Highway
Studio album by Free
Released	December 1970 February 2002 (reissue)
Recorded	September 1970
Genre	Rock, Soul
Length	58:56
Label	Island Records
Producer	Free
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Free chronology
Fire and Water (1970) Highway (1970) Free Live! (1971)

Highway is the fourth studio album by English rock band Free. It was recorded extremely quickly in September of 1970 but with an attitude of relaxation after having achieved worldwide success with their previous album Fire and Water and its single release "All Right Now". It is therefore a considerably mellower album than any of the band's others. It was expected to perform as well as that previous album did: however, it performed surprisingly poorly. Image File history File links Summary Album cover to Frees fourth album Highway, designed by C.C.S. Advertising. ... A studio album is a collection of previously unreleased, studio-recorded tracks by a recording artist. ... Free was a British 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 along with Simon Kirke on drums, while lead guitarist Paul... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 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, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... For other uses, see Soul music (disambiguation). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Island Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and is operated through The Island Def Jam Music Group. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Free was a British 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 along with Simon Kirke on drums, while lead guitarist Paul... The All Music Guide (AMG) is a metadata database about music owned by All Media Guide. ... Image File history File links 2. ... Free was a British 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 along with Simon Kirke on drums, while lead guitarist Paul... Fire & Water, a collaboration between Jean-Jaque Burnel and Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers, is the sound track for the film Ecoutez vos murs directed by Vincent Coudanne. ... Free Live! was the fifth album by British rock band Free, and their first (and to date only official) live album. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... 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, however saxophones have been omitted from newer subgenres of rock music since the 90s. ... Free was a British 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 along with Simon Kirke on drums, while lead guitarist Paul... Fire & Water, a collaboration between Jean-Jaque Burnel and Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers, is the sound track for the film Ecoutez vos murs directed by Vincent Coudanne. ... All Right Now is a rock single by the English band Free. ...

Line up

• Paul Rodgers - vocals
• Paul Kossoff - guitar
• Andy Fraser - bass
• Simon Kirke - drums

Paul Rodgers is an English rock singer/songwriter best known for being a member of Free and Bad Company. ... Paul Kossoff (September 14, 1950 - March 19, 1976) was a British rock guitarist well-known and respected for his restrained yet intensely emotive playing style. ... Andy Fraser (born on 7 August 1952, in London) is an English musician, best known for his songwriting and bass playing with Free. ... Fire And Water, with Simon Kirke at far right Simon Kirke (born July 28, 1949) is a British rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company. ...

Recording

From a writing point of view Highway continued in the same vein as previous albums, with Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser collaborating on seven of the nine songs. For the most part it was the easiest of their albums to record as they had achieved their desire to have a hit single and returned to the studio with renewed confidence. Paul Kossoff however found sudden fame more difficult to deal with, and remembered the aftermath of 'All Right Now' as being "a great increase in pressure from every angle" (quoted in Phil Sutcliffe's liner notes). He preferred the more serious, weighty songs on the album such as "Be My Friend", which he saw as an antidote to the "frivolity" of "All Right Now".

It was their last album to be recorded in a position of success and security, as its failure contributed to the emotionally-insecure Kossoff's growing drug addiction and the band's temporary split, from which it never truly recovered. Some, including drummer Simon Kirke, also cite the death of Kossoff's idol Jimi Hendrix (which occurred during the sessions for this album) as an important factor in his eventual breakdown. Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... A drummer in Action A drummer is a person who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... This article contains a trivia section. ...

Reception

Much to the band's disappointment, the album only reached #41 in the UK album charts (the previous album Fire and Water had reached #2) and reached only #190 in America, not generally enough to register on chart listings. The single release "The Stealer" failed in the UK also, and reached only #49 in America. (Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke would later re-record "The Stealer" with Bad Company in 1975 during the sessions for BadCo's Run with the Pack, but the track was not included on the album.) Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Bad Company were an English hard rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of band members from Free (Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke), Mott the Hoople (Mick Ralphs) and King Crimson (Boz Burrell). ... Run With the Pack is Bad Companys third album. ...

There is no definitive account for the album's failure. It received lukewarm critical reaction (and still does), but does have its defenders. The single release "The Stealer" had not been Island Records boss Chris Blackwell's first choice: he had wanted to release "Ride on a Pony" but this was changed at the band's insistence. Some, such as engineer Andy Johns, blamed the album cover which was aesthetically flat compared to previous releases and did not display the band's name. It was believed that some fans who otherwise would have bought the album failed to notice it because of this. Island Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and is operated through The Island Def Jam Music Group. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Andy Johns, younger brother of famous Olympic Studios engineer Glyn Johns and uncle of Kings of Leon and Ryan Adams producer Ethan Johns (son of Glyn Johns) is a prolific engineer and producer. ...

The fallout was immediate. Relations between Fraser and Rodgers deteriorated, putting more pressure on Kossoff who slid ever further into Mandrax addiction. This left only Kirke to try and keep the band together. They returned to the studio in early 1971 and managed to record four tracks before they eventually split, after fulfilling contracted tour dates. These 'limbo' tracks included the surprise hit single "My Brother Jake"; the other three have surfaced on various other albums over the years. Methaqualone1 is an addictive, sedative drug. ...

Track listing

(All tracks written by Fraser/Rodgers unless otherwise stated)

Original tracks

1. "The Highway Song" 4.14
   • "The Highway Song" is a lighthearted pop shuffle song that nevertheless is interspersed with darker moments. This one track embodies both the happy and the serious spirit of the other songs.
2. "The Stealer" (Fraser/Rodgers/Kossoff) 3.14
   • A riff-driven song intended for a single release, this and "Ride on a Pony" are the only two songs to feature the strutting, adolescent streak of their previous albums. Despite its commercial failure it is popular with fans and is a common feature on compilation albums. In the UK the B-side of this song was "Lying in the Sunshine" from Free 1969 two albums previously.
3. "On My Way" 4.04
   • "On My Way" a soft, folk-influenced song that shows the relaxed spirit with which this album was largely made.
4. "Be My Friend" 5.45
   • Possibly Free's most popular love song, this was performed live frequently in the short space of time between the album's release and the band's split. It has also been performed by Paul Rodgers throughout his post-Free career. It was Kossoff's favourite Free song at the time of recording; he described it as "the best thing we've ever done" (qtd. Sutcliffe). Given the band's subsequent problems it is unlikely than any future Free songs replaced this in his esteem.
5. "Sunny Day" 3.07
   • Like the previous track "Sunny Day" is a slow, melancholy and rather serious song indicative of that side of the album in the same way that "On My Way" is representative of its mellower side.
6. "Ride on a Pony" 4.17
   • The other candidate for a single release, this song shares the riff-driven force of "The Stealer". Due to the failure of the single, it and this song share roughly equal popularity and frequently feature together on compilation albums.
7. "Love You So" (Rodgers/Kirke) 4.54
   • Like "Be My Friend" this is a very sad and weighty love song of the kind Kossoff was so proud of.
8. "Bodie" 3.05
   • This is a sedate acoustic track featuring a notable bass guitar line from Fraser. It deals with disillusionment.
9. "Soon I Will Be Gone" 3.01
   • Arguably the album's most serious track, this has taken on a new context in retrospect given the events that happened to the band after the release of Highway.

Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ... The term Riff-Driven is used to describe a vocal song that, throughout the piece, relies on a repeated instrumental riff as a basis for its forefront melody, cadence, or (in some cases) leitmotif. ... A separate article is about the punk band called The Adolescents. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ... Free is the second album of British rock group Free, recorded and released in 1969. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... Love songs are songs about love, a subset of songs that deal with intimacy. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass string instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, or using a pick. ...

Bonus tracks

1. "My Brother Jake" 2.49
   • This is one of the four tracks recorded by the band after the release of the album. It is a strange juxtaposition of a jaunty melody and dark lyrics dealing with a person whose life is failing. In the absence of an album for it, it was released as a single in April 1971; possibly due to the publicity caused by their breakup it became their second-biggest hit single after "All Right Now", peaking at #4 in the UK charts. This is an example of the extreme inconsistency of the band's commercial success.
2. "Only My Soul" 2.27
   • Another of the four 'limbo' tracks, this is a short and lightweight song that was released as the B-side of "My Brother Jake" in April 1971.
3. "Ride on a Pony" - BBC Session 4.27
   • A live session of the album track recorded on the 24th April 1971.
4. "Be My Friend" - BBC Session 5.34
   • A live session of the album track recorded on the 19th April 1971.
5. "Rain" - Alternate Version 3.54
   • This an alternate take of the third 'limbo' track, the original version of which was released on the Songs of Yesterday box-set in 2000, thirty years after being recorded. With the CD reissue of Highway, this acoustic song has won over some fans. The fourth of the 'limbo' tracks, "Get Where I Belong", was released on the following album Free Live!
6. "The Stealer" - Single mix 3.21
   • This is a slightly re-mixed version of the album track used for the single release.

Free Live! was the fifth album by British rock band Free, and their first (and to date only official) live album. ...

References

• Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392-3.
• Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to Highway by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1970, 2002.

External links

• Free and Bad Company Fan Page