1970s Blues/Guitar Rock - Friday gig

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RichardW said:
What time does last metro run from Tynemouth to Sunderland?
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I seem to remember a Whitely Bay company called East Coast Taxis does a flat-rate price from the coast to Newcastle for fifteen quid. Sunderland isn't a great deal further from Tynemouth via the Tyne Tunnel, so it might be worth getting a price from them. If there's a couple of you, it might not be too bad.
 


The Hunter said:
Bob has been playing in his own band in Northumberland... Paul Smith went off to do his own thing, he matured quite nicely in his time with Freeway and developed quite a "Rodgers" stage presence. He was very good at the Cambridge Rock Festival fronting Freeway a couple of years ago. Bob's probably the better singer.
Freeway had a coup in 2007 when Sless was with them and Simon Kirke sat in on drums...Kirke, Slesser, Buckton --not half bad for a so-called "tribute" band!!
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Cracking bands they are as well ;)

My dad was going on about this night a while back, I shall have to see if he is still up for it.
 
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mackembhoy said:
Cracking bands they are as well ;)

My dad was going on about this night a while back, I shall have to see if he is still up for it.
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Get him sorted...you won't regret it. Neither will your Dad. Tell him it's 1971 again. Beer is 12p a pint (well, just over two bob before decimalisation in the February), bread is 15p a loaf, everyone's favourite car is the new Capri and Sunderland have just signed Dave Watson.
Add a liberal dose of Free, the best band of all time...what's not to like?

Hoping there will be an article on Geoff Docherty, Free's early days in Sunderland and Friday's Andy Fraser gig in tomorrow's Echo.
 
Definitely look for alternatives for getting back but you're better getting off at Cullercoats Metro station.

The Hunter said:
Last plug from me everyone...
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Is this not sold out yet? I'll be surprised if it doesn't, seem to be a canny few going from here - probably more than I've read for any gig apart from Neil Young! I also know more people going from Shields than any other gig I've been to for decades, and I don't think any are regular 'Free Convention' delegates!
 
GTG said:
Definitely look for alternatives for getting back but you're better getting off at Cullercoats Metro station.



Is this not sold out yet? I'll be surprised if it doesn't, seem to be a canny few going from here - probably more than I've read for any gig apart from Neil Young! I also know more people going from Shields than any other gig I've been to for decades, and I don't think any are regular 'Free Convention' delegates!
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Should still be room on the night...obviously too late to get postal tickets now. Promoter Bill Flynn was hoping for close to 500 and he'd done 300 in advance a week ago...won't be too far away from 500 on the night.
 
Driving 3 hours for it on friday afternoon.

To be honest I'm not that bothered about tribute bands but I'll be sufficiently lubricated not to care by the time they're on. :)

Fraser has 'moved on' so much from his teenage days with free that it will be interesting to hear what he plays now, how his new band handles it (his first gig back after illness was an eight piece!) and if he plays anything at all from any of his other post-free albums. And how the audience reacts to his new stuff cos it aint no free!

I was a fraser fan throughout but dont much like his new stuff. Always interesting though. And a great bassist.
 
George Kaplan said:
Driving 3 hours for it on friday afternoon.

To be honest I'm not that bothered about tribute bands but I'll be sufficiently lubricated not to care .....
I was a fraser fan throughout but dont much like his new stuff. Always interesting though. And a great bassist.
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I know what you mean George but try to stay alert enough to check out John Buckton, Freeway's lead guitarist. There can only ever be one Koss but this lad is the best of those I've seen trying to fill his boots. Suffice to say that when I've seen Paul Rodgers, especially in recent times when he has toured very Free-orientated solo shows, his guitarists including Howard Leese have never been a patch on this lad.
Obviously Andy is the star of the show but I am really looking forward to him joining Freeway for a part of their set.
The AFB will, I am sure, give us an eclectic mix of music in their set. As you say... A great bassist.
 
The Hunter said:
I know what you mean George but try to stay alert enough to check out John Buckton, Freeway's lead guitarist. There can only ever be one Koss but this lad is the best of those I've seen trying to fill his boots. Suffice to say that when I've seen Paul Rodgers, especially in recent times when he has toured very Free-orientated solo shows, his guitarists including Howard Leese have never been a patch on this lad.
Obviously Andy is the star of the show but I am really looking forward to him joining Freeway for a part of their set.
The AFB will, I am sure, give us an eclectic mix of music in their set. As you say... A great bassist.
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Well I listened again to the 'Naked And Finally Free' album on the way to work this morning. (not got 'On Assignment yet). Still struggle with it; the arrangements and rhythmic approach are still a little complex and difficult to get into easily but the melodies are very Fraser-ish (naturally). Bloody tasteful bass playing thiough-but. Then I listened to a bit of the Andy Fraser Band album (the three piece where he played 'lead bass' and toured with) and followed it with the more 'Muscle Shoals' (cos it was recorded there, natch) 'In Your Eyes' album. You can hear definiite progressions and trace a path from Free to the 'Fine Fine Line' album (sub Journey in a lot of ways and he doesn't play bass on it). But the newer stuff is light years away from any of that. Much as I absolutely love Rodgers you'd never see him making such a progression (via Sharks anarl remember) and he was always, apparently, more comfortable sticking with the Blues-Rock-Soul side of things.

You can tell where Free got their 'swing' from. It was Fraser. Listen again to the Highway album too. It's light years away from Bad Company and cock rock excess. A lovely album. On My Way is just perfect.

Not sure how I'd feel if I took the stage with a guy doing a a very accurate impersonation of my deceased freind and colleague but we'll see.

All very very interesting.

By the way - my journey to work isn't all THAT long. I only listened to extracts of each album on the ipod.
 
George Kaplan said:
You can tell where Free got their 'swing' from. It was Fraser. Listen again to the Highway album too. It's light years away from Bad Company and cock rock excess. A lovely album. On My Way is just perfect.

Not sure how I'd feel if I took the stage with a guy doing a a very accurate impersonation of my deceased freind and colleague but we'll see.

All very very interesting.
By the way - my journey to work isn't all THAT long. I only listened to extracts of each album on the ipod.
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You can always try going twice round the block!!! as for Free and where try got their swing
...I quite agree. That was Fraser ...and together (with PR) they made quite a team.
 
The Hunter said:
I know what you mean George but try to stay alert enough to check out John Buckton, Freeway's lead guitarist. There can only ever be one Koss but this lad is the best of those I've seen trying to fill his boots. Suffice to say that when I've seen Paul Rodgers, especially in recent times when he has toured very Free-orientated solo shows, his guitarists including Howard Leese have never been a patch on this lad.
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This. Freeway with John Buckton are more like the original Free than Rodgers with Howard Leese. Rodgers remains a great singer but his voice now is a lot different than in his Free days.
 
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Joe Bookman said:
This. Freeway with John Buckton are more like the original Free than Rodgers with Howard Leese. Rodgers remains a great singer but his voice now is a lot different than in his Free days.
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I agree - a lot more polished now but I preferred the sexy out of breath grunts and raw changes in power in his original work.
 
Joe Bookman said:
This. Freeway with John Buckton are more like the original Free than Rodgers with Howard Leese. Rodgers remains a great singer but his voice now is a lot different than in his Free days.
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Rodgers is one of the few singers from the early to mid `70`s who can still pull it off live. Glenn Hughes can still sing as well as his heyday but he didn`t have the heavy touring schedule throughout the late `70`s and 80`s like some singers did so that probably saved his voice to some extent.

Compare these two with the likes of David Coverdale who really struggles these days.
 
mickb2112 said:
Rodgers is one of the few singers from the early to mid `70`s who can still pull it off live. Glenn Hughes can still sing as well as his heyday but he didn`t have the heavy touring schedule throughout the late `70`s and 80`s like some singers did so that probably saved his voice to some extent.

Compare these two with the likes of David Coverdale who really struggles these days.
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Agreed, except the first LP came out in 1968...
 
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