Free Live

About

By the time this concert album was released in September 1971, Free's original lineup had already split, making this something of a farewell to one of rock’s most powerful (and short-lived) units. Recorded in 1970 during two concerts in the British towns of Sunderland and Croydon (both football-oriented locales that no doubt connected with Free’s unabashed bravado), <i>Free Live!</i> captures the foursome at the peak of its powers, basking in the July 1970 release of the epochal <i>Fire and Water</i>. The live versions are more savage than their studio counterparts (always a good thing), but the band is also more playful. Even casual listeners will be interested to hear the frisky alterations made to the well-known groove of “All Right Now.” Free was one of the few hard rock bands that was at its best when it was moving slowly, and there's something courageous in the way it's willing to leave a hungry crowd hanging in the gaps of “I’m a Mover,” “Be My Friend," and “Mr. Big.” On the other hand, if it’s pure pile-driving force you’re after, look no further than “Woman,” “Fire and Water," and “Ride on Pony.”

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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