''Heartbreaker'' is the sixth and final studio album by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Free, that provided them with one of their most successful singles, "

Wishing Well A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe water well, wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the notion that water housed deity, deities or had been ...

". It was recorded in late 1972 after bassist

Andy Fraser Andrew McIan Fraser (3 July 1952 – 16 March 2015) was a British musician and songwriter, best known as the bassist and co-composer for the rock band Free, which he helped found in 1968 when he was 15. He also founded the rock band Sharks ...

had left the band and while guitarist

Paul Kossoff Paul Francis Kossoff (14 September 1950 – 19 March 1976) was an English guitarist, mainly known as the co-founder and guitarist for the rock band Free. He was ranked number 51 in ''Rolling Stone''s list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All ...

was ailing from an addiction to

Mandrax Methaqualone is a hypnotic sedative. It was sold under the brand names Quaalude ( ) and Sopor among others, which contained 300 mg of methaqualone, and sold as a combination drug under the brand name Mandrax, which contained 250 mg met ...

(Quaalude) and features a different line up from previous albums.

Tetsu Yamauchi is a Japanese retired bass guitarist. In the 1970s, he was a member of several popular hard rock bands, including Free, where he replaced former bassist Andy Fraser before the band's final album '' Heartbreaker'', and the Faces, where he replac ...

was brought in to replace Fraser, while

John "Rabbit" Bundrick John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick (born November 21, 1948 in Houston, Texas) is an American–English rock keyboardist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roge ...

became the band's keyboard player to compensate for the increasingly unreliable Kossoff (singer

Paul Rodgers Paul Rodgers (born 17 December 1949) is a British singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of numerous bands, including Free, Bad Company, The Firm, and The Law. He has also performed as a solo artist, and co ...

played keyboards on the previous album 1972 '' Free at Last''). Both Yamauchi and Bundrick had played with Kossoff and drummer

Simon Kirke Simon Frederick St George Kirke (born 28 July 1949) is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company. He has been the only continuous member of Bad Company since their inception. Life and career Kirke was born in L ...

on the album '' Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit'' during that period in late 1971 when Free had broken up for the first time. Also, several other musicians were used on the album. The album was co-produced by

Andy Johns Jeremy Andrew "Andy" Johns (20 May 1950 – 7 April 2013) was a British sound engineer and record producer who worked on several well-known rock albums, including the Rolling Stones' '' Exile on Main St.'' (1972), Television's '' Marquee Moon'' ...

as well as Free themselves.

Recording

One immediate effect of Fraser's departure was the loss of the Fraser/Rodgers songwriting partnership that had hitherto provided the bulk of the band's catalogue. Hence many of the songs were written solely by Rodgers, although some are credited to the entire band as a symbolic gesture, including the single "

". Bundrick wrote two of the album's eight tracks. Meanwhile, Kossoff was extremely resentful of "Snuffy" Walden being brought in as a session musician to provide guitar tracks when the other band members' patience began to break. This exacerbated his problems even further, but on those occasions where recording went well he produced some notable work; he is in fact far more prominent on this album than on the previous one. He is uncredited on the hit single "Wishing Well", however, the lead guitar on the track is unmistakably Kossoff's, and Kirke has confirmed this. The credits on the album sleeve are inaccurate; Kossoff plays on the whole of side 1 and the final track on side 2, "Seven Angels". Walden's guitar appears on tracks 2, 3, and 4 of side 2, so "Seven Angels" features both him and Kossoff. Walden also appears on some alternate mixes of "Wishing Well", but not on the version released for the UK single and album. The Free box set ''Songs of Yesterday'' ( 2000) features an alternate mix of "Muddy Water" with guitar by Walden, and an alternate mix of "Common Mortal Man" with guitar by both Walden and Kossoff.

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

boss

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell (born 22 June 1937) is an English businessman and former record producer, and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll ...

disliked the band's initial mix of the album and drafted regular engineer Andy Johns to solve the problem; in January 1973 the album was ready for release.

Reception

The album was, by Free's standards, a huge success. It became their third top-ten album in the UK (reaching #9), and reached No. 47 in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, which was also a considerable success for the band. Also, the single release "Wishing Well" became their third-most successful single, reaching No. 7. It is widely regarded as one of their definitive songs. Despite the success of the album and impending tour of America, it finally became apparent that the band had passed the point of no return. Kossoff being credited as an additional musician came as a shock to the entire band. Kossoff spiralled to his lowest ebb and was unable to go to America; he was replaced, for the tour, by Wendell Richardson from

Osibisa Osibisa are a Ghanaian-British Afro-Rock band founded in London in the late 1960s by four expatriate West African and three London based Caribbean musicians. Osibisa were the most successful and longest lived of the African-heritage bands in ...

, against Rodgers' instincts. Richardson proved (through no fault of his own) to be the wrong choice, and once the tour ended the band finally gave up. Rodgers and Kirke formed

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell.Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also ...

with Mick Ralphs (formerly of

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fail ...

) and

Boz Burrell Raymond "Boz" Burrell (1 August 1946 – 21 September 2006) was an English musician. Originally a vocalist and guitarist, Burrell is best known for his singing with King Crimson (1971–1972) and bass playing in Bad Company (1973–1982, 1998� ...

(formerly of

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

); Yamauchi joined

Faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

; Bundrick became a session musician and eventually became a regular keyboard player with

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

; Kossoff formed his own band Back Street Crawler, which Bundrick joined in the later stages of. After one solo album by Kossoff "Backstreet Crawler" was well received, and one Backstreet Crawler Band release " The Band Plays On" and live dates in the UK in 1975, and USA in 1976, Kossoff regained his playing form. The guitarist sadly died of a Pulmonary Embolism on board a plane bound for New York on 19 March 1976, at the age of 25. A further Backstreet Crawler album called " 2nd Street" was released posthumously which is also well regarded.

Track listing

;Side one #"

" (Rodgers, Kirke, Yamauchi, Kossoff, Bundrick) – 3:43 #"Come Together in the Morning" (Rodgers) – 4:38 #"Travellin' in Style" (Rodgers, Kirke, Yamauchi, Kossoff, Bundrick) – 4:01 #"Heartbreaker" (Rodgers) – 6:12 ;Side two #

"Muddy Water" (Bundrick) – 4:15 #"Common Mortal Man" (Bundrick) – 4:06 #"Easy on My Soul" (Rodgers) – 3:44 #"Seven Angels" (Rodgers) – 5:03

Extra tracks

"Wishing Well" (US mix) – 3:39 (includes additional guitar overdubs by Walden) #"Let Me Show You" (Single 'B' side) (Rodgers, Kirke, Yamauchi, Bundrick) – 3:01 #"Muddy Water" (Alternative vocals) – 4:15 #"Hand Me Down/Turn Me Round" (Prospective album track) (Bundrick) – 3:19 #"Heartbreaker" (Rehearsal version) – 5:40 #"Easy on My Soul" (Rehearsal version) – 8:42

Covers

Kiki Dee Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records. Dee is best known for h ...

has covered "Travellin' in Style" on her third solo album ''Loving & Free'' (1973).Kiki Dee - ''Loving & Free'' (1973) album releases & credits at Discogs
/ref> * Having performed "Wishing Well" live since the release of Free's 1973 ''Heartbreaker'', Australian band Sherbet included a cover of the song on their 1975 live album '' In Concert''. *

Maggie Bell Margaret Bell (born 12 January 1945 in Maryhill, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish rock vocalist. She came to fame as co-lead vocalist of the blues-rock group Stone the Crows, and was described as the UK's closest counterpart to American singe ...

covered "Wishing Well" on her second solo album '' Suicide Sal'' (1975). *

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

band

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

ed "Wishing Well" on their album '' Strikes'' (1979). * Cherie &

Marie Currie Marie Michelle Currie (born November 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and artist. Currie is best known for playing in a band with her identical twin Cherie Currie called Cherie & Marie Currie. Their song " Since You Been ...

covered "Wishing Well" on their 1980 album ''

Messin' with the Boys ''Messin' with the Boys'' (1980) is the second album by American singer Cherie Currie, and the first to feature her sister Marie Currie as a major contributor. Their band was called ''Cherie and Marie Currie''. Marie was a guest vocalist on Cher ...

''; their cover also appeared on their compilation '' Young and Wild'' (1998). *

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...

covered "Wishing Well" on '' Corridors of Power'' (1982). *

Savatage Savatage () was an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album ''Sirens'' (1983), they changed thei ...

covered "Wishing Well" on their 1986 album ''

Fight for the Rock ''Fight for the Rock'' is the third full-length album by the American heavy metal band Savatage. It is their first album with new bass player Johnny Lee Middleton. Released in 1986, it is largely regarded as the band's worst release by both fan ...

''. * Styx covered "Wishing Well" on ''

Big Bang Theory The Big Bang event is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models of the Big Bang explain the evolution of the observable universe from the ...

'' (2005). * Melodic heavy metal German guitarist

Axel Rudi Pell Axel Rudi Pell (born 27 June 1960) is a German heavy metal guitarist. Career Pell commenced his musical career with Steeler (1984–88) before leaving in 1988 for a solo career. During this time, he has played with such drummers as Jörg Micha ...

covered "Wishing Well" on ''

Between the Walls Axel Rudi Pell (born 27 June 1960) is a German heavy metal guitarist. Career Pell commenced his musical career with Steeler (1984–88) before leaving in 1988 for a solo career. During this time, he has played with such drummers as Jörg Micha ...

'' (1994), and "Heartbreaker" on ''

Diamonds Unlocked ''Diamonds Unlocked'' is the twelfth album by German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell. It is a cover album released in September/October 2007. The album consists of 10 cover tracks and 1 self-written introduction track. Axel Rudi Pell attempted to make co ...

'' (2007). * "Heartbreaker" has also been covered by

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his inde ...

(with Glenn Hughes) on his 2011 release ''

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

'', as well as by

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

band

Goatsnake Goatsnake is an American stoner/ doom metal band from Los Angeles, California. They have released three studio albums, the first being 1999's '' Goatsnake Vol. 1''. Biography Goatsnake was formed in 1996 after the disbanding of The Obsess ...

on their 2000 EP ''

Dog Days The dog days or are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius (known colloquially as the "Dog Star"), which Hellenistic astrology connected with heat, drought, sud ...

''.

Personnel

– lead vocals (all tracks); lead guitar (5 & 7); rhythm guitar (1-4); piano (7) *

– lead guitar (1-4, 6, 8) *

– drums (all tracks); percussion (2-4, 6-8); rhythm guitar (5) *

– organ (all tracks), piano (1-6, 8), backing vocals (all tracks) *

– bass (all tracks); percussion (5) * W.G. "Snuffy" Walden – rhythm guitar (6-8) *

Rebop Kwaku Baah Anthony "Rebop" Kwaku Baah (13 February 1944 – 12 January 1983) was a Ghanaian percussionist who worked with the 1970s rock groups Traffic and Can. Biography Baah was born on 13 February 1944, in Konongo, Gold Coast. In 1969, Baah performe ...

– percussion (1) NOTE: The album lists Kossoff as an additional musician.

References

* Strong, Martin C. ''The Great Rock Discography'', 6th edition. Edinburgh: Canongate Books 1994, 2002. pp. 392–3. * Sutcliffe, Phil. Notes to ''Heartbreaker'' by Free. Universal Island Records Ltd. 1973, 2002.

External links

*
Lyrics of cover of "Wishing Well"
by Queen + Paul Rodgers at Queen official website (from ''

Return of the Champions ''Return of the Champions'' is a double live album by English rock band Queen + Paul Rodgers. It was recorded in May 2005 during the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield, England (except for "Imagine", which was perform ...

'')
Free - ''Heartbreaker'' (1973) album review by Matthew Greenwald, credits & releases
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Free - ''Heartbreaker'' (1973) album releases & credits
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Free - ''Heartbreaker'' (1973, Remastered 2002 with Bonus Tracks) album to be listened
as stream on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

{{Authority control Free (band) albums 1973 albums Albums produced by Andy Johns Island Records albums