Free/Denmark 1970

In 1970, FREE released “FIRE AND WATER” and “HIGHWAY” in quick succession, running through a short but intense golden age. A valuable live album that allows you to experience the scene is now available. This work was recorded at “December 2, 1970 Copenhagen performance”. This is a valuable audience recording. They completed “HIGHWAY” in between their UK tours in September 1970, and toured Europe in the lead up to its release. The Copenhagen performance of this work was one such act, and it was a concert that took place around the same time as the release of “HIGHWAY”. This work, which records such a show, is indescribably fresh and wonderful. FREE’s 1970 recording is rare and I’m grateful just to be able to listen to it, but this work is not at that level. What impresses me more than anything is the strong core. It’s not a close-up recording like a soundboard, but it’s not far away (by any means). The powerful core reaches straight to your fingertips with fine details, and the deep bass that tends to be sparse in audience recordings from the 1970s also packs a punch. Of course, the midrange, which is the key to blues rock, is also very responsive. And it’s wonderful that it’s so powerful yet has such a neat sound. The slight ringing of the hall gives Paul Rodgers’ singing voice an indescribable luster, making the slow blues even deeper. In fact, there is a slight distortion in the bass peak and the outline of the line is not sharp, but being able to experience 1970’s FREE with such a sound is valuable in itself. What is depicted with such a sound is a masterpiece that overflows with the sense of fulfillment of a short golden age. The sets for FREE will be different for each performance, so let’s organize the sets here. ●TONS OF SOBS (2 songs)・I’m A Mover/The Hunter ●FIRE AND WATER (4 songs)・Fire And Water/Mr. Big/All Right Now・Songs that cannot be heard on FREE LIVE!: Heavy Load ●HIGHWAY (2 songs)・Ride On Pony/Be My Friend…and it goes like this. Although not selected from the 2nd album “FREE”, there are plenty of mellow masterpieces centered around “FIRE AND WATER”. Among them, I would like to pay attention to “Heavy Load”. It is a number that could not be heard in the 2002 remastered bonus “FREE LIVE!” or “LIVE AT THE BBC”, and it is a rare song that has not been played in later BAD COMPANY or Rogers solo. Moreover, this “Heavy Load” is really deep. Rodgers’ voice echoes with a piano and a simple rhythm section in the background, but the blues feel drips from the ensemble, where a small melody dances in the gaps. The album “FIRE AND WATER” was also a deep song, but I didn’t know that it was so free and deep on stage. Moreover, the vintage sound of this work further increases its depth. The original FREE embodies the “extreme” of blues rock both in terms of composition and performance. That golden age was too short, and records are therefore too precious. This is an exquisite live album that allows you to witness such a precious scene with a fresh and glossy sound. A rich moment that only a vintage audience can tell you. K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark 2nd December 1970 TRULY AMAZING SOUND 1. Fire And Water 2. I’m A Mover 3. Ride On A Pony 4. Be My Friend 5. Heavy Load 6. Mr. Big 7. The Stealer 8. All Right Now