Born in the late 60’s British blues rock scene that would dominate the music scene in the late 60’s and early 70’s, Free was composed of Paul Rodgers (vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass, piano) and Simon Kirke (drums). They are primarily known today for their mega-smash hit “All Right Now” off their 1970 album Fire and Water which to this day remains a staple of classic rock radio. The band is known for both being pioneers of the British hard rock blues genre as well as being the precursor to the more well-known 70’s classic rock band Bad Company (Rodgers and Kirke were founding members) when Free broke up in the mid-70’s. In addition, they also feature the blistering guitar talent of Paul Kossoff, whose talents can be readily found across Tons of Sobs and earned him adulation as one of the best guitar players in the rock genre before his untimely drug-induced death at the age of 25 in 1976.
Tons of Sobs was the band’s debut album and features an incredibly stripped down production style that is racuous, dirty, and filled with soul. If the album sounds like a bunch of impeccably talented teenagers got together in a rag-tag studio, plugged directly in and just let the microphones roll, well that’s because it’s exactly what happened during the recording of the album– each member of the band ranged from 16-19 years old at the time of the recording, and cut Tons of Sobs on a shoestring budget of £800. This is British blues rock at its rawest.
Standout Songs: “Walk In My Shadow”, “Goin’ Down Slow”, “I’m A Mover”, “The Hunter”
