Andy fraser of the band Free has reportedly passed away
Andy fraser has died
Originally Posted by Kyliefan001:
“Not according to Wikki!
Has been battling with AIDS since 90s!”
“Not according to Wikki!
Has been battling with AIDS since 90s!”
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/20....v9ctmv0t.dpbs
Originally Posted by Kyliefan001:
“Not according to Wikki!
Has been battling with AIDS since 90s!”
“Not according to Wikki!
Has been battling with AIDS since 90s!”
Didn't know he had AIDS, but I did know he was gay.
He always said that he was the 'gay, thoughtful one' in Free, whereas Paul Rodgers was the 'manly bruiser'.
Sad, sad news. He was a great bass player with a fantastic band, and they were so young.
Free have always been one of my top five favourites. They had such a raw sound, and Andy contributed greatly to that. He played bass almost like lead at times. Check out Mr Big.
Free have always been one of my top five favourites. They had such a raw sound, and Andy contributed greatly to that. He played bass almost like lead at times. Check out Mr Big.
Originally Posted by Deep Purple:
“Sad, sad news. He was a great bass player with a fantastic band, and they were so young.
Free have always been one of my top five favourites. They had such a raw sound, and Andy contributed greatly to that. He played bass almost like lead at times. Check out Mr Big.”
“Sad, sad news. He was a great bass player with a fantastic band, and they were so young.
Free have always been one of my top five favourites. They had such a raw sound, and Andy contributed greatly to that. He played bass almost like lead at times. Check out Mr Big.”
Heard the news this morning, very sad.
Considering their age at the time they were an amazingly talented band, I read once he was only 15 when they started recording their debut album!!
I think you could almost pick any Free track and find a great bass line from Andy. The Hunter also comes to mind off the top of my head.
Unlike other bands from that era, The Stones, Purple, Zeppelin, etc, I don't think Free are given the credit today they deserve.
I agree. Free never reached the heights they deserved, and maybe All Right Now contributed to that. That wasn't their standard style, but people expected repeats of it.
They were very young, and the pressures got to them, especially Kossoff and the drugs. They split up, then reformed to help Koss, but then fell apart during the recording of their final album, Heartbreaker, which is incredibly good considering how it was recorded. Kossoff was incapable of playing half the time, and Fraser left again, so how it came out so good is amazing.
Rodgers and Kirke went onto much bigger fame, but they never came close to Free for me.
The sounds made by Kossoff and Fraser were unique.
They were very young, and the pressures got to them, especially Kossoff and the drugs. They split up, then reformed to help Koss, but then fell apart during the recording of their final album, Heartbreaker, which is incredibly good considering how it was recorded. Kossoff was incapable of playing half the time, and Fraser left again, so how it came out so good is amazing.
Rodgers and Kirke went onto much bigger fame, but they never came close to Free for me.
The sounds made by Kossoff and Fraser were unique.
I was lucky enough to see Free back in 1972 and they were great. Paul Kossoff is one of the great underated guitarists, but Andy Fraser's bass was amazing - 'Free live' showcases it to perfection - one of my favoutite ilve albums.
Originally Posted by Deep Purple:
“I agree. Free never reached the heights they deserved, and maybe All Right Now contributed to that. That wasn't their standard style, but people expected repeats of it.
They were very young, and the pressures got to them, especially Kossoff and the drugs. They split up, then reformed to help Koss, but then fell apart during the recording of their final album, Heartbreaker, which is incredibly good considering how it was recorded. Kossoff was incapable of playing half the time, and Fraser left again, so how it came out so good is amazing.
Rodgers and Kirke went onto much bigger fame, but they never came close to Free for me.
The sounds made by Kossoff and Fraser were unique.”
“I agree. Free never reached the heights they deserved, and maybe All Right Now contributed to that. That wasn't their standard style, but people expected repeats of it.
They were very young, and the pressures got to them, especially Kossoff and the drugs. They split up, then reformed to help Koss, but then fell apart during the recording of their final album, Heartbreaker, which is incredibly good considering how it was recorded. Kossoff was incapable of playing half the time, and Fraser left again, so how it came out so good is amazing.
Rodgers and Kirke went onto much bigger fame, but they never came close to Free for me.
The sounds made by Kossoff and Fraser were unique.”
they were (are?) a great band IMO, and he influenced a load of bass players.
Originally Posted by shankly123:
“I was lucky enough to see Free back in 1972 and they were great. Paul Kossoff is one of the great underated guitarists, but Andy Fraser's bass was amazing - 'Free live' showcases it to perfection - one of my favoutite ilve albums.”
“I was lucky enough to see Free back in 1972 and they were great. Paul Kossoff is one of the great underated guitarists, but Andy Fraser's bass was amazing - 'Free live' showcases it to perfection - one of my favoutite ilve albums.”
It's an amazing live album, and has never got the credit it deserves.
It provides the pure quality, and rawness of what they were doing.
I've got a more recent live album by Paul Rodgers, where he covers nearly of the songs on the Free album. The sound quality is better, the songs performed to technical perfection, but it's not a patch on the Free Live album. The playing of Kossoff and Fraser were essential to the sound of the songs.
Originally Posted by Gordie1:
“they were (are?) a great band IMO, and he influenced a load of bass players.”
“they were (are?) a great band IMO, and he influenced a load of bass players.”
I think the fact they are still so universally liked shows how what they did has been viewed in retrospect, but at the time, they never came close to achieving the success they deserved.
I love every one of their albums.
Originally Posted by Deep Purple:
“I think the fact they are still so universally liked shows how what they did has been viewed in retrospect, but at the time, they never came close to achieving the success they deserved.
I love every one of their albums.”
“I think the fact they are still so universally liked shows how what they did has been viewed in retrospect, but at the time, they never came close to achieving the success they deserved.
I love every one of their albums.”
Only now starting to get into them. I bought all of their albums this year after owning a compilation for a while.
I'm enjoying Tons Of Sobs at the moment. I'm a Mover has some great guitar licks in it.
Originally Posted by bryemycaz:
“Only now starting to get into them. I bought all of their albums this year after owning a compilation for a while.
I'm enjoying Tons Of Sobs at the moment. I'm a Mover has some great guitar licks in it.”
“Only now starting to get into them. I bought all of their albums this year after owning a compilation for a while.
I'm enjoying Tons Of Sobs at the moment. I'm a Mover has some great guitar licks in it.”
I wish I could hear them all for the first time again. There is some fantastic music from start to finish.
That's a real shame. Never knew he was ill or gay. I read a long interview with him some years ago. He was living in California and seemed in good health, married and was proud of his daughters. A real family man. No mention of HIV.
I loved the intensity of Free, and Andy played such a key role as the bass player filling in the sound of what was essentially a 3 piece band, plus a brilliant vocalist.. He was also a decent keyboard player. They may have only been teenagers during their heyday but Free played and sounded like troopers. RIP Andy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6H64lLC54
I loved the intensity of Free, and Andy played such a key role as the bass player filling in the sound of what was essentially a 3 piece band, plus a brilliant vocalist.. He was also a decent keyboard player. They may have only been teenagers during their heyday but Free played and sounded like troopers. RIP Andy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo6H64lLC54
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ6ClSZV5Eg
Everyone should watch this. Just listen to the sounds Andy and Koss make, especially during Mr Big. Pure magic.
Everyone should watch this. Just listen to the sounds Andy and Koss make, especially during Mr Big. Pure magic.
