Vinyl of the Week - 20 September 2021

Fire and Water, Free

Sometimes a band writes a song so epic that the band becomes forever known for that one song. This week I want to tell the story of a band that wrote a song that certainly falls into that category. The band was Free, and the song is All Right Now. Free formed in 1968 and consisted of lead singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Paul Kossoff, bass player Andy Fraser and drummer Simon Kirke. They were very young when they formed - Fraser only 15, Kossoff 17, Rodgers and Kirke both 18. But these guys were far from inexperienced. Andy had played with John Myall and the Blues Breakers, Paul K and Simon had been part of the band Black Cat Bones. They caught the attention of Alexis Korner who was a big name in the early British music scene and particularly focused on blues-based rock and roll. Korner gave Free their name and got them gigs all over the London. Free toured relentlessly but despite their strong work ethic, failed to become as popular as their peers even though they were every bit as good. Then they wrote All Right Now. It was the first track on their third album, Fire and Water, and the one that finally launched them into the mainstream. As a result, the album has gone on to sell over 20 million copies. In fact, it’s estimated that this song is played over the airways somewhere around the world every 45 seconds. The story behind the song is pretty cool too. After a disaster of a gig with hardly any applause for the final number, the band were feeling pretty low. Andy started dancing around backstage singing “It’s all right now…”, immediately knew he was onto something and sat down and wrote the entire thing in ten minutes. It then became the song they closed every show with. All Right Now is the ultimate anthem for optimism. If you need a song to lift your spirits, there’s nothing like cranking this one up to make you feel a whole heap better. Free only lasted until 1973, and tragically Kossoff passed away in ‘76, however this song ensures they’ll always live on. This week’s VOTW I dedicate to Rob, who’s favourite song was All Right Now. Vale Rob, we’re going to miss you my friend - DS