If
Fleetwood Mac,
Humble Pie, and
Foghat had never formed,
Free would be considered one of the greatest post-
Beatles blues-rock bands, and
Fire and Water shows why. Conceptually fresh, with a great, roots-oriented,
Band-like feel, the album found
Free distinguishing itself with the public like
Black Sabbath and
Deep Purple did (in terms of impact only) in 1970.
Free presented itself to the world as a complete band, in every sense of the word. From
Paul Kossoff's exquisite and tasteful guitar work to
Paul Rodgers' soulful vocals, this was a group that was easily worthy of the mantle worn by
Cream,
Blind Faith, or
Derek & the Dominos. ~ Matthew Greenwald