Free/Australia 1971

We have prepared a valuable live album that records the last stage before collapse. The last night was “Randwick performance on May 9, 1971.” The legendary first visit to Japan was for two performances “April 30th + May 1st”, but after that they went straight to Australia. The Australian tour will be held for four consecutive days on May 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th. This work is its final performance. There are various theories in the documents from that time, ranging from “the collapse occurred in April (this is obviously incorrect)” to “until the Cleveland performance on May 30th”, but the one that is currently the most supported is “Until May 9th.” Moreover, the actual sound is also preserved. It is a blessing to be able to listen only to such a historical show, but the quality of this work is also quite wonderful. What is most surprising is that the core is on and has no sense of distance. Even when listening with headphones, you can’t hear the sound of the hall at all, and the exposed core is thrust right in front of you. It is worthy of being called “just like a sound board”… In fact, it has been distributed as a sound board among collectors for a long time. Due to recent research, it has begun to be said that it is actually an audience recording…It is such a close-contact sound. And, the last show before the collapse is depicted with that sound. Although there are no songs that cannot be heard on the main press 2CD set, each sound is filled with the final shine. Their collapse was due to deterioration in human relationships, but there is no sign of that happening in this work. Supported by Simon Kirk’s beat, Andy Fraser’s bass sings with a lot of heart and Paul Kossoff’s sobs. Accompanied by these three, Paul Rodgers’ singing voice, said to be the best in Britain, roars out. Music was the only thing that connected these four young people who were essentially incompatible…The blues that flows from this work is so rich and rich that you can only imagine that. On the other hand, even on the last night when we are unable to continue, we are still together to play this music. It is a stage where such deep blues drips. Live at Randwick Racecourse, Randwick, Australia 9th May 1971 (44:45) 1. The Stealer 2. I’m A Mover 3. Be My Friend 4. Fire And Water 5. Heavy Load 6. The Highway Song 7. Mr. Big 8. All Right Now 9. Ride On A Pony Paul Rodgers – vocals Paul Kossoff – guitar Andy Fraser – bass Simon Kirke – drums