Free
Posted by: Rasher on 19 August 2004
When it rains and I look out of the window to see the wet street and hear the hiss of car tyres as they go past, I remember wet Saturday mornings as a kid when I would stay in my room and play my Free albums.
As it's raining, I have been drawn to play my set of Free remasters, which are extremely good.
This has to be my favorite band of all time, although it doesn't rain that often down here.
Posted on: 19 August 2004 by BigH47
"There is no such thing as a Free record" to misquote
Posted on: 19 August 2004 by Toksik
Rasher, you want to see the amount of rain we have north of the border!.
your Free re-masters on vinyl or cd?.
my fave Free record is the double "the Free Story" on vinyl import. must give it a spin when i get a momentary lapse of reason......
dennis
Posted on: 19 August 2004 by JonR
Have got "Fire & Water" on vinyl - a great album. Would like to know more about these remasters though.
JonR
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by greeny
I quite like Free. I don't Normally like 'Best ofs' but The Free Story is certainly one of the better examples.
I have Tons of Sobs, Heatbreaker, and Fire and Water, (not reissues) and all are very good.
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by Ron Brinsdon
The "Fire and Water" CD remaster is worth a listen for the additional / alternative takes of "Allright now" and the title track.
Andy Fraser was (is?)a superb bass player and really sparked with Simon Kirke's drumming.
Anyone know what these two are doing now?
Ron
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by Rasher
The remasters are all on CD and I bought each of them for £6 from my local favorite store. They sound fantastic.
Play "Oh I Wept" off Fire & Water and it sounds like a Naim label CD!
I could do without all the additional tracks personally, and I would be happy never to hear Alright Now ever again.
My buddy went to LA with Andy Fraser when he moved there and stayed for 2 years with him before coming back here. Very difficult to get to know him - he is a very private person, very quiet, but a real nice guy. He's still in LA. Don't know about SK.
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by JonR
quote:
Originally posted by Rasher:
I would be happy never to hear Alright Now ever again.
I agree. After all the radio play it gets anyone would think it's the only song Free ever did! It's not a bad track but it's completely dwarfed by 'Fire and Water'.
JR
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by DenisA
JonR,
If you fancy 180g 'Fire and Water' & 'Live' they are available from
Diverse Vinyl on 31 Aug. Other interesting stuff released on the same day also.
Denis
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by JonR
Thanks for that Denis.
Interesting that you should mention Diverse Vinyl - I visited their stand at the Bristol Show and bought the new Richard Thompson album off them.
Regards,
JonR
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by Bhoyo
quote:
Originally posted by JonR:
I agree. After all the radio play it gets anyone would think it's the only song Free ever did!
All Right Now still sounds wonderful as part of Fire and Water. However, played on the radio or a jukebox, and its "run from the room screaming" time.
Davie
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by DenisA
quote:
Originally posted by JonR:
Interesting that you should mention Diverse Vinyl - I visited their stand at the Bristol Show and bought the new Richard Thompson album off them.
Regards,
JonR
Jon,
My DV purchases in Feb were both mistakes, MA- 100th Window & John Martyn - 'Live at Leeds'. The JM is the worst pressing in my collection, sounding like a million fried eggs
I should return it for a refund.
Denis
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by JonR
quote:
Originally posted by DenisA:
Jon,
My DV purchases in Feb were both mistakes, MA- 100th Window & John Martyn - 'Live at Leeds'. The JM is the worst pressing in my collection, sounding like a million fried eggs I should return it for a refund.
Denis
Hmm...perhaps I should just play safe and get'em on CD instead
Posted on: 20 August 2004 by bhazen
When I saw the title "Free" on the thread, I was hoping it would be followed by "Beer"! ...ha ha
(ahem) Free are one of those bands that will forever be typecast by the publics' exposure to the one song - "Alright Now" - and said public will never, tragically, know the richness of their recorded catalog. Much like Procol Harum and "A Whiter Shade of Pale"; the albums which followed the single AWSOP are second only to The Beatles in musical riches. Badfinger suffer from the same syndrome to a similar degree, plus the unwarranted charge of being Beatles copyists.
When I watched the movie "The Ice Storm", I was transfixed by the scene where a reel-to-reel tape deck is playing "Mr. Big"...
[This message was edited by bhazen on Fri 20 August 2004 at 18:20.]
