Free "Pop Chronik" 2LP featuring Andy Fraser's Toby

[Pekka]

Got this today from http://www.schallplattenladen.com/en/home/:


Almost like 1973 released "The Free Story" with a slightly different tracklist. The biggest difference is that the album has Toby's version of "Travelling Man" from 1971, probably by a mistake. The rumour has it that the first German pressing of "The Free Story" has it too so maybe they used those tapes accidentaly.

Anyway, it's rather good. Andy sounds like a very young man he was at that time and curiously a bit like Steve Marriot on "Lazy Sunday". The bass playing is superb and the outro is longer than on Free's version with a bass solo!

I'd love to hear the rest of Toby tapes they made in 1971 but apparently Andy has blocked their release since they weren't featured on the "Songs Of Yesterday" box.

[Droombolus]

Looks like you've got the last copy because the shop doesn't list it anymore .......  And yes, I would love to hear some Toby recordings too .....

[lowend1]

Toby or not Toby...

[Highlander]

Out, Billy, you're BARD...!

[lowend1]

Alas poor Uwe, I knew him well...

[Pekka]

After Toby and a brief Free reunion Andy played with Sharks but what's the bass in this picture?


Is it a Guild? I saw a picture of him playing a Guild during his Andy Fraser Band period in 1975 but it was a JS-II.

[gweimer]

Sharks "First Water" release is one of my favorite albums.  I need to find a CD somewhere.  I know they made a ripple in the UK, but not much over here.  I got them for Chris Spedding.  "Snakes and Swallowtails" is a great bass solo, disguised as a song.

[4stringer77]

Looks like an EB1 in that last pic. Thick violin body, and you can see the corner of the pickup right at the end of the fingerboard.
Andy's been playing some of the Free material again lately.