By the early 1970s, Free was one of the biggest-selling British blues rock groups; by the time the band dissolved in 1973, they had sold more than 20 million albums around the world and had played more than 700 arena and festival concerts. "All Right Now," remains a rock staple, and had been entered into ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.
Rolling Stone has referred to the band as "British hard rock pioneers". The magazine ranked Rodgers No. 55 in its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", while Kossoff was ranked No. 51 in its list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Free were signed to Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in North America. Both labels became part of the PolyGram group in 1989, then Universal Music Group in 1998; UMG now controls the band's catalogue worldwide.
Most remarkable about the birth of Free was the young age of the band members who came together to rehearse and play their first gig on the evening of 19 April 1968 at the Nag's Head pub, which was at the junction of York Road and Lavender Road in Battersea, London. Bass player Andy Fraser was 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and both lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18. By November of that year, having been given the name Free by Alexis Korner, they had recorded their first album Tons Of Sobs for Island Records and, although it was not released until the following year, the album documents their first six months together and contains studio renditions of much of their early live set.
Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke first became friends in the R&B band Black Cat Bones but they wanted to move on. Paul Kossoff saw vocalist Paul Rodgers singing with Brown Sugar while visiting the Fickle Pickle, an R&B club in London's Finsbury Park. He was immediately impressed and asked if he could jam with Rodgers onstage. Along with Kirke, they began the search for a fourth member. Alexis Korner recommended Andy Fraser to the band, who at the age of 15 had already been playing with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Korner also provided the name "Free" the newly formed band
Unlike their previous albums Tons of Sobs and Free, Fire and Water, released in 1970, was a huge success, largely due to the album containing the hit single "All Right Now", which reached No. 1 on the UK rock music charts, No. 2 on the UK singles chart and No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album reached No. 2 in the UK charts and No. 17 on the U.S charts making it the most successful Free album. "All Right Now" became a No. 1 hit in over 20 territories and recognized by ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) in 1990 for garnering 1,000,000 plus radio plays in the US by late 1989, and in 2000 an award was given to Paul Rodgers by the British Music Industry when "All Right Now" passed 2,000,000 radio plays in the UK.
Highway was their fourth studio album, recorded extremely quickly in September 1970. Highway performed poorly in the charts, reaching No. 41 in the UK and No. 190 in the US.
In 1971, due to differences between singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser, the drug problems of guitarist Paul Kossoff, and inconsistent record sales, the band broke up. This led to the release of the live album called Free Live!. Early in 1972 the band set aside their differences and reformed in an effort to save Kossoff from his growing drug addiction, and in June of the same year released Free at Last.
But all was not well with the band. Bassist Andy Fraser left the band in mid-1972 due to Paul Kossoff's unreliability in being able to perform at shows or even showing up. The remaining members recruited Japanese bass player Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, who had worked with Kossoff and Kirke during Free's initial split, recording Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit and what would be Free's final album, Heartbreaker. Kossoff was replaced by Wendell Richardson in 1973, but shortly thereafter Free disbanded with Rodgers and Kirke going on to form Bad Company that same year. Fraser went on to form the band Sharks and later The Andy Fraser Band, and Kossoff formed the band Back Street Crawler.
With Kossoff in better health again in late 1975, he was delighted that ex-colleagues Rodgers and Kirke asked him to join them on stage for two nights. A British tour was set to begin on 25 April 1976 with Back Street Crawler headlining with Bad Company in support of Back Street Crawler's second album, but again Kossoff's drug addictions contributed to a drastic decline in the guitarist's health. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York City on 19 March 1976, Paul Kossoff died from drug-related heart problems at the age of 25. After parting with Bad Company in 1982 Rodgers went on to explore the heavy blues stylings of Free again in his solo career during the 1980s and 1990s, and in the bands The Firm and The Law.
More recently Rodgers has joined the remaining members of Queen (Brian May and Roger Taylor), as vocalist. In September 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers released their first studio album The Cosmos Rocks. Rodgers also performs Free and Bad Company songs whilst on tour with Queen, in addition to the traditional Queen songs and new cuts from their most recently released album. Currently, Rodgers and Kirke are once again on tour with Bad Company.
Andy Fraser died on 16 March 2015.
Personnel Members
Classic lineup
Andy Fraser - bass, piano (1968–1971, 1972; died 2015)
Simon Kirke - drums (1968–1971, 1972–1973)
Paul Kossoff - guitar (1968–1971, 1972–1973; died 1976)
Paul Rodgers - lead vocals, piano (1968–1971, 1972–1973)
Later members
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - keyboards (1972–1973)
Tetsu Yamauchi - bass (1972–1973)
Wendell Richardson - guitar (1973)
Discography :
1969 Tons of Sobs
1969 Free
1970 Fire and Water
1970 Highway
1972 Free at Last
1973 Heartbreaker
2) Free is a hardcore band
3) Free consists of four of the final five Have Heart members - Patrick Flynn, Kei Yasui, Shawn Costa, and Ryan Hudon - in addition to the band's 2009 bassist, Austin Stemper. On November 29, 2015, the group released a four-track, self-titled demo recorded by Trevor Vaughan (Sex Positions, Soul Control) in their home of New Bedford, MA.
Catch A Train
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Call me when you get into town
I'm gonna meet you at the station, oh yeah
You can tell me why you're feeling down
Is it you mother, though she tends to shout a bit
But she's got her problems too
And I don't doubt it
I know he's always drinking
Most of the time
He don't even know what he's doing
Now baby
Catch a train to my place
Call me when you get into town
Gonna meet you at the station
You can tell me why you're feeling down
I can't imagine
Why you're feeling so alone
It's just a week since I saw ya
Baby why are you crying so?
All you got to do is
Catch a train to my place
Call me when you get into town
I'm gonna meet you at the station
You can tell me why you're feeling,
Catch a train to my place
Call me when you get into town
I'm gonna meet you at the station
You can tell me why you're feeling,
Ah baby why you're feeling down
Down, down, down, down
Why don't you come around
Why don't you catch a train
The midnight train's all right
The lyrics of Free's song Catch A Train tell a story of a friend who is feeling down and alone. The singer offers comfort and support, encouraging her to catch a train to his place and talk about her problems. The song speaks to the power of friendship and the importance of being there for someone when they are struggling.
The singer first asks the friend what's causing her to feel down, suggesting that it could be her mother, who tends to shout, or her father, who has a drinking problem. The reassurance that the friend is not alone is emphasized, and the singer urges her to open up about her feelings and share her burden.
The chorus of the song repeats the message that the friend simply needs to catch a train to the singer's place and he will be there for her, highlighting the importance of seeking help and support when going through tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
Catch a train to my place
Come visit me and stay over at my place via train journey
Call me when you get into town
Let me know when you have arrived at the station
I'm gonna meet you at the station, oh yeah
I will personally come and pick you up from the station
You can tell me why you're feeling down
You can share your feelings and worries with me
Is it you mother, though she tends to shout a bit
Are you upset because of your mother's behavior, even though she may yell sometimes?
But she's got her problems too
But she has her own troubles to deal with as well
And I don't doubt it
I completely believe that your mother has hardships to face
Baby your father
Sweetheart, what about your father?
I know he's always drinking
I understand that he often drinks alcohol
Most of the time
Mostly
He don't even know what he's doing
He is not aware of his actions
I can't imagine
I cannot fathom
Why you're feeling so alone
Why are you experiencing such profound loneliness?
It's just a week since I saw ya
It has only been a week since I last saw you
Baby why are you crying so?
My dear, what has caused you to shed tears?
All you got to do is
All that is required of you is
Down, down, down, down
Feeling sad or low
Why don't you come around
Why don't you visit me?
Why don't you catch a train
Why don't you take a train ride?
The midnight train's all right
It is acceptable to ride the train at midnight
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SIMON KIRKE, PAUL KOSSOFF, ANDY FRASER, PAUL RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SUPERGENIUS GUITAR LESSONS
Bloody brilliant! Free had a load of great songs - not just the hits.
john mitting
The best Free album apart from live in my opinion, the sound track of my youth, and the inspiration to play guitar, The best
kenneth keen
Thanks for uploading - can't carry the album around with me and this is a life saver for when I need to hear Free.
Potteries Pete Stanway
Great album
Underworld Ent
bought this when it came out , a love of my life.
Nicola Pizzinelli
Primordiale.... efficace,dolce 🤤😏
Taneli Hassel
Ehkä parasta musaa ikinä? Olispa ollu sillon nuori eikä vastasyntynyt tai jtn... Häme kiittää ja kumartaa jälleen kerran.
Jan Caldwell
❤❤❤
Sarah Brueggemann
Digga.....😜
Trucker Kev The Paid Tourist
No sound,??