Andy Fraser’s arrangement philosophy

[Michedelic]

How bassist Andy Fraser electrified a Free classic with his less-is-more brand of fiery blues-rock — Guitar World

When Andy Fraser joined Free in 1968, he arrived as a teenage guitarist, but his melodic bass style became essential to the band’s success

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[sonic boogaloo]

such a great bass player.

 

[jerry]

Andy was probably my number one influence in my teen years, his use of space has always stayed with me. It was and is amazing how young he was and the rest of the band too. I also think his West Indies heritage might have been an influence on his reggae like lines.
Why the R&R hall of fame decided to put just Bad Company in is beyond me, Free was a far superior band.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Andy was probably my number one influence in my teen years, his use of space has always stayed with me. It was and is amazing how young he was and the rest of the band too. I also think his West Indies heritage might have been an influence on his reggae like lines.
Why the R&R hall of fame decided to put just Bad Company in is beyond me, Free was a far superior band.

The fat tuba like EB sound was relatively clean unlike Bruce and especially Pappalardi.

Yes the use of space very sparse.

Then all of a sudden Jaco comes along like a speeding trombone....he was a virtuoso ...but that tone at times.....

Andy rarely gets mention anywhere for decades now, it's very sad and troubling.

 

[Bob Coldwell]

"Use of space" really hits the nail on the head. He does a monster solo on "Mr Big", with some great riffs, but also lots of breathing room.

 

[Ostie]

I always loved Free and Andy’s playing with them. I was disappointed when the band fell apart and Andy chose not to join Bad Co. (or was not invited?) Bad Co. was an awesome band, love Paul Rodgers, but I always wondered what they would have sounded like with Andy.

 

[Michedelic]

I always loved Free and Andy’s playing with them. I was disappointed when the band fell apart and Andy chose not to join Bad Co. (or was not invited?) Bad Co. was an awesome band, love Paul Rodgers, but I always wondered what they would have sounded like with Andy.

Free had fallen apart(Paul Kossoff’s escalating addiction problems at the root), then there was this album…


Andy had moved on, Free reconvened with Tetsu Yamauchi, later of The Faces, for the Heartbreaker album(featuring their last hit, “Wishing Well”), and then packed it in for good. Fraser started a band with journeyman guitarist Chris Spedding, Sharks, but did not stay long past the release of the first album…

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Yes Andy moved on....he managed to write a hit song in the early 80s, the name escapes me but I recall it had real 80s pop thing going on.

I have the Sharks album it has some nice bass lines but nothing memorable ime.

Andy moved on from the Gibson EB and all was lost he turned into a rather undistintive bass player.

As for Boz Burrell he did play a fretless a lot early on the BC hits....then a Stingray was employed as well when I saw them twice in the 70s but the band burned out by 1980.

I've always wondered what happened to Andy's Gibson EB-3...does anyone know?

 

[jerry]

Yes Andy moved on....he managed to write a hit song in the early 80s, the name escapes me but I recall it had real 80s pop thing going on.

I have the Sharks album it has some nice bass lines but nothing memorable ime.

Andy moved on from the Gibson EB and all was lost he turned into a rather undistintive bass player.

As for Boz Burrell he did play a fretless a lot early on the BC hits....then a Stingray was employed as well when I saw them twice in the 70s but the band burned out by 1980.

I've always wondered what happened to Andy's Gibson EB-3...does anyone know?

I don't think Andy was ever going to be just a bassist, I think his main goal was songwriting and he did quite well with that with Joe Cocker, Robert Palmer etc. The last concert I saw with Free he had a piano on stage for a couple songs. I dug the Sharks album, there is more lead bass on that album than lead guitar. I even dug the next Sharks album with Busta Cherry Jones killing on bass.
Andy had a reunion with Paul Rodgers at The '94 Woodstock that is better buried.
Some confusion coming out of the solo.

 

[Michedelic]

Yes Andy moved on....he managed to write a hit song in the early 80s, the name escapes me but I recall it had real 80s pop thing going on.

I have the Sharks album it has some nice bass lines but nothing memorable ime.

Andy moved on from the Gibson EB and all was lost he turned into a rather undistintive bass player.

As for Boz Burrell he did play a fretless a lot early on the BC hits....then a Stingray was employed as well when I saw them twice in the 70s but the band burned out by 1980.

I've always wondered what happened to Andy's Gibson EB-3...does anyone know?

The biggest(as I remember)song of his was “Every Kinda People”, a big hit for Robert Palmer…

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I don't think Andy was ever going to be just a bassist, I think his main goal was songwriting and he did quite well with that with Joe Cocker, Robert Palmer etc. The last concert I saw with Free he had a piano on stage for a couple songs. I dug the Sharks album, there is more lead bass on that album than lead guitar. I even dug the next Sharks album with Busta Cherry Jones killing on bass.
Andy had a reunion with Paul Rodgers at The '94 Woodstock that is better buried.
Some confusion coming out of the solo.

I have heard All Right Now enough already in clubs etc...terrible versions with buzzy guitars and piercing modern basses.

I'm glad he had success writing songs but why he is not acclaimed as a bassist is beyond me...too many EB haters will never accept what he did tonally let alone his technique and arrangements...the whole Free story is a huge part of me.

 

[Michedelic]

I have heard All Right Now enough already in clubs etc...terrible versions with buzzy guitars and piercing modern basses.

I'm glad he had success writing songs but why he is not acclaimed as a bassist is beyond me...too many EB haters will never accept what he did tonally let alone his technique and arrangements...the whole Free story is a huge part of me.

Well, Free had their moment, but on the whole, they had a higher profile in the UK/Europe, one hit wonder status in the US. It could have been that he was regarded as a Jack Bruce lite, but Free was certainly not Cream Jr. However, they emerged roughly at the same time as Zeppelin, who got all the attention. My introduction to them was the second eponymous album, with “I’ll Be Creepin’”, great riff on that one. While they definitely rocked, they weren’t bombastic.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Well, Free had their moment, but on the whole, they had a higher profile in the UK/Europe, one hit wonder status in the US. It could have been that he was regarded as a Jack Bruce lite, but Free was certainly not Cream Jr. However, they emerged roughly at the same time as Zeppelin, who got all the attention. My introduction to them was the second eponymous album, with “I’ll Be Creepin’”, great riff on that one. While they definitely rocked, they weren’t bombastic.

I think the sparse songwriting didn't go over in the USA plus Free had nowhere the push that other British bands got from record companies.

I've had many friends that reacted differently to the Fire and Water album at 1st listen especially as I was the only guy listening to Free in my circle back then.

Free sort of lumbers along and Koss is intense where Bad Co had a sound mainly because of Mick Ralph's more pop muscular playing and writing that fit USA radio the timing was spot on.

You have to admit the 1st Bad Co album was a smash the right sound at the right time...Paul Rogers can thank Mick Ralphs imo!

I wish Koss could have included Fraser in Back Street Crawler but Koss was not long for this world ...like Tommy Bolin.

 

[jerry]

I think the sparse songwriting didn't go over in the USA plus Free had nowhere the push that other British bands got from record companies.

I've had many friends that reacted differently to the Fire and Water album at 1st listen especially as I was the only guy listening to Free in my circle back then.

Free sort of lumbers along and Koss is intense where Bad Co had a sound mainly because of Mick Ralph's more pop muscular playing and writing that fit USA radio the timing was spot on.

You have to admit the 1st Bad Co album was a smash the right sound at the right time...Paul Rogers can thank Mick Ralphs imo!

I wish Koss could have included Fraser in Back Street Crawler but Koss was not long for this world ...like Tommy Bolin.

In the 56 years since I first heard Free I've always had to pull band mates and friends into the Free fan boy club. When you are fifteen you really like to find bands that you can call your own, Free was mine.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

In the 56 years since I first heard Free I've always had to pull band mates and friends into the Free fan boy club. When you are fifteen you really like to find bands that you can call your own, Free was mine.

I was 11 in 1970... Honky-tonk woman and All Right Now were my favs.

 

[Michedelic]

I think the sparse songwriting didn't go over in the USA plus Free had nowhere the push that other British bands got from record companies.

I've had many friends that reacted differently to the Fire and Water album at 1st listen especially as I was the only guy listening to Free in my circle back then.

Free sort of lumbers along and Koss is intense where Bad Co had a sound mainly because of Mick Ralph's more pop muscular playing and writing that fit USA radio the timing was spot on.

You have to admit the 1st Bad Co album was a smash the right sound at the right time...Paul Rogers can thank Mick Ralphs imo!

I wish Koss could have included Fraser in Back Street Crawler but Koss was not long for this world ...like Tommy Bolin.

Exactly 50 years ago I saw Roxy Music on the Siren tour, Backstreet Crawler was the opening act. The band was OK, Kossoff just kind of lumbered around on stage. After their set, during the gear changeover, he came out to apologize for his performance. I thought it was all a bit odd. Two weeks later he was found dead, unresponsive, I believe, on an airline flight.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Exactly 50 years ago I saw Roxy Music on the Siren tour, Backstreet Crawler was the opening act. The band was OK, Kossoff just kind of lumbered around on stage. After their set, during the gear changeover, he came out to apologize for his performance. I thought it was all a bit odd. Two weeks later he was found dead, unresponsive, I believe, on an airline flight.

Oh wow....I remember Koss was on a long Cross country flight and I recall he passed away in the bathroom halfway over the US....Koss was struggling terribly from what I read ...Koss was deliberately changing his sound to a Strat (now owned by Dave Murray of Iron Maiden he bought from Koss mother apparently which he painted black..I saw him play it very early 80s Iron Maiden).

Koss wanted more accompaniment adding full keys...SAD shame.

 

[Petethebassman]

"Use of space" really hits the nail on the head. He does a monster solo on "Mr Big", with some great riffs, but also lots of breathing room.

The whole band were masters of using space to great effect. No wasted notes, no filling of songs with excessive overdubs, only playing what was needed. Simon Kirke was a superb rock solid foundation- never any flashy fills, one of the greatest, really. Koss’s sparse rhythm guitar style left a lot of room for Andy to do his thing and that he truly did very well. All this was further highlighted in the live performances captured on records - even at the most sparse moments the rhythmic tension moves the song along. I sometimes think of it as tightrope walking without a safety net, in such a sparse setting there’s nowhere to hide. A lovely band.

 

[winston]

Exactly 50 years ago I saw Roxy Music on the Siren tour, Backstreet Crawler was the opening act. The band was OK, Kossoff just kind of lumbered around on stage. After their set, during the gear changeover, he came out to apologize for his performance. I thought it was all a bit odd. Two weeks later he was found dead, unresponsive, I believe, on an airline flight.

Not to get too OT, but - how was Roxy Music, and...ever see the original lineup live with Brian Eno?

Back on topic, I haven't listened to a lot of Free/Bad Company but liked what I heard.
And I subscribe to UK-based Mojo magazine which mentions those bands and their members quite often.

 

[Michedelic]

Not to get too OT, but - how was Roxy Music, and...ever see the original lineup live with Brian Eno?

Back on topic, I haven't listened to a lot of Free/Bad Company but liked what I heard.
And I subscribe to UK-based Mojo magazine which mentions those bands and their members quite often.

They were great, they had the momentum of finally having a hit in America(“Love Is The Drug”), although I wasn’t that taken with the Siren album, but had worn out the previous(Country Life)plus the earlier ones. Rick Wills, of Frampton and Gilmour fame, was the guest bassist. Roxy with Eno didn’t do much US touring. I saw them again on the Manifesto tour, and Ferry solo.