''Tons of Sobs'' is the debut 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, released in the UK on 14 March 1969. While the album failed to chart in the UK, it reached number 197 in the US. Free are cited as one of the definitive bands of the

British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gui ...

boom of the late 1960s, even though this is the only album of their canon that can strictly be called blues rock.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra, S. T. Erlewine, eds, ''All Music Guide to the Blues: The Definitive Guide to the Blues'' (Backbeat, 3rd edn., 2003), pp. 700–2. According to group 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 ...

, the title effectively summed up the album. It had the band’s first minor hit "I’m A Mover", which was released as a single in December 1968.

Recording

Free were a new band when they recorded ''Tons of Sobs'', and they were young; none of them was yet 20 and the youngest, Andy Fraser, was just 16. They had achieved a following through constant touring, and their debut album consisted mostly of their live set-list. With the band signed to

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 ...

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 ...

Guy Stevens Guy Stevens (13 April 1943 – 28 August 1981) was a British music industry figure whose roles included DJ, record producer, and band manager. He was influential in promoting R&B music in Britain in the 1960s, gave the rock bands Procol Ha ...

was hired to produce the album (he later became notable for producing early albums for

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

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

's legendary album ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. The C ...

979 Year 979 ( CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 24 – Second Battle of Pankaleia: An Ibero-Byzantine expeditionary ...

. He took a minimalist attitude to production due to the extremely low budget of about £800, and he created a raw, raucous sound – although the relative inexperience of the band possibly contributed to this. The album is in marked contrast in production terms to the band's later albums. The simple nature of the recording meant that many tracks translated well to a live setting and several songs from this album were still performed even when the band had written and recorded many more for subsequent records. The majority of the album was recorded over a few days in October 1968. Originally slated for a November release, the album was delayed until early 1969 due to the late addition of their cover of "The Hunter". This track was a mainstay of their live sets and was recorded at Stevens' insistence at a December 1968 session.

Track listing

;Side one #"Over the Green Hills (Pt. 1)" (

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 ...

) – 0:49 #"Worry" (Rodgers) – 3:26 #"Walk in My Shadow" (

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 ...

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 ...

, Rodgers) – 3:29 #"Wild Indian Woman" (Fraser, Rodgers) – 3:39 #"

Goin' Down Slow "Goin' Down Slow" or "Going Down Slow" is a blues song composed by American blues singer St. Louis Jimmy Oden. It is considered a blues standard and "one of the most famous blues of all". "Goin' Down Slow" has been recorded by many blues and o ...

" (

James Burke Oden James Burke "St. Louis Jimmy" Oden (June 26, 1903 – December 30, 1977) was an American blues singer and songwriter. Biography Oden was born in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. His parents were Henry Oden, a dancer, and Leana West ...

) – 8:20 ;Side two #"I'm a Mover" (Rodgers, Fraser) – 2:56 #" The Hunter" (

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

, Carl Wells,

Donald Dunn Donald Dunn may refer to: * Donald "Duck" Dunn (1941–2012), American bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter * Donald G. Dunn (1923–2021), decorated U.S. Army veteran of World War II {{hndis, Dunn, Donald ...

Al Jackson Jr AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as Ot ...

) – 4:13 #"Moonshine" (Fraser, Kirke, Kossoff, Rodgers) – 5:04 #"Sweet Tooth" (Rodgers) – 4:54 #"Over the Green Hills (Pt. 2)" (Rodgers) – 1:58 ;Bonus tracks Recent CD reissues contain several bonus tracks: #

"I'm a Mover" (

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Recording

Track listing

Personnel

References

Bibliography

External links