This was the title track of Fire and Water. The album proved to be Free's breakthrough record, reaching #2 in the UK charts and #17 in the US. It helped secure them a place at the huge Isle of Wight Festival where they played to 600,000 people.
Wilson Pickett recorded a cover of this song in 1971 that reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Vocalist Paul Rodgers told Uncut magazine that was exactly his intention. He explained that he wanted to, "write something that one of those soul guys could sing. I didn't think they actually would! In those days I held them as if they lived in Paradise and I would never get to be in touch with them."
Ace Frehley recorded a version for his 2016 solo covers album Origins Vol. 1. His interpretation featured Paul Stanley, marking the first time the Kiss co-founders had appeared on an original record together since the band's 1998 set, Psycho Circus. Frehley told Rolling Stone about his team-up with Stanley. "I thought Paul did a fabulous vocal on it," he said. "He jumped at the chance to do this because it's something that's outside of Kiss and his character in Kiss and it gave him a chance to, y'know, sing. With Paul, you usually think of him singing in a slightly higher register and on 'Fire And Water', he's singing deep from his diaphragm, and it's a real cool vocal. Everyone's who heard it was just thinks it's the s--t."
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