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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
If you are buying a free album for the first time I wouldn't recommend this one. All the tracks have been remixed, some have improved the slightly dodgy 70's production (My Brother Jake and Sail On for example) but Bob Clearmountain had ruined some songs (Don't Say you Loved Me for example) with to many effects.
If he had kept to the spirit of the originals more often it would have been more successful but there is too much over production just for the sake of it.
If you want a 'best of' get The Free Story. Use this CD as a companion to your Free collection not as the 'best of' it pretends to be.
If he had kept to the spirit of the originals more often it would have been more successful but there is too much over production just for the sake of it.
If you want a 'best of' get The Free Story. Use this CD as a companion to your Free collection not as the 'best of' it pretends to be.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The reviewer who claimed there was too much mixing was right!
I wish I'd paid more attention.
In my opinion, these classic tracks are better heard in their original "bit ropey" form. These are too sanitized, too clean; I'm not keen.
These have been mixed to death - almost. There is too much echo, the sound is almost sterile at times.
I am not questioning the amazing tracks from a great band, I am not happy about the way they have been messed about with!
What a shame.
I wish I'd paid more attention.
In my opinion, these classic tracks are better heard in their original "bit ropey" form. These are too sanitized, too clean; I'm not keen.
These have been mixed to death - almost. There is too much echo, the sound is almost sterile at times.
I am not questioning the amazing tracks from a great band, I am not happy about the way they have been messed about with!
What a shame.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I just wanted to emphasise what others have said here about the remixing of the tracks on this album; if you decide to buy it, be aware that it really does sound very different to the original versions.
I'm no purist on these matters - I think far too much fuss is often made over remastered releases of albums where essentially all that's different is the tonal balance - and you can compensate by fiddling with your bass or treble controls until it sounds the way you think it should.
However, in the case of this album, the songs have been remixed from scratch, thereby allowing the sound to be drastically altered. What's worse, this seems to have been done with a very 1980s ear, completely at odds with the aesthetic and spirit of the originals.
In practice, what this means is lots of extra reverb, particularly on the drums and vocals, and, unless I'm much mistaken, a much louder snare drum.
I find all this pretty incomprehensible - Bob Clearmountain, who was responsible for these mixes, is a hugely well-respected and talented individual with a world-class reputation. What WAS he thinking?
Maybe this doesn't matter to you. The songs and playing are, of course, top notch, and the sound quality, in itself, is fine. It's just... this isn't what these songs are supposed to sound like.
There are other Free compilations here on Amazon, though mostly 2-disc compilations as opposed to this single disc version. At present, there's the venerable "Free Story", "Walking in my Shadow" and "Chronicles", and possibly more... I would seriously recommend that you investigate them instead of this.
OK, enough of this; I'm off to add a horn section to "Nevermind", and autotune everything on "Pet Sounds"...
I'm no purist on these matters - I think far too much fuss is often made over remastered releases of albums where essentially all that's different is the tonal balance - and you can compensate by fiddling with your bass or treble controls until it sounds the way you think it should.
However, in the case of this album, the songs have been remixed from scratch, thereby allowing the sound to be drastically altered. What's worse, this seems to have been done with a very 1980s ear, completely at odds with the aesthetic and spirit of the originals.
In practice, what this means is lots of extra reverb, particularly on the drums and vocals, and, unless I'm much mistaken, a much louder snare drum.
I find all this pretty incomprehensible - Bob Clearmountain, who was responsible for these mixes, is a hugely well-respected and talented individual with a world-class reputation. What WAS he thinking?
Maybe this doesn't matter to you. The songs and playing are, of course, top notch, and the sound quality, in itself, is fine. It's just... this isn't what these songs are supposed to sound like.
There are other Free compilations here on Amazon, though mostly 2-disc compilations as opposed to this single disc version. At present, there's the venerable "Free Story", "Walking in my Shadow" and "Chronicles", and possibly more... I would seriously recommend that you investigate them instead of this.
OK, enough of this; I'm off to add a horn section to "Nevermind", and autotune everything on "Pet Sounds"...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
All Right Now - The Best Of Free
Probably the best collection of Free currently available, although all the tracks were remixed by Bob Clearmountain so are not the original album versions. Read more
Published 5 months ago by N. Simpson
Bright and shiny
Bob Clearmountain was slated to remix all of Free's albums for Island's remaster programme. This was the "teaser" for that. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Baldman
Mixed bag - but does Free justice.
There is a joke that Free were called Free because they had "Free" good songs, but actually they had some lovely oddballs and blues rehashes/rip offs. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Peter H
A mix too far
I don't know, I'm in two minds about the remixing of this album.
On the one hand, as others have said, it's very "wet", with a ton of reverb on everything and a bit of... Read more
On the one hand, as others have said, it's very "wet", with a ton of reverb on everything and a bit of... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. M. Russell
Avoid this compilation
If you want to know what Free would have sounded like if they'd recorded their material in the bathroom then by all means go ahead and buy this appallingly remixed dog's breakfast... Read more
Published on 23 April 2010 by Sour Sprout
Great songs ruined
As an absolute Free fanatic, even though ive got all the tracks on this, I bought this and cant believe how Bob Clearmountain has messed up some of the most beautiful songs ever... Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2008 by emengee
My brother Jake
Had to buy this because I'm obsessed with the track My Brother Jake, wonderful. The rest of it is pants (I guess you had to be there) apart from the very much over played Alright... Read more
Published on 27 Aug 2004 by J. Williams
Really the best of the Free
This compilation of the best tracks of the rock-blues masters of the early 70s comes to us in superb audio-quality, thanks to the remixing by Bob Clearmountain. Read more
Published on 23 Oct 2001 by Mailian
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