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Peter Frampton was one of the biggest arena rock stars of the '70s, making his name
largely on the double-LP concert set Frampton Comes Alive. Frampton was one of several
'70s rock artists (Kiss, Cheap Trick, etc.) to break through to a wide audience with a
live album; much like the others, he'd recorded several previous albums and built a
following through extensive touring, in the process honing an exciting concert presence.
That helped Frampton Comes Alive become the best-selling live album of all time (up to
that point), with eventual sales of over six million units in the U.S. and over 16 million
copies worldwide. Frampton had paid nearly a decade's worth of dues before reaching
superstardom, and unfortunately for him, it proved to be short-lived - bad luck and a
failure to duplicate the phenomenon of Frampton Comes Alive conspired to halt his career
momentum.
Peter Frampton was born April 22, 1950, in the town of Beckenham in Kent. He started
playing guitar at age eight, and took several years of classical lessons. In his early
teens, he played with rock & roll combos like the Little Ravens, the Trubeats, and the
Preachers, the latter of which were managed by the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman and appeared
on the TV show Ready, Steady, Go. In 1966, Frampton dropped out of school to join the
mod-pop group the Herd, where he got his first taste of success. The Herd scored several
British hits over 1967-1968, and Frampton's youthful good looks made him a teen idol,
earning him the tag the "Face of 1968" from the music press. In 1969, Frampton
left the Herd to form the harder-rocking Humble Pie with erstwhile Small Faces frontman
Steve Marriott. Although Humble Pie was poised for a breakthrough after two years of
touring, Frampton departed in 1971 over differences in musical direction, and decided to
start a solo career.
Having already performed on George Harrison's landmark All Things Must Pass, Frampton
contributed guitar work to Nilsson's Son of Schmilsson, and released his debut solo album,
Wind of Change, in 1972. Despite help from the likes of Ringo Starr and Billy Preston, it
failed to make much of an impact. Frampton next formed an official backing band dubbed
Frampton's Camel, which included keyboardist Mickey Gallagher (Cochise), bassist Rick
Wills (Bell & Arc), and drummer Mike Kellie (Spooky Tooth). Their 1973 album,
Frampton's Camel, also sold disappointingly, but Frampton began to build a following
through near-constant touring over the next few years. He broke up Frampton's Camel prior
to the release of his next album, 1974's Something's Happening. The title would prove
prophetic: The follow-up, Frampton, became his first hit LP in America, climbing into the
Top 40 in 1975 and going gold.
By this point, Frampton had amassed a considerable catalog of underexposed songs, the
best of which were tightly constructed and laden with hooks. He'd also developed into a
top concert draw, since he was able to inject those songs with an energy that was
sometimes missing from his studio outings. Plus, in concert, he often expanded the songs
into vehicles for his economical, tasteful guitar playing, and his pioneering use of the
talk-box guitar effect became a trademark part of his performances. All those elements
came together on Frampton Comes Alive, a double-LP set recorded at San Francisco's
Winterland in 1975. The album was a surprise smash, rocketing to the top of the charts
(where it stayed for ten weeks) and selling over 16 million copies worldwide to become the
most popular live album yet released. It stayed on the charts for nearly two years, and
spawned Frampton's first three hit singles: "Baby, I Love Your Way" and the Top
Tens "Do You Feel Like We Do" and "Show Me the Way." Naturally, his
supporting tour was a multimillion-dollar blockbuster as well. When the dust settled,
Frampton was a star, and Rolling Stone named him its Artist of the Year. Frampton Comes
Alive is no longer the top-selling live album of all time; that honor goes to Garth
Brooks' 16-times platinum Double Live set. The category of best-selling live rock album is
more debatable. Bruce Springsteen's five-LP/triple-CD box set Live 1975-1985 has been
certified for sales of 13 million units, as opposed to six million for Frampton Comes
Alive. However, since the RIAA counts "units" rather than the number of actual
copies sold (i.e., one double-disc set equals two units), it's harder to determine who
holds the edge in raw sales over time.
Under pressure from A&M to deliver a quick follow-up, Frampton fought his better
judgment and went back to the studio, instead of taking a break to rest and let his
success sink in. The result was I'm in You, which rose to the number two spot on the album
charts soon after its release in 1977. Its title track did the same on the singles charts,
giving Frampton the biggest hit of his career. In the wake of the Frampton Comes Alive
phenomenon, it was perhaps inevitable that many fans would regard I'm in You as a
disappointment; even if it sold over three million copies, its hasty writing process
showed through in spots. Unfortunately, 1978 was a disastrous year for Frampton. He made a
high-profile acting debut playing Billy Shears in the big-budget film version of Sgt.
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a tremendous critical and commercial flop. In June, he
was involved in a near-fatal car accident in the Bahamas, sustaining a concussion,
multiple broken bones, and muscle damage; to make matters worse, he and his longtime
girlfriend also ended their relationship. Frampton recovered fully from his accident, only
to endure a brief slide into drug abuse. His 1979 album Where I Should Be only went gold,
and its biggest hit was the Top 20 "I Can't Stand It No More" - respectable, but
nonetheless a startling drop-off from the success Frampton had just recently enjoyed.
Frampton seemed increasingly directionless as the '80s dawned. He cut his hair prior
to the release of 1981's Breaking All the Rules, but the new image failed to send it
higher than the lower reaches of the Top 50. The following year's The Art of Control was
an unequivocal flop, and Frampton retreated from the music business for several years. He
returned on Virgin in 1986 with Premonition, and though it wasn't a smash hit, he did get
substantial rock radio airplay for the cut "Lying." The following year, Frampton
played on onetime schoolmate David Bowie's Never Let Me Down album and accompanying tour.
He recorded another new album, When All the Pieces Fit, for Atlantic in 1989, and had been
planning a reunion with Steve Marriott not long before Marriott's tragic death in a 1991
house fire. Frampton subsequently started touring again, and cut an eponymous album for
Relativity in 1994 that was later reissued by Sony Legacy. The following year, he issued
the newly recorded live album, Frampton Comes Alive II, on IRS. During the late '90s, he
recorded and toured with Bill Wyman & the Rhythm Kings and Ringo Starr's All-Starr
Band. Frampton's first DVD, Live in Detroit, a newly recorded concert that was also issued
on CD by CMC International, was released in 2000.
Wind Of Change - 1972
Peter Frampton's solo debut after leaving Humble Pie (as they stood on the brink of
stardom) spotlights Frampton's well-crafted, though lyrically lightweight, songwriting and
his fine guitar playing. The songs on Wind of Change are built primarily around acoustic
guitar foundations, but "It's a Plain Shame" and "All I Want to Be (Is by
Your Side)" sound like they could have been lifted off Humble Pie's Rock On. The
sound is crisp, the melodies catchy, and Frampton's distinctive, elliptical Gibson Les
Paul guitar leads soar throughout. A comparison between this album and Humble Pie's
post-Frampton turn to generic boogie-rock shows why Frampton left that group. Although
Humble Pie's Smokin' was much more successful, hitting the Top Ten in the spring of 1972,
Wind of Change was far superior musically. With its mix of ballads and upbeat numbers with
just enough of a rock edge, Wind of Change showed Frampton at his creative peak. The band
here includes Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and Klaus Voorman. - Jim Newsom
01 - (3:37) Fig Tree Bay
02 - (3:06) Wind Of Change
03 - (2:57) Lady Lieright
04 - (5:21) Jumpin' Jack Flash
05 - (3:15) It's A Plain Shame
06 - (3:55) Oh For Another Day
07 - (6:38) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
08 - (5:46) The Lodger
09 - (4:32) Hard
10 - (4:27) Alright
Frampton's Camel - 1973
Named after Frampton's touring band at the time, Frampton's Camel has a harder-rocking
feel than its predecessor Wind of Change, with Mick Gallagher's percussive electric piano
and organ taking a prominent position in the mix and Frampton getting a harder sound from
his electric guitars (though his acoustic playing is so lush and lyrical that it dominates
the album here and there in its quiet way). The sound on this recording lays out the
formula that Frampton would take to mega-success three years later with the release of
Frampton Comes Alive. The songs are all first-rate or close to it - included here is the
original studio version of the group composition "Do You Feel Like We Do," a
quicker-tempo, extended (albeit less majestic) version of which appeared on the latter
album and became a staple of classic-rock radio, but the Frampton-composed "I Got My
Eyes on You" and "Don't Fade Away" and the Frampton-Gallagher "All
Night Long" are also compelling examples of '70s hard rock at its commercial best.
This album also includes a nice cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Believe (When I Fall in
Love With You It Will Be Forever)," the power ballad "Lines on My Face,"
the rollicking "White Sugar," and Frampton's gorgeously lyrical, all acoustic
"Just the Time of the Year." As on Wind of Change, Frampton's use of dynamics
and mix of acoustic and electric guitars keeps the music from becoming one-dimensional.
The October 2000 CD reissue, remastered in state-of-the-art sound, adds an even more
expansive feel to this album and enhances its melodic richness. - Jim Newsom & Bruce
Eder
1 - (4:31) I Got My Eyes On You
2 - (3:21) All Night Long
3 - (4:52) Lines On My Face
4 - (3:34) Which Way The Wind Blows
5 - (4:11) I Believe (When I Fall In Love With You It Will Be Forever)
6 - (3:38) White Sugar
7 - (4:41) Don't Fade Away
8 - (4:00) Just The Time Of Year
9 - (6:46) Do You Feel Like We Do
Somethin's Happening - 1974
Peter Frampton's third album in as many years is much weaker than its predecessors,
beginning with the lyrics, which sound forced on most of the songs. The production also
lacks the crispness of his earlier releases, or their clarity; where Wind of Change had an
airy feel because of the prominence of acoustic guitars, and Frampton's Camel had a
percussive electric piano drive, Somethin's Happening originally sounded more like mud,
with a clutter of electric guitars attempting to make up for lack of originality. The
October 2000 remastered CD edition does alleviate a multitude of the original's sonic
sins, however: Neither "I Wanna Go to the Sun" nor "Magic Moon" are
among Frampton's most inspired songs, but the soaring guitars that highlight both now
sound like they're practically in your lap, and one can also appreciate the quieter,
subtler, more lyrical sounds of "Waterfall" and "Sail Away" and the
elegant piano contribution of Nicky Hopkins behind Frampton's acoustic and electric
playing, respectively. At this point, Frampton was touring constantly, following manager
Dee Anthony's belief that a reputation for exciting live performances would lead to
increased record sales. This strategy ultimately proved successful two years later when
Frampton Comes Alive was released, but it also undoubtedly contributed to the decreasing
quality of Frampton's original material. - Jim Newsom & Bruce Eder
1 - (4:05) Doobie Wah
2 - (5:32) Golden Goose
3 - (3:40) Underhand
4 - (7:31) I Wanna Go To The Sun
5 - (4:48) Somethin's Happening
6 - (6:02) Waterfall
7 - (3:51) Magic Moon
8 - (7:35) Sail Away
Frampton - 1974
Frampton exited Humble Pie because that group fell into a loud, hard rock groove that
overwhelmed the technical skills he'd spent years working on as a guitarist; he poured a
lot of that into this highly melodic mid-tempo rock album. In the days before it saturated
the airwaves in the version from Frampton Comes Alive, "Show Me the Way" was
just a nice, very pleasant love song that benefited from a mix of acoustic and electric
guitar textures spun out over a great beat and some excruciatingly memorable hooks, vocal
and instrumental. It was surrounded by a lot more like it, including "Baby, I Love
Your Way" in its original studio form, "The Crying Clown," "Nowhere's
Too Far (For My Baby)," and most of the rest, although apart from the two hits, the
playing and singing is often better than the songs themselves. This prevents the Frampton
album from being a true classic, but it is one of the better albums from its
all-too-mellow era. - Bruce Eder
01 - (3:56) Day's Dawning
02 - (4:04) Show Me The Way
03 - (3:21) One More Time
04 - (4:06) The Crying Clown
05 - (3:33) Fanfare
06 - (4:21) Nowhere's Too Far (For My Baby)
07 - (5:52) Baby, I Love Your Way
08 - (3:43) Apple Of Your Eye
09 - (1:34) Penny For Your Thoughts
10 - (4:41) I'll Give You Money
Frampton Comes Alive! - 1976
In the '80s and '90s, many artists (especially in R&B and urban contemporary) have
been so reliant on technology that their live shows pale in comparison to their studio
recordings. But in the '70s, the opposite was sometimes true. Compared to Frampton Comes
Alive - the best-selling live album ever - Peter Frampton's studio efforts sound downright
tame. The Humble Pie graduate packed one hell of a punch onstage - where he was obviously
the most comfortable - and in fact, the live versions of "Show Me the Way,"
"Do You Feel Like I Do," "Something's Happening," "Shine
On," and other album-rock staples are much more inspired, confident, and hard-hitting
than the studio versions. Commercially as well as artistically, this package (a two-LP set
that later became a two-CD set) was undeniably Frampton's crowning achievement. Period. -
Alex Henderson
01 - (5:43) Something's Happening [Live]
02 - (5:35) Doobie Wah [Live]
03 - (4:36) Show Me The Way [Live]
04 - (4:20) It's a Plain Shame [Live]
05 - (3:09) All I Want To Be (Is by Your Side) [Live]
06 - (2:46) Wind Of Change [Live]
07 - (4:39) Baby, I Love Your Way [Live]
08 - (7:15) I Wanna Go To The Sun [Live]
09 - (1:22) Penny For Your Thoughts [Live]
10 - (5:37) I'll Give You Money [Live]
11 - (3:36) Shine On [Live]
12 - (7:37) Jumping Jack Flash [Live]
13 - (6:59) Lines On My Face [Live]
14 - (14:21) Do You Feel Like I Do [Live]
I'm In You - 1977
It was almost inevitable that I'm in You would be thought of as a letdown no matter now
good it was. Following up to one of the biggest selling albums of the decade, Peter
Frampton faced a virtually impossible task, made even more difficult by the fact that in
the two years since he'd cut any new material, he had evolved musically away from some of
the sounds on Frampton Comes Alive. The result was mostly a surprisingly laid-back album
steeped in lyricism and craftsmanship, particularly in its use of multiple overdubs even
on the harder rocking numbers. From the opening bars of "I'm in You," dominated
by the sound of the piano (played by Frampton) and an ARP synthesizer-generated string
section, rather than a guitar, it was clear that Frampton was exploring new sides of his
music. Cuts like "Won't You Be My Friend," a piece of white funk that might've
been better at six minutes running time, seemed to be dangerously close to self-indulgence
at eight minutes long. The high points also include the title track, "Don't Have to
Worry," and a killer cover of Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed Delivered (I'm
Yours)"; a couple of solid rock numbers, "Tried to Love" and the crunching
"(I'm A) Roadrunner" also work their way in here to pump up the tension and
excitement. I'm in You was successful on its own terms, and had Frampton recorded it
before the live album, it would probably be very fondly looked back on. As it was, many
listeners were not impressed. The spring 2000 reissue in 20-bit audio recreates the
original album artwork and notes and is the best way to appreciate the multi-layered sound
(and the crunchier rock moments) on this album. - Bruce Eder
1 - (4:11) I'm In You
2 - (3:43) Putting My Heart On The Line
3 - (4:17) St. Thomas (Don't You Know How I Feel)
4 - (8:12) Won't You Be My Friend
5 - (5:18) Don't Have To Worry
6 - (4:29) Tried To Love
7 - (3:26) Rocky's Hot Club
8 - (3:41) Road Runner
9 - (3:55) Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
Where I Should Be - 1979
Frampton's fall from grace has been scrutinized ad nauseam, but notice the abundant use
of "I" on this record as opposed to "you" in his hottest songs:
"Do You Feel Like We Do," "I'll Give You Money," and "I'm in
You." Here, Frampton is focused on self-preservation, rather than just blasting
audiences like the straight rocker he is. The decent title cut begs to be "Back on
the road, where I should be." No doubt, as over the year preceding the album Frampton
suffered a car accident and his celebrity star imploded. The most excellent opener,
"I Can't Stand It No More," lets loose another cry for the simpler days (akin to
Cheap Trick's "Stop This Game"); the single even rose to number 13 on
Billboard's Top 40, the last time Frampton would see the charts. Otherwise this wax
stumbles over some weird disco steps and drags in the talk box for an attempt at former
glory. Frampton has always tried to escape the gilded cage of his looks, first through the
dirty blooze of Humble Pie and then as a low-key average guy whose career unexpectedly hit
the stratosphere. By Where I Should Be, the world wanted too much from Frampton, a rock
guitarist trapped in a teenybopper body. - Doug Stone
01 - (4:16) I Can't Stand It No More
02 - (4:00) Got My Feet Back On The Ground
03 - (4:33) Where I Should Be
04 - (5:17) Everything I Need
05 - (3:41) May I Baby
06 - (3:15) You Don't Know Like I Know
07 - (4:02) She Don't Reply
08 - (5:28) We've Just Begun
09 - (4:16) Take Me by The Hand
10 - (4:23) It's A Sad Affair
Premonition - 1986
1 - (4:55) Stop
2 - (5:01) Hiding From A Heartache
3 - (3:48) You Know So Well
4 - (4:51) Premonition
5 - (4:17) Lying
6 - (5:07) Moving A Mountain
7 - (4:17) All Eyes On You
8 - (4:46) Into View
9 - (5:43) Call Of The Wild
Classics, Vol 12 - 1987
Released as part of A&M's extensive 1987 Classics series, this 13-track collection
may fall short of being definitive, but it's still a good sampler, giving the casual fan
most of the necessary hits - namely, "Show Me the Way," "Baby I Love Your
Way," "I Can't Stand It No More," "I'm In You," and "Do You
Feel Like You." While the songs that surrounding those hits are hit and miss - more
by their selection than their nature - enough of them still click to make this a
worthwhile introduction or sampler. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
01 - (4:37) Show Me The Way
02 - (7:22) I Wanna Go To The Sun
03 - (3:12) It's A Plain Shame
04 - (4:48) Lines On My Face
05 - (4:46) Somethin's Happening
06 - (4:45) Baby, I Love Your Way
07 - (3:43) Putting My Heart On The Line
08 - (4:13) I Can't Stand It No More
09 - (6:22) All I Want To Be Is By Your Side
10 - (4:04) Doobie Wah
11 - (4:35) I'll Give You Money
12 - (4:11) I'm In You
13 - (13:49) Do You Feel Like We Do
When All the Pieces Fit - 1989
01 - (5:33) More Ways Than One
02 - (4:17) Holding On To You
03 - (5:08) My Heart Goes Out To You
04 - (4:18) Hold Tight
05 - (5:29) People All Over The World
06 - (4:18) Back To The Start
07 - (4:57) Mind Over Matter
08 - (4:49) Now And Again
09 - (4:24) Hard Earned Love
10 - (3:55) This Time Around
Shine On: A Collection - 1992
Shine On: A Collection is a double-disc, 30-song set featuring all of Peter Frampton's
best-known songs and biggest hits, plus a couple of rarities and unreleased cuts for
hardcore fans. While the collection is far too thorough for casual listeners, any fan who
wants to dig deeper than Frampton Comes Alive! should start with Shine On, particularly
since most of Frampton's individual older albums have been out of print for years. -
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Disc 1
01 - (3:05) Wind Of Change
02 - (3:13) It's A Plain Shame
03 - (5:19) Jumpin' Jack Flash
04 - (6:33) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
05 - (5:45) The Lodger
06 - (4:28) I Got My Eyes On You
07 - (3:18) All Night Long
08 - (4:52) Lines On My Face
09 - (4:41) Don't Fade Away
10 - (7:28) I Wanna Go To The Sun
11 - (4:46) Somethin's Happening
12 - (4:21) Nowhere's Too Far (For My Baby)
13 - (5:53) Baby, I Love Your Way
14 - (4:07) The Crying Clown
15 - (1:28) Penny For Your Thoughts
16 - (4:38) I'll Give You Money
Disc 2
01 - (4:42) Show Me The Way
02 - (3:43) Shine On
03 - (14:00) Do You Feel Like We Do
04 - (4:13) I'm In You
05 - (3:44) Putting My Heart On The Line
06 - (3:50) Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
07 - (4:16) I Can't Stand It No More
08 - (7:08) Breaking All The Rules
09 - (3:07) Theme From Nivram
10 - (4:15) Lying
11 - (5:32) More Ways Than One
12 - (4:16) Holding On To You
13 - (4:12) The Bigger They Come
14 - (4:30) I Won't Let You Down
Peter Frampton - 1994
Frampton's self-titled 1994 album was originally released on Relativity, and then
reissued in 2000 on Legacy with bonus tracks. Frampton's brand of mainstream rock was
irrelevant in the mid-'90s, but more to the point, it wasn't very good. Although he
sounded upbeat and energetic on this set, the songwriting was just a rehash of vintage AOR
riffs without much inspiration or memorable melody, and the production seemed designed to
get radio airplay rather than enhance the material or any personal expression. The four
bonus tracks were taken from 1994 live Japanese performances (released in Japan in 1999 as
a promo-only CD), including unplugged versions of his perennials "Baby I Love Your
Way" and "Show Me the Way." - Richie Unterberger
01 - (4:28) Day In The Sun
02 - (4:28) You Can Be Sure
03 - (6:25) It All Comes Down To You
04 - (5:09) You
05 - (5:52) Can't Take That Away
06 - (1:40) Young Island
07 - (3:06) Off The Hook
08 - (5:42) Waiting For Your Love
09 - (5:15) So Hard To Believe
10 - (4:26) Out Of The Blue
11 - (4:29) Shelter Through The Night
12 - (6:20) Changing All The Time
Frampton Comes Alive II - 1995
01 - (1:15) Introduction by Jerry Pompili [Live]
02 - (4:55) Day In The Sun [Live]
03 - (5:07) Lying [Live]
04 - (6:10) For Now [Live]
05 - (7:54) Most Of All [Live]
06 - (6:02) You [Live]
07 - (7:31) Waiting For Your Love [Live]
08 - (4:54) I'm In You [Live]
09 - (3:51) Talk To Me [Live]
10 - (3:14) Hang On To A Dream [Live]
11 - (10:24) Can't Take That Away [Live]
12 - (5:32) More Ways Than One [Live]
13 - (5:01) Almost Said Goodbye [Live]
14 - (3:46) Off The Hook [Live]
By compiling all of Peter Frampton's biggest hits - in their hit versions, so
"Show Me the Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way" are from Frampton Comes
Alive, not the studio albums - onto one disc, Greatest Hits functions as the definitive
retrospective on the guitarist. It has a better selection than the single disc Classics,
Vol. 12, and it is more concise and listenable than the double-disc box Shine On: A
Collection, which means it's the only collection that provides an effective, manageable
overview of Frampton. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
01 - (4:41) Show Me The Way
02 - (7:30) I Wanna Go To The Sun
03 - (3:14) It's A Plain Shame
04 - (4:51) Lines On My Face
05 - (4:47) Something's Happening
06 - (4:52) Baby, I Love Your Way
07 - (6:26) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
08 - (3:44) Putting My Heart On The Line
09 - (3:50) Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
10 - (4:17) I Can't Stand It No More
11 - (4:06) Doobie Wah
12 - (4:38) I'll Give You Money
13 - (4:13) I'm In You
14 - (13:58) Do You Feel Like We Do
Very Best Of Peter Frampton - 1998
Yet another Frampton compilation, this one a mid-priced ten-song (45-minute) assembly
of his most well-known songs from the middle/late-1970s. Drawn primarily from Frampton
Comes Alive, Frampton, Wind of Change, Frampton's Camel, and I'm In You, the material
ranges from passionate, midtempo romantic rock to harder numbers. This CD has the virtue
of using fresh, glittering 1998 remasterings, making for some pretty impressive listening.
"Show Me the Way" is the live cut, but everything else, including "Baby I
Love Your Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do," is represented by its studio
version. There are no notes, but as a mid-priced item, there didn't have to be - the sound
is superb, and the price, if caught in the right sale mode, is about a third of the
double-disc sets out on Frampton. - Bruce Eder
01 - (4:13) I'm In You
02 - (5:55) Baby, I Love Your Way
03 - (4:49) Lines On My Face
04 - (4:41) Show Me The Way
05 - (4:48) Somethin's Happening
06 - (3:14) It's A Plain Shame
07 - (3:50) Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
08 - (4:17) I Can't Stand It No More
09 - (3:21) All Night Long
10 - (6:48) Do You Feel Like We Do
Alive Again! - 1999
Disc 1
1 - (5:40) Something's Happening [Live]
2 - (6:15) Lying [Live]
3 - (7:49) Lines On My Face [Live]
4 - (5:03) Show Me The Way [Live]
5 - (3:28) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side) [Live]
6 - (3:42) If You Say Goodbye [Live]
7 - (1:21) Penny For Your Thoughts [Live]
8 - (8:12) I'll Give You Money [Live]
9 - (6:27) Baby, I Love Your Way [Live]
Disc 2
1 - (11:10) Can't Take That Away [Live]
2 - (17:27) Do You Feel Like We Do [Live]
3 - (3:17) Off The Hook [Live]
4 - (4:14) You Had To Be There [Live]
5 - (4:55) I Don't Need No Doctor [Live]
6 - (2:59) In Closing [Live]
Live In Detroit - 2000
It's no secret that one of the best-selling rock albums of all time was the double-LP
Frampton Comes Alive, which rocketed former Humble Pie guitarist Peter Frampton into the
oftentimes harsh realm of superstar status. That was 1976. Twenty-four years later,
Frampton came alive once again with a rousing 75-minute set recorded at Pine Knob Music
Theatre in Detroit on July 17, 1999.
The set combines retellings of the best tracks from Frampton Comes Alive with an
impressive collection of later songs. There is the smooth groove of "Lines on My
Face," counterbalanced with the power pop of "Show Me the Way" and
"All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side)."
Frampton is again backed by Bob Mayo on keyboards, Chad Cromwell on drums, and John
Regan on bass guitar. This is a band filled with talent and maturity, performing with all
the dynamics and emotion of a Dire Straits or Pink Floyd.
The ballads far outweigh the rockers this time around, with Frampton singing
beautifully on tunes like "If You Say Goodbye" and "Oh for Another
Day," and there is a short but sweet acoustic instrumental, "Nassau,"
leading into Frampton's popular "Baby I Love Your Way."
But don't think Frampton doesn't still kick ass. He dishes up the bluesy rock of
"They Can't Take That Away From Me" along with the rocking "You Had to Be
There" and the old favorite "Do You Feel Like We Do?" He also kicks things
into overdrive with the rocking instrumental "Off the Hook."
Closing out the set is "I Don't Need No Doctor," the Ashford and Simpson
tune, rocked up in a style reminiscent of Mountain with a vocal that at times sounds an
awful lot like Johnny Winter. This track is a smoker, and a fitting closer for an
impressive album that finds Peter Frampton playing and singing just as well, if not
better, than he did on that "other" live record. - Michael Smith
01 - (0:14) Introduction [Live]
02 - (6:12) Lying [Live]
03 - (7:42) Lines On My Face [Live]
04 - (4:52) Show Me The Way [Live]
05 - (3:26) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side) [Live]
06 - (3:38) If You Say Goodbye [Live]
07 - (4:01) Oh For Another Day [Live]
08 - (1:10) Nassau [Live]
09 - (4:58) Baby, I Love Your Way [Live]
10 - (10:55) Can't Take That Away [Live]
11 - (16:35) Do You Feel Like We Do [Live]
12 - (3:12) Off The Hook [Live]
13 - (4:06) You Had To Be There [Live]
14 - (5:12) I Don't Need No Doctor [Live]
Full On Frampton - 2000
1 - (3:42) There's A Man
2 - (3:23) Going Home
3 - (4:47) Loving Cup
4 - (2:24) Grits And Cornbread
5 - (5:36) Love Taker
6 - (4:04) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
7 - (6:26) Madame
Pacific Freight Heavy Metal - 2000
1 - (3:40) There's A Man
2 - (3:21) Going Home
3 - (4:46) Loving Cup
4 - (2:24) Grits And Cornbread
5 - (5:34) Love Taker
6 - (4:02) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
7 - (6:26) Madame
Anthology: The History Of Peter Frampton - 2001
Most Peter Frampton collections concentrate simply on his solo career. A&M's 2001
retrospective, Anthology: The History of Peter Frampton, takes a broader view, containing
a cut from his first band, the Herd, and five songs from Humble Pie, plus all the solo
heavy-hitters from the '70s - and all in the space of a 16-track single-disc collection.
This is a nice tactic, especially since it downplays his famous Frampton Comes Alive
(there's only one song from Frampton Comes Alive - "Show Me the Way." The other
big hit from the record, "Baby I Love Your Way," is present in the studio
version), thereby offering an introduction not just for the utter neophyte, but for those
who only know that blockbuster. Some may argue that all the Humble Pie material takes up
space that could have been dedicated to solo cuts, especially since this ignores anything
recorded past 1979, but the end result winds up being the lone, concise summation of
Frampton's strengths as both a solo artist and guitarist. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
01 - (3:19) From The Underworld
02 - (4:16) Natural Born Woman
03 - (7:55) Live With Me
04 - (3:02) Shine On
05 - (4:12) Stone Cold Fever
06 - (8:49) I Don't Need No Doctor [Live]
07 - (3:15) It's A Plain Shame
08 - (6:34) All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)
09 - (4:49) Lines On My Face
10 - (6:47) Do You Feel Like We Do
11 - (4:47) Somethin's Happening
12 - (4:46) Baby, I Love Your Way
13 - (4:41) Show Me The Way [Live]
14 - (4:13) I'm In You
15 - (3:55) Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
16 - (3:52) I Can't Stand It No More
Now - 2003
"I'm back" acknowledges Peter Frampton in the song of the same name from his
first studio album in nine years. But even though Frampton claims he had complete control
over every aspect of this release, the results show that maybe a good A&R person
should have been hired for consultation. While this is undoubtedly a Frampton disc,
complete with strummy ballads, a handful of harder-edged tunes, and lots of shimmering
guitar solos, songs like the riff rocker "I'm Back" - that sports puerile lyrics
such as "I'm back, like Schwarzenegger in Terminator, I'm back like a boomerang"
- could use some tinkering. Otherwise, little has changed over the decades since
Frampton's superstar days. He can still write a pretty Beatles-esque ballad like this
disc's charming "Above it All." However, the sap factor is far too high on the
tune to his daughter "Mia Rose," a track that should have stayed as a personal
lullaby and not something he needs to subject the rest of us to. Keyboardist Bob Mayo -
from the Frampton Comes Alive band - has stuck in there; but the guitarist co-writes the
majority of these cuts with Nashville pro Gordon Kennedy, who also adds backing vocals.
There's nothing wrong with shuffling pop-rockers like "Flying Without Wings," or
the opening "Verge of a Thing," except Frampton tries too hard to rock out, and
barely manages to navigate his way through increasingly clumsy lyrics. Far better are the
numerous ballads and the Jeff Beck/Blow By Blow-styled jazz-rock instrumental
"Greens," which showcases Frampton's beautifully incisive quicksilver guitar.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps," the album's only cover, is a by-the-numbers but
heartfelt tribute to George Harrison, highlighted by a powerful solo. Now is a middling
return to form, with peaks, valleys and enough sparks to show that Peter Frampton remains
a vibrant artist who might have some better albums in him. - Hal Horowitz
01 - (2:53) Verge Of A Thing
02 - (4:10) Flying Without Wings
03 - (4:14) Love Stands Alone
04 - (2:52) Not Forgotten
05 - (5:23) Hour Of Need
06 - (4:49) Mia Rose
07 - (3:33) I'm Back
08 - (3:46) I Need Ground
09 - (6:57) While My Guitar Gently Weeps
10 - (6:01) Greens
11 - (3:36) Above It All
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