FIRE AND WATER - Free

YEAR: 1970

LABEL: Island

TRACK LISTING: Fire and Water, Oh I Wept, Remember, Heavy Load, Mr. Big, Don't Say You Love Me, All Right Now

IMPRESSIONS: One of the quintessential sounds of hard rock in the 1970's. This would be Free's high point before Paul Kossoff's drug problems would lead to the departure of bassist Andy Fraser and the influx of several new members to compensate for Kossoff's near inability to perform. The is a real sound of relaxed confidence on this album in the performance of the band as well as the assured vocals of "The Voice" Paul Rodgers. The tempo of all the songs sits back in the groove like a comfortable lime green bean bag chair. When I listen to this album, I sense a kind of deep breath and relief in the songs after the frenzy of the late sixties.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Fire and Water, Oh I Wept, Remember, Heavy Load, Don't Say You Love Me, All Right Now

FACT SHEET: FIRE AND WATER is Free's third album. Free consists of Paul Rodgers (vocals), Paul Kossoff (guitar), Andy Fraser (bass) and Simon Kirke (drums). The album was Free's most successful owed mostly to the presence of the monumental rock anthem "All Right Now" which reached #1 in the UK and #4 in the US. All the songs were co-written by Fraser and Rodgers. Fraser would quit in 1972 and Kossoff would die from a drug-related heart attack on a plane flight in 1976. Rodgers and Kirke would go on from Free to form the band Bad Company.