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.
Walk In My Shadow
Free Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My throat is dry
My knees are weak
It's so damned hot
I can't even speak
Walk in my shadow
I can't take it anymore
I gonna show you what it's for
Yes I know baby
That's a shady kind of deal
I just want to find out
How you feel
Walk in my shadow
I ain't gonna take it anymore
When I get you in the shadow
I'm gonna give you what's in store
Yes I know you say I'm stupid
It just wouldn't be cool
Well I can tell baby that
I aint no fool
Walk in my shadow
I can't take it anymore
When I get you in the shadow
I'm gonna lay you on the floor
When I get you in the shadow
I'm gonna give you what's in store
b
The lyrics to Free's song "Walk in My Shadow" convey a sense of desperation and frustration. The singer's throat is dry, their knees are weak, and it's so hot that they can't even speak. The repetition of the phrase "Walk in my shadow" suggests that the singer wants someone to understand what they're going through, to see the world from their point of view, and to empathize with them. The singer can't take it anymore and wants to take action, saying that when they get this person in the shadows, they're going to show them what it's all about. The singer seems to be expressing some kind of pain or emotional burden that they've been carrying, and they want to share it with someone else.
The second verse continues in the same vein, with the singer acknowledging that this is a shady kind of deal, but they just want to find out how the other person feels. They're tired of being called stupid or uncool, and they're going to take action when they get this person in the shadow. The final verse is the most violent, with the singer saying that they're going to lay the other person on the floor and give them what's in store. It's unclear what "what's in store" means in this context, but it seems to suggest something violent or aggressive.
Overall, the lyrics to "Walk in My Shadow" suggest a sense of desperation, frustration, and a desire for some kind of violent or aggressive action. The line "walk in my shadow" is repeated throughout the song, suggesting that the singer is trying to get someone to empathize with them and understand what they're going through. The song has a bluesy feel, with a driving beat and distorted guitar riffs that add to the sense of desperation and raw emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Walk in my shadow
Join me in my world of darkness and obscurity
My throat is dry
I am nervous and anxious
My knees are weak
I am overwhelmed and may collapse
It's so damned hot
The intensity of the situation is unbearable
I can't even speak
My fear has taken away my voice
I can't take it anymore
I have reached my breaking point
When I get you in the shadows
When you are in my world, away from others
I gonna show you what it's for
I will reveal the true nature of my intentions
Yes I know baby
I am aware of the risks and consequences of my actions
That's a shady kind of deal
My plan may be deceitful and underhanded
I just want to find out
I am curious about your thoughts and emotions
How you feel
Your true feelings and desires
I'm gonna give you what's in store
I will give you a taste of the consequences of your actions
Yes I know you say I'm stupid
I am aware of your negative opinion about me
It just wouldn't be cool
It may not be socially acceptable or trendy
I aint no fool
I am not naive or ignorant
I'm gonna lay you on the floor
I will physically overpower and control you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDY FRASER, PAUL BERNARD RODGERS, PAUL FRANCIS KOSSOFF, SIMON KIRKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind