BBC Review
As anyone with an appreciation of Free and Bad Company is sure to possess these songs already – both acts have already seen their material compiled into best-of collections – thoughts turn immediately to who is going to pick up songs like All Right Now, Feel Like Makin’ Love and Can’t Get Enough in 2010. The answer, surely, has to be those few who are new to Paul Rodgers through his recent association with Queen – a pretty narrow target demographic. That, or gentlemen of an age who want a single disc featuring their favourites for forthcoming summer holiday car journeys, but who haven’t yet perfected the practice of creating self-selected best-ofs through iTunes.

The above said, The Very Best of… does make for a succinct summarisation of Rodgers’ career ‘til his excursions alongside Brian May and cohorts, although a more complete selection should factor in at least a track from The Cosmos Rocks – and that’s before one considers his various solo albums and work with Jimmy Page in The Firm. So, actually, it doesn’t represent much of an all-bases-covered nostalgia trip at all, which renders Rodgers’ statement on Amazon, that “This collection captures the essence of my music career over the last 40 years”, rather inaccurate. Assuming he’s not writing off his many other achievements, that is. (News just in: an iTunes deluxe edition will feature solo material and tracks by The Firm.)

But despite successes elsewhere, it is for these two bands that Rodgers will always be most fondly remembered. Free was his first songwriting vehicle, and from the blues-rockers we have seven tracks, one fewer than the number selected from the Bad Company catalogue. That’s not to imply that Free were the lesser band, but they took longer to hit their commercial stride, the supergroup structure of the later act guaranteeing instant quality control with their eponymous 1974 debut. Free’s first LP, 1968’s Tons of Sobs, is represented by The Hunter; it’s the most blues-structured number on this set, rampant of lick and pleasantly hoary of vocal, drawn from the one album where Free adhered to the common motifs of the genre. Their greatest hit (surely!), All Right Now, was released in 1970, closing their third album Fire and Water (its excellent title-track is included). Suitably, it’s the final track here, too – given its enduring popularity, what could follow it?

An attractive but predictable-enough spread, this disc might offer nothing new, but as a one-stop introduction for a smattering of newcomers it performs its task perfectly.

--Mike Diver

Product Description
Celebrating Paul Rodgers' career spanning four decades, The Very Best Of Free & Bad Company featuring Paul Rodgers album collects 15 of the very best of his catalogue as a songwriter and recording artist including his chart-topping works in Free and Bad Company.

"This collection captures the essence of my music career over the last forty years," said Rodgers. "I hope that it serves as thanks to all our fans for their incredible support."

1. Can't Get Enough - Bad Company
2. Rock Steady - Bad Company
3. Feel Like Makin' Love - Bad Company
4. Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy - Bad Company
5. Ready For Love - Bad Company
6. Run With The Pack - Bad Company
7. Seagull - Bad Company
8. Shooting Star - Bad Company
9. My Brother Jake - Free
10. Wishing Well - Free
11. Be My Friend - Free
12. The Hunter - Free
13. Little Bit Of Love - Free
14. Fire And Water - Free
15. All Right Now - Free

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035H3NNQ/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0035H3NNQ/?tag=imwan-21

Paul Rodgers was in Bad Company and Free??

yep, he is the voice of the classic "All Right Now".

This collection looks really unnecessary considering it has only 15 tracks for 2 bands!

I thought he was only in Queen.

No, that was after he left "Foreigner."

At least they left Queen off the comp.

It'll be on next year's comp.

I never heard him with Queen, but it just seems so........................ wrong.

Seriously would anyone be interested in any Free song not titled "All Right Now"

A wasted opportunity to couple that song with a needed more comprehensive single disc Bad Co. collection.

Both Paul Rogers and Simon Kirke (drums) left Free (due to friction caused by drug problems in the band) to form Bad Company, along with Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. They signed with Led Zeppelin's newly formed Swan Song and were managed by Peter Grant.

I have almost every Free album. I like them better than Bad Company.

My GOODNESS, JoeP. Please do your ears a favor and dig past the overly-saturated, dusty FM relic "All Right Now" and get some Free! The young Paul Rodgers is even more dynamic than the smokier Paul of later years.

This comp must be designed for the most casual of listeners. Both Free and Bad Company are groups whose entire catalogs need to be in your library. No compilation could ever do either band justice.

What's a really good Free album? I have a comp, but have never delved into the catalog as such.

The best is the expanded "Free Live". There were no bad Free albums (I agree that they were better than Bad Co). Fire & Water is another good place to start. Get the expanded, remastered UK cd's, not the old USA releases.

Here's the expanded Free Live new for 4 pounds INCLUDING VAT, so the price will actually be lower for us Americans:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00005Y46O/?tag=imwan-21

You can also get the 2 cd Free @ the BBC at bargain pricing on Amazon UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000H5UKFI/?tag=imwan-21

ALL Free albums are stunning, but the best are probably Free (their 2nd album), Fire And Water and Heartbreaker. The 2CD comp Chronicles from Island/Universal came around 2005 and is excellent. All the albums were remastered w/ loads of bonus tracks.
The combo of Paul Kossoff's otherworldly vibrato and playing, Rodgers' soulful vocals, Andy Fraser's incredible bottom end on bass (and check out his solo on "Mr. Big"-yes that's where that band took their name from) and Simon Kirke's solid drumming was unbeatable. Later on, Rabbit Bundrick (later of The Who) joined on keyboards and became a significant force and Testu Yamauchi of Faces fame played bass.
Also of note, Rodgers did lead guitar on half of Heartbreaker since Kossoff was so wasted and was fantastic.
This comp here is useless however!

Sigh. Most comps are for casual listeners and most listeners are not familiar with Free beyond All Right Now. My comments are based on the market for a comp, not my own interests. People on sites like this one and Hoffman seem to think that they often the target for comps by labels and often it's far from true.

I'd go with Fire and Water. I have all the FREE albums, but I do prefer Bad Co.

The first 3 are essential as is the live cd.

I'd also say the Free box set's essential[it has an unrelreased version of the live cd].

Yeah, I have that import boxset. Some of the best remastering I ever heard for a boxset.

Rick A.

I agree, but it's oop & sells for a fortune.