Free Ride (song)

Common card · No. 224759

"Free Ride" is a song written by Dan Hartman and performed by the Edgar Winter Group from their 1972 album They Only Come Out at Night, produced by Rick Derringer. The single was a top-15 U.S. hit in 1973, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 10 on Cash Box. In Canada, it peaked at number eight. There appears to be two separate versions of the song. The album version, released in November 1972, where Ronnie Montrose is listed as lead guitar, clocks in at 3:08. According to drummer Chuck Ruff, “Ronnie Montrose left the band because he and Steve Paul (their manager) did not get along at all. They were gonna call a big meeting and fire him. I told Ronnie, so before they could do that he quit.”  Many have noted that the 3:05‑long single released in August 1973 sounds different, with a mid‑song guitar solo of a different tone.  Ruff later stated, “We actually did re‑record ‘Free Ride’ two or three times with Rick Derringer and Jerry Weems.”

Read on Wikipedia