Heartbreaker

Free | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 9, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mca Special Products
• ASIN: B000001FST
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,570 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Japanese-only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) pressing of this rock album. SHM-CDs can be played on any audio player and delivers unbelievably high-quality sound. You won't believe it's the same CD! Universal. 2008. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where theres smoke theres fire..., September 30, 2004

By 

Vaughan Otter (The River) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Heartbreaker (Audio CD)

Hearbreaker finds a young band stepping into maturity to defy the process of disintegration. Whatever was happening to them at the time, Free turned out one of the best and most enduring recordings of 1972. Though Bad Co. would rock harder and sell many more records, they never came close to the sublime majesty of this one.

Free's song structures, based on blues, gospel, and rock-steady elements, sound more potent and less contrived than ever. Paul Rodger's lyrics have finally grown out of teenage adolescence and express the melancholy and humor of a young man. And analog distortion has never sounded so good - with Andy Johns' crackling production, Free catches fire on Wishing Well and burns through every track to its final resting place on Seven Angels.

1972 was a golden year for album-rock radio, and Heartbreaker wears the classic sound of those times with impressive power and dignity.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!, April 9, 2005

By 

Lord Ghaleon "Classic rock preacher" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heartbreaker (Audio CD)

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson covered 2 of the songs on this album during the Tattooed Millionaire tour. I bought this CD to hear what the original songs sounded like. Blown away cannot describe the feeling I got when first hearing this disc. Come Together In the Morning, Heartbreaker and Easy on My Soul are some of the best songs made by ANY group.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOTHING LESS THAN HISTORIC!, March 25, 2002

By 

Michael G. King "skyyking" (LOUISVILLE, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heartbreaker (Audio CD)

Maybe it's the mastering of Island records CD release of "Heartbreaker" vs. the mastering of A&M records CD release of "Fire and Water", but whatever it is, the "Heartbreaker" CD has never sounded as good as 1970's "Fire and Water". Turning the table in consideration of the music, "Heartbreaker" has never quite received the same acclaim as "Fire and Water" either, although Free's most emotionally charged & gut wrenching music was written & recorded during these sessions. Free was known for blues rock, and by 1972 they indeed had the blues.

Track 1, "Wishing Well", begins very sloppy and distorted. It's like putting an album on the turntable and the needle skipping a flaw in the vinyl, or like the engineer almost forgot to turn the recording equipment on. You can almost hear the kaos, right there in the recording studio, of a band that is hanging on by a thread. From its flawed beginning, "Wishing Well" settles into one of Free's best songs. Paul Kosssoff helped write Wishing Well, but unfortunatly did not play guitar on the songs recording, and it shows.

Track 2, "Come Together In The Morning" written by Paul Rodgers, starts out wonderful. At exactly 00:40 into the song the distortion and feedback get out of hand. Kossoff regains control and Rodgers finishes out one of the most beautiful songs in Free's catalog, but unfortunately it is forever scared by the distortion level in the beginning.

Track 3, "Travellin In Style", has a warm earthly tone, and is one of the best tracks on this CD. This song is most remenscent of the fun days of the once teen-age rock & roll band that was Free in 1968.

Track 4, "Heartbreaker" written by Rodgers, is classic blues-based rock at it's finest. Distortion and feedback are better than in Wishing Well, and we have Kossoff's guitar playing to thank for it. One of the best tracks here.

Track 5, "Muddy Water", the 1st Brundrick composition, which Kossoff does NOT play guitar in.
Track 6, "Common Mortal Man", the 2nd Brundrick composition, which Kossoff DOES play guitar in.
Both Brundrick compositions are equally very well done.

Track 7, "Easy On My Soul" written by Rodgers, is an alright song that suffers from the absence of Kossoff's guitar yet again. Let's face it, Rodgers was always a better vocalist than a guitar player.

Track 8, "Seven Angels" written by Rodgers, is without question the best track on this CD. This is what ROCK & ROLL is all about. Kossoff & Rodgers are at the top of their game here, even if their game is on the edge of collapsing.

"Heartbreaker" is testamony that you can never go home again. Free would never again be the teen-age band they once were. The next recording Paul Rodgers & Simon Kirke would make after Heartbreaker, 1974's "Bad Co.", was a quantum leap from the deep rooted blues that these boys were in during 1972. Paul Kossoff would later die from a heart attack due to his Mandrax abuse. While undocumented, I believe that Bad Company's song "Shooting Star" from 1975's "Straight Shooter" album was written for Paul Kossoff, in contrast to those who believe that Free's song "Wishing Well" was written for him. But that's just me.

I'm still amazed that only 2 of Free's recordings have even been deemed worthy of putting on CD in the U.S., "Fire and Water" and "Heartbreaker". We need to write letters to Island Records and tell them to wake up and properly remaster "Heartbreaker" and the entire Free catalog.

UPDATE:
The entire Free album catalog has been remastered with extra tracks available as British imports in 2001/2002. They are priced quite reasonable, but availability may vary. They are well worth getting because the sound quality is so much better.