Koss was simply one of the nicest guys I ever met on the London Underground Scene. Whenever I think of him I always think of the big warm grin he gave me when I was backstage at a London Pub gig in around 1970. On stage he was the most powerful guitarist I’d seen. He’d stay quietly in the background doing his thing and then when it came to solo time he’d step forward and transform into this monster guitarist. His feet apart, bent over the guitar, straining with every sinew, hair flayed out like a lion’s mane, then grimacing, head thrown back, eyes tight shut, forcing those notes out with every facial muscle and it was so powerful and perfect it shook you. He was unique. The sound he got out of a guitar was different to anyone else. He was one of the very best.
Not that the rest of the band were slouches. Paul Rodgers vocals were so strong and clear. I used to think that he had the best voice in Rock Music. Andy Fraser, despite his lack of years, was formidable on bass and simon Kirke could handle the kit.
It’s hard to believe from this perspective that they were all such young kids. The sound of that band was something way beyond their years. They were so exceptional.
They started out as a Blues band but almost from the off began writing their own material and developing into a much more Progressive style. They had such power on stage and were so tight. As musicians they just amalgamated into something amazing. The synergy was incredible. This band was so much more than is evident from their few hit singles or even the wealth of their albums. They were one of my favourite live bands.
The first album set the scene with its spectacular cover of Albert Collins ‘The Hunter’, which was a favourite at gigs, and a number of bluesy songs mainly written by Paul Rodgers. The second continued the theme but it was the third ‘Fire and Water’ with the hit single ‘Alright Now’ that propelled them up to the top tier.
The pressures were immense and the drugs took their toll. Paul suffered heart-attacks and was unreliable, so stoned a lot of the time that he could not speak, stand or play. He got kicked out. The band carried on and fell apart.
Koss died on a flight to Los Angeles at the age of twenty five from heart failure brought on by drug abuse.
There’ll never be a guitarist like him or a band like Free.