May 31, 2021

1976 - May: Peter Frampton “Frampton Comes Alive”

43 minutes

When you think of the greatest live albums of all time, the one at - or very near - the top of the list will be Frampton Comes Alive!, the double album that was the best selling album of 1976, and Rolling Stone magazine's choice for "Album of the Year." While Peter Frampton was well known in rock circles for his guitar work and his previous stints with Humble Pie and the Herd, his solo work was catapulted into the stratosphere with this live album.

Much of the album was recorded in the summer and fall of 1975 at Winterland in San Francisco and the Long Island area of New York. In addition to Peter Frampton on lead vocals, guitar and "talk box," musicians included Bob Mayo on rhythm guitar, keyboards, and vocals; Stanley Sheldon on bass and vocals; and John Siomos on drums.

Frampton left Humble Pie in 1971 when the group began to move towards a harder sound that didn't fit his style. After many years and four studio albums as a soloist, Peter Frampton has achieved some modest success. However, Frampton Comes Alive would change all that, not only by being the best selling album of 1976, but having so much staying power that it would be the 14th best selling album of 1977. It would also result in an invitation for Frampton and manager Dee Anthony to President Gerald Ford's White House at the insistence of Steven Ford, the President's son.

Something's Happening

This track leads off the album. It originally appeared on his third studio album, also entitled "Something's Happening." The energy of the album is obvious from the introduction on through, and the album does an excellent job balancing both the musical quality and the energy of the crowd.

Doobie Wah

Also originally on his third studio album, this tune feels a lot like the Doobie Brothers. This deeper cut is a funky jam. "Do what everybody says is wrong, I don't believe nobody takes too long. Changing your mind, well now, let me up. I don't believe that kind would drink my cup."

Show Me the Way

Now, this one has received considerable air play, and you can hear a little of Frampton's "talk box" in it. It is the first single released from the album. The lyrics are a man seeking guidance like a drowning person seeking a life preserver.

Baby, I Love Your Way

Another popular cut from the album, this romantic cut features acoustic guitars and a mellow keyboard part. The lyrics describe a man wanting to spend every moment with his love. This song has been successfully covered by Will to Power and Big Mountain.

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Get the Funk Out Ma Face The Brothers Johnson (from the motion picture “Mother, Jugs and Speed”

This comedy starred Bill Cosby (Mother), Raquel Welch (Jugs), and Harvey Keitel (Speed) as employees of an ambulance service.

STAFF PICKS:

Takin' It To the Streets by the Doobie Brothers

Bruce starts the staff picks with the first single from the album of the same name. This is the first Doobie Brothers song with Michael McDonald on lead. McDonald wrote the lyrics to this song inspired by a college essay from his sister Maureen, and the lyrics are from the perspective of a person living in poverty in the inner city.

Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers

Rob features a country/rock crossover written by Larry Williams in 1975. The Bellamy brothers were session musicians from Tampa, and covered this song after Neil Diamond passed on it. It made number 2 on the adult contemporary charts and number 21 on the country charts. "Let your love flow like the mountain streams."

E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) by Blue Oyster Cult

Wayne's staff pick rocks out on this tune from BOC's album "Agents of Fortune." The lyrics describe a search for UFO's and extraterrestrials in a stream-of-consciousness style.

Strange Magic by Electric Light Orchestra

Brian's pick finishes off our staff picks with a softer piece from Jeff Lynne and E.L.O. off the album "Face the Music." The song is about a captivating woman in a trippy style with the strings you have come to expect from E.L.O.

INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:

Breezin' by George Benson

George Benson's album of the same name won multiple Grammys and became one of the best selling jazz albums of all time. This instrumental number leads off the album.

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By Rob Marbury, Wayne Rowan, Bruce Fricks, John Lynch

4.9

4747 ratings