With the "tremendous" acclaim of Fire and Water at their backs, in the words of AllMusic, Free headlined the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival with an estimated audience of 600,000 to 700,000 attendees and "appeared destined for superstardom".

17 in the U.S.[citation needed] The album spawned the band's signature hit song "All Right Now", praised by publications such as AllMusic as a hard rock "smash powered by [Paul] Rodgers' gritty, visceral vocals".

Free came into being once the duo joined up with drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Andy Fraser, the latter formerly from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

The group's eponymous 1969 follow-up, while expanding on the band's mix of styles, also failed to achieve commercial success.

Mike Sida devised the album's cover image, with Richard Polak being the band's photographer.