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.
Heavy Load
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By an old road
By the route he chose
An ancient song
In an old tongue
For this man was sung
Can't go no further down this long road
It's a heavy load
By a bright stream
Came an old dream
Things are never what they always seem
And so he went on
Travelling on
Now he's a long way from home
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh heavy load
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
The lyrics to Free's song "Heavy Load" seem to tell the story of a young man traveling on an old road that he has chosen. The first verse suggests that this man is on a journey that has been sung about before in an ancient song, in an old tongue. The emphasis on the age of the road and the oldness of the song suggest that this path has been taken by many before. The repeated mention of carrying a heavy load indicates that the journey has been difficult for the young man, and he is struggling to continue on this path.
As the song progresses, we learn that the young man has come across a bright stream and an old dream. The imagery of the stream and the dream suggest that he has found some moments of hope and inspiration during his travels. However, the lyrics caution that things are not always what they seem, and the man must continue on his journey. The final verse suggests that the young man is now far from home and still carrying a heavy load. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the weight of the burden that he is carrying and the difficulty of the path he has chosen.
Overall, "Heavy Load" seems to be a song about the struggles of life's journey. The lyrics emphasize the weight of the burdens we carry and the difficulty of the roads we choose to take. Despite moments of hope and inspiration, the journey is long and arduous, and sometimes we may feel like we can't go any further.
Line by Line Meaning
Just a young man
This man is young and inexperienced.
By an old road
He is traveling on a path that has existed for a long time.
By the route he chose
He is following a path that he has selected for himself.
An ancient song
The music he hears is old and has been around for a long time.
In an old tongue
The lyrics are sung in a language that is no longer as widely used.
For this man was sung
The song is about a man who is experiencing a difficult journey.
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
The man is weighed down by a burden.
Can't go no further down this long road
The man feels as though he cannot continue on his journey any longer.
By a bright stream
The man encounters a peaceful and attractive location.
Came an old dream
The man is reminded of something he has long desired.
Things are never what they always seem
Appearances can be deceiving.
And so he went on
The man continues traveling despite the challenges he faces.
Travelling on
The man continues his journey towards an unknown destination.
Now he's a long way from home
The man is far from the place where he grew up.
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load (repeated 5 times)
The man continues to be burdened by his troubles and feels unable to move on.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL BERNARD RODGERS, ANDY FRASER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yowajc4266
Just a young man
By an old road
By the route he chose
An ancient song
In an old tongue
For this man was sung
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
It's a heavy load
By a bright stream
Came an old dream
Things are never what they always seem
And so he went on
Travelling on
Now he's a long way from home
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh heavy load
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go…
@mhdlhdkhdkhzmhz
Just a young man
By an old road
By the route he choose.
An ancient song
In an old tongue
For this man was sung.
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
It's a heavy load...
By a bright stream
Came an old dream
Things are never what they always seem
And so he went on
Travelling on
Now he's a long way from home
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
It's a heavy load...
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
Oh I'm carrying a heavy load
Can't go no further down this long road
@stephenpain9236
Kossoff at his very finest. No flash, no thrash, just 100% pure emotion. Food for the soul.
@yvore1
I'm 70 years old and Free is still my favorite band, 4 top musicians !!!
@jezza1953
up there with gods best
@felicienlanchas-hq7qg
I love you
@any6601
Snap.
@donjohn2695
Mine 2
@chriso5374
I thought Tons of Sobs was fantastic especially considering their ages. Raw energy.
We're close. My fav is Rory Gallagher and Paul Rogers loved Rory.
@RG-ja34sep
It’s so hard to believe that when they recorded this album their average age was more or less 19 years young. That is astonishing, so much talent, so mature. To produce music of this quality, incredible band.
I have only two words for this music, magical & addictive!!!!!
@williamgeorgefraser
Paul Kossoff didn't need to launch into never-ending solos. He put so much emotion into just a few notes. Such a terrible loss at such a young age. I hope that a new generation can rediscover the treasures that we lived through in the past.
@portcullis5622
My daughter has her own mind, and has listened to a lot of rock music, old and new, but she is already aware that Paul Kossoff was something special.