main ● newly added ● upcoming gigs ● live reviews ● news ●
albums ● 45s ● video ● books ● lyrics ●
galleries ● features ● interviews ● tributes ● memorabilia ● timeline/history ● downloads ●
related artists ● sessions/covers ● links ●
Strawbswebnews ● Facebook ● help ● search site ● book Strawbs ●


©
Dick Greener
click logo or select item
to close menu

menu


©
Dick Greener

click logo to open menu


HUDSON FORD - FREE SPIRIT, 1974

tracks | versions
cover shot

For large scans of the images, click on the images: you may need to use the zoom feature in your browser to see the full image

Back to main Hudson Ford albums page
Back to main Hudson Ford page
Back to main Related Bands page



Tracks

  1. Take A Little Word (Hudson/Ford)
  2. Free Spirit (Hudson/Ford)
  3. Mother Mild (Hudson/Ford)
  4. I Don't Want To Be A Star (Hudson/Ford)

  5. Silent Star (Hudson/Ford)
  6. Such A Day (Hudson/Ford)
  7. How Many Times (Hudson/Ford)
  8. Floating In The Wind (Hudson/Ford)

Versions

UK vinyl
  • UK
  • UK test pressing 1 (*)
  • UK test pressing 2
  • US vinyl
  • US release
  • US promo releases
  • Canada vinyl
  • Canadian promo
  • Canadian release
  • Canadian reissue
  • Europe vinyl
  • German release
  • Spanish release
  • Asia Pacific vinyl
  • Australian release
  • Other vinyl
  • Venezuelan release
  • Cassette and 8-track
  • UK cassette
  • UK 8-track tape
  • CD
  • UK CD release (as part of The A&M Years 3CD boxed set, 2017 - with additional bonus tracks)
  • Spanish bootleg CD release, 2009
  • Big Pink (query bootleg) Korea CD release 2015
  • Vivid/Big Pink (query bootleg) Japanese CD release 2016?

  • UK VINYL

    UK release

    Vinyl album: AMLH 68274 (A&M, UK, 1974). Stylish (and expensive!) single sleeve, Designed by John Kosh. with rounded corners (apart from the top right) to simulate a petrol can ("gas can" for US readers!) - this would have been quite expensive as the covers, once folded, would need to be cut to get everything in line. Most other releases didn't bother with this refinement - only one I'm aware of is the German release below.

    On the UK release only, the Hudson Ford logo and the album title are embossed text (ie the text stands out from the sleeve). The handle of the petrol can has been impressed so that it looks sunk into the card, increasing the impression of a handle. Back cover has band pic, also sunk, with Hud and John at the front. Mickey, Ken and Chris behind, standing round a suitably impressive Ford car,. No embossing/impressing on other releases so far as I am aware.

    Silver labels and, sadly, no lyrics inner sleeve or insert.

    Front and back of sleeve

    Labels

    Silver labels and, sadly, no lyrics inner sleeve or insert.



    UK test pressing (*)

    Vinyl white label test pressing (1974). Spotted online. Handwritten labels, hand-designed sleeve. Interesting to note that the handwritten track titles are not as eventually released:

  • Side 1 track 1: "Say A Little Word" rather than "Take A Little Word"
  • Side 1 track 3: "Mother" rather than "Mother Mild"
  • Side 2 track 1: "Gone Gone Gone" rather than "Silver Star"



  • UK test pressing

    Vinyl white label test pressing (1974). Handwritten labels and sleeve. Although someone has started to write side 2 tracks on side 1, otherwise the track names are correct.




    US VINYL

    US releases

    Vinyl album: SP 3652 (A&M, US, 1974). No rounding on the sleeve. Silver labels.

    Label



    US promo releases

    Vinyl album: SP 3652 (A&M, US, 1974). White label promo release. Cover does not have rounded corners though the design is the same. US address back cover bottom right. A&M logo in the middle of the petrol can under the album title with the US catalogue number below it. Promo stickers on some pressings.

    Monarch pressing promo ??? (*)

    Whilst there are two variants from Columbia's Santa Maria pressing plant, no sign of a Monarch pressed promo copy - was there one?

    Pitman promo labels


    Columbia, Santa Maria) promo - sticker and labels



    Columbia (Santa Maria) variant pressing - sticker and labels




    CANADA VINYL

    Canada promo

    Vinyl album: SP 3652 (A&M, Canada, 1973).



    Canada release

    Vinyl album: SP 3652 (A&M, Canada). Same unrounded sleeve as US except Canada manufacturing at bottom of back cover and the words "Super Jac" at bottom left (no idea ....). Came with light blue A&M Canada inner sleeve, with Milner Avenue address. The sleeve itself though was made in England.

    Labels



    Canada reissue

    Vinyl album: SP 3652 (A&M, Canada). Same unrounded sleeve, without embossing, as US except Canada manufacturing at bottom of back cover. Warden Avenue, Scarborough, Ont. address.

    Labels



    EUROPE VINYL

    German release

    Vinyl album: A&M 88 332 IT (A&M Germany, 1974).. Back cover same as UK - including three rounded corners) except for German catalogue number, bottom right and "Printed in Western Germany etc." at the bottom. No embossing/impressing (see UK release above). Silver labels.

    Labels



    Spanish release

    Vinyl album: A&M 88332-I (A&M Spain, 1974).. Cover has rounded corners (except top right) but is not embossed like UK release. Spanish details at bottom centre of back cover, with Spanish cat no top right. Otherwise same as UK. Silver labels, no translated song titles on this one.

    Labels



    ASIA PACIFIC VINYL

    Australian release

    Vinyl album: L 35368 (cover), L-35,368 (labels) A&M/Festival, 1974?). Sleeve also modelled on US sleeve (no rounded corners, embossing etc.) Australian catalogue number at top right of back cover and Australian Festival details at the bottom middle.

    Labels



    OTHER VINYL

    Venezuelan release (Espiritu Libre)

    Vinyl album: LPS 88409 (cover), LPS-88.409 (labels) (El Palacio De La Música S.A. Venezuela, 1975). Sleeve modelled on US sleeve (no rounded corners, embossing etc.) On the front above the A&M logo is the catalogue number, overprinted off-centre. On the back, a little El Palacio de la Musica logo on the left, and the catalogue number to the right under the US address. Came with a transparent plastic "half moon" protective sleeve.

    The song titles have not been translated for the cover, but they have for the silver labels:

    1. Toma Una Pequera Palabra (Take A Little Word)
    2. Espiritu Libre (Free Spirit)
    3. Dulce Madres (Mothermild)
    4. No Quiero Ser Una Estrella (I Don't Want To Be A Star)

    5. Estrella Silenciosa (Silent Star)
    6. Ique Diai (Such A Day)
    7. Cuantas Veces (How Many Times)
    8. Flotando En El Viente (Floating In The Wind)

    Labels



    CASSETTE & 8-TRACK

    UK release

    Cassette: CAM 68274 (A&M, UK, 1973). By this time Precision Tapes had stopped naufacturing A&M cassettes, so this would have been the first cassette release (there would have been no "ZCAM" release). Inner has printed copyright warning and "A&M Records Ltd."

    Running order is same as UK LP.

    Cover

    Cassette labels



    UK 8-track release

    8-track: Y8AM 68274 (A&M, UK, 1974). Label pasted round both cartridge itself and outer box. Running order as for LP side 1 on Programmes A & B, then some adjustment of side 2 running order.

    Cartridge labels and heads of cartridge and box


    Box

    Running order

    Program A
    Take A Little Word
    Free Spirit

    Programme B
    Mothermild
    I Don't Want To Be A Star
    Programme C
    Such A Day
    Silent Star (part 1)

    Programme D
    Silent Star (part 2)
    How Many Time
    Floating In The Wind


    CD

    UK release

    Free Spirit is now available on CD as a legitimate release as part of Hudson Ford - The A&M Years boxed set, released May 2017, wth bonus tracks and excellent packaging..

    Box

    cover shot back cover

    Back of card sleeve and CD



    Spanish bootleg CD release

    CD bootleg: RDI 33053 (RDI, Spain, 2009).. Bootleg release, no bonus tracks. All four Hudson Ford releases came out as unauthorised bootleg CDs, produced in Spain by Retrodisk International. Packaging designed to match closely the original releases, insert is minimal, the outer modelled on front and back covers of original UK LP releases, with a standard biography in the centre. The CDs themselves are ugly and metallic.

    Please do not buy these bootleg releases - the A&M albums are now available as a legitimate release as part of Hudson Ford - The A&M Years boxed set, released May 2017, wth bonus tracks and superior packaging.

    Insert, inner and outer


    Tray outer and inner

    CD



    Big Pink (query bootleg) CD release

    CD: Big Link 411 (Big Pink, Korea, 2015)..

    Facsimile release from Korea. Outer sleeve matches UK release, comes with an Obi, which is got up to look transparent over the gas can sleeve (the "H" of "Hudson Ford" is picked out at the edge of the Obi). Inside, the very plainly designed CD has a paper inner sleeve like an old fashioned 33 rpm LP (nice touch: it quotes playing speed as 200-500 rpm). Also included is a 2-sided lyric sheet and a 1-sided set of Korean sleeve notes.

    It is not clear whether this release is authorised.

    Obi, CD and inner sleeve

    Insert



    Big Pink (query bootleg) Japanese CD release

    CD: VSCD 5660 Big Pink 411 (Vivid/Big Pink, Japan, 2016).. All three A&M albums were released on CD by Big Pink in Japan with the same packaging (CD, inner sleeve and sleeve are identical) but different obis and an additional Japanese language insert (2xCD size, b/w, reverse blank) with sleeve notes by Masaru Konishi (dated March 2016 - I think).

    Obi and insert



    Back to main Hudson Ford albums page
    Back to main Hudson Ford page
    Back to main Related Bands page



    Main; Newly Added; Upcoming gigs; Live; News; Albums; 45s; Video; Books; Lyrics; Gallery Features; Interviews; Tributes; Memorabilia; Timeline/History;
    Downloads; Related bands etc.; Sessions and cover versions; Links; get Strawbswebnews; Facebook Help Search site book Strawbs;

    Site © Copyright

    Please enable Javascript to view Strawbsweb

    - click on my name to e-mail me.