” from a January 1970 show at the Locarno in Sunderland. The remaining five live tracks come from their September 13, 1970, show at Fairfield Hall in Croydon. He threaded crowd noise through the sequence to smooth the joins.
Free Live! reached No. 4 in the UK and No. 89 in the United States.
In April 1972, Island issued Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu, and Rabbit, the lone album by the Free splinter group with Tetsu Yamauchi and John “Rabbit” Bundrick.
The album contains five songs by Bundrick, who plays piano, electric piano, organ, and Mellotron. Kirke sings three songs, while Kossoff sings lead on “Colours.” Cochise steel guitarist B.J. Cole guests on “Yellow House” and “I’m on the Run.”
“Blue Grass” opens with an easy rural lope and a relaxed country pull. “Sammy’s Alright” keeps that same loose stride in a slightly fuller barroom sway. “Anna” softens the pace through a warm keyboard wash and a gentler vocal line. “Just for the Box” gives Kossoff his clearest showcase, with phase-toned guitar that cuts against the album’s loose drift. “Hold On” stays mellow and open, and piano with guitar give the song more body than its plain refrain.
“Fool’s Life” steps out with a funkier gait. “Yellow House” leans into a hazier, pedal-steel-tinted rural mood. “I’m on the Run” follows that same easy road feel with a little more forward pull. “Colours” closes in the nearest thing to a Free shape, with Kossoff’s guitar driving the track harder than the vocal line.
A1. “Blue Grass” (5:21) — Bundrick
A2. “Sammy’s Alright” (4:05) — Bundrick
A3. “Anna” (3:39) — Kirke
A4. “Just for the Box” (3:30) — Kossoff
A5. “Hold On” (5:21) — Kirke, Kossoff
B1. “Fool’s Life” (4:29) — Bundrick
B2. “Yellow House” (3:23) — Bundrick
B3. “Dying Fire” (4:29) — Kirke
B4. “I’m on the Run” (4:33) — Bundrick
B5. “Colours” (4:46) — Elliott Burgess, Kossoff
Sessions for the self-produced album took place with engineers Richard Digby Smith and Tony Platt.
Kirke revived “Anna” with Rodgers on the 1975 second Bad Company album Straight Shooter. Maggie Bell interpreted “Hold On” for her 1975 second solo album Suicide Sal.
Free released their fifth studio album, Free at Last, in May 1972 on Island Records.
All nine tracks carry shared credit to Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff, and Kirke. The band adopted that collective billing during the reunion sessions as part of a broader effort to steady the group around Kossoff.
“Catch a Train” returns to a harder attack with a gritty riff and a more weathered Rodgers vocal. “Sail On” settles into a mature blues shape and s[potlights Kossoff’s darker tone over the refrain. “Travelling Man” conjures the earlier Free strut around a spacious central riff.
“Little Bit of Love” lightens with easy swing and a brighter refrain. “Guardian of the Universe” turns inward through a slow, drifting build that trades urgency for atmosphere. “Magic Ship” follows with a soulful keyboard wash and a chorus that rises out of the haze. “Child” returns to the album’s melancholy center with a semi-acoustic setting that carries sorrow and lift in the same vocal line. “Goodbye” closes in a worn, dark mood that leaves the reunion under a fading coda.
A1. “Catch a Train” (3:32)
A2. “Soldier Boy” (2:51)
A3. “Magic Ship” (5:22)
A4. “Sail On” (3:05)
A5. “Travellin’ Man” (3:23)
B1. “Little Bit of Love” (2:34)
B2. “Guardian of the Universe” (5:32)
B3. “Child” (5:18)
B4. “Goodbye” (5:05)
Free self-produced the album between January and March 1972 at Island Studios with engineer Richard Digby Smith.
Island lifted “Little Bit of Love” as a single (b/w “Sail On”), which reached No. 13 in the UK.
Free at Last reached No. 9 on the UK album chart and No. 69 on the Billboard 200.
The ensuing tour was shambolic due to worsening condition. That summer, Fraser exited the band.
Heartbreaker
Free released their sixth and final studio album, Heartbreaker, on January 19, 1973, on Island Records.
The album contains four Rodgers songs and two group-credited to the altered five-piece with Kirke, Kossoff, Tetsu, and Bundrick. Three tracks — “Easy on My Soul” “Common Mortal Man,” and “Muddy Waters” — feature Stray Dog guitarist “Snuffy” Walden in lieu of Kossoff, whose quaalude addiction sidelined him for roughly half the sessions.
“Wishing Well” bursts out on a hard riff, clipped verse turns, and a chorus that lands with quick uplift. “Come Together in the Morning” eases into a slower sway and deepens its ache through a broad chorus and a torn closing solo. “Travellin’ in Style” lightens the sequence with a loose rail-car lope and an easy campfire refrain. “Heartbreaker” sinks into a heavy drag, circles a blunt central figure, and drives Rodgers toward one of the album’s hardest pleas.
“Muddy Water” settles into a slow, downhome lament whose keyboard swell and relaxed pulse keep the hurt close. “Common Mortal Man” darkens the side with a haunted tread and a more dramatic rise through the refrain. “Easy on My Soul” pares the language down to a few repeated lines and lets the arrangement drift on delicate piano runs and a hushed cadence. “Seven Angels” closes the album in an ominous sway that gathers weight around Rodgers’ vocal line and leaves the farewell under a dark coda.
A1. “Wishing Well” (3:43) — Rodgers, Kirke, Yamauchi, Kossoff, Bundrick
A2. “Come Together in the Morning” (4:43) — Rodgers
A3. “Travellin’ in Style” (4:02) — Rodgers, Kirke, Yamauchi, Kossoff, Bundrick
A4. “Heartbreaker” (6:15) — Rodgers
B1. “Muddy Water” (4:18) — Bundrick
B2. “Common Mortal Man” (4:10) — Bundrick
B3. “Easy on My Soul” (3:47) — Rodgers
B4. “Seven Angels” (5:04) — Rodgers
Free recorded Heartbreaker at Island Studios in London in October and November 1972 with co-producer Andy Johns. Chris Blackwell rejected the first mix and brought Johns in to complete the final sound. John Glover co-designed the cover with photographer Dick Polak.
“Wishing Well” first appeared as a single in December 1972 (b/w “Let Me Show You”). It peaked at No. 7. on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, Island issued “Travellin’ in Style” as a single in April 1973 (b/w “Come Together in the Morning”).
Heartbreaker reached No. 9 in the UK and No. 47 on the Billboard 200.
Kossoff departed in early 1973 to record a solo album. Free toured Heartbreaker with Osibisa guitarist Wendell Richardson and disbanded later that year.
Subsequent Activity and Legacy
Rodgers and Kirke formed Bad Company with guitarist Mick Ralphs (Mott The Hoople) and bassist Boz Burrell (King Crimson, Centipede), releasing six albums on Led Zeppelin‘s Swan Song label between 1974 and 1982.
Fraser formed Sharks with guitarist Chris Spedding but left the project after the first of two albums to front the Andy Fraser Band, which issued a self-titled album in 1975. That same year, he recorded a solo album at Alabam’s Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. For the next eight years, he focused primarily on songwriting with bass credits limited to albums by Brian Eno (Before and After Science) and Robert Palmer. In 1984, Fraser returned with the album Fine Fine Line on Island.
Kossoff went solo with the 1973 release Back Street Crawler, which features all of Free on the track “Molten Gold” plus appearances by Fraser, Kirke, Tetsu, and Rabbit on other tracks. The album spawned a namesake band, featuring Kossoff and three-fifths of American hard-rockers Bloontz. They released two 1975/76 albums on Atlantic/Atco before Kossoff’s death at age 25 from a pulmonary embolism on Mar. 19, 1976. The band continued for two further albums under the truncated name Crawler.
Rabbit cut two solo albums for Island in 1973/74 with help on select tracks from Tetsu, Kirke, and Walden. The keyboardist then joined Back Street Crawler for their 1976 release 2nd Street and remained for the two Crawler albums. He then became a touring fifth-wheel for The Who and played on albums by The Only Ones, Pete Townshend, Trevor Rabin, and Jack Green.
Tetsu toured with the Faces for two years, then returned to Japan where he surfaced sporadically on albums by Maki Asakawa, Kenji Endo, and Yoriyuki Harada.
Covers of Free songs over the years include “Ride On a Pony” (Raw Material), “I’m a Mover” (Buffalo), “Be My Friend” (Jennifer Warnes), “Fire and Water” (Wilson Pickett), “Woman” (Three Dog Night), “Stealer” (Faces), “All Right Now” (Lea Roberts, Rod Stewart), “Travellin’ in Style” (Kiki Dee), “Wishing Well” (Maggie Bell, Blackfoot, Gary Moore), and “Little Bit of Love” (Gap Band).
Discography:
- Tons of Sobs (1969)
- Free (1969)
- Fire and Water (1970)
- Highway (1970)
- Free at Last (1972)
- Heartbreaker (1973)
Sources:
Artist/Album Pages:
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2020 draft:
1969: Tons of Sobs
Free released their first album, Tons of Sobs, in March 1969 on Island (U.K.), A&M (U.S.), Polydor (Canada), Festival (Oceania), and Fontana (Japan). It features eight proper songs, including “Worry,” “The Hunter,” “Sweet Tooth,” and “Walk in My Shadow.” The album is bookended by the miniature two-parter “Over the Green Hills.” All but two of the songs are band originals, mostly credited to Rodgers. The album was recorded in late 1968 at London’s Morgan Studios and produced by Guy Stevens (Art, Mighty Baby, Traffic, Mott the Hoople, The Winkies, The Clash).
Before that album’s release, Free was busy recording their self-titled followup. Free was released in October 1969 on Island in all territories outside North America, where it was issued on A&M (U.S.) and Polydor (Canada). The album features nine songs, including “Songs of Yesterday,” “I’ll Be Creepin’,” “Broad Daylight,” and “Mourning Sad Morning.” All the songs are jointly credited to Fraser/Rodgers except “Trouble on Double Time,” a full-group composition. The album was recorded Jan.–June 1969 at Morgan and Trident Studios and produced by Island head Chris Blackwell.
1970–71: Fire and Water and Highway; Initial Split
Free’s commercial breakthrough came with their third album, Fire and Water, released in June 1970. It features seven songs, including “Oh I Wept,” “Heavy Load,” and “Mr. Big.” The album reached #2 in the U.K., as did the single “All Right Now,” a hit in numerous territories. With both riding high, Free headlined the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival that August. The album was produced between the band and John Kelly (Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, U Brown) and engineered by an up-and-coming Roy Thomas Baker, whose other nascent credits include Ten Years After, Every Which Way, Chicken Shack, The Fox, Egg (Egg), and Gentle Giant (Gentle Giant).
Free were back that December with their fourth album, Highway, released on Island in all territories. It opens with two Kossoff co-writes, “The Highway Song” and “The Stealer,” and proceeds through six Fraser/Rodgers originals, including “Bodie,” “On My Way,” and “Soon I Will Be Gone.” “Love You So” is a Rodgers/Kirke co-write. Musically, the album takes a rootsier, more laidback approach than prior efforts. Confusion arose over the album cover, designed by C.C.S. Advertising (Traffic, Nirvana, Procol Harum, Audience), which mentions the title but not the band name.
As the band handled mounting commitments, Kossoff spiraled into drug addiction. The situation was mirrored in the 1971 interventionist plea “My Brother Jake” (U.K. #4). This, coupled with creative differences between Fraser and Rodgers, caused Free to fold for the year. In their absence, Island issued Free Live!, culled from 1970 shows at The Lacarno, Sunderland and Croydon’s Fairfield Halls.
Kossoff and Kirke teamed with Japanese bassist Tetsu Yamauchi (Samurai) and American keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick. This liaison yielded one album, Kossoff Kirke Tetsu Rabbit, released in 1972 on Island.
Rodgers formed the short-lived Peace, an unrecorded combo with (ex-Quatermass) drummer Mick Underwood and (ex-Killing Floor) bassist Stuart McDonald. Meanwhile, Fraser teamed with future-Sparks guitarist Adrian Fischer in the power-trio Toby. Recordings of this liaison remain unreleased.
1972–73: Free at Last and Heartbreaker; Final Breakup
In January 1972, before the release of Kossoff Kirke Tetsu Rabbit, Free regrouped in the studio for another album. The resulting Free at Last was issued that May with nine group compositions, including “Soldier Boy,” “Goodbye,” and “Magic Ship.” The self-produced album generated one single: “Little Bit of Love” (U.K. #13).
The ensuing tour was shambolic due to Kossoff’s worsening condition. That summer, Fraser exited the band. Tetsu and Rabbit were roped in to fill out the lineup.
Free recorded their final album, Heartbreaker, in October/November 1972 at Island Studios. It was released in January 1973, four weeks after the group-composed lead-off single “Wishing Well” (U.K. #7). Rodgers wrote four of the album’s eight songs, including “Seven Angels,” “Come Together in the Morning,” and the epic title-track. His “Easy on My Soul,” along with the Bundrick contributions “Common Mortal Man” and “Muddy Waters,” feature Stray Dog guitarist “Snuffy” Walden in lieu of Kossoff, whose quaalude addiction sidelined him for roughly half the sessions. The album was co-produced by Andy Johns (Blodwyn Pig, Jack Bruce, Heavy Metal Kids, Detective, Television) and engineered by Richard Digby Smith (Bronco, Patto, Boxer, Jess Roden, Dr. Z, Sutherland Brothers).
Kossoff departed in early 1973 to record a solo album. Free toured Heartbreaker with Osibisa guitarist Wendell Richardson and disbanded later that year.