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.
Travellin' In Style
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is leaving the station
And the train I ride
To my destination
I was walking
Now I'm travelin' in style
I was walking
Well I got no need
For no company
Got my blues guitar
That's all I need
I ain't walking
Now I'm travelin' in style
I ain't walking
Now I've got me a ride
Think I've come to
The end of my song
If you feel you want to
Why don't you sing along
I ain't walking
Now I'm travelin' in style
I ain't walking
Now I've got me a ride
I ain't walking
Now I'm travelin' in style
I ain't walking
Now I've got me a ride
I ain't walking
Now I'm travelin' in style
I ain't walking
Now I've got me a ride.
In Free's song "Travellin' in Style", the lyrics describe a journey from humble beginnings to a more comfortable and privileged status. The singer begins with walking, possibly signifying a tough or meagre existence, but then gains access to a train, which represents progress, adventure and success. The train may represent the singer's life journey, where they have achieved a level of comfort and ease, but also may suggest that they have left behind old experiences and relationships. The singer emphasizes their independence, stating that they have no need for company, but rather have only their trusty blues guitar for company. The final verse suggests that the singer has reached the end of their journey, or it may imply that they have found their voice or purpose, and the invitation to the listener to join in singing could indicate a sense of community and commonality in the triumph of the singer's journey.
The lyrics of "Travellin' in Style" seem to exude hope and confidence, and the music fits the lyrics perfectly with its upbeat and energetic rhythm. The song's lyrics are relatively simple and straightforward, but they possess a vital message about life's journey, the value of persistence, and the rewards of hard work that strikes a chord with a wide range of listeners. The song may also suggest that by keeping faith in one's dreams and ambitions, one can attain a more comfortable and fulfilling life.
Line by Line Meaning
Well the train I ride
I'm taking a train to my destination
Is leaving the station
The train is starting its journey
And the train I ride
The train I'm taking
To my destination
Takes me where I need to go
I was walking
I used to walk to get where I needed to be
Now I'm travelin' in style
Now I'm traveling more comfortably and in a better way
I was walking
I used to walk to get where I needed to be
Now I've got me a ride
Now I have a mode of transportation
Well I got no need
I don't need
For no company
To have anyone else with me
Got my blues guitar
I have my guitar with me
That's all I need
It's the only thing I need to keep me company
Think I've come to
I believe I've reached
The end of my song
The end of what I have to say in this song
If you feel you want to
If you want to
Why don't you sing along
Join me and sing if you'd like
I ain't walking
I no longer have to walk to get where I need to be
Now I'm travelin' in style
I'm now traveling more comfortably and in a better way
I ain't walking
I no longer have to walk to get where I need to be
Now I've got me a ride
I now have a mode of transportation
I ain't walking
I no longer have to walk to get where I need to be
Now I'm travelin' in style
I'm now traveling more comfortably and in a better way
I ain't walking
I no longer have to walk to get where I need to be
Now I've got me a ride
I now have a mode of transportation
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SIMON KIRKE, PAUL KOSSOFF, PAUL RODGERS, TETSU YAMAUCHI, JOHN D BUNDRICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind