Kossoff was brilliant in staying within the song- nothing flashy but tasty as hell. The first Free album is my favorite-- it was produced by Guy Stevens (who later went on to produce the Clash for whatever that is worth) for Chris Blackwell at Island. It is not a very produced sounding record- they just let it rip. Which is what blues (even British electric blues) should be. I think Mr. Blackwell took over production of their second album because he wanted a more polished product. (Blackwell had great ears and an affinity for interesting music).
An early UK copy -- doesn’t have to be a first which fetches some money-- of Tons of Sobs-- gives you that band at its unvarnished best in my estimation.
Apparently, Ronnie Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s singer, was hugely influenced by Free when he heard them back in the day with Stevie Winwood. Love Kossoff. And Rory G.