55 Years of Free – Celebrating ‘Tons of Sobs’ and the Band That Deserved Better

Not going to lie, my first exposure to Free was through American Idol, when David Cook performed “All Right Now” during the semi-finals of season seven; I was 9 years old back then. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite performances from the show. “All Right Now” is a classic, for a reason, but Free were way better than that. They were a phenomenal blues rock band that had groove, swagger, and Paul Rodgers, one of the greatest rock singers of all time. Though they were only together for a few years, they left a huge impact on the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Gary Rossington was heavily influenced by guitarist Paul Kossoff. In fact, “On the Hunt” from Nuthin’ Fancy (1975) was inspired by Free’s cover of “The Hunter” from their debut album, Tons of Sobs (1969). 

Interestingly enough, that debut album is 55 years old today. Tons of Sobs was released in the UK on March 14, 1969. Thanks to their constant tour cycle, the band already had a fanbase, but it was their debut album that changed the game for them! Free consisted of Rodgers on lead vocals, Simon Kirke on drums, Kossoff on guitars, and Andy Fraser on bass guitar. Signed to Island Records, Tons of Sobs was produced by Guy Stevens in only a week, according to Louder Sound. Due to a very low budget, Stevens chose a minimalist approach, creating a raw and real sound for the album. Originally planned for a November 1968 release, the album was pushed back to early 1969 due to the addition of the previously mentioned cover of Albert King’s “The Hunter,” at Stevens’ insistence. 

Free’s origins date back to London, in the spring of 1968, when Kossoff and Kirke joined the R&B-based band, Black Cat Bones, according to the band’s official website. The two quickly lost interest in the group and considered forming a new band together. They asked Rodgers, who they encountered previously performing at a blues club in Finsbury Park with his band, Brown Sugar, to join them, according to Louder Sound. Losing interest in his group, as well, Rodgers happily accepted. In need of a bass player, Kossoff asked blues legend Alexis Korner who he’d recommend. This led to 15-year-old Fraser joining the band. To indicate their separation from the arty-farty music scene in Britain, the band simply called themselves Free, at Korner’s suggestion, as an act of rebellion.

Tons of Sobs is one of those albums where you really have to sit down and listen to it in one sitting. From the short and sweet, “Over the Green Hills (Pt. 1),” to the groove-laden, “Worry,” to the dark and mysterious, “Walk in My Shadow,” everything was planned out perfectly. Kossoff’s guitar tone on Tons of Sobs is absolutely chilling, pouring his heart out with his ‘59 Gibson Les Paul. His weeping guitar parts are all over tracks like “Goin’ Down Slow,” a James Burke Oden cover, and “Moonshine,” which sounds even better on the Free Live! (1971) album. Rodger’s soulful vocals are just as breathtaking.

It’s also worth noting that Kirke and Fraser made a great team, when it came to the band’s rhythm section. With the former’s simplistic feel and the latter’s captivating bass lines, they were unstoppable. “I’m a Mover” would not have been the same without them. “Sweet Tooth” is the album deep cut that deserves more recognition because it’s got a good beat and the lyrics are clever. “Over the Green Hills (Pt. 2)” fittingly closes the album, with Rodgers expressing his need to be “free.”

1969 was a really big year for rock music, actually. The Who released Tommy on May 19, Creedence Clearwater Revival released Green River on August 7, The Beatles released Abbey Road on September 26, The Rolling Stones released Let It Bleed on November 28, and another notable British rock band released their debut album in 1969, not long before Free released their debut album. That other notable British rock band was Led Zeppelin and the date was January 12. While there are similarities between the two bands, there’s no use in comparing them to each other because it’s better to just focus on the music. 

Also, like Led Zeppelin, Free released two studio albums during the same year. Almost seven months after the release of Tons of Sobs, the band released their self-titled sophomore album, which saw the growth of Fraser and Rodgers’ songwriting partnership. Both albums were overlooked by the general public back then. It was their third album, Fire and Water (1970), however, that broke the band commercially, thanks to the previously mentioned, “All Right Now.” The album’s success led to Free headlining the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, where they played to roughly around 600,000 to 700,000 people. 

Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. Free’s fourth album, Highway (1970), did poorly on charts, partially due to the misleading album cover, which doesn’t even feature the band’s name. The album’s failure and sudden death of Jimi Hendrix sent Kossoff on a downward spiral that he, unfortunately, never recovered from. Due to poor album sales and internal friction between Fraser and Rodgers, the band called it quits in 1971. During the breakup, Kossoff’s drug addictions got out of control and Free reformed briefly with hopes of getting him back on track. However, after the release of Free at Last (1972), Kossoff’s unreliability to perform onstage caused Fraser to quit the band (again). Bassist Tetsu Yamauchi was brought in to replace him and keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick entered the fold to make up for the ailing Kossoff. Free released their final album, the appropriately titled, Heartbreaker, in January 1973. 

Kossoff died on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City on March 19, 1976 from a pulmonary embolism, according to Premier Guitar. Fraser died at his home in California on March 16, 2015 of a heart attack, according to Jammerzine. Rodgers and Kirke are the only two surviving members of the group. Though they found more success in the supergroup, Bad Company, it’s safe to say that band wouldn’t have existed without Free. The latter laid the foundation for what was to come.

For just a short time, Free were an incredible rock band and had a special vibe that couldn’t be replicated elsewhere. It’s sad just thinking about how far their career could’ve gone if it weren’t for those terrible circumstances. All we have now is the music, including this debut album, Tons of Sobs, that started it all.

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