GET A BLUES ROCK SWEET TOOTH BY LISTENING TO TONS OF SOBS BY FREE
Along with Led Zeppelin and many other big name blues rock acts of the day, not forgetting the original incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, Free would go on to become a big influence on rock and heavy metal in the years after the bands demise.
Their very first album, TONS OF SOBS, which was released in 1969, is by far their most raw and rough around the edges affair, some might say a poor prequel to the sharpness and crispness of later releases, particularly the radio friendly and well produced song ALL RIGHT NOW, which has aged very well and has been known to be at the top of FM Radio polls over time.
Two members of Free would go on to be members of Bad Company after Free was no more, the band split up around 1973, having never recovered from the death of the incredibly talented guitarist Paul Kossoff in 1972.
Free's vocalist was of course Paul Rodgers,
who would go on to be the replacement for
Freddy Mercury in Queen at certain times
after Bad Company had spluttered along
for many years having never come close
to matching the classic album STRAIGHT
SHOOTER from 1975, still considered
to be that band's definitive release.
Free were always a better band, just not as radio friendly or clear cut as Bad Company turned out to be. Mind you, I do have to admit I like plenty of Bad Company songs, including a lot from the Brian Howe era of the band, who replaced Paul Rodgers on vocals in the mid 1980`s.
Free were more soulful than Bad Company ever was, ironically for me now TONS OF SOBS was raw and hacksaw edged, anything but genuinely soulful.
It really has to go down as a lacklustre debut with good intentions and unrealised potential. Two songs on it that stand out as really groovy blues rock songs are SWEET TOOTH and I'M A MOVER. Check it out!
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