Submitted by UAR-mwfree on Aug 11
Peter Frampton photo

 

Frampton Comes Alive! album cover

 

Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive! (1976):  Peter Frampton is a fine British guitarist who was in many different bands during the 1960’s and into the 1970’s, at one point earning the title “The Face of 1968”.  For instance, he co-founded Humble Pie in 1969 with Steve Marriott, who had been the frontman for Small Faces, though he left Humble Pie in 1971 over creative differences.  Peter Frampton was also becoming known as a top session guitarist, performing on the triple-album All Things Must Pass that George Harrison released in 1970 after the Beatles broke up; and on Son of Schmilsson, the 1972 follow-up to Harry Nilsson’s hit album Nilsson Schmilsson (1971).  Though hits were scarce, Peter Frampton toured constantly and had an impressive catalogue of songs by the time his breakthrough album came along in 1974, simply called Frampton.  Many hard rock bands and artists were able to raise their profile in the 1970’s by releasing live albums, but not even KISS’s masterful live LP Alive! (1975) had the kind of impact on the musical landscape as the double-album Frampton Comes Alive!, particularly on FM rock radio.  Certainly at the time, and perhaps even currently, Frampton Comes Alive! was the largest selling concert album of all time.  Three Top 15 singles were released from this album:  “Show Me the Way”, “Baby, I Love Your Way”, and “Do You Feel Like We Do”.  The latter song is perhaps the best known of these, since it features the use of a voice box where vocals are given the sound of an electric guitar.  Despite how gimmicky that might sound on paper, the effects have held up over the years.  As might be expected, following up Frampton Comes Alive! was nearly impossible; but Peter Frampton seems quite satisfied having a lower profile in the years since, where he has still transcended merely being a nostalgia act.  For instance, Peter Frampton performed on the Glass Spider Tour that David Bowie embarked upon in 1987.