Tony Blair's Favorite Band***....
Peter Baklava | Charles City, Iowa | 01/02/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"...which, if nothing else, probably is an indication that Blair DID inhale in college. Too bad he couldn't have been Bush's roommate. He could have put the needle down on "Mouthful of Grass" and mellowed George W. right out..
This cd seems a bit late arriving in more ways than one, but it's a nice reminder of what an underrated group Free was---tight as the sheets on a Marine's bed, but always a great prescription for tension reduction.
Disc One is the real winner here. Disc Two is about as useful as wisdom teeth. They could just as well have put "Free Live" into the package and provided some indication of what the group really sounded like live. Disc Two is worth about one star. Since it's so poorly recorded, it's just extra baggage.
But Disc One has the goods. There's plenty of material from the second studio album, simply titled "Free", which was full of great stuff... "Woman" , "I'll Be Creepin'", &"Trouble on Double Time" are as good as anything Free ever recorded. "Mouthful of Grass" is so pastorally laid back that it nearly sounds like Fairport Convention. "Over the Green Hills" is Rodgers purest sounding vocal.
The rhythm section of Kirke and Fraser shines throughout, and of course Kossoff is well...Kossoff. Nobody approaches him as a string bender except for possibly Robin Trower--who late in the 70's was at times blatantly copying the Free sound... (check out Trower's "Road to Freedom" and "River" if you don't believe it.)
Everybody knows that Lynyrd Skynyrd borrowed heavily from Free, and so many vocalists imitated Paul Rogers that it isn't funny.
In conclusion: despite the weak second disk, this is worth purchasing. If you don't believe me, ask the PM.
*** Free is Blair's favorite band according to "Mojo" magazine, anyway. He was born in '53, so it kind of makes sense. He would have been 17 when "All Right Now" came out.
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Captures Free in their uncontrolled glory
Rimshot | Marine on St. Croix, MN | 12/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The reviewer who criticized the sound quality of Disk 2 is not wrong. It sounds like it was taken from a small home recorder in the back of the hall. However, for Free fans, Kossoff's frenzied, nearly out of control, playing on their rave-up "The Hunter" is worth the second rate audio. I am very glad they included it and very pleased with the rest of the collection - after I adjusted to the sound quality. If you want great audio and a super introduction to this great and unique band, get the two CD best of collection, Molten Gold. Perhaps we would agree that is for fans and collectors only."
Hit and Miss for Free
J. R Sategna | Martinez, California United States | 12/13/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This 2cd set is kind of disappointing. The 1st CD has good sound -it is somewhat stereo and contains alternate cuts of Free but none come from their last 3 albums. The 2nd CD is very disappointing. It is a live recording which sounds like a bad bootleg. The sound is muffled in a lot of places and hard to hear clearly. They should have left this one out. There is even the sound of a phone ringing or a alarm in the background on a couple of the cuts. Free fans--just get this for the 1st cd--the other is very very bad. Where are the cuts from the last lineup of Free--are they out there-Hearbreaker, Catch a Train etc?"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1