There are so few Free sets, albums or otherwise, that when attention is paid to this extraordinary Blues/Rock outfit, it is like rain after a long, long drought.  Few recognize the name of one of Rock’s great guitarists in Paul Kossoff, which is a shame, because they certainly know one of his memorable riffs by heart (“All Right Now”).  Paul Rodgers, who went on to front one of the big bands of the ‘70s in Bad Company, is in his element with Free.  Drummer, Simon Kirke, ended up in Bad Company with Rodgers, while bassist, Andy Fraser did work here and there.  All were consummate bluesmen that made Free unique!

Eagle Vision’s reissued 2DVD set, Free Forever, is a gathered together set of various video recordings including sets from The Beat Club in Germany, circa 1970, and five songs from TV performances.  Rounding out Disc One are five original videos of cult favorite Free tracks that include the well-known “All Right Now.”  To complete this Free collection of video are interviews, The Freelist (a cool collection of various Free appearances such as Top of the Pops, an interesting audio-free video footage of the band at Ealing College coupled in the short but warm Simon Kossoff film, and several post-Free Andy Fraser videos), and insightful current interviews with the remaining members.

The second DVD is a collection of audio and video content from their Isle of Wight performance in 1970.  The fully immersive selections include the full audio feed of the show with stills of all kinds to visually entertain you in a rather unique presentation.  It’s followed by a “New” three-song (“Be My Friend,” “Mr Big,” “All Right Now”) edit cut of multi-paneled shots (from the Isle of Wight show), raw black/white, and color edits from camera tapes, and more interviews.

The sound is available in both Stereo and a great-sounding new DTS 5.1 mix.  There is an included fold-out that features a vintage Free poster on one side, and a David Clayton essay on the other side along with photos and memorabilia shots.  The bonus in this complete set is a two-sided Paul Rodgers letter written (in 2006) to Paul Kossoff (who died in 1976).  It is a warm and heartfelt letter as only could be written by someone closely associated with Koss, as he was known.

If you’re a fan of Free, then this set is essential.  With its assembly of known video footage, and a pieced together Isle of Wight concert, along with its various TV spots, interviews, and video montages that let’s us see the band on a more personal level, Free Forever is now a respected set that helps to round out my Rock Tree collection of Free, Back Street Crawler, Crawler, and Bad Company (amongst other bands).  On a personal level, I was drunk with the video footage of Paul Kossoff, who had long been a guitar hero of mine.  Before this title, I saw little.

Free Forever feels rough.  Audio and video quality varies depending on the state of the media for each selection.  But Free Forever wonderfully delivers serious Free material that should cause joy to flow through a fan’s heart.  Whatever you do, if you’re a serious fan, don’t miss this availability.

I miss Koss; I miss what he might have become.  But most importantly, I miss Free because of the music they played.  Free Forever helps to alleviate a little of that loss by bringing them back to me, even if for just a little while.