Unknown Soldier

Overview
Heartbreaker would prove to be the last ever studio album that Free made and it also marks the first proper break-up, of one of the core British heavy bands of the period. They had initially called it a day in the later part of 1971 amidst internal group strife and creativity clashes principally between Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser. But in 1972 they had bounced back with their fifth studio release, which was prompted by the spiralling drug use of the afflicted Paul Kossoff, in an attempt to save his life! The album Free at Last, would actually turn out to be a somewhat disappointing set. Since then the band were on the verge of a second and more permanent break-up, and for the recording of their final album Heartbreaker, the initial signs weren’t looking good! The band had virtually lost two of its pivotal members in guitarist Paul Kossoff to an out of control drug addiction, which more or less now made him no more than a band spectator for the large part, much like Syd Barrett did with Pink Floyd! Then there was the loss of bassist Andy Fraser who had co-penned much of the band’s material with Paul Rodgers and the two had constantly clashed over the direction of the band, thus leaving the band in the sole control of Paul Rodgers! So it’s actually a remarkable achievement with almost 50% of the band gone, that the remaining two original Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke were able to create such a sterling piece of work! Both Paul Kossoff (despite still being a band member) and Andy Fraser were replaced by Japanese bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and they also the band added the highly-rated Texan session musician John “Rabbit” Bundrick on keyboards, to help compensate for the loss of Kossoff and also to diversify their sound, Paul Rodgers actually took up guitar duties on the album. In fact nearly all these artists had already worked together, on the under-appreciated Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit a one-off album recorded the previous year in 1972 when Free had initially split up. After Heartbreaker both Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke would go onto form the even more commercially viable Bad Company with ex-Mott the Hoople member Mick Ralphs and ex-King Crimson man Boz Burrell in 1974. The real downside of this album actually has nothing to do with the music, as yet again Free give us an absolutely terrible album cover, but of course underneath is what counts.

Paul Rodgers- Vocals/Guitar
Tetsu Yamauchi- Bass
John “Rabbit” Bundrick- Keyboards
Simon Kirke- Drums
(Paul Kossoff- Guitar)

Production- Free/Andy Johns

Album
Wishing Well- With its pounding intro, Wishing Well would become one of the most vital songs that Free ever put out, quite simply a song that was built to last. The song was a sympathetic tribute by Paul Rodgers to the rapid demise of guitarist Paul Kossoff! Come Together in the Morning- The typical slower Free track but with a difference. The use of keyboards gives the song a different feel and a different type of depth than what we’re used to, a song extremely Beatlesque in style. Travellin in Style- A gentle rambling track that fits so well on this album. Heartbreaker- A pure heavy rocker with plenty of harnessed power and one of those blistering hard rock classics that I can listen to anytime, it also has some great keyboard touches to highlight overall proceedings. Muddy Water- Written by John “Rabbit” Bundrick and a slow burning track that does sound like a true Free composition in most aspects. Common Mortal Man- The second solo composition by John “Rabbit” Bundrick on the album. Easy on My Soul- A later album track, that does have some real feeling along with some roughness to it and shows the depth in quality on the album. Seven Angels- A rolling train of a song, which closes the album on a high note and doesn’t let up on the energy and power for a moment and all album closers should be like this.

Verdict
Along with the debut Tons of Sob and their third album Fire and Water, Heartbreaker completes a trilogy of great studio albums that the band put out. Somewhere in the region of about 60% of the material on Heartbreaker, probably represents some of the finest work that Free ever did, which is surprising given the turmoil and somewhat rushed surroundings of the actual album! The other 40% of the album does bring down proceedings a bit but the songs are still great compositions and the album is still a classic. Overall the album may rank just behind both Tons of Sobs and Fire and Water as their best album, but in many people’s eyes it actually stands as their very best and I’m inclined to support that view as well. Maybe because the album has that instant feel about it and I don’t think Paul Rodgers ever sounded quite this spontaneous ever again! Songs like “Wishing Well” and “Heartbreaker” surely stand as two stalwarts of the band’s catalogue and in many ways Heartbreaker represents the end of the road as far as the band were concerned, especially once Paul Rodgers gained sole control of the group’s direction. The top end of the album in terms of quality, sees the majestic power of the album opener “Wishing Well” a song which sees Paul Rodger’s songcraft at its very finest, where he combines a powerful but yet heartwarming tribute to Paul Kossoff. Then there is the power and delivery of the title track “Heartbreaker” which show us that when Free crank it up, they can do the heavy stuff as good as anybody else out there and then there is the rolling thunder of the album closer “Seven Angels” a delight of a song. Quite often John “Rabbit” Bundrick’s contribution on the album often goes unappreciated by a lot of listeners and critics, but I always felt that his subtle keyboards worked so well on songs like “Come Together in the Morning” and the superb “Heartbreaker” In fact on Heartbreaker his keyboard work sounds like something that Traffic could’ve done, without the heaviness though! John “Rabbit” Bundrick added greater depth to the Free sound, but it has to be said that his two solo compositions on the album probably stand as the two weakest efforts! Overall Heartbreaker represents a final swansong by a band that were in their death throes and only a few years later the majestic and long suffering Paul Kossoff would pass away, surely one of the finest guitarists in the history of rock music! Free were there at the beginning and bowed out on a high.

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