Customer Reviews

Free at Last

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

 

 

Buy this, it is superb. "Sail On" features some of the finest guitar sounds I've heard in a long, long time. Kossoff, you fool, you were wonderful.

This album seems to be almost uniformly criticized in reviews but I would make a case that it holds its own fairly well against the rest of Free's catalogue. True, it is not all up to the consistent high standard of `Free and Water' or `Heartbreaker', but it nevertheless contains much good material and demonstrates clearly the evolving style of the band, away from the relatively simple arrangements of the early albums and towards the keyboard-dominated sound of `Heartbreaker'. This album was the last by the original four members of Free, but though he is not credited I suspect that some of the keyboard work might have been by John `Rabbit' Bundrick, who officially joined the band later, for their final album. Although there are a couple of tracks which some might regard as `filler', the standard of composition and playing is high, with the shorter more concise songs near the start and the later songs being more lengthy, slow and thoughtful. There is a sense of introspection in some of these later songs which matches the mood of much of the `Heartbreaker' album, and this evolution of Free's sound should not be dismissed just because it differs from, for example, stompers like `All right now'. So although the band was undoubtedly suffering from internal disputes and the effects of drug use during the making of this album, it has always deserved a place in the collection of Free aficionados. Don't be put off by the criticisms of the critics, as I was for many years, and give it a hearing with an open mind. (There are also several bonus tracks, although these are mostly alternate mixes and not of major interest)

Free broke up. The band decided to try one last time for the sake of their guitarist Paul Kossoff who was spiraling into drug addiction. Songwriters Andy Fraser and Paul Rodgers decided to put their disagreements and differences aside to try and save their friend.
The big songs here were "Catch A Train" and "Little Bit of Love" but there's other material that holds its own with their best particularly Rodgers' "Guardian of the Universe".

The sound quality could be better. This doesn't sound bad its just that there is No Noise applied which softens the detail of the music and deadens it somewhat. For a newer master (it was remastered in 2001) it doesn't sound bad it could just sound so much better.

Bonus tracks are the reason to get this. We get "Burnin'(Molten Gold)" in an alternate mix that curiously fades in at the beginning. We also get a jam of the band on "Honky Tonk Woman" which really should have been released its such a unique take. The rest are alternate mixes except for a solo performance of "Guardian of the Universe" with Paul Rodgers.

There really aren't any undiscovered "new" songs here aside from the cover of "HTW".

Free would soldier on without Fraser (who left to form his band The Sharks with guitarist Chris Spedding)for one more album and tour before the band fractured yet again for the second and final time. Fraser would go on to record four solo albums and work as a writer for other artists (he wrote "Every Kinda People" which Robert Palmer turned into a huge hit). Rodgers and Kirke went on to form Bad Company. Kossoff eventually died on a plane flight from a heart attack as he continued to flirt with death using drugs.

By the way "Heartbreaker" the band's final album is well worth picking up as well.

Free At Last saw the reformation of Free after a brief 7 month absence with only one release emerging from the split in Kossoff, Tetsu, Kirke & Rabbit. Rodgers and Fraser's solo projects had barely gotten off the starting blocks when it was decided to reform the group, largely for the benefit of Paul Kossoff to help him get out of his downward spiral of substance abuse that, was partly to blame for the original split, and at the same time, had worsened his condition during the interim.

The album was laid down during the early months of 1972 with a spring release and a full scale tour to be undertaken in support of it. Unfortunately, early gigs at the end of February proved to be a futile exercise in reuniting the band as Kossoff's addiction had truly affected his onstage performance. The band still attempted to see through a tour of the States in mid spring and even though Free At Last had hit #9 on the charts in England(hitting #69 in the US), by June the band had all but imploded once again. Despite the inner turmoil, the album that emerged was certainly a noble and solid effort on the group's behalf, and Free At Last is something of an apt, yet uneven, final outing for the original lineup.

Catch a Train begins the record, a song in which displays the old fire of the group returning, and contains elements of the hard rock/blues vibe that the band had been known for within their defined sound. Throughout most of the record, the overall mood is of a darker, more pondering tone which attempts to offer a few rays of hope and convalescence in its music, but ultimately, Free At Last is the sound of a group that senses the end is nigh for itself as a successful unit. Soldier Boy, Magic Ship and Sail On are the tracks that carry this sense of burden and darkness, interlaid with some heartfelt emotion and solid ensemble playing from the band in general. Travellin' Man and Little Bit of Love, along with Catch a Train, remain the upbeat numbers on this collection and give the record a bit more hope and positivity to help balance the "Heavy Load" that permeates throughout the recording.

Guardian of the Universe, Child and Goodbye are, again, similar in tone and performance with the previous tracks Magic Ship, Soldier Boy and Sail On, but are noteworthy contributions from Rodgers and Fraser most prominently and capture a mood that can enthrall the listener after repeated rotations. The remaster offers up a few unreleased tracks and alternate mixes in the forms of Burnin'(Molten Gold), which actually wound up on Koss's solo debut Back Street Crawler, and a studio run through of the Stones' Honky Tonk Women. Alternate Mixes of Magic Ship and Little Bit of Love are featured and there are early mixes offered in Guardian of the Universe and Child. Overall, Free At Last is a noble effort, but the downhill slide in band momentum and cohesiveness loses its grip and this album is not frequented as much by myself personally, as any of their previous efforts such as Highway or Fire and Water. The elements are there, and the group soldiers on with a unified front, but the result is less than auspicious and lacks a bit of fire here. 3 solid stars

This cd still rocks and the singing by Rodgers and guitar work by Kossoffs last official Free disc is awesome-buy it! don't listen to the reviews that mention depressing songs. Free always had a little of that in their tunes-who cares-they were great pre Bad Co.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Kossoffs guitar moans and cries. Very unique style. Not a show off.

Free managed to create some truly great hard blues rock discs and this was their only one that I would say was less than five stars in that catagory. Every other one of them takes that type of rock to perfection, this one is like the last bad company disc just not their best at all. It has some decent songs but the band here is unfocused generally, their last one 'heartbreaker' is just great though. This was their low point musically but a lower free disc is not a bad cd at all, it's just not up to what they did with their other work at all. At the time Kossoff was heading into heavier heroin use , h sucks and it eventually took him out in 1976 just four years later. The rest of the band was trying to keep him focused but the stress shows on this one. It all came back together though in 'heartbreaker' , kossoff then went down hill inspite of a few decent solo efforts. But songs like 'catch a train' are not disasters they just don't sparkle as well as this band could do , the sound is not up to the standards of their other releases either. This is the one you get after you have the rest of frees' catalog.

`Free at Last' was the last aborted attempt to save the band but more specifically to save Paul Kossoff. The mercurial guitarist had succumbed to the drug addiction that would eventually kill him and his band mates thought, incorrectly as it turned out, but with their hearts in the right place, that a reformed Free would be the very thing to get Kossoff back on his feet. Due to its strained recording period, the album is not a very rocking, happy affair but very melancholy with several dark mood pieces and mellower interludes. "Catch a Train" which opens the album almost promises a return to the `Tons of Sobs' period but instead the listener gets most of the darker aspects of `Highway'. "Little Bit o' Love" was a hit and another upbeat number as is "Travellin' Man" and these two along with "Train" are my personal faves but again the LP is dominated by much more morose and somber affairs. "Guardian of the Universe" is great but several of the songs seem to have the same feel. "Magic Ship" and "Soldier Boy" are both excellent but again the slower tempo numbers set the tone which is almost depressing and judging by the lives of the individuals involved...it's kind of expected. This would ultimately be the last "real" Free album as Andy Fraser brought down by both his feud with songwriting partner Paul Rodgers and the condition of Paul Kossoff left for good not soon after the album was released.

All the idiot reviewers who gave a less than favorable review
of this album are completely deluded.

This album was indeed the best album FREE did. From Andy Fraser's song "Catch A Train" all the way thru to his song "Goodbye" -- this is a rip-roaring album with absolutely,
excruciatingly gut wrenching lead guitar from the one and only Paul Kossoff. What else can I say about the vocals from the master himself, Paul Rodgers, the greatest rock vocalist that ever walked on two feet...

The extra tracks, although alternatives, are magnificent, especially Rodgers solo version of "Guardian Of The Universe".

Anyone who gives this version a less than favorable review is an idiot.

To the reviewer who said that it was Rabbit playing keyboards on this album is also deluded -- the piano work was done mainly by Andy Fraser....

I remember well when this album came out. I bought it immediately as soon as it hit the record shops back in 1972. It is still a great pleasure to listen to today.

Rock Me Rodgers!

Not The best of the Free albums ,in spite of some good songs "little bit of love" being one , this album does not grab me as the others do.

Originally released in 1972,as this was never considered to be one of Free's best work,but it is decent.Looks to be the band's last lp with bassist Andy Fraser and guitarist Paul Kossoff(R.I.P.).You get the album's nine tracks,plus six(6)bonus cuts of mostly alternative edits of the lp's tracks.Tunes here I liked best were "Catch A Train","Magic Ship","Travellin' Man" and their Stone's cover of "Honky Tonk Woman".Shouldn't to hard to locate a copy of.