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FREE
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A SONG ABOUT FREEDOM...AND LEARNING HOW TO LIVE
melodic hard rock classic rock mainstream original rock political rock arena rock the road less traveled songs with a message avalanche hard rock band michael foster will there be tomorrow
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HARD ROCK BAND THAT BLENDS HEAVY BRITISH AND SOUTHERN ROCK styleS. TOUR DATES INCLUDE GIGS WITH AC/DC, DERRINGER, PAT TRAVERS BAND...AND WERE CONSIDERED AS
AVALANCHE is defined by Webster's as: "an unstoppable natural force"...and this all-original rock band certainly seems to fit that definition...overcoming the odds to produce some of the very best original hard rock anywhere! With an unorthodox strategy for success in 1978 (which included 18 months of intense rehearsals, their own record label, $75,000.00 worth of state-of-the-art stage gear, and a record on over a dozen New England radio stations for three months...all before ever playing a live gig) AVALANCHE's debut show was attended by over 3500 people..and the band was immediately playing to sold-out shows and standing room only crowds wherever they appeared. Within a month after their first gig, AVALANCHE was headlining in large club venues, and shortly after that, the band was opening tour dates and sharing concert stages on AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" tour, as well as with DERRINGER, and THE PAT TRAVERS BAND. They were also considered as a tour opener for TOTO's First U.S. Tour. A tight and well rehearsed rock-n-roll machine...this band did whatever was necessary to bring studio-quality hard rock to the live-concert stage...and they did it without the support of a major record label. Now recording again, with all the surviving members of the original lineup...here is the first new AVALANCHE music in over twenty years...as well as some of their old music too, (most of the recordings have never been available before). AVALANCHE continues to defy the odds with their staying power and persistence...and by remaining "unstoppable"...they are here NOW....for you to sample and enjoy! Click here for official Avalanche band website GOLDEN SUN RECORDS
Song Info
Genre
Rock • Rock General
Charts
Peak #122
Peak in subgenre #14
Author
Music and Lyrics: MICHAEL FOSTER
Rights
COPYRIGHT 2005 by Crystal Magic Music (ASCAP)
Uploaded
July 16, 2008
Track Files
MP3
MP3 9.2 MB • 192 kbps • 6:41
Story behind the song
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE RECORDING OF FREE The song FREE was written in December of 1978 by guitarist-vocalist Michael Foster, when AVALANCHE was still in intensive rehearsals to complete the band's goal of having three complete sets of all-original music ready for recording and performance...before ever playing a live gig. Both he and Mark Easton, the band's other very talented guitarist-songwriter-vocalist, were going through an amazingly creative period...when excellent music and lyrics were being cranked out at an almost unbelievable rate. This song came into existence right around the time AVALANCHE went into the recording studio to record the band's first single..." LITTLE MISS SAD EYES"... written by Michael...and (I'm Gonna) "GIVE MY LOVE" ...which was written by Mark. That record was released on January 24,1979, and both songs received extensive radio airplay on thirteen of New England's most prominent hard-rock stations for over twelve weeks...before AVALANCHE's first-ever debut gig in live performance. Avalanche played its first gig in front of over 3500 people at the 4th Annual Eagleville Speedway Music Fest in Mansfield, Connecticut on July 2, 1979. In the previous three years...attendance at that event had never exceeded 500 people. AVALANCHE played sold out shows from that date on...and within two months time they were tapped to be the opening band on selected tour dates on AC/DC's "Highway To Hell" Tour...as well as on tour dates with DERRINGER and THE PAT TRAVERS BAND. Although the original band's performance of FREE was extremely powerful, the band never got the opportunity to record a version of that song before the band broke up in the early months of 1981. This version of FREE was recorded about six months after the band's breakup...as an attempt by Michael to get as many songs from the AVALANCHE repertoire recorded while the arrangements and the energy was still fresh...and relatively intact. That project was a solo album entitled "GOING FOR BROKE." Although Michael tried hard to get all the original members to reconcile their differences for this project...which would have been AVALANCHE's debut album (because prior to that point in time AVALANCHE had only recorded singles for Mainstream Radio)...wounds from the breakup had not yet healed and so none of the original members had the willingness to participate in this album project. All the original members all made significant contributions to all the early AVALANCHE songs (which are unfortunately absent from this solo effort)...but despite that fact...the essence of what AVALANCHE was at that time is clearly apparent on the songs that DID get recorded during these sessions...and FREE is an excellent example. The arrangements and end results are very faithful to what the original band actually sounded like live. Although the session players that recorded the bass and drum tracks could not duplicate the energy and tightness that existed in the original band...(tracks were laid down after only eight hours of rehearsals...as compared to eighteen months of rehearsals and nearly two years of concerts with the original band)...this arrangement is very true to the original version that the band had done when playing live concerts. Nothing was changed, except for the acoustic guitars, which were added in the studio. Those parts were performed on electric guitars when the band performed FREE live...in concert. Since this happened to be one of the songs that Michael had originally played all the guitar solo sections on anyway...the song retains all the essential elements of the original live version...and this track faithfully reproduces the original song in every way. Michael Foster: All Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Vocals. Michael Corsini : Bass Tommy Dion: Drums Music, Lyrics, and Arrangement by: Michael Foster Copyright 1979, 200
Lyrics
FREE Music and Lyrics by: Michael Foster Written: December, 1978. Copyright 1979, 2005 by Crystal Magic Music (ASCAP) 1st Verse I'm leaving in the morning... heading down the road... Wondering where my life is leading...I've got such a heavy load. I don't know where I'm going....or who I'm gonna be... But I hope through all the changes...I'll be able to stay free... ....able to stay free. 2nd Verse You never know when trouble is gonna head your way... Until it's all around you... and you just can't run away. And facing up to problems....is not an easy thing for me... But facing up to life is really learning...learning to be free ... It's learning to be free. BRIDGE Free to live the way I choose...free to sing my song Free to change my point of view.... whether it be right or wrong. Free to live from day to day...free to wonder why. Free to find a better way....free at least to try. At least I'm free to try... JAM TO END.
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Grant S
Dec 27, 2008
Awesome tune guy's!! Smokin solo Mike!! The acoustic break and solo was great.