Free At Last
LP by Free
Released	June 1972 February 2002 (reissue)
Recorded	January - March 1972
Genre	Rock, Soul
Length	65 min 38 s
Label	Island Records
Producer(s)	Free
Professional reviews
AMG link
Free chronology
Free Live! (1971)	Free At Last (1972)	Heartbreaker (1973)

Free At Last is the sixth album (fifth studio album) by British rock band Free. The band had broken up in April 1971 due to differences between singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the drug problems of guitarist Paul Kossoff, and inconsistent record sales. The four members went their separate ways, but solo projects failed in all cases. Also, with the loss of the band, Kossoff degenerated further into severe depression; he felt guilty for, as he saw it, destroying the band, and this guilt only made the problem worse. It was this factor that led members of the band to set aside their differences and re-form, with the intention of potentially saving the guitarist's life. An album is a collection of related audio tracks, released together commercially in an audio format to the public. ... Free was a R&B-style rock band which formed in London in 1968 best known for their popular song All Right Now. Lead singer Paul Rodgers, went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company, while lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, a much revered blues/rock guitarist... Jump to: navigation, search June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with a length of 30 days The month is named after the Roman goddess Juno (mythology), wife of Jupiter and equivalent to the Greek goddess Hera. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2002(MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Jump to: navigation, search March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... Jump to: navigation, search A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Jump to: navigation, search Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... Minutes are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... Jump to: navigation, search A record label is a brand created by companies that specialize in manufacturing, distributing and promoting audio and video recordings, on various formats including compact discs, LPs, DVD-Audio, SACDs, and cassettes. ... Jump to: navigation, search Island Records is a record label that was founded in Jamaica in 1959 by Chris Blackwell. ... Jump to: navigation, search In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) is (among many other tasks) primarily responsible for completing a master recording so that it is fit for mass production and commercial release. ... Free was a R&B-style rock band which formed in London in 1968 best known for their popular song All Right Now. Lead singer Paul Rodgers, went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company, while lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, a much revered blues/rock guitarist... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links Description: Rating stars. ... Free was a R&B-style rock band which formed in London in 1968 best known for their popular song All Right Now. Lead singer Paul Rodgers, went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company, while lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, a much revered blues/rock guitarist... Free Live! was the fifth album by British rock band Free, and their first (and to date only official) live album. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... This page refers to the 1973 album by Free. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Free was a R&B-style rock band which formed in London in 1968 best known for their popular song All Right Now. Lead singer Paul Rodgers, went on to become lead singer of the rock band Bad Company, while lead guitarist Paul Kossoff, a much revered blues/rock guitarist... Jump to: navigation, search April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... LeAnn Rimes singing in concert For other senses of this word, see singer (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search Paul Rodgers (2005) Paul Rodgers was born on December 17, 1949 in Middlesbrough, England. ... A bassist is a musician who plays a double bass or electric bass (also referred to as bass guitar). ... Andy Fraser (born August 7, 1952) is a british musician. ... Jump to: navigation, search Steve Howe playing lead guitar for Yes in 1977 A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Paul Kossoff (September 14, 1950 - March 19, 1976) was a British rock guitarist. ... Jump to: navigation, search Clinical depression is a health condition of depression with mental and physical components reaching criteria generally accepted by clinicians. ...

Line up

Paul Rodgers - Vocals, piano
Paul Kossoff - Guitar
Andy Fraser - Bass
Simon Kirke - Drums
Self-titled album cover Bad Company was a British rock band of the 1970s. ...

Recording

All members of the band made a concerted effort to work smoothly and efficiently for Kossoff's sake. For example, in a symbolic gesture all tracks were credited to every member of the band regardless of who actually wrote them. However, Kossoff's input can best be described as erratic; to compensate Rodgers took to the piano. Unfortunately Rodgers was not a particularly accomplished pianist, resulting in an album that is nowhere near as musically accomplished than others by the band. Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the modern musical instrument. ...

The attitude to the songwriting was also vastly different; there is none of the swagger and braggadocio that was present when a more youthful band had assembled in 1968. In fact there are no outright rock songs at all, and the three songs that contain fast-paced moments all have slower, more introspective moments. Also, many fans have interpreted some of the melancholic lyrics (many of which concern people in some form of emotional distress) as referring to Kossoff. Jump to: navigation, search 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Rock is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars, and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Reception

The album was reasonably successful, peaking at #9 in the UK album charts making it their most successful album there since Fire And Water. The single release 'Little Bit Of Love' reached #13; despite failing to enter the top ten it was still their third best selling single release (it would be beaten by 'Wishing Well' the following year). As usual though the album fared less well in America reaching #69; this was still a significant improvement on all previous albums bar Fire And Water. Fire And Water is the third studio album by British rock group Free. ... Jump to: navigation, search World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on...

However, problems began again when the band was then expected to tour to promote the album as Kossoff was faced with a task that he was not physically capable of. Gigs had been disastrous, with Andy Fraser remembering "You could see people in the audience crying for him, longing for him to be all right" (quoted in Phil Sutcliffe's liner notes). Unable to continue, Fraser left the band permanently, aged just 20. Kossoff also pulled out of the tour (although not technically leaving the band) in order to seek treatment for his drug addiction. Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ...

During the period in late 1971 where the band had split, Kossoff and Kirke had formed a new band with Japanese bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboard player John "Rabbit" Bundrick; Kirke asked them to join the tour in place of Fraser and Kossoff. They accepted, and soon joined the band officially.

Track listing

All tracks written by Rodgers/Fraser/Kossoff/Kirke unless otherwise stated.

Original tracks

1. 'Catch A Train' 3.32
One of the album's three songs to contain actual elements of rock music, this follows the same pattern as 'Travellin' Man' and 'Little Bit Of Love' of containing driving choruses but slow verses. Its lyrics, which are an offer of help to someone in need, are often interpreted as being about Kossoff.

2. 'Soldier Boy' 2.51
'Soldier Boy' is not apparently specifically directed at any particular topic concerning war (although the album was recorded during the Vietnam War); it is a slow song that deals with death and destruction in general, and features one of Kossoff's most notable performances of all the tracks on the album. Jump to: navigation, search The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or Viet Cong) against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies—notably the United States...

3. 'Magic Ship' 5.23
One of the album's more popular tracks, 'Magic Ship' is a slow-burning song with an anthemic chorus.

4. 'Sail On' 3.06
Another popular track, this song is yet another statement of comfort and security and is led by an organ as much as a piano. This was the B-side to 'Little Bit Of Love'. The Casavant pipe organ at Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, Montreal The organ is one of the oldest musical instruments in the western musical tradition, with a rich history connected with the Christian religion and civic ceremony. ...

5. 'Travellin' Man' 3.23
Another of the album's faster tracks, this is rather more lighthearted and happy in tone than many of the other tracks. Nevertheless it's lyrics do not contain the sex-oriented bravado of some of the band's previous songs.

6. 'Little Bit Of Love' 2.35
The single release, this is very similar stylistically to 'Travellin' Man'. Despite being the band's fourth-biggest hit it is not a particularly well known song, although it does occasionally surface on rock compilation albums.

7. 'Guardian Of The Universe' 5.32
Possibly the only song to have a clear meaning and specific intention not concerning Kossoff, 'Guardian Of The Universe' was Rodgers's dedication to his unborn child. It is a piano-led song, most other instruments being overdubbed separately.

8. 'Child' 5.19
A relaxed ballad arguably in the style of many of the songs on Highway, 'Child' features many fantastical elements. Again, its running theme of someone in trouble possibly directs it at Kossoff. Highway is the fourth studio album by British rock band Free. ... Jump to: navigation, search Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ...

9. 'Goodbye' 5.15
A fairly complex arrangement of piano, organ and rhythm section, 'Goodbyes sentiments made it the obvious song to close the album. It is unlikely to be a reference to the future break-up of the band but may have been influenced by recent troubles.

Extra tracks

1. 'Burnin' (Molten Gold)' (Kossoff) (Alternative take) 5.57
This is a guitar driven track written by Kossoff. It features all members of Free playing; a different version was a notable track on Kossoff's solo album Back Street Crawler in December 1973. It gave its name to a compilation anthology of Free songs released in 1994. Jump to: navigation, search December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

2. 'Honky Tonk Women' 3.14 (Jagger/Richards)
This piano-led version of the Rolling Stones song was performed as a jam to warm up for the album's recording sessions. This article is about the rock band. ...

3. 'Magic Ship' (Alternative mix) 5.28
This is an early mix of the album track that is rather quieter than that version.

4. 'Little Bit Of Love' (Alternative mix) 2.37
This is an early mix of the album track that features less guitar overdubs and more piano.

5. 'Guardian Of The Universe' (Solo version) 6.07
This is the album track before the rhythm section and other instruments were overdubbed; it is simply Rodgers and a piano.

6. 'Child' (Early mix) 5.20
This is an early mix of the album track that features no guitar overdubs; Kossoff only features playing the basic acoustic track.

References

• Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392-3.
• Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to Free At Last by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1972, 2002.

External links

Free and Bad Company fan page