The Isle of Wight Festival, created in 1968, reached its peak in 1970, when nearly 600,000 spectators gathered on this piece of land in the south of the United Kingdom. Fifty years later, Europe 1 looks back on the various concerts given for what was, one year after Woodstock, one of the last great hippie meetings. This Friday, the story of Free, a group touched by grace, which illuminated the festival with its legendary performance, before sinking.
The child prodigies of English blues-rock
The four of them are not even 80 years old. At 21, the drummer acts as a wise old man. The singer has only 20, the guitarist 19 and the bassist barely 18. For a few months, these four trendy boys have been making the whole kingdom dance with one of the most irresistible hits in rock history.
You can't have heard All Right Now at least once. On this Saturday, August 29, 1970, they will light up the Isle of Wight Festival, to such an extent that the performance has become legendary.
Number 1 in more than 20 countries in the summer of 1970
This brave piece of rock history will be number 1 in more than 20 countries in the summer of 1970. Its genesis deserves to be told. At the beginning of 1970, Free already had two albums: high-end blues rock, perfectly mastered by these four gifted musicians. The lively scratched guitar of Paul Kossoff, son of a very religious Russian Jewish actor; the drums all in sobriety, a challenge at the time, by Simon Kirke; the breathtaking voice of Paul Rodgers, who sings like a dean of soul music at just 20; and then the bass and the piano of an extraordinary musician, the youngest, Andy Fraser.
At 12, he was already attending clubs in the suburbs of London. At 15, he joined the great English bluesman John Mayall on stage to play the bass of his legendary group, the Bluesbreakers, which notably saw Eric Clapton pass. At 16, he released his first album with Free, with the assurance of an old man.
A hit written in minutes
But who says blues, says slow tempo, and in concert, it does not always work. Despite the talent and faith of the four musicians, people tend to fall asleep. One evening of mixed reception from the public, the group returned to the boxes a little discouraged. Andy Fraser then sings these words to raise the troops: "All Right Now ... Baby, It's All Right Now ...". A few minutes later, the skeleton of the future world tube is on its feet. It will be released on Fire and Water , a inevitably successful third album by Free.
A dizzying ascent
After his extraordinary performance at the Isle of Wight, Free's career accelerated dramatically. The group is in demand everywhere, including in Japan, where the reception is fervent. But, as often in these cases, the record company is greedy. We quickly need a new album, new hits, beat the iron while it is hot, especially as musicians also appeal to young girls, a market far from negligible.
The pressure increases, so do the tensions
We are then far removed from the roots of the blues and the primary motivations of this group of enthusiasts, but the reality is there: the pressure increases and so does the tension. Despite his young age, Andy Fraser does not let himself be stepped on by the band's other composer, Paul Rodgers, who is offended. The drummer counts the points and the guitarist, already fragile, falls into drugs first, the Mandrax, very fashionable at the time, a powerful barbiturate, then the heroine, to such an extent that Paul Kossoff is no longer able to hold its place.
A live album as a farewell letter
In 1971, Free decided to release a live album in the form of a farewell letter before it was too late. The sleeve is a cardboard envelope with address, stamp and postmark on the front, and closure on the back. We find there what can be considered as one of the group's masterpieces. The four musicians are at their peak. The title is quite simple: Be My Friend .
This song is all about magic in the band. Beyond pure musical talent, silences are also very important in Free's music. It may seem paradoxical for a rock band, but that's also what makes them unique. It was Alexis Korner, pope of the English blues and spiritual father of the quartet, who had told them the advice: “silence is the only moment when you open the door, when the listener enters your music, when the imagination takes over. It has to be brief, intense, that you hold it as if you were holding your breath, until the instruments explode again ”. Result: Free is arguably one of the most feverish English groups in history.
False reunion
The group broke up to better reunite a year later. The solo projects were not very convincing and Paul Kossoff assures him that he is doing better. The quartet is back on the campaign trail to defend their fifth studio album, Free At Last , finally free. But the concerts are disastrous. Paul Kossoff dives back, he staggers, falls asleep on stage, when he does not miss the appointment.
Andy Fraser, furious, slams the door for good. Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke try a last game of poker by recruiting two new musicians around the now erratic talent of Paul Kossoff. Childbirth is painful, but the result is astounding. The album is called Heartbreaker . The title Come Together In The Morning is like a flying hope.
In 1973, Free regained its freedom
The group will separate definitively just after a last failed American tour. Paul Kossoff is no longer able to travel. He has been replaced by another guitarist, who is clearly out of place. Free regains its freedom at the end of 1973, after five years and six studio albums dotted with dazzling ideas.
Andy Fraser will form his own group and become a prominent composer. He will sign for example Every Kinda People , by Robert Palmer. But AIDS and then cancer will have the better of his brilliant career.
Simon Kirke is still alive, as is the immense Paul Rodgers, an exceptional singer who has just been courted. He will be at the head of one of the biggest cartoons of the 70s, the group Bad Company, then will become the singer of Queen after the death of Freddie Mercury. He still plays songs from Free on stage.
Finally, the damned soul of the group, Paul Kossoff, prodigious musician, regularly cited in the best rock guitarists in history, will still have time to burn three albums before dying at barely 25, of a pulmonary embolism. in full flight Los Angeles-New York. "He was far too sentimental for this world", summarizes Paul Rodgers. At the foot of his funeral urn in London, we can read this epitaph: "All Right Now".
Find all the other episodes of our series "The Isle of Wight Festival, 50 years later":
> Episode 1: the last notes of Morrison's Doors
> Episode 2: Mighty Baby, talent without glory
> Episode 3: the unexpected concert of Brazilian exiles
> Episode 4: the Rory Gallagher revelation
> Episode 5: Tony Joe White's springboard
> Episode 6: Joni Mitchell's legendary concert
> Episode 7: the second Woodstock of Ten Years After
> Episode 8: The Who reign supreme at home
> Episode 9: the awakening of Sly and the Family Stone