Highway (album)
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| Highway | ||
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| Studio album by Free | ||
| Released | December 1970 February 2002 (reissue) |
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| Recorded | September 1970 | |
| Genre | Rock, Soul | |
| Length | 58:56 | |
| Label | Island Records | |
| Producer(s) | Free | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free chronology | ||
| Fire And Water (1970) |
Highway (1970) |
Free Live! (1971) |
Highway is the fourth studio album by English rock band Free. It was recorded extremely quickly in September of 1970 but with an attitude of relaxation after having achieved worldwide success with their previous album Fire And Water and its single release 'All Right Now'. It is therefore a considerably mellower album than any of the band's others. It was expected to perform as well as that previous album did: however, it performed surprisingly poorly.
Contents |
[edit] Line up
Paul Rodgers - Vocals
Paul Kossoff - Guitar
Andy Fraser - Bass
Simon Kirke - Drums
[edit] Recording
From a writing point of view Highway continued in the same vein as previous albums, with Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser collaborating on seven of the nine songs. For the most part it was the easiest of their albums to record as they had achieved their desire to have a hit single and returned to the studio with renewed confidence. Paul Kossoff however found sudden fame more difficult to deal with, and remembered the aftermath of 'All Right Now' as being "a great increase in pressure from every angle" (quoted in Phil Sutcliffe's liner notes). He preferred the more serious, weighty songs on the album such as 'Be My Friend', which he saw as an antidote to the "frivolity" of 'All Right Now'.
It was their last album to be recorded in a position of success and security, as its failure contributed to the emotionally-insecure Kossoff's growing drug addiction and the band's temporary split, from which it never truly recovered. Some, including drummer Simon Kirke, also cite the death of Kossoff's idol Jimi Hendrix (which occurred during the sessions for this album) as an important factor in his eventual breakdown.
[edit] Reception
Much to the band's disappointment, the album only reached #41 in the UK album charts (the previous album Fire And Water had reached #2) and reached only #190 in America, not generally enough to register on chart listings. The single release 'The Stealer' failed in the UK also, and reached only #49 in America.
There is no definitive account for the album's failure. It received lukewarm critical reaction (and still does), but does have its defenders. The single release 'The Stealer' had not been Island Records boss Chris Blackwell's first choice: he had wanted to release 'Ride On A Pony' but this was changed at the band's insistence. Some, such as engineer Andy Johns, blamed the album cover which was aesthetically flat compared to previous releases and did not display the band's name. It was believed that some fans who otherwise would have bought the album failed to notice it because of this.
The fallout was immediate. Relations between Fraser and Rodgers deteriorated, putting more pressure on Kossoff who slid ever further into Mandrax addiction. This left only Kirke to try and keep the band together. They returned to the studio in early 1971 and managed to record four tracks before they eventually split, after fulfilling contracted tour dates. These 'limbo' tracks included the surprise hit single 'My Brother Jake'; the other three have surfaced on various other albums over the years.
[edit] Track listing
(All tracks written by Fraser/Rodgers unless otherwise stated)
[edit] Original tracks
1. 'The Highway Song' 4.14
'The Highway Song' is a lighthearted pop shuffle song that nevertheless is interspersed with darker moments. This one track embodies both the happy and the serious spirit of the other songs.
2. 'The Stealer' (Fraser/Rodgers/Kossoff) 3.14
A riff-driven song intended for a single release, this and 'Ride On A Pony' are the only two songs to feature the strutting, adolescent streak of their previous albums. Despite its commercial failure it is popular with fans and is a common feature on compilation albums. In the UK the B-side of this song was 'Lying In The Sunshine' from Free 1969 two albums previously.
3. 'On My Way' 4.04
'On My Way' a soft, folk-influenced song that shows the relaxed spirit with which this album was largely made.
4. 'Be My Friend' 5.45
Possibly Free's most popular love song, this was performed live frequently in the short space of time between the album's release and the band's split. It has also been performed by Paul Rodgers throughout his post-Free career. It was Kossoff's favourite Free song at the time of recording; he described it as "the best thing we've ever done" (qtd. Sutcliffe). Given the band's subsequent problems it is unlikely than any future Free songs replaced this in his esteem.
'5. Sunny Day' 3.07
Like the previous track 'Sunny Day' is a slow, melancholy and rather serious song indicative of that side of the album in the same way that 'On My Way' is representative of its mellower side.
6. 'Ride On A Pony' 4.17
The other candidate for a single release, this song shares the riff-driven force of 'The Stealer'. Due to the failure of the single, it and this song share roughly equal popularity and frequently feature together on compilation albums.
7. 'Love You So' (Rodgers/Kirke) 4.54
Like 'Be My Friend' this is a very sad and weighty love song of the kind Kossoff was so proud of.
8. 'Bodie' 3.05
This is a sedate acoustic track featuring a notable bass guitar line from Fraser. It deals with naïvety in the face of knowledge.
9. 'Soon I Will Be Gone' 3.01
Arguably the album's most serious track, this has taken on a new context in retrospect given the events that happened to the band after the release of Highway.
[edit] Bonus tracks
1. 'My Brother Jake' 2.49
This is one of the four tracks recorded by the band after the release of the album. It is a strange juxtaposition of a jaunty melody and dark lyrics dealing with a person whose life is failing. In the absence of an album for it, it was released as a single in April 1971; possibly due to the publicity caused by their breakup it became their second-biggest hit single after 'All Right Now', peaking at #4 in the UK charts. This is an example of the extreme inconsistency of the band's commercial success.
2. 'Only My Soul' 2.27
Another of the four 'limbo' tracks, this is a short and lightweight song that was released as the B-side of 'My Brother Jake' in April 1971.
3. 'Ride On A Pony' - BBC Session 4.27
A live session of the album track recorded on the 24th April 1971.
4. 'Be My Friend' - BBC Session 5.34
A live session of the album track recorded on the 19th April 1971.
5. 'Rain' - Alternate Version 3.54
This an alternate take of the third 'limbo' track, the original version of which was released on the Songs Of Yesterday box-set in 2000, thirty years after being recorded. With the CD reissue of Highway, this acoustic song has won over some fans. The fourth of the 'limbo' tracks, 'Get Where I Belong', was released on the following album Free Live!.
6. 'The Stealer' - Single mix 3.21
This is a slightly re-mixed version of the album track used for the single release.
[edit] References
- Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392-3.
- Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to Highway by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1970, 2002.
[edit] External links
| Free |
| Members |
|---|
| Paul Rodgers • Paul Kossoff • Andy Fraser • Simon Kirke |
| Discography |
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Studio albums: - Tons of Sobs • Free • Fire and Water • Highway • Free at Last • Heartbreaker |
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Live albums: - Free Live! |
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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 • |
