Free Live!
| Free Live! | ||||
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| Live album by Free | ||||
| Released | September 1971 February 2002 (reissue) |
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| Recorded | January 1970 – March 1971 at Sunderland and Croydon | |||
| Genre | Rock, blues-rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 40:33 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Andy Johns | |||
| Free chronology | ||||
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| Allmusic |   |
Free Live! is a live album by English rock band Free. It was rush-released by Island Records to commemorate the band, who had broken up in April 1971. Possibly because of the publicity caused by their breakup (which had also earned them a successful parting single "My Brother Jake" that same month) the album was a hit, reaching #4 in the UK album charts. It fared less well in the United States however, reaching only #89.
The album (including the extra tracks) was recorded from gigs played in the UK locations of Sunderland and Croydon, both places where Free had substantial followings, in January and September 1970. Engineer Andy Johns could only use two tracks from the Sunderland gig ("The Hunter" and "All Right Now"), but used crowd noise from it frequently to create seamless links between tracks. With increased re-mastering technology available it has been possible to make others ready for the CD reissue, along with some alternate takes of tracks recorded at the second of the two Croydon sessions that were recorded. Many of the tracks on the album are from their debut Tons of Sobs, as that album's rock-oriented ethos and low production values made its material ideal for performing live.
With the exception of one song, all performances are versions of album tracks. It begins with "All Right Now", which lasts for over six minutes. Rodgers's voice noticeably falters for a second during this song, showing how the album has not been altered in any way to remove such glitches as many modern live albums are. These are followed by loud, guitar-driven versions of "Be My Friend", "Fire and Water", "Ride on a Pony" and "Mr. Big". The live part then closes with one of the band's most popular tracks, "The Hunter" which receives a greater reaction from the crowd than any other song, including "All Right Now". Only the initial arrival of the band on stage at the very beginning causes a louder cheer.
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Wikipedia