Tons of Sobs is the debut album by English blues rock band Free, released in the UK on 14 March 1969. While the album failed to chart in the UK, it did reach #197 in the US. Free are cited as one of the definitive bands of the British blues boom of the late 1960s even though this is the only album of their canon that can strictly be called blues rock. According to bass player Andy Fraser, the title effectively summed up the album.
Free were a new band when they recorded Tons of Sobs, and they were extremely young; none of them were yet twenty and the youngest, Andy Fraser, was just sixteen years old. They had achieved a following through constant touring, and their debut album consisted for the most part of their live set-list.
With the band signed to Chris Blackwell‘s Island Records, Guy Stevens was hired to produce the album (he later became notable for producing early albums for Mott the Hoople and The Clash‘s legendary album London Calling [1979]). He opted for a minimalist attitude to production, due to the extremely low budget of about £800, creating a very raw and raucous sound – although it may have been that the relative inexperience of the band was also a contributing factor to this. As such the album is a marked contrast in production terms from the band’s later albums. The simple nature of the recording meant that many tracks translated well into a live setting and several songs from this album were still performed even when the band had written and recorded many more for subsequent records.
The majority of the album was recorded over the course of a few days in October 1968. Originally slated for a November release, the album was delayed to early 1969 due to the late addition of their cover of “The Hunter”. This track was a mainstay in their live sets and was recorded in a December 1968 session at Stevens’ insistence.
Free-Official
Tracks
1. Over The Green Hills (Pt. 1) (Paul Rodgers) - 0:49
2. Worry (Paul Rodgers) - 3:26
3. Walk In My Shadow (Paul Rodgers) - 3:29
4. Wild Indian Woman (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers) - 3:39
5. Goin' Down Slow (James Burke Oden) - 8:20
6. I'm A Mover (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers) - 2:56
7. The Hunter (Booker T. Jones, Carl Wells, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Steve Cropper) - 4:13
8. Moonshine (Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff) - 5:04
9. Sweet Tooth (Paul Rodgers) - 4:54
10.Over The Green Hills (Pt. 2) (Paul Rodgers) - 1:58
11.I'm A Mover (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers) - 3:04
12.Waitin' On You (B.B. King, Ferdinand Washington) - 2:15
13.Guy Stevens Blues (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff, Simon Kirke) - 4:39
14.Moonshine (Paul Rodgers, Paul Kossoff) - 5:09
15.Sweet Tooth (Paul Rodgers) - 4:53
16.Visions Of Hell (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers) - 3:46
17.Woman By The Sea (Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers) - 3:30
18.Over The Green Hills (Paul Rodgers) - 3:51
Bonus Tracks 11-18
Free
*Paul Rodgers - Vocals
*Paul Kossoff - Guitar
*Andy Fraser - Bass Guitar
*Simon Kirke - Drums
With
*Steve Miller - Piano
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