Free Appreciation Society Magazine - Issue #174

Free Appreciation Society

Magazine Issue #174

October 2024

This issue covers the final section of the Free MK.III October 1972 UK tour, some dates added and rescheduled after Paul Kossoff was ill in Newcastle on the September leg. In fact these are the last twelve shows of this line-up, and the final performances of Free with Paul Kossoff. There is press and photographs from a number of shows, and reviews of the tapes from Redcar, Bracknell and Bristol. Following this we pursue Free into the Basing Street studios, where they are now working on what will become the 'Heartbreaker' record. This includes a tape by tape analysis, from multi-tracks and quarter inch mix reels, of the sessions up to the end of the month.

The magazine features all the press from the period, which has, tour announcements, concert adverts, tickets, gig reviews and so on. There are some excellent photo's of the 'suited and booted' Paul Kossoff, with the white Fender Stratocaster he used on this final section of the shows, and looks at the 'Gibson neck break' in Newcastle on the final gig.

This issue of the FAS checks in at 48 pages, Plenty of great reading in this issue, including from the period press. The centre includes a superb  photograph of Koss with suit, waistcoat and tie - Strat in hand. Enjoy! And no, it's not the same cover as FAS #173 - look carefully!

48 pages absolutely packed with FREE, and nothing but Free.

Coming out to all UK FAS subscribers on Monday (7th)

Overseas issues mailed on Friday (4th). 

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It is cheaper to buy directly here (from the FAS itself) than it will be on Ebay, where there are other fees involved for both UK and overseas buyers. ALL payments are via Paypal, so it's all very easy and secure.

Casual buyer? Want the magazine cheaper? Get a subscription!

A subscription is the cheapest way to get the FAS magazine.

For subscription information email: fasarticle@aol.com

You can buy this individual issue from the email address above.

Total is £7.50 via Paypal for the UK, a three issue subscription is £19.10

Overseas price is available on request as shipping cost depends on the country the magazines are going too. Buying from the FAS directly should save you on customs charges and fees now levelled directly via Ebay, which will not be added here as items will be sent as 'letters'.

Drop me a mail giving your location and a Paypal money request will be sent to you. It's cheaper than buying them on Ebay where the fees add 12.5% + 30p making this issue £8 in the UK

 A subscription for three issues (UK) is £18 (£19.10 via Paypal)

Coming Soon!

Just a quick note to let you know FAS #174 is just about complete, and due in October. Sorry for the delay, been a bit ill over the summer, and had some stuff to deal with. Just the final checks to do before it goes to print.

Free Appreciation Society Magazine - Issue #173

Free Appreciation Society

Magazine Issue #173

June 2024

Free MK.II return to the UK from shows in Japan, and Hungary on July 31st. Kirke goes into hospital and Kossoff rejoins them to make it Free MK.III. This issue covers PK's return to the group, and the start of the UK tour in September, which was cancelled after six dates. Koss had had a seizure during the soundcheck at Newcastle City Hall on September 15th 1972, the day after his 22nd birthday. The group come back to London as shows are rescheduled for October, and spend a few days in the studio, where they begin work on new material.

The magazine features all the press from the period, which has interviews with Paul Rodgers, Rabbit and Tetsu, tour announcements, press releases, album ads, gig reviews and so on. There are some excellent photo's from the press gatherings, and from the shows. Also there's all the newspaper headlines from the Newcastle incident, and complete information on the recording that was done after that, which includes 'Wishing Well' and 'Come Together In the Morning', tape by tape, multi-tracks and quarter inch mix reels.

This magazine checks in at 52 pages, Plenty of great reading in this issue from the period press. The centre includes a superb full colour photograph of the older line-up from an Italian magazine article, which sarcastically reports that Free have cancelled their third trip to Italy! A hugely comprehensive issue on this phase of the group. Enjoy!

52 pages absolutely packed with FREE, and nothing but Free.

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Mailed out to all UK FAS subscribers today (10th)

Overseas issues mailed on Wednesday last week (5th).

It is cheaper to buy directly here (from the FAS itself) than it will be on Ebay, where there are other fees involved for both UK and overseas buyers. ALL payments are via Paypal, so it's all very easy and secure.

Casual buyer? Want the magazine cheaper? Get a subscription!

A subscription is the cheapest way to get the FAS magazine.

For subscription information email: fasarticle@aol.com

You can buy this individual issue from the email address above.

Total is £7.50 via Paypal for the UK, a three issue subscription is £19.10

Overseas price is available on request as shipping cost depends on the country the magazines are going too. Buying from the FAS directly should save you on customs charges and fees now levelled directly via Ebay, which will not be added here as items will be sent as 'letters'.

Drop me a mail giving your location and a Paypal money request will be sent to you. It's cheaper than buying them on Ebay where the fees add 12.5% + 30p making this issue £8 in the UK

 A subscription for three issues (UK) is £18 (£19.10 via Paypal)

Free Appreciation Society Magazine - Issue #172

Free Appreciation Society

Magazine Issue #172

April 2024

This is the first of the issues that takes us through Free MK.II to Free MK.IV, and the end of the group. We start with Andy quitting, and Paul Kossoff unable to make the trips to Japan and Hungary. This magazine covers the run up to Andy's departure, Kossoff dropping out, and the introduction of new members Tetsu and Rabbit. With Paul Rodgers now taking on the responsibility of guitar duties, Free Mk.II picks up the pieces and moves on without the two original associates. This issue is stuffed with all the press and photographs from the concerts, and full reviews of the audio and TV footage available. Tickets, posters, and a complete reproduction of the Japanese programme sold at the stadium shows they did with Emerson, Lake & Palmer, including a ticket (while stocks last).

This issue checks in at 48 pages, and the programme is an additional 40 page inclusion to this magazine. So 88 pages in total! Plenty of great reading in this issue from Billy Walker, who was at the shows, and fantastic photographs of Free playing, while Typhoon Phyllis blows into the stadium in Tokyo.

A hugely comprehensive issue. Enjoy!

48 pages absolutely packed with FREE + 40 page reproduction programme.

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 Issue now mailed out to all FAS subscribers

Programme reproduction will go out on Monday/Tuesday

It is cheaper to buy directly here (from the FAS itself) than it will be on Ebay, where there are other fees involved for both UK and overseas buyers. ALL payments are via Paypal, so it's all very easy and secure.

Casual buyer? Want the magazine cheaper? Get a subscription!

A subscription is the cheapest way to get the FAS magazine.

For subscription information email: fasarticle@aol.com

You can buy this individual issue from the email address above.

Remember as a casual one-off issue P&P for this double package is £2.20 in the UK. Total is £8.45 via Paypal (fees included).

Overseas price is available on request as shipping cost depends on the country the magazines are going too. Buying from the FAS directly should save you on customs charges and fees now levelled directly via Ebay, which will not be added here as items will be sent as 'letters'.

Drop me a mail giving your location and a Paypal money request will be sent to you. It's cheaper than buying them on Ebay where the fees add 12.5% + 30p making this issue £9.25 in the UK!

A subscription for three issues (UK) is £18

The Van Dike - The Life & Times of a Plymouth Club by Jonathan Hill (Books Review)

Van Dike - The Life & Times of a Plymouth Club 1968 - 1972

Van Dike - More Life & Times of a Plymouth Club 1968 - 1980

Van Dike Brochure 1

Van Dike Brochure 2

In the late 1960s, and through the 1970s, many towns and cities had a smaller music venue that allowed up and coming groups to learn their trade, and make a living. In Nottingham there were in fact very few venues that took on bigger groups. Occasionally somewhere like the Albert Hall or Sherwood Rooms would 'risk' a group from the rock genre, but this was infrequent. There was no 'Royal Concert Hall', there was no 'Rock City', and there certainly was no sign of an arena! So here we had 'The Nottingham Boat Club', basically an upper level reception room with a stage, at the side of the river Trent. Here I spent many, many happy, and somewhat drunken, Friday and Saturday nights in my youth. In Birmingham they had 'Mothers', in Redcar it was 'The Jazz Club', Wolverhampton had 'The Catacombs', Aylesbury had 'Friars'. There were many others, and Free played the majority of them at one time or another. They were important stomping grounds, and fuelled many careers. I dare say, if you are 'of a certain age', you had a club just like this in your area too. They are in fact sadly missed these days.

One such venue in Plymouth was the legendary 'Van Dike Club', run originally by Peter Van Dike. Everyone played there, and I mean EVERYONE! The list is ludicrous. A real 'who's who' of groups now considered, important, influential, and downright significant to the burgeoning UK rock scene at the time. Celebrating this particular club, and this important period, there is a beautiful set of books and brochures put together by Jonathan Hill that cover this era of British music history perfectly. If you went to any of the places above, everything here will be familiar to you, the music, the groups, the fashion, and the beer names - Watney's Red Barrel anyone?

Inside these books is a treasure trove of posters, flyers, tickets, reviews, cuttings and photographs, many items not available anywhere else. There's also a compete listing of all the gigs at the venue, shows by Free, Steamhammer, Spooky Tooth, Colosseum, Mighty Baby, Yes, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Groundhogs, Caravan, VDGG... and that's just the first few months of 1969! The level of detail, personal stories from people at the gigs, and competence of the research is breathtaking. You can just browse idly from page to page in sheer wonder, or take a deep dig into the mass of information here. Excellent stuff, and hours of fun.

You'll be pleased to know Free get mentioned quite a bit, and there are some great photographs of them, many full-page, particularly in the 1968-1980 volume. In fact there are great photographs of pretty much everyone! Brilliant stuff, and certainly things I've never seen before. Mott, Tull, Crimson, Floyd and all. The two volumes do overlap a little bit, and include information on the gigs at the Guildhall as well.

What is especially nice is that they all sit very agreeably with 'Heavy Load', and The J.P. James book about Paul Kossoff. In reality they have a very similar feel, in the fact that they are written by a fan, and self-published. They are hardback, and great quality. These are weighty tomes. While I'm aware everything in the current climate is a 'considered purchase', I guarantee you'll have a great time reading through these. Both casual page turning, and proper cover-to-cover reading is hugely rewarding. To study everything here thoroughly, you'll need to put aside some serious time! I loved them, and they really did bring back some fantastic memories from a moment in time when everything seemed far less complicated and hectic (despite all the strikes!) Rose-tinted glasses? Perhaps, but I'm happy to wear them.

100% FAS recommended.

There's also a flyer for them coming in the next issue with more info (#172). In the meantime you can find them on Ebay. Search with 'vandikebook Plymouth' to find them all easily.

Paul Kossoff - September 14, 1950 - March 19, 1976

With Koss and Andy Fraser's dates being so closely linked now, with both of them dying in March, the month is a real ballbuster for Free fans. Koss of course died some decades previously, and is now hurtling at an alarming rate towards a 50 year marker. It makes me feel rather old.

Koss is still my favourite player, and is sadly missed. Rather than stick up an obvious choice, and there are many, I considered things for a while, and thought something from early on in his recording career would be good for a change. So I picked up on 'Swamp Man'. Mike Vernon's stomping production from the Martha Velez a LP 'Fiends And Angels'. Curiously if you slow this riff right down it's got more than a little 'Mr Big' going on, but this recording pre-dates that and isn't quite as refined. Great tune tho', and from a great LP too. The album seems largely forgotten now, but Kossoff makes three great contributions there, and if you don't have a copy it's well worth checking out. Shame Paul isn't here to tell us about the session, but his perfomance is very fine. Play some of your own favourites today too, and enjoy the recorded music he left us to ponder. It's a fantastic legacy.

 

Andy Fraser - July 3, 1952 - March 16, 2015

Another year flies by, and I'm back giving a word about Andy - now gone a frightening nine years! Wow, that kinda stopped me in my tracks. Busy here dealing with the new FAS magazine at the moment, and as I'm at the point where Andy leaves Free, I've been thinking about what he did after that quite a bit. The 'AFB' album has always been a favourite but some of the songs other people picked up is also interesting.

Robert Palmer had a huge US hit with Fraser's 'Every Kinda People', and what a great song that is, but LONG before that he sang with Vinegar Joe, and they covered Andy's 'Talkin' 'Bout My Baby'. This was included on their excellent 'Six Star General' LP in 1973. In my opinion (for what it's worth) Vinegar Joe swung between being very, very good, and really, really bad. Fortunately, this version of the Fraser song falls into the former, and is excellent. Palmer may be right at the top of his range, but this is fantastic stuff, and really does ring of the 'AFB' sound, even though it pre-dates that trio substantially. They've obviously copied Andy's demo pretty closely, and the bass here is great

It's also interesting to remember that VERY briefly in November 1973 Palmer, Fraser and Kossoff almost had a group together, and did have a few rehearsals. This song was included there (also 'On Your Way Down', written Allen Toussaint and covered by Little Feat, who played with Palmer on his first solo albums), but other than a few rough recordings (rehearsals at Basing Street), nothing was finished, and they all moved on to other things. So today, if you've never heard it, here's the Vinegar Joe version of Andy's song. Great stuff.