Kicking off with ‘Wishing Well’, along the lines of ‘All Right Now’ as the commercial acceptance of heavy blues R&B music, whilst it is certainly one to savour, the stand out track for me on Side A is definitely ‘Travelling in style’. In my view, whilst not the best engineered sound ever, it does try to capture the earthy, bluesy nature of how the band would perform live. And that is showcased in no uncertain terms on the title track which ends Side A.
Two of the original members of the band, Kossoff (who sadly was to die before the decade was over) and Fraser, had left by the time this was recorded. However, Kossoff still co-wrote 2 of the tracks (including ‘Wishing Well’) and played guitar on 5 of the 8 tracks. All ‘named’ musicians in their own right, you felt they could have gone on for years. Paul Rodgers has always been considered one of the best blues singers of his generation and perhaps Free was the obvious stepping stone ahead of Bad Company, a band in a similar vein, musically, to their predecessor.
This is a stunning LP. If you want an example of early bluesy rock ‘n roll you won’t go far wrong. Whether it’s this LP or an earlier one of theirs, a Free LP is an absolute must to any collection. ‘Take off your hat, kick off your shoes’ pick any of these tracks and you will sit up and listen. Put them together, especially as you remember this was their last offering, and you get an absolute corker of an LP.
