“There is no one else can take your place”

By 1973 Free had reached the end of the road. The departure of bassist/songwriter Andy Fraser and a diminished contribution from troubled guitarist Paul Kossoff was too much for a band that made a virtue of its magical musical chemistry. But their last album Heartbreaker proved the UK rockers could still get it together with the help of bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick. The album’s second track Come Together In The Morning is a great example of Free at their best, with their soulful feel and mastery of heavy emotion still intact. The lyrics are a touch trite but the verses have a wintery melancholy that contrasts wonderfully with the more uplifting, Beatlesque chorus. My favourite part of the song comes at the tail of the chorus where Paul Rodgers sings “see the world the same as me”. Rodgers’ sublime delivery and the aching harmonies makes for a blissful hook that pops into my head regularly and necessitates giving the album another visit. Come Together In The Morning is the sound of a band channelling the sadness of its final days into a beautiful, bittersweet classic.

HMO salutes Tetsu Yamauchi who recently passed away, aged 79.