Free Tons Of Sobs LP Aust 1969 1st press psych blues
A$
45
$
30
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
Free Tons Of Sobs LP Aust 1969 1st press
Original first Australian pressing on Festival in flipback sleeve, part of their underground series of albums called “Free Form”, which included such bands as Blodwyn Pig, McKenna Mendelson Mainline, Tarantula, Tramline, Fusion and T.I.M.E., all of which are plugged on the back of the sleeve.
Tons of Sobs is the debut album by English blues-rock band Free, released on 14 March 1969. While the album failed to chart in the UK and reached number 197 in the US, Free are still cited as one of the definitive bands of the British blues boom of the late 1960s even though this is the only album of their canon that can strictly be called blues-rock. The title of the album does not relate directly to the content of the album; it is both a colloquialism of "lots of money", reflecting the swaggering attitude with which the album was made, and an oblique reference to the darker, more sombre moments of the record.
Free were a new band when they recorded Tons of Sobs, and they were extremely young and precocious: none of them was yet twenty and the youngest, bassist Andy Fraser, was just sixteen years old. They had achieved a following through constant touring, and their debut album consisted for the most part of their live set-list. That said, eight out of the album's ten tracks are originals which was unusual compared to the debut albums of bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
With the band signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records, Guy Stevens was hired to produce the album (he would later become notable for producing early albums for Mott the Hoople and The Clash's legendary album London Calling [1979]). He opted for a minimalist attitude to production, due to the extremely low budget of about £800, creating a very raw and raucous sound - although it must be admitted that the relative inexperience of the band may have also been a contributing factor to this. As such the album, while in production terms a marked contrast from the band's later albums, holds up well for fans of modern bands such as The White Stripes who eschew overproduction for artistic rather than financial reasons. The simple nature of the recording meant that many tracks translated well into 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.
Side one
- "Over the Green Hills (Pt. 1)" (Paul Rodgers) – 0:49
- "Worry" (Rodgers) – 3:26
- "Walk in My Shadow" (Rodgers) – 3:29
- "Wild Indian Woman" (Rodgers, Andy Fraser) – 3:39
- "Goin' Down Slow" (James Burke Oden) – 8:20
Side two
- "I'm a Mover" (Rodgers, Fraser) – 2:56
- "The Hunter" (Booker T. Jones, Carl Wells, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson, Jr., Steve Cropper) – 4:13
- "Moonshine" (Rodgers, Paul Kossoff) – 5:04
- "Sweet Tooth" (Rodgers) – 4:54
- "Over the Green Hills (Pt. 2)" (Rodgers) – 1:58
CONDITION:
SLEEVE: VG++ Laminate a bit worn, slight ring marking, some minor spine creases typical of 60s Festival sleeves; flipbacks intact, no splits or tears.
RECORD: VG++ Some minor marks, no scratches or damage. Labels clean with considerable spindle trails; this has been played a lot but well looked after. Sound is clear and undistorted, even at VOLUME, which is how it should be played. Plays EX – , some slight crackle under “Moonshine” and on run-ins and run-outs.
price rating
