After flying back from Germany at the crack of dawn (having travelled through the night), I slept for a few hours before venturing out to see the excellent tribute band Free Again. They bill their show as the Free & Bad Company Experience. These rock bands achieved considerable success in the 70s. Paul Rodgers (vocals) and Simon Kirke (drums) played in both. Free were active from 1968 until 1973. They released six studio albums and one live effort. Their worldwide hit All Right Now transcended the classic rock scene to become a stomper that everyone and their granny knows. After the band's demise, Rodgers and Kirke launched Bad Company and the hot streak continued, particularly in America.
When reproducing material performed originally by Paul Rodgers, you face the immediate problem of finding someone to sing to an incredible standard. Rodgers is regarded as one of the best rock vocalists of all time and it's a tough task for a tribute singer. Amazingly, Free Again have a suitable man in the ranks. Rosyth man Alan King does a fantastic job of interpreting the material and I was blown away when I saw Free Again a few years ago. I instantly thought this isn't a guy who has spent his life singing on the pub circuit. He must have serious credentials. A little digging revealed King had fronted the melodic rock band Walk on Fire, who signed a major deal in the late 80s and sold over 200,000 copies of their debut album. Unfortunately this wasn't enough to convince the paymasters to keep the band on. Promotion was an expensive business back then and if you didn't recoup, you were out. King went on to sing the title role in the musical version of Spartacus, alongside a cast that included Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Four fifths of Free Again play in Hotel California - a leading Eagles tribute that has toured extensively in theatres for the last quarter of a century. Tonight's concert was at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline. Around 150 people were present. At £24 per ticket, that's a worthwhile night's work for a band that is essentially a side project. All the guys are great players and have known each other for a long time. Just as importantly, they are all massive fans of classic 70s rock. Guitarist and keyboard player Jim Bowie is the musical director for Hotel California and he put the Free Again show together. They opened up tonight with the eponymous Bad Company track, which set the tone for a great night's entertainment. Drummer Mark Anderson was in fine form behind the kit, playing the deceptively simple Simon Kirke parts. While Kirk's contributions were understated, Free featured a young bassist whose virtuosity was clear to see. Andy Fraser was a musical prodigy and a key writer for the band. His stunning solo on the extended workout Mr Big remains iconic to this day and Des Whitlie pulled it off remarkably well on stage tonight. Content to remain in the background for the entire gig, the other musicians moved aside to give Des his showcase spot. Spontaneous applause broke out among the audience towards the end of the complex bass solo. A reluctant hero! Fraser passed away in 2015 due to complications with AIDS. Not long beforehand, I met the man himself after a show at the Green Hotel, Kinross. Free guitarist Paul Kossoff was never seriously considered for Bad Company. He had descended into horrific drug use and died on a transatlantic flight at the shockingly young age of 25. Despite the appalling end, Koss could wring emotion from a guitar and a huge talent was lost to the world. Mick Ralphs (ex Mott the Hoople) took the guitar slot in Bad Company and is still with us, although highly unlikely to ever play again following a severe stroke.
Alongside Jim Bowie, Free Again's other guitarist is Calvin Laidlaw. Together they faithfully recreated the tones of Kossoff and Ralphs. The set brimmed with classics and a couple of left-field songs were thrown in for good measure. Although Rodgers and Kirke are still musically active (the former releasing an album last year), the time isn't far off when musicians from this era are no longer able (or around) to play. Tribute bands help keep the flame alive and let fans hear the material. It doesn't cost the earth to see them either. There was never an attempt to revive Free but Bad Company have reformed sporadically over the years with ever-changing line-ups. Original bassist Boz Burrell passed away in 2006 and there was even a version of the band without Rodgers. Moreover, they attracted much attention in the States with Brian Howe (now deceased) at the helm, although he was curiously airbrushed from history when Rodgers was eventually persuaded to re-join. Few vintage acts have kept the same personnel throughout their history. Indeed, Hotel California have had different musos playing the various personalities within the Eagles (who themselves weren't averse to the odd line-up change). If you like the music of Free and/or Bad Company, or even rock in general, go and see Free Again. You won't be disappointed. There is little point in me rattling off the songs they played and putting my tuppence in. Everyone has their own favourites.
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