Tons of Sobs
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| Tons Of Sobs | ||
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| Studio album by Free | ||
| Released | November 1968 October 2001 (reissue) |
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| Recorded | October 1968 | |
| Genre | Blues-rock | |
| Length | 70:30 | |
| Label | Island | |
| Producer(s) | Guy Stevens | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free chronology | ||
| N/A | Tons Of Sobs (1968) |
Free (1969) |
Tons Of Sobs is the debut album by English blues/rock band Free, recorded in November 1968. While the album was a commercial failure, failing to chart in the UK and #197 in the America, Free are still cited as one of the definitive bands of the British blues boom of the late 1960s even though this is the only album of their canon that can strictly be called blues-rock. The title of the album does not relate directly to the content of the album; it is both a colloquialism of "lots of money", reflecting the swaggering attitude with which the album was made, and an oblique reference to the darker, more sombre moments of the record.
Contents |
[edit] Lineup
Paul Rodgers - Vocals
Paul Kossoff - Guitar
Andy Fraser - Bass
Simon Kirke - Drums
with
Steve Miller - (not to be confused with Steve Miller of The Steve Miller Band)- Piano
[edit] Recording
Free were a new band when they recorded Tons Of Sobs, and they were extremely young and precocious: none of them was yet twenty and the youngest, bassist Andy Fraser, was just sixteen years old. They had achieved a following through constant touring, and their debut album consisted for the most part of their live set-list. That said, eight out of the album's ten tracks are originals which was unusual compared to the debut albums of bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
With the band signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records, Guy Stevens was hired to produce the album (he would later become notable for producing The Clash's legendary album London Calling (1979). He opted for an extremely minimalist attitude to production, due to the extremely low budget of about £800, creating a very raw and raucous sound - although it must be admitted that the relative inexperience of the band may have also been a contributing factor to this. As such the album, while in production terms a marked contrast from he band's later albums, holds up well for fans of modern bands such as the White Stripes who eschew overproduction for artistic rather than financial reasons. The simple nature of the recording meant that many tracks translated well into a live setting and several songs from this album were still performed even when the band had written and recorded many more for subsequent records.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original tracks
1. 'Over The Green Hills-Part 1' (Rodgers) 0.49
This is the first half of a song that bookends the album; after the first verse the songs fades out and leads directly into the next track, and fades back in again for the final verse at the end of the album. It is the only acoustic song on the album, and concerns a wish to shun the trappings of the modern world and return to nature, a philosophy that can be attributed to the hippy movement with whom Free were not generally associated.
2. 'Worry' (Rodgers) 3.26
'Worry' is the first expression of one of the album's two main tones: a sombre, spooky mood that deals with traditional blues themes such as death. Like many of the occasions this is dealt with by the album there is an ambiguous supernatural element to the song, which - if interpreted literally - deals with an oppressive force that stalks the streets at night ("And the sleeping streets / Have closed their tired eyes / The fear that creeps / Will move & slowly rise"). Musically the song is a loud, crashing rock number in a similar style to many of the other tracks, with Paul Kossoff leading with many wailing guitar interludes.
3. 'Walk In My Shadow' (Rodgers) 3.29
One of the more conventional songs on the album, 'Walk In My Shadow' is a loud riff-driven song that can be interpreted as dealing with a shrewish woman - another common theme of the blues. While later Free albums would be characterised by Fraser's virtuoso bass playing, at this stage the band was very much guitar-led and this song is a good example of this.
4. 'Wild Indian Woman' (Fraser/Rodgers) 3.39
The first example of the Fraser/Rodgers writing partnership that would contribute the majority of the Free canon, 'Wild Indian Woman' is probably the best example of the album's second major theme: a brash confidence closely linked with sex. In this sense the song is vulnerable to accusations of sexism and to be fully appreciated needs to be listened to in the light-hearted spirit in which it was recorded. Musically it is another riff-driven song, although it is somewhat tighter than the preceding song and has a piano solo from Steve Miller.
5. 'Goin' Down Slow' (Oden) 8.20
One of the album's two covers, this is a straightforward slow blues song which had previously been performed by Howlin' Wolf. It features Kossoff's longest and arguably most technically complex guitar solo, making this song the longest in Free's body of work excluding various bonus songs and bootleg recordings that have surfaced over the years. As the song deals with a person on their deathbed, Free's version is often regarded ironically as Rodgers was only eighteen when he sang it.
6. 'I'm A Mover' (Fraser/Rogers) 2.56
This track was selected to be the album's single release - like the album, however, it failed to chart. Nevertheless due to its strong riff and eloquent lyrics it remains highly regarded by fans and has been performed live by such bands as Van Halen.
7. 'The Hunter' (Jones/Wells/Dunn/Jackson/Cropper) 4.13
Undoubtedly the album's most popular track, 'The Hunter' was originally written for Booker T. and the MG's and has become a blues-rock staple. It deals with a swaggering spirit appropriate to the general tone of the album, but musically the song is significantly more energetic than some of the others. It instantly became a live favourite, and their hit single 'All Right Now' (from their 1970 album Fire And Water) was written partly to provide them with another song that would earn the same audience reaction that 'The Hunter' did. The song was released as a single in 1976, but failed to chart.
8. 'Moonshine' (Rodgers/Kossoff) 5.04
The album's darkest song by far, 'Moonshine' is driven by a dirge-like bassline with only the occasional flash of wailing guitar. Lyrically it contains themes more common to the horror genre such as graveyards, tombstones and the titular moon. However, these lyrical elements are included to create an atmosphere of misery rather than of fear.
9. 'Sweet Tooth' (Rodgers) 4.54
An uncharacteristically light-hearted song that displays a distinct jazz influence, 'Sweet Tooth' is nevertheless stylistically in-keeping with this underproduced album. The song has an extended finale that slowly fades into the album's final track.
10. 'Over The Green Hills-Part 2' (Rodgers) 1.58
The second part of this song continues where the first part stopped, leading to a quiet and melancholic end to the album.
[edit] Extra tracks
Recent CD reissues contain several bonus tracks:
1. 'I'm A Mover' - BBC Session (Rodgers) 3.04
This was a live session of the album track recorded several months after the album's release; the song is more tightly performed, and there is a marked change in Rodgers' voice.
2. 'Waitin' On You' - BBC Session (King/Washington) 2.15
Recorded months before the album was released, this is a cover of a B.B. King song and is performed in traditional Rhythm and Blues style.
3. 'Guy Stevens Blues' (Rodgers/Fraser/Kirke/Kossoff) 4.39
This is a slow, instrumental blues jam recorded during the album sessions and dedicated to the producer as a joke.
4. 'Moonshine' (Rodgers/Kossoff) 5.09
'Moonshine' is here presented with an alternative vocal performance; aside from that there is little difference between this and the version that appears on the album.
5. 'Sweet Tooth' (Rodgers) 4.53
This is an early take with slightly altered lyrics, and a slightly gentler sound that emphasises the song's jazz influence over the rock. It is notable for containing a 'false start' where the band have to start playing the song again.
6. 'Visions Of Hell' (Fraser/Rodgers) 3.46
With a tone of melodrama similar to 'Moonshine', 'Visions Of Hell' was intended to be an album track but was withheld at a late stage in favour of 'The Hunter'.
7. 'Woman By The Sea' (Fraser/Rodgers) 3.30
'Woman By The Sea' is a melancholic song dealing with fond memories. It would eventually be reworked as 'Remember' on Fire And Water (1970), where it was considerably more pop-oriented.
8. 'Over The Green Hills' - BBC Session (Rodgers) 3.51
A musically simpler version of the album track that showcases Rodgers' much-developed voice, this session sees the song performed as one track and also contains an extra verse.
[edit] References
- Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392-3.
- Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to Tons Of Sobs by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1968, 2001.
[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! |
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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 • |
