''Free'' is
Rick Astley
Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, songwriter and radio personality, who has been active in music for several decades. He gained worldwide fame in the 1980s, having multiple hits including his signature song " Ne ...
's third studio album, released on 12 March 1991 by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...
. It was his first album not to be produced by the noted production team of
Stock Aitken Waterman
Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...
. It gave Astley another hit single in the ballad "
Cry for Help", which became a Top 10 in both the UK and US. Further singles "Move Right Out" and "Never Knew Love" were less successful. ''Free'' reached the UK Top 10 and the US Top 40 and marked the end of a successful four-year period for Astley.
Track listing
#"In the Name of Love" - 4:27 (
Michael McDonald)
#"
Cry for Help" - 4:54 (Rick Astley,
Rob Fisher)
#"
Move Right Out" - 3:50 (Rick Astley, Rob Fisher)
#"Be with You" - 4:07 (Rick Astley,
Mark King)
#"Really Got a Problem" - 4:15 (Rick Astley, Mark King)
#"Is This Really Love"† - 3:26 (Rick Astley)
#"This Must Be Heaven" - 4:42 (Nicky Brown, Jeffrey Cohen,
Jon Lind
Jonathan Gus Lind (April 14, 1948 – January 15, 2022), professionally known as Jon Lind, was an American songwriter, performer and A&R Executive
Biography
Lind was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 14, 1948, and raised in New York City. H ...
)
#"
Never Knew Love" - 3:07 (Derek Bordeaux, John Paul)
#"The Bottom Line" - 5:13 (Rick Astley)
#"Some Kinda Love" (Japan bonus track) - 4:30 (Rick Astley)
#"
Wonderful You" - 5:08 (Rick Astley)
#"Behind the Smile" - 4:33 (Rick Astley)
Note
*† Not on LP PL74896
2010 re-issue
On 3 May 2010 an expanded edition of ''Free'' was released in a package containing both newly expanded and remastered editions of ''Free'' and ''Body and Soul''.
# "In the Name of Love" – 4:27
# "
Cry for Help" – 4:54
# "
Move Right Out" – 3:50
# "Be With You" – 4:07
# "Really Got a Problem" – 4:15
# "Is This Really Love" – 3:26
# "This Must Be Heaven" – 4:42
# "
Never Knew Love" – 3:07
# "The Bottom Line" – 5:13
# "Wonderful You" – 5:08
# "Behind the Smile" – 4:33
# "Some Kinda Love" – 4:26
# "So Glad" – 3:23
# "Cry for Help" (Single Edit) – 4:19
# "Move Right Out" (7" Version) – 3:53
# "Never Knew Love" (7" Remix) – 3:08
# "Cry for Help" (12" Version) – 6:27
# "Move Right Out" (Vox/Strings/Piano Version) – 3:35
Personnel
Musicians
* Rick Astley – lead and backing vocals
* Dave West – synthesizers (1-8), drum programming (1, 4, 5, 7, 8), acoustic piano (2, 5, 6, 8),
organ (2, 3, 7),
Fender Rhodes
The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, th ...
(2, 8, 9)
*
Rob Fisher – acoustic piano (3)
* Nichlas Medin – acoustic piano (4, 7, 9)
* Henrik Nilson – organ (4, 9)
*
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
– acoustic piano (10, 11)
* Paul Halberg – guitars (1)
* Hywel Maggs – guitars (2-5, 7, 8)
* Robert Ahwai – guitars (3, 9, 10)
* Gene Black – guitars (6)
*
Lars Danielsson – bass guitar (3, 8)
*
Mark King – bass guitar (4)
*
Neil Stubenhaus
Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.
Career
He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. He studied at the Berklee College of Music where he graduated in 1975. After graduation, he was rec ...
– bass guitar (5)
*
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist.
Biography
Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...
–
double bass
The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
(9, 10)
* Jacob Andersen –
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
percussion (1-3, 5-8)
*
Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Colai ...
– drums (2, 6)
* Per Lindval – drums (3, 9, 10), drum overdubs (4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
*
Anne Dudley
Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genr ...
– string arrangements and conductor (1-3, 8, 10, 11)
*
Jerry Hey
Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's ''Thriller'', ''Rock with You'', ...
– brass arrangements (3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
*
Larry Williams
Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Willia ...
– saxophone (3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
*
Dan Higgins – saxophone solo (5, 8, 10)
*
Bill Reichenbach, Jr. – trombone (3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
* Larry Hall – trumpet (3, 4, 6, 8, 9)
* Kevin Dorsey – backing vocals (1, 8, 10)
*
Michael McDonald – backing vocals (1)
*
Phil Perry – backing vocals (1, 8, 10)
*
The Andraé Crouch Choir – backing vocals (2)
*
Carol Kenyon
Carol Kenyon (sometimes spelt Karol; born 1959) is a British singer. She is best known for her vocals on the Heaven 17 hit song " Temptation", which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1983. When the song was re-released as a remix by ...
– backing vocals (3, 6-9)
* Dee Lewis – backing vocals (3, 5-9)
Production
* Producers – Rick Astley and Gary Stevenson
* Engineers – Gary Stevenson and Henrik Nilson
* Assistant Engineers – Andy Baker, Allan Krohn and Craig Portells.
* Mixing – Ren Swan
* Art Direction – Rick Astley
* Sleeve Design – Mike Orr and the Broughton Design Group.
* Photography – Paul Cox
* Management – Tony Henderson
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
{{Authority control
1991 albums
Rick Astley albums
RCA Records albums