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.
Goin' Down Slow
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I don't get well no more
Yes I've had my fun, baby
If I don't get well no more
You see I have this pain in me
An I'm goin' down slow
Won't somebody write my mother
Please write my mother
Tell her to pray for me
Tell her to forgive my sin
Tell her don't send no doctor
Yes a doctor can do me no good
Yes no doctor mama
Doctor can do me no good
But you see through all of my trials
I never did all the things I could
On the next train south
Baby you can look for my...
On the next train south
Mama, you can look for...
Yes now if you see my baby baby
Yes you know I'm dead and gone
The lyrics of Free's "Goin' Down Slow" express the pain and resignation of a dying man. The first stanza announces that the singer has had his fun but is now suffering from a debilitating illness that will not heal. The line "An I'm goin' down slow" acts as the refrain for the song, emphasizing the singer's despair and the inevitability of his demise. The second stanza asks for someone to write his mother to tell her the state he's in and to ask for her forgiveness. The third stanza rejects the idea of calling for a doctor, as it is too late for any medical help. The singer is resigned to his fate and asks for mercy instead. The final stanza seems to suggest that the singer is leaving for his final resting place and asks someone to look for his lover, highlighting the enduring power of love even in the face of death.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes I've had my fun
I have enjoyed myself and lived life to the fullest
If I don't get well no more
If I cannot get better from my illness
Yes I've had my fun, baby
I have lived life to the fullest, my dear
You see I have this pain in me
There is a pain inside me that is causing my illness
An I'm goin' down slow
I am deteriorating slowly over time
Won't somebody write my mother
Can someone please contact my mother
Tell her the shape I'm in
Inform her of my current condition
Please write my mother
I kindly request that someone write to my mother
Tell her to pray for me
Ask her to pray for my well-being
Tell her to forgive my sin
Ask her for forgiveness for my past mistakes
Tell her don't send no doctor
Do not send a doctor to help me
Yes a doctor can do me no good
I do not believe a doctor can cure me
Yes no doctor mama
Mother, I insist, do not send a doctor
But you see through all of my trials
Throughout my struggles
I never did all the things I could
I did not do everything I was capable of doing in life
On the next train south
When the next train heading south comes
Baby you can look for my...
Sweetheart, you can search for my...
Mama, you can look for...
Mother, you can also search for...
Yes now if you see my baby baby
If you happen to see my sweetheart
Yes you know I'm dead and gone
You will know that I have passed away
Contributed by Sebastian C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
A New Song Psalm 33:3
"Goin' Down Slow"
Yes I've had my fun
If I don't get well no more
Yes I've had my fun, baby
If I don't get well no more
You see I have this pain in me
An I'm goin' down slow
Won't somebody write my mother
Tell her the shape I'm in
Please write my mother
Tell her to pray for me
Tell her to forgive my sin
Tell her don't send no doctor
Yes a doctor can do me no good
Yes no doctor mama
Doctor can do me no good
But you see through all of my trials
I never did all the things I could
On the next train south
Baby you can look for my...
On the next train south
Mama, you can look for...
Yes now if you see my baby baby
Yes you know I'm dead and gone
Garry Frost
Wow, what a brilliant band Free were, I bought this album in 1969 and still have it. Their raw blues sound on this track still sounds fresh even after 50 years. Thanks for the post.
John Knottenbelt
Paul Kossoff one of the greatest guitarists to have come our of the UK & a life too short on this planet. Just listen to the intensity of his playing ! Man that is the Blues ! The boy was barely over 20 years old at the time ! Forget comparisons, he was an enigma ! RIP Paul, I DUG your playing !
Kobe Tate
@Otto Louis You are welcome xD
Otto Louis
@Kobe Tate It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thanks so much, you saved my account !
Kobe Tate
@Otto Louis Instablaster =)
Otto Louis
i guess Im randomly asking but does anyone know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..?
I stupidly forgot my password. I love any tips you can give me.
Ian McNaught
My all time favourite band. They had it all & in the end, had nothing at all. Brilliant musicians. It was so sad that they finished before fulfilling their massive potential!
John Knottenbelt
"Tons of Sobs", one of the BEST debut albums of this genre ! "Nuff Said" !
Mark Larzelere
Love Kossoff sound, so raw and bluesy. This is one of the best bands ever. Loaded with talent
Makis Georgakakis
Andy Fraser. One of the most talented bass players - musicians. RIP