Customer Reviews

Breaking All the Rules (Mlps) (Shm)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's about time for this album...showing my age. It was made in 1981, not '71.....The title track rocks with Luke and the best drummer ever, Jeff Porcaro. I've been asking for this to be issued on CD for 10 years...thank you whoever made it happen. I waited for Peter to play one night in Atlanta when he was touring for this album...the show was supposed to start @ 8PM...he came out around 10:20 PM, sent a date home in a taxi and the wait was worth it! BUY THIS CD!

"Breaking All The Rules" is undoubtedly one of Peter Frampton's best albums. For one thing, the quality of the songs is generally high-in my opinion, the only weak track is "Friday On My Mind." In style, most of the songs are mainstream rock. In addition, the album includes one of Peter's finest reflective songs (the poignant and beautiful "Going To L.A.") and arguably his greatest heavy rock number, the title track, which ends the album magnificently.

Another strength of "Breaking All The Rules" is the fact that the musicianship from Peter and his band is first-rate. For instance, the late Jeff Porcaro (one of rock's finest drummers) makes a significant contribution to the rhthym section. There are also numerous solos-on the opening track Peter uses a guitar synth to good effect-but, unfortunately in my view, the guitar tone is generally thinner than on some of his other albums, such as "Premonition" and "When All The Pieces Fit."

Furthermore, Peter's singing surpasses much of his earlier studio material. Instead of sounding self-conscious and ill at ease, he delivers the songs with confidence and real conviction.

All in all, this is certainly an impressive album. I first heard it on vinyl in 1983 and have held it in high regard ever since. Hence I was delighted to learn that Lemon Recordings have brought it out on CD and promptly ordered a copy. It was also pleasing to discover that some care has gone into the album's presentation, for the CD notes contain three photographs that did not appear on the original cover, as well as a discography of Frampton's singles and albums-including his work with The Herd and Humble Pie-and notes outlining his career.

If you like well-crafted, accomplished rock, then you should enjoy "Breaking All The Rules." Certainly, the album has far more to offer rock fans than its immediate predecessors, "I'm In You" (a disappointment) and the partly jazz-influenced "Where I Should Be." As Lemon Recordings aptly comment: "Everything about this record underpins its place among the best studio albums Frampton has ever recorded."

By 1981, Peter Frampton's "...Comes Alive!" hey day seemed like ancient news, yet the memory of over indulgent, naive career moves like his appearance in the overblown, misguided "Sgt. Pepper" movie (with the Bee Gees and George Burns) still hovered above his career like a meandering fog. As solid as this album is material wise, and as satisfying as it is sonically (BREAKING being his best sounding solo HARD ROCK record since FRAMPTON in '75)- the mutual ambivalence from the public as well as his record company (apparently), wasn't bound to be buried by it.

Yet upon further review (thankfully now on CD!), as stated earlier, one won't be disappointed by the power of the SOUND of BREAKING ALL THE RULES! Album opener "Dig What I Say" is almost worth the price of admission.... the lyrics being unusually cocky, coupled with Peter's aggressive guitar playing stance... this "opener" is a step above the usual. Intense and fun.

Though the album drifts a little in the mid section, the almost punky cover of "Friday On My Mind" followed by one of Petey's best stadium rockers (the album's title track) brings the record to a rousing close... and may very well surprise those that have yet to plug into Frampton's post live album work.

If I'M IN YOU disappointed you... do go for the WHERE I SHOULD BE/BREAKING ALL THE RULES twofer this page offers. Though I give this album 4 stars based on the strength of the production and three or four songs, I'd give WHERE I SHOULD BE a damn near perfect 5 stars for a more consistent degree of material. BOTH VERY UNDER RATED!

Now if only THE ART OF CONTROL would actually see the light of day on cd, for "FINDING MY WAY BACK TO EDEN" alone! Rock on.

I have been waiting for this to be released on CD. I have ripped this LP to MP3 quite a few years ago, giving up any hope this would ever see the light of day on CD. This was the last title out of my thousands of LPs to make it to CD. As for the review? Personally I am so sick of Frampton Comes Alive. Yes, it WAS a great album back in 1976, however Peter's best works were the STUDIO albums! And this LP (now a CD) was one of his stronger releases. Yes, there is some filler on side 2 (er, Track 8), but overall this is one of Peter's better releases.

As some of the reviewers, I also have this one on cassette, I bought it the year it was released, 1981. By that time I did not know who were Frampton's band memebers, due that time, in some cassettes you could not find the credits of the band members, now I know who were on guitar and drums, now I know why this one has such quality. Excellent!!!

I do not know why this one took so long to be released, as "Where I Should Be", another excellent album.

Now I will wait for "The Art Of Control" to be released, another one that I like a lot.

I originally bought this album in vinyl, sometime after its initial release. I think it's a great record -- Frampton had descended from his exalted position atop the rock kingdom after the enormously successful live album and a couple of disappointing subsequent studio efforts. This record is basic rock and roll, showcasing Frampton's skills as a guitarist. A lot of the songs sound like they are recorded "live" in the studio, which is Frampton's obvious strength.

After completely pissing off all of his millions of fans who bought "Comes Alive" by following that release with "I'm In You" and falling into obscurity (due to shame?)he bounced back with this one. I don't remember ever hearing even the tiniest of titters about this release, and didn't discover it until the mid '80s. I was so blown away by the energy, helped out by the Toto guys already named in other reviews here, and great tunes. But I couldn't convince a single friend to listen to it.(Couldn't convince a married one to listen, either!!)(Good joke - had to throw it in). My friends and I had already moved on to '80s Heavy Metal. All the great reviewer titles for this album...they all apply. What a great album. Jeez...just...what a great album!

This is a veryg ood album by Frampton. Of course, we have the all time classis title track here, but the other songs (except one or tow losers) are very good. There's a cover of Vanda and Young "Friday On My Mind" that sounds very good. Also, help was hried in the form of guitar solid rent-man Steve Lukather.

Good album, it will not disappoint.

I was pleased to learn that this CD, from 1982, was finally available AS a CD and not the LP it was originally released as...it surprised me because several other Frampton were available in CD form but were not of the quality in either material or performance or even variety for that matter. But they WERE available, and not this recording.
I have never been a huge fan of Peter Frampton but I have many of his more recent CDs or taped recordings and I have over time become a 'fan' of much of his post 'Frampton Comes Alive' work. He has been a wonderful guitarist, not given to the guitar 'cliches' of many other favored players during the '70's and '80's, and his playing does have stylistic originality as well as fire and grace and intricate phrasings, whether playing blues, rock, blues-rock, or even ballads such as the beautiful and GREAT tune on this CD, 'Lost a Part of You'. That has been a favorite of mine since the original release of this album. 'Going To L.A' is also a wistful, somewhat sorrowful and beautiful tune with a nice arrangement to it. I enjoy his version of "Friday On My Mind' and have heard numerous versions of this edgy tune. There are a few songs in this set that are not particularly interesting to me, mostly the rock-type songs such as 'Rise Up', 'Breaking All the Rules', 'Dig What I say' et al. But I would recommend this CD to anyone on the strengths and merits of the superior songs and songwriting herein. Wish the 'Best' here had appeared either in this CD's form or even 'live' versions. Frampton deserves a wider audience to his later and even more 'contemporary' or current work!

I bought my first copy on (gasp!)cassette. Now I
am finally replacing on CD... "You Kill Me" always
haunts me... great album to wear out!