Free

Free - Molten Gold: The Anthology - 1993 - Island

With their big riffs and bluesy melodies, Free virtually defined hard rock in the early '70s, and Molten Gold: The Anthology shows that this wasn't such a meagre achievement. Throughout the two discs, it becomes clear that the key to Free's rock & roll was their rhythm section, which powered their riffs to perfection. This is the definitive Free, two discs of pure hard rock. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/molten-gold-the-anthology-r189963

Free's original line-up of Paul "The Voice" Rodgers, Andy Fraser, Simon Kirke, and the late Paul Kossoff created some of the mightiest sounds of 60's and 70's rock and blues rock. Free were a monumental band in rock history, and their 1968 "Tons of Sobs" album is now regarded as one of the all time greatest rock albums. There is nothing on this album that hasn't been released already, but it's arguably Free's best compilation album, and is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: 2 x rar files: Pt 1 (Disc 1) = 153 Mb, & Pt 2 (Disc 2) = 136 Mb]

TRACKS

DISC ONE

1 I'm A Mover 2:55
2 The Hunter 4:12
3 Walk In My Shadow 3:29
4 I'll Be Creepin' 3:26
5 Songs Of Yesterday 3:33
6 Woman 3:48
7 Broad Daylight 3:14
8 Mouthful Of Grass 3:34
9 All Right Now 5:32
10 Oh I Wept 4:26
11 Heavy Load 5:17
12 Don't Say You Love Me 6:01
13 The Stealer 4:23
14 The Highway Song 4:14
15 Be My Friend 5:45
16 Soon I Will Be Gone 3:01

Tracks 1, 4-12, & 14-16 composed by Andy Fraser & Paul Rodgers: Track 2 composed by Al Jackson, Jr., Booker T. Jones, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Junior Wells, & Steve Cropper: Track 3 composed by Andy Fraser, Paul Kossoff, Paul Rodgers, & Simon Kirke: Track 13 composed by Andy Fraser, Paul Kossoff, & Paul Rodgers

Tracks 1-3 from the album Tons Of Sobs (1968)
Tracks 4-8 from the album Free (1969)
Tracks 9-12 from the album Fire And Water (1970)
Tracks 13-16 from the album Highway (1970)

DISC TWO

1 My Brother Jake 2:53
2 Fire And Water 4:02
3 Ride On Pony 4:31
4 Mr. Big 6:12
5 Time Away 5:47
6 Molten Gold 5:48
7 Catch A Train 3:25
8 Travelling Man 3:20
9 Little Bit Of Love 2:32
10 Sail On 3:04
11 Wishing Well 3:39
12 Come Together In The Morning 4:37
13 Travelling In Style 4:01
14 Heartbreaker 6:12

Tracks 1-3 composed by Andy Fraser & Paul Rodgers: Tracks 4,7,8,9,10 & 13 composed by Andy Fraser, Paul Kossoff, Paul Rodgers, & Simon Kirke: Track 5 composed by John Martyn & Paul Kossoff: Track 6 composed by Paul Kossoff: Track 11 composed by John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Paul Kossoff, Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Tetsu Yamauchi: Tracks 12 & 14 composed by Paul Rodgers

Tracks 1-4 from the album Free Live! (1971)
Tracks 2-4 recorded live at Croydon
Tracks 5-6 from the album Paul Kossoff - Back Street Crawler (1973)
Tracks 7-10 from the album Free At Last (1972).
Tracks 11-14 from the album Heartbreaker (1972)

BAND

Paul Rodgers - Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Vocal Harmony
Paul Kossoff - Lead Guitar
Andy Fraser - Bass
Simon Kirke - Drums, Percussion

OTHER MUSICIANS

Tetsu Yamauchi - Bass, Percussion
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - Organ, Piano, Electric Piano, Chimes, Vocals
John Martyn - Guitar
Rebop Kwaku Baah - Conga

SHORT BIO

Famed for their perennial "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy sound of British blues down to its raw, minimalist core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970's superstars like Foreigner, Foghat and Bad Company. Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the blues unit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend, drummer Tom Mautner. After deciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers recruited drummer Simon Kirke (since Mautner was at university) and 16-year-old bass phenom Andy Fraser from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; with the aid of Alexis Korner, who also suggested the name Free, the fledgling band signed to the Island label, issuing their bluesy debut Tons of Sobs in 1968. Free's eponymous 1969 follow-up expanded on their roots-based sound, incorporating rockers like Albert King's "The Hunter" as well as muscular ballads like "Lying in the Sunshine" into the mix. Although both of the first two albums fared poorly on the charts, 1970's Fire and Water became a tremendous hit on the strength of the primal "All Right Now," a Top Five smash powered by Rodgers' gritty, visceral vocals. After headlining 1970's Isle of Wight festival, the group appeared destined for superstardom, but the LP Highway did not fare nearly as well as anticipated, and after a grueling tour which yielded 1971's Free Live, the band dissolved amidst ego clashes and recriminations. While Rodgers went on to form Peace and Fraser founded Toby, Kossoff and Kirke teamed with bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick to record the album Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit. When none of these new projects proved successful, the original lineup of Free re-formed to record 1972's Free at Last, which launched the hit "Little Bit of Love." However, drug problems nagged the group, as Kossoff's longtime battle with heroin continued to worsen; soon Fraser exited to form Sharks with Chris Spedding, leaving Rodgers and Kirke to record the majority of 1973's Heartbreaker while a drug-addled Kossoff watched from the sidelines. Soon, the group disbanded again, this time for good: while Rodgers and Kirke went on to found Bad Company, Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler before dying of a drug-induced heart attack on March 19, 1976. © Jason Ankeny © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/free-p4308/biography