Heartbreaker (Free album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heartbreaker | ||
 |
||
| Studio album by Free | ||
| Released | January 1973 February 2002 (reissue) |
|
| Recorded | October - November 1972 | |
| Genre | Rock, Soul | |
| Length | 64:39 | |
| Label | Island Records | |
| Producer(s) | Free and Andy Johns | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free chronology | ||
| Free At Last (1972) |
Heartbreaker (1972) |
The Free Story (compilation) (1974) |
This page refers to the 1973 album by Free. For other uses of the term 'Heartbreaker', see Heartbreaker (disambiguation).
Heartbreaker is the seventh and final album by English rock group Free, that provided them with one of their most successful singles, 'Wishing Well'. It was recorded in late 1972 after bassist Andy Fraser had left the band and while guitarist Paul Kossoff was ailing from an addiction to Mandrax (contemporary photographs show him looking gaunt and emaciated), and features a different line up to previous albums: Tetsu Yamauchi was brought in to replace Fraser, while John "Rabbit" Bundrick became the band's keyboard player to compensate for the increasingly unreliable Kossoff (singer Paul Rodgers played keyboards on the previous album Free At Last, but was nowhere near as proficient a player as Bundrick). Both Yamauchi and Bundrick had played with Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke on the album Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit during that period in late 1971 where the band had broken up. Also, several other musicians were used on the album. This, plus the fact that the album was co-produced by Andy Johns as well as Free, resulted in the most professional and well-produced album for some time, and also one that is considerably mellower and more mature than many previous efforts. Indeed, there are almost no points of comparison between this and their debut album Tons Of Sobs in 1968.
Contents |
[edit] Line up
Paul Rodgers - Vocals
Paul Kossoff - Guitar
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - Keyboards
Tetsu Yamauchi - Bass
Simon Kirke - Drums
with
"Snuffy" Walden - Guitar on 'Easy On My Soul'
Rebop Kwaku Baah - Congas on 'Wishing Well'
NOTE: The album lists Kossoff as an additional musician; since this is technically not correct, the listing above has been amended slightly.
[edit] Recording
One immediate effect of Fraser's departure was the loss of the Fraser/Rodgers songwriting partnership that had hitherto provided the bulk of the band's catalogue. Hence many of the songs were written solely by Rodgers, although some are credited to the entire band as a symbolic gesture (including the single 'Wishing Well'). Bundrick wrote two of the album's eight tracks.
Yamauchi had only a very minor influence in the band; the Japanese bassist was unfamiliar with the English language and in any case was unwilling to jeopardise playing in a relatively well-known and well-regarded British band. Bundrick, on the other hand, was more volatile and frequently clashed with Rodgers just as Fraser had done: they even once had a fist-fight in a London restaurant.
Meanwhile, Kossoff was extremely resentful of session musicians brought in periodically to replace him when the other band members' patience began to break. This exacerbated even further his problems, but on those occasions where recording went well he produced some notable work; he is in fact far more prominent on this album than on the previous one.
Island Records boss Chris Blackwell disliked the band's initial mix of the album and drafted regular engineer Andy Johns to solve the problem; in January 1973 the album was ready for release.
[edit] Reception
The album was by Free's standards a huge success, becoming their third top-ten album in the UK (reaching #9); it reached #47 in America, which was also a considerable success for the band. Also, the single release 'Wishing Well' became their third-most successful single, reaching #7. It is widely regarded as one of their definitive songs.
Despite the success of the album and impending tour of America, it finally became apparent that the band had passed the point of no return. Kossoff being credited as an additional musician came as a shock to the entire band. Kossoff spiralled to his lowest ebb and was unable to go to America; he was replaced with Wendell Richardson from Osibisa. He proved to be a poor choice, and eventually the band finally gave up. Rodgers and Kirke formed Bad Company with Mick Ralphs (formerly of Mott The Hoople) and Boz Burrell (formerly of King Crimson); Yamauchi joined the Faces; Bundrick became a session musician and eventually became a regular keyboard player with the Who; Kossoff tried to form his own band Back Street Crawler. After two unsuccessful albums, the guitarist died of a heart attack on board an aeroplane on the 19 March 1976, at the age of 25.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original tracks
1. 'Wishing Well' (Rodgers/Kirke/Yamauchi/Kossoff/Bundrick) 3.43
One of Free's most popular and enduring tracks, this is a loud and fast riff-driven rock song released as a single in December 1972. There are conflicting accounts of Kossoff's involvement in the song, and he is not listed as playing on it in the album credits. Like many late-period Free songs it concerns emotional distress told in a detached second-person, leading many to believe it was written about Kossoff - Rodgers, the writer of the song, denies this. It is the only true rock song on the album; ironically, even though it is probably the album's most popular track it is probably its least representative. (At his own website Bundrick says he wrote the music for the 'peaceful' "middle 8" section).
2. 'Come Together In The Morning' (Rodgers) 4.38
A slow and keyboard-driven song, this is far more likely to be about Kossoff than the previous song. It contains one of his best-regarded guitar solos, in which he fed his guitar through the amplifier of a Hammond organ as Jimi Hendrix had done in 'Little Wing' from Axis: Bold As Love (1967).
3. 'Travellin' In Style (Rodgers/Kirke/Yamauchi/Kossoff/Bundrick) 4.01
A jaunty acoustic song that is considerably more lighthearted than most Free songs of the period, the song suggests an optimism at odds with what was occurring in the band at the time.
4. 'Heartbreaker' (Rodgers) 6.12
The title track of the album is a passionate song with blues and progressive rock influences, this is another popular track and often appears on compilation albums, sometimes in place of 'Wishing Well'. It is the longest Free song apart from 'Goin' Down Slow' on Tons Of Sobs; because of this it was omitted from CD reissue of the compilation album The Free Story (1974), meaning that that album now features no tracks from Heartbreaker.
5. 'Muddy Water' (Bundrick) 4.15
The first of Bundrick's compositions from the album, this is a slow piano-led ballad about lost love.
6. 'Common Mortal Man' (Bundrick) 4.06
Bundrick's second composition, this is more of a progressive rock song consisting of considerably more esoteric, existential subject matter than 'Muddy Water'. It is driven by an electric organ rather than piano.
7. 'Easy On My Soul (Rodgers) 3.44
A slow, piano-driven song that lacks a clearly defined lyrical structure: it has few lyrics, repeated often. This song relies on delivery rather than its content. When asked what inspired the song, Rodgers replied "No one in particular inspired 'Easy On My Soul', it is a message of love."
'8. Seven Angels (Rodgers) 5.03
The dramatic final track on the album is uniquely guitar driven and features Biblical lyrics, specifically dealing with the Book of Revelation. As such it makes for an appropriate coda to the band's final album, although it is debatable whether Rodgers wrote it with the band's demise in mind.
[edit] Extra tracks
1. 'Wishing Well' (US mix) (Rodgers/Kirke/Yamauchi/Kossoff/Bundrick) 3.39
This an alternative mix for a single release in America, which failed. It is less professionally produced than the album version but features a much more prominent guitar solo and noticeable congo drum playing from Rebop Kwaku Baah.
2. 'Let Me Show You (Rodgers/Kirke/Yamauchi/Kossoff/Bundrick) 3.01
The B-side to 'Wishing Well', this is a lightweight soul song dealing with romantic love, an increasingly rare topic for the band.
3. 'Muddy Water (Budrick) 4.15
This is an early version of the album track, before overdubs were added and featuring a different vocal performance from Rodgers.
4. 'Hand Me Down / Turn Me Round' (Bundrick) 3.19
Another Bundrick composition, this soulful but brooding song was written to be included on the album but discarded at an early stage. This features Bundrick singing a guide vocal, as Rodgers never recorded a vocal take.
5. 'Heartbreaker' (Rodgers) (Rehearsal version) 5.40
This is a recorded performance of the album track during rehearsals for the band's tour of Japan. Kossoff was unable to tour, and this features Rodgers on guitar in his place.
6. 'Easy On My Soul' (Rodgers) (Rehearsal version) 8.42
This is a recorded performance of the album track during rehearsals for the band's tour of Japan. It features Rodgers on pianola and Bundrick on grand piano; the song was never tightly structured and this is little more than a loose, extended jam session.
[edit] References
- Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392-3.
- Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to Heartbreaker by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1973, 2002.
[edit] External links
| Free |
| Members |
|---|
| Paul Rodgers • Paul Kossoff • Andy Fraser • Simon Kirke |
| Discography |
|
Studio albums: - Tons of Sobs • Free • Fire and Water • Highway • Free at Last • Heartbreaker |
|
Live albums: - Free Live! |
|
Compilation album: - The Free Story • The Best of Free • Free And Easy, Rough And Ready • Completely Free • The Best of Free: All Right Now • Molten Gold: The Anthology • Free: All Right Now • Songs of Yesterday • Chronicles • |
