Free And Bad Company books due in 2022

Wymer Publishing have two interesting books due this year. Links for their website, where you'll find further information, are below. I don't have any other details (Press Release information is below) so check them out there, and you can order directly from the website if you wish.

In April they release 'Free & Bad Comany in the 1970s'  by John Van der Kiste (Paperback / softback, 160 pages, 16 colour pages, £15.99).

Free were formed in 1968 towards the end of the British blues boom. After two critically acclaimed albums, the release of 'All Right Now' and the album Fire and Water in 1970 brought them major success. Musical and personal differences took their toll and they split after the comparative failure of their next album and single.

 

After starting new bands that never took off they reformed, but following further dissension and guitarist Paul Kossoff's drug problems they disbanded for good in 1973. Vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke then formed Bad Company, who became one of the hottest bands on both sides of the Atlantic, maintaining a stable line-up with ex-Mott The Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and ex-King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell for the rest of the decade. Each member later pursued outside ventures, although they regrouped at intervals, recruiting new members after Ralphs' retirement and Burrell's death.

 

This book examines both bands' work and career from 1968 to 1980, plus the Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu, Rabbit album, Kossoff's solo work and Back Street Crawler, with a chapter on their later history, notably Rodgers' three years with Queen.

Free and Bad Company in the 1970s

 

Then in July comes 'Bad Company A Visual Biography' by Martin Popoff (Hardcover, 22 pages, colour throughout, £59.99) 

This is currently available for pre-order at £41.99 until the end of March.

Bad Company A Visual Biography documents the full career of Messrs Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Mick Ralphs and Boz Burrell as well as later Bad Co. members including Brian Howe, Robert Hart and Dave Colwell. Popoff takes you on a journey built around his interviews with various band members — the tale unfolds via an exhaustive chronology designed to satisfy the most knowledgeable of Bad Company fans.

 

Not content with charting the band’s history, Popoff covers the bands that Bad Company was derived from — Free, Mott The Hoople and King Crimson, which gave Bad Company the supergroup tag upon their launch in 1973. In addition, the solo careers are also covered, most notably Paul Rodgers, including his spell with Queen.

 

This large format coffee table book is fully illustrated throughout, documenting the story visually from the sixties. As well as an abundance of concert images the stunning photographic content is topped off with many off stage shots. Bad Company A Visual Biography will augment any Bad Co. fan’s collection.

Bad Company A Visual Biography

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

Having both Andy and Paul both now tied permanently into March makes the month a bit sad, and I have to say the years now fly by so quickly I seem only to have just written something for the two, in memoriam, before it has come around again. For Koss of course this has been going on for a long time, now dead for much longer than he actually lived, and yet apparently in the April 2022 issue of 'Guitar World'  the ever supportive Joe Bonamassa will be talking about Paul and giving some lessons (link below). So gone, but certainly not forgotten. I've tried to contact Joe many times to talk about Kossoff, but never actually managed to get hold of him. So... if you are reading this Joe, how about it?

 

Joe Bonamassa / Guitar World 

The influence of the great Paul Kossoff

Here today, rather than stick to the usual Free material, is Richard Digby Smith's 1999 remix of 'Hold On' for the 'Songs Of Yesterday' 5CD set. This was one of Simon Kirke's songs for 'Kossoff Kirke Tetsu Rabbit', and as Simon told me the extended ending and build-up was Kossoff's idea, for which Simon gave him a co-writing credit. As such the song is in two parts, which is also exactly how Digby described it when I choose it for a remix. 'Hold On' was in fact the very last mix to be done for the 'Songs Of Yesterday' set, and I remember it very well. By this time Tim Chacksfield and I had already decided to add the loose CD with the associated music from the side projects. In fact that, and the cover for it, were my idea. There was no way to change the packaging without increasing the price, and the budget from Universal, so the idea of having that CD slipped inside make it possible. Andy vetoed the proposed 'Fraser/Miller' material (even tho' Frankie was fine with it being included), so we used the Sharks stuff instead and the rest is history... It's a fine little 'bonus' disc.

So on the late evening of the last day, after mixing from around 10am, I picked this song as the very final thing to do. I recall Digby giving a bit of a groan at the time. He'd agreed to do one more mix but as he said, "this is really two songs..." Still once we'd got it up onto the mixer he got into it and off we went. Remixing gave us a chance to take the recorded song right to the every end of the studio 'take'. So all the Kossoff that was there is included, right to where everyone stopped in 1971 (when it was recorded). The Kossoff guitar performance is fantastic and while the rhythm section throbs on that one note, Rabbit fills the middle with piano and Hammond, allowing Kossoff to simply take off over the top, his guitar wound right up through the Basing Street studio Leslie. An incredible sound. So that's the mix below.

Back at RDS studios in July 1999, and with the work all done, I asked Digby, very politely, if he would run it again. To turn the volume in the studio right up on the 2nd section, and to push Kossoff right up on the mixing desk faders. The engineer helping had gone home, and it was just Digby, Tim and me, completely surrounded by this huge wall of sound coming out of the speakers at an insane volume. It was glorious and one of my most vivid memories of that period in the studio working. Three guys standing there grinning, with the odd moist eye, while the walls bowed out and vibrated at the sheer power of the performance. It's burnt into my memory. Fantastic stuff.

Enjoy, and play loud

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

Take the time to give a bit of thought and remembrance to Andy Fraser today. Rather than pull out the usual material here's a couple of contributions Andy made to the career of Robert Palmer. For me Robert was always a bit hit and miss, but he was a great singer, and for the briefest of moments he was actually part of a group with Andy Fraser and Paul Kossoff (1974). There are some rough rehearsals - including a version of Allen Toussaint's 'On Your Way Down', (also covered by Little Feat of course) but nothing more than a glimpse of what might have been. I don't know if this was 'pre' or 'post' the 'Sneaking Sally Through the Alley' recordings, where Palmer played with Lowell George and Toussaint. Possibly his finest moment actually, and if you've never heard the album -  you should! Anyway...

 

 

'Every Kinda People' (Written by Andy Fraser)

Dutch show 'TopPop', broadcast on October 21, 1978

This appeared on Palmer's 'Double Fun' album and charted well as a single in America (#16), scratching just outside the top 50 (#53) in the UK. The song got, and still gets, a lot of US radio play, so helped keep Andy's funds buoyant during some of his leaner times. Bob Babbitt provided the very sweet bass-line - of which I am sure Fraser approved.

Andy told me he actually wrote the song around the time of his unsuccessful 'Andy Fraser And The Stealers' project, and while I believe the song was demo'd for that proposed (but unreleased) album, Palmer heard the song and told Fraser he wanted to record it. Andy was very happy for him to do so. He made a good choice giving it to Palmer, otherwise it may never have been heard at all. The song is not included on the acetate of Andy's unreleased LP, so it may be that Andy himself got no further than the demo once Robert Palmer expressed his interest. Later Andy played excellent bass on a couple of tracks on Palmer's 'Clues' album, including 'Sulky Girl', showing he'd lost none of his talents.

FAS #161 'Addendums'

 Free Appreciation Society

Issue #161

Audio and video addendums

 

Page 43

GTK Interview with Free when they get off the plane in Sydney

 

Page 44

Fan shot 8mm footage

Randwick Racecourse show May 9, 1971. 

Free shown at around 00.59 - 01.20

Page 47

'Every Day I Have The Blues'

Played while Kossoff fixed his 'Technical Issues'

Randwick Racecourse May 9, 1971

 

For further information on these audio and video sections please refer to the relevant page in the FAS magazine. If you don't have a copy and want to buy one details are below or simply send a enquiry to the email address in the border on the right at the bottom of the 'Welcome' section.

Free Appreciation Society Magazine - Issue #161

Free Appreciation Society

Magazine Issue #161

March 2022

 

Free Appreciation Society Magazine - Issue #161

Okay, so the first half of 1971, dealing with 'My Brother Jake', 'Free Live!' and the group split in Australia has stepped up from a quadrilogy to a pentalogy! Now we have #161, which is the third part - two more to follow taking us into April and May of this year.

This is a huge issue. It checks in at 80 pages and covers the group history as they move through two shows and riots in Japan, and then over to Australia for four shows before they implode after the gig at Randwick Racecourse on May 9th, 1971. We have press, tickets, posters, reviews and previously unpublished photographs from Perth and Sydney. The period press enclosed includes adverts for the shows, and original articles from the time along with the new overview of the group history and what was happening.

There are three addendums in this new issue, and they will be coming to the FAS 'blogspot' in a couple of days. So be sure to come back and check them out when you reach them in the text.

Also enclosed with this issue for subscribers, and until stocks run out, there is a reproduction of the complete Fillmore East, New York, programme from the cancelled American tour, due to have taken place in May/June, and an A3 colour replica of the 1971 UK tour ad. Very groovy.

A hugely comprehensive issue. Enjoy!

80 pages absolutely packed with FREE + Extras!!

---------------------------------------

Mailed out today to all UK subscribers. Posted for overseas readers on Thursday & Friday. So they are all on their way.

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.

Drop me a mail giving your location and a Paypal money request will be sent to you. It's cheaper than buying it on Ebay where due to the size (more postage) and Ebay fees this will be £9 (UK)

UK price including postage from here directly is £8.00 for this issue.

This includes postage and Paypal fees.

 

A subscription for three issues (UK) is £14.85.

 

A small piece of GOOD news.

Finally it's here!!

The boxes containing the newly printed,  folded,  stapled  and cropped  FAS  #161  arrived yesterday and I've been slowly, carefully,  packing  them  up.

Overseas issues went out yesterday and today, so they are on the way to everyone. UK issues will go out on Monday and Tuesday. No point posting any tomorrow, they'll just be slung somewhere in a mailbag over the weekend. Anyway all the subscriber issues will be out within the next four or five days.

You should have them, if you reside in the UK, by the end of next week. Or at least, I'll have done my bit. I can't speak for the actual speed of the postal service. Once the last magazines have gone into the mail I'll put the full issue details up.

These are taking a little longer to pack as there are three items going into each envelope. There's the bumper sized 80 page issue. A copy of the full Fillmore East programme for the cancelled American shows in May 1971, and also a full colour A3 reproduction of the press ad for the February 1971 UK tour. Sweeeeet !!