Fire and Water (Free album)

Fire and Water is the third studio album by English rock band Free, released in 1970. It became the band's breakthrough, achieving widespread commercial success after the band's first two studio albums were not successful. With the "tremendous" acclaim of Fire and Water at their backs, in the words of AllMusic, Free headlined the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival and "appeared destined for superstardom".[2][3]

Fire and Water
Studio album by
Free
Released26 June 1970 (1970-06-26)
RecordedJanuary–June 1970
StudioTrident and Island, London
GenreBlues rock, hard rock[1]
Length35:33
LabelIsland
ProducerFree
Free chronology
Free
(1969)		 Fire and Water
(1970)		 Highway
(1970)
Singles from Fire and Water
  1. "All Right Now"
    Released: May 15, 1970

Specifically, Fire and Water reached No. 2 on the U.K. album chart, being listed on it for a total of eighteen weeks. In contrast, neither of the band's prior two studio albums had charted at all.[4] Fire and Water additionally reached No. 17 on the U.S. chart.

The album spawned the band's popular single "All Right Now", praised by publications such as AllMusic as a hard rock "smash powered by [Paul] Rodgers' gritty, visceral vocals".[2] The song became a Top five rock hit in not just the group's native United Kingdom,[4] but it additionally did well in multiple European countries such as Austria, France, and Germany.

Background and production
Free with Steve Winwood in Amsterdam (1970). From left to right: Winwood, Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Paul Kossoff

The group formed in London in 1968, with musician Paul Kossoff of the blues band Black Cat Bones witnessing a project that included frontman Paul Rodgers. Free came into being once the duo joined up with musicians Simon Kirke and Andy Fraser, the latter formerly from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Free's debut album, titled Tons of Sobs, came out in 1968 to a muted response. The group's eponymous 1969 follow-up, while expanding on the band's mix of styles, also failed to achieve commercial success.[2] Neither album appeared in the charts.[4]

Free recorded Fire and Water from January 1970 to June 1970 in London, the group using the engineering facilities of Island Studios and Trident Studios. Mike Sida devised the album's cover image, with Richard Polak being the band's photographer. Free produced the work, with assistance from others.[5]

In addition, Roy Baker contributed to the album's production, providing particular help with the audio engineering. Before getting started with Free, he'd worked with groups such as Savoy Brown and The Deviants in the 1960s. After his association with Fire and Water, he has spent multiple decades serving rock bands such as Byzantium, Hawkwind, Queen, and The Cars.[6]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB[7]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]

Music critic Matthew Greenwald has written for AllMusic praising the album. He stated that by 1970 "Free presented itself to the world as a complete band, in every sense of the word", particularly with elements ranging from "Paul Kossoff's exquisite and tasteful guitar work to Paul Rodgers' soulful vocals" on display for listeners. He also positively compared the group's work with that of bands Blind Faith, Cream, and Derek and the Dominos.[5]

Track listing

All tracks written by Andy Fraser and Paul Rodgers unless otherwise stated. The details are taken from the Island CD reissue which has accurate timings and may differ from other releases.

Side one
  1. "Fire and Water" – 3:57
  2. "Oh I Wept" (Rodgers, Paul Kossoff) – 4:26
  3. "Remember" – 4:23
  4. "Heavy Load" – 5:19
Side two
  1. "Mr. Big" (Fraser, Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Kossoff) – 5:55
  2. "Don't Say You Love Me" – 6:01
  3. "All Right Now" – 5:32
Reissue bonus tracks
  1. "Oh I Wept" - 4:22
    • Alternate vocal
  2. "Fire and Water" - 4:24
    • Stereo mix
  3. "Fire and Water" – 3:08
    • BBC session
  4. "All Right Now" – 5:29
    • BBC session
  5. "All Right Now" – 4:18
    • single version
  6. "All Right Now" – 3:31
    • early version

Personnel

Free

References
  1. Daniels, Neil (2013). High Stakes & Dangerous Men: The UFO Story. Soundcheck Books. p. 7. ISBN 978-0957144262.
  2. Ankeny, Jason. Free – Biography at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  3. "The Isle Of Wight Festival". This Day In Music. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  4. "Free". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  5. Greenwald, Matthew. Free – Fire and Water at AllMusic. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  6. Roy Baker – Credits at AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  7. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  8. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 3. MUZE. pp. 596–597.
  9. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 458.
  10. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 264–265.

Further reading
  • Clayton, David and Smith, Todd K. Heavy Load: The Story of Free. Moonshine Publishing 2002
  • Strong, Martin C. The Great Rock Discography, 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392–3.
  • Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to Fire and Water by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1970, 2001.
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