A year after Paul Kossoff’s death in 1976, the first of what would be two double album compilations of his solo and band work was released. Koss was released on the DJM Records label in 1977 with a double gatefold sleeve full of photos of the guitarist and his former band, Free alongside extracts from a pice written by music journalist Billy Walker for Street Life.

Paul Kossoff ranks as one of the most underrated guitarists of all time. His style of playing was deeply entrenched in the blues influencing many guitarists from Gary Moore to Joe Bonamassa with his unique style and incredible vibrato. Kossoff was the opposite of flash, his solos were nuanced, a perfect backdrop to Paul Rodgers vocals. For a young man he had a remarkably mature style of playing and where it not for his struggles with substance abuse he would surely have achieved greater fame and influence.

Koss is a great starting point for anyone new to his music with tracks from both Free and his album Backstreet Crawler (1973) as well as previously unreleased tracks. Take a track like Time Away from the Backstreet Crawler album to hear the feel in his playing, it is quite beautiful. It is a tragedy what happened to him, his Father, the actor David Kossoff would spend years talking to young people about the dangers of drugs and going on to establish the Paul Kossoff Foundation in his memory.