Free - Tons of Sobs

Thought I might just share a couple of what are, to my mind, brilliant albums, albeit from a time when God was a lad.

This is the first album released by Free, way back on 14th March, 1969! You've heard 'All Right Now' and maybe 'Wishing Well' but this album is, in my opinion, the best they did; some amazing lead guitar licks - Paul Kossoff was in the band and these were English lads, playing the blues. This album failed to chart in the UK and hit the heights of 197 in the US! But it is an amazing piece of work both for the time, and indeed for right now I think.

Lead singer Paul Rogers just has the best blues voice of any white singer (again, IMO) - Queen have used him recently of course, but he was at his absolute best for Free and Bad Company (the band which emerged from Free), and it all started with Tons of Sobs.

This is 'Walk in my shadow'

Guy Stevens produced the album, for about £800, which probably accounts for its fairly 'raw' feel, it's even better on vinyl! It's almost a 'live' album, just recorded in the studio without a crowd - if you understand my meaning. Guy turned out to be a reasonably good producer. Did an album in later years called London Calling, you might have heard of?

None of the members of the band was yet aged 20 when Tons of Sobs was made.  This one, 'Moonshine' is not exactly a bag of laughs, but atmospheric:  'Sitting in a graveyard, waiting for the dawn, leaning on my tombstone, till the night is gone..' enjoy!

Free, Tons of Sobs, a great if somewhat obscure album these days. If you like this stuff not many have ever done it better.