Free-Heartbreaker (1973)

“Heartbreaker” would be the seventh and final album by Free, one of the most iconic blues-rock bands of the early 70s, composed of four outstanding musicians who left behind memorable albums such as “Fire and Water” (1970), “Free At Last” (1972), and the one we're discussing here today. By the time the band entered the Islands Records studios in London in late 1972, bassist Andy Fraser was no longer with them, having left shortly after the release of “Free at Last” due to disagreements with guitarist Paul Kossoff. His place was taken by Tetsu Yamauchi, and the band was further expanded with the addition of keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrik. They also featured guest appearances by Traffic percussionist Kwaku Baah of Rebop and guitarist W.G. Walden, who takes center stage at many points on the album, overshadows an apathetic and increasingly drug-addicted Paul Kossoff. The majestic rock track “Wishing Well” opens this monumental work with evocative riffs from Kossoff, followed in a similar vein by the blues-rock “Come Together In The Morning” and the exuberant “Heartbreaker”. The rest of the album showcases a band brimming with emotion and feeling, featuring heavenly blues-rock tracks like “Muddy Water”, “Easy On My Soul”, and “Seven Angels”, which close an album that couldn't have a more fitting epitaph for the immortal farewell of this fabulous British band.