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Free: Highway

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Island Records
Released: 1970.12.01
Time:
 35:58
Category: Pop/Rock
Producer(s): Free, Tetsu Yamauchi
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.freetheband.co.uk
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] The Highway Song (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 4:14
[2] The Stealer (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers/P.Kossoff) - 3:14
[3] On My Way (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 4:04
[4] Be My Friend (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 5:45
[5] Sunny Day (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 3:07
[6] Ride on a Pony (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 4:17
[7] Love You So (P.Rodgers/S.Kirke) - 4:54
[8] Bodie (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 3:05
[9] Soon I Will Be Gone (A.Fraser/P.Rodgers) - 3:01

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Paul Rodgers - Vocals, Producer
Paul Kossoff - Guitar, Producer
Andy Fraser - Bass Guitar, Piano, Producer
Simon Kirke - Drums, Producer

Tetsu Yamauchi - Producer
Andy Johns - Engineer
Peter Mew - Remastering
Tim Chacksfield - Project Co-ordinator
Philip Lloyd-Smee - Design
Phil Sutcliffe - Liner Notes
Dave Clayton - Research and Background Information

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1970 LP Island Records – ILPS 9138
2002 CD Island Remasters – IMCD 283
2002 CD Island Records – 586 226-2



Highway was recorded just three months after Free scored the career-redefining hit "Alright Now," and while their profile was at a career-topping high, their morale was heading toward an all-time low. Guitarist Paul Kossoff was reeling from the death of friend Jimi Hendrix; a new single, "The Stealer" -- the follow-up to The Hit -- bellyflopped ignominiously; and, when the album followed suit, the band itself was not far behind. Heavily influenced by their admiration of the Band, Highway has understandably been described as Free's answer to Music From Big Pink, sharing both the laid-back vibe and mellow looseness of that role model. Where it went awry, of course, was in the fact that Free were not cut out to be country-rock guitar-twangers, no matter how fiery their missionary zeal. Yet, the strutting rockers "The Stealer" and "Ride on a Pony" alone shatter the brave new mood, while reflective romancers like "Love You So" and "Be My Friend" could well have been composed specifically to rid the band of the shadow of "Alright Now," and prove that underneath the coolest exterior, there beat a heart of the molten gold. Of course, Free had bathed in such waters before, and the closing "Soon I Will Be Gone" certainly bears comparison with any of their past ballads. Nevertheless, too much of Highway reacted to the pressures of the recent past rather than building upon the strengths that had made such events possible in the first place, and you reach the bonus tracks appended to the 2002 remaster despairing that they will ever rediscover that earlier flair. But the 1971 hit single "My Brother Jake" is a gorgeous knockabout clearly informed by the Faces' recent assault on Free's own throne, while a couple of BBC session tracks, sensibly highlighting both the best ("Ride on a Pony") and the worst ("Be My Friend") of the album itself, pack a punch that was clearly absent in the studio. In fact, whatever your opinion of Highway itself, the bonus tracks comprise an entire new reason to pick up the album.

Dave Thompson - AllMusic.com



Highway is the fourth studio album by English rock band Free. It was recorded extremely quickly in September 1970 following the band's success at the Isle of Wight Festival but with an attitude of relaxation[citation needed], the band having achieved worldwide success with their previous album Fire and Water and the single "All Right Now". It is a low-key and introspective album compared with its predecessors.

From a writing point of view Highway continued in the same vein as previous albums, with Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser collaborating on seven of the nine songs. For the most part it was the easiest of their albums to record as they had achieved their desire to have a hit single and returned to the studio with renewed confidence[citation needed]. Paul Kossoff however found sudden fame more difficult to deal with, and remembered the aftermath of 'All Right Now' as being "a great increase in pressure from every angle" (quoted in Phil Sutcliffe's liner notes). He preferred the more serious, weighty songs on the album such as "Be My Friend", which he saw as an antidote to the "frivolity" of "All Right Now"[citation needed].

It was their last album to be recorded in a position of success and security, as its failure contributed to the emotionally-insecure Kossoff's growing drug addiction and the band's temporary split, from which it never truly recovered[citation needed]. Some, including Simon Kirke, also cite the death of Kossoff's idol Jimi Hendrix (which occurred during the sessions for this album), as an important factor in his eventual breakdown[citation needed].

Much to the band's disappointment, the album only reached No. 41 in the UK album charts (the previous album Fire and Water had reached #2) and reached only No. 190 in the US. The single release "The Stealer" failed in the UK also, and reached only No. 49 in the US. (Rodgers and Kirke would later re-record "The Stealer" with Bad Company in 1975 during the sessions for Run with the Pack, but the track was not included on the album).

The album received a lukewarm critical reaction[citation needed]. The single release "The Stealer" had not been Island Records boss Chris Blackwell's first choice: he had wanted to release "Ride on a Pony" but this was changed at the band's insistence. Some, such as engineer Andy Johns, blamed the album cover which was aesthetically flat compared to previous releases and did not prominently display the band's name[citation needed]. It was believed[by whom?] that some fans who otherwise would have bought the album failed to notice it because of this.

The fallout was immediate. Relations between Fraser and Rodgers deteriorated, putting more pressure on Kossoff who slid ever further into Mandrax addiction[citation needed]. This left only Kirke to try and keep the band together. They returned to the studio in early 1971 and managed to record four tracks before they eventually split, after fulfilling contracted tour dates. These 'limbo' tracks included the surprise UK #4[1] hit single "My Brother Jake"; the other three have surfaced on various other albums over the years. A notable cover version in 1971 is "Be My Friend" by Sylvia McNeill, produced by Tony Hall, on RCA 2058 (UK 45rpm).
 

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