Customer Reviews

The Best of Free: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before there was Bad Company, before there was The Firm, The Law, or even a Paul Rodgers solo career, there was Free, the soulful hard rock band led by Paul back in the sixties. Utilizing rock-steady drummer Simon Kirke, bass guitar phenom Andy Frasier, and the very lyrical Paul Kossoff, Free released half a dozen great albums, an equal number of singles, and one anthem for the ages before finally dissolving for good in the early 70's. The anthem, of course, is "All Right Now", a four-minute masterpiece of not-so-subtle seduction that has been a staple of classic rock stations for many years. A great number, to be sure, but far from Free's only classic number: "Fire and Water" is the perfect metaphor for many relationships and showcases Rodger's passionate, understated vocals to perfection. "I'll Be Creepin'" features a clever little wah-wah intro by Kossoff, while "The Stealer" is arguably Free's best and certainly most underrated number, with Paul's funky strut offset perfectly by Frasier's fine bass. Paul and Andy have their most memorable duel in the live "Mr Big" (a name later borrowed by a hard rock supergroup of the early 90's), as both artists achieve climax after climax. It's unforgettable!Unfortunately, "Heavy Load," featuring an endless, meandering piano figure, is quite forgettable, thank you. Luckily, that song is the album's only low point. Rodgers has said that Paul Kossoff was the perfect foil for his playing, and tried again and again to get him rehabilitated from the drugs that eventually took his life in 1976. Buy this album, and you will no doubt share his enthusiasm for this master guitarist.

This is one of the better Millennium Collections, but I can't help but wonder why they don't take advantage of the fact that a cmpact disc holds 80 minutes of music.
But having said that, this 11-track compilation does manage to include many of early British blues-rock outfit Free's best songs, from the radio staple "All Right Now" and a live version of "Mr Big" to the majestic "Come Together In The Morning" and the band's last hit "Wishing Well".

There's a lot of great songs missing, however, and the double-disc anthology "Molten Gold" remains the best Free retrospective by far.
3 1/4 stars.

I really can't speak highly enough of this album. It seems like once in every generation a band comes along that gets it just right and Free would have to be that band. This CD contains the classic "Allright Now" as an extended 6 minute version which sounds as fresh today as it did 36 years ago. The Late, Great Master Axeman Paul Kossoff send his guitar riffs and solos into the stratosphere where he is now with the Angels.Also on this album is the track "Wishing Well' which I have not heard in over 30 years and hearing it again was like running into an old friend. RIP Paul. Only the good die young.

Free is a great band that were ahead of there time not being play much nowdays but if you are a fan of Bad Company and would like to hear something with a little more soul this is a band you should like a lot

I recently heard the song "All Right Now", and being a fan of classic rock, looked for it among my collection of Eric Clapton material, to no avail. Googling it revealed that it was a song of "Free", not Clapton. I don't think I had ever heard of "Free", though the song was familiar. That led in turn to my purchasing this album on Amazon. To my surprise, I like the entire album. It turns out that "Free" is one of the major groups in which a guy named Paul Rodgers had a major influence. The other one I recognised is "Bad Company" which is one of my favorite groups. This is a roundabout way of saying that if you don't know much about "Free" but like "Bad Company" or the song above, try this album. You'll like it.

I've been looking for this cd and after seeing it on a radio stations last songs played page I ordered it and now enjoy it.

arrived on time and in good condition . thank you .

i saw paul recently in concert and he is as great as ever!

I don't have any personal history to share, just a review of this CD.

Everyone has probably heard the anthemic "All Right Now" and I think that it is definitely a classic. The rest of this supposed greatest hits collection is really filler, and not very good filler at that. Paul Rodgers went on to found Bad Company after Free finished, and if you like his stuff with Bad Company, you won't find any of it here. I have a broad range of tastes, and I have over 1000 albums (Vinyl & CD), so its not that I don't appreciate deep cuts from classic bands, its that most of the stuff here is pretty weak.

I read some of the other reviews and decided to get the whole CD rather than just buy an MP3 single... I wish I had saved my money. Unless you've sampled their work in other venues and are sure you'll like it, don't be fooled by some of the earlier breathless reviews. Five stars for "All Right Now" one star for all the rest, two stars for the combined package.

My .02, maybe it saves you a few bucks.