The Free Story
| The Free Story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by | ||||
| Released | 31 December 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1968–1972 | |||
| Genre | Blues rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 1:16:24 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Free chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
The Free Story is the second greatest hits album by Free, and the first which was released outside of the US. It was released on 31 December 1973 by Island Records. The album reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and stayed in the charts for 6 weeks.[1] On 22 July 2013, the album was awarded a silver certification by the BPI,[2] for UK album sales of over 60,000 units.[3]
The album covers the entire studio album collection of Free from their debut album Tons of Sobs through to their final studio album Heartbreaker and includes their biggest hit single "All Right Now". It also has two non-Free tracks - Just For The Box, from the album Kossoff Kirke Tetsu Rabbit, and the song Lady, from Rodgers' post-Free group, Peace, which included bassist Stewart McDonald and drummer Mick Underwood. The original intention was to include the version of Travelling Man by Andy Fraser's 1971 group Toby, but (probably at the insistence of Fraser) this track was removed and replaced by Free's version. Some German copies of the album have the Toby version.
Initial copies of the album in the UK had an individual serial number on the front in the manner of The Beatles' The Beatles ("The White Album").
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm a Mover" | Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers | from Tons of Sobs | 2:49 |
| 2. | "I'll Be Creepin'" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Free | 3:27 |
| 3. | "Mourning Sad Morning" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Free | 5:05 |
| 4. | "All Right Now" | Fraser, Rodgers | single version | 4:14 |
| 5. | "Heavy Load" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Fire and Water | 5:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fire and Water" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Fire and Water | 3:40 |
| 2. | "Be My Friend" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Highway | 5:44 |
| 3. | "The Stealer" | Fraser, Rodgers, Paul Kossoff | from Highway | 3:00 |
| 4. | "Soon I Will Be Gone" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Highway | 2:45 |
| 5. | "Mr Big" | Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff, Simon Kirke | from Free Live! | 6:00 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Hunter" | Booker T. Jones, Carl Wells, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson, Jr., Steve Cropper | from Free Live! | 5:00 |
| 2. | "Get Where I Belong" | Fraser, Rodgers | from Free Live! | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Travelling Man" | Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff, Kirke | from Free at Last | 3:25 |
| 4. | "Just for the Box" | Kossoff | from Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Lady" | Rodgers | previously unreleased | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Album | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Brother Jake" | Fraser, Rodgers | single release only | 2:55 |
| 2. | "Little Bit of Love" | Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff, Kirke | from Free at Last | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Sail On" | Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff, Kirke | from Free at Last | 3:00 |
| 4. | "Heartbreaker" | Rodgers | previously unreleased 'live' soundboard recording omitted from CD versions. | 5:00 |
| 5. | "Come Together in the Morning" | Rodgers | from Heartbreaker | 4:20 |
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[4] | 34 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[5] | 2 |
| Chart (1997–1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[6] | 25 |
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[7] 1993 release | Silver | 60,000^ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ "The Free Story". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
- ^ "British certifications – Free". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 July 2016. Type Free in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Certified Awards - Certification Levels". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Free – The Free Story". British Phonographic Industry.
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