Customer Reviews

Wind of Change/Frampton's Camel

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

 

 

I've been listening to both of these albums since sometime around 1976, skips and all, and they are even better revisted on cd! Theses albums never get old. Frampton is incredible whether it's 1971 or 2008. If you haven't listened to him in awhile you should. He gets better and better every year and like I said, he was incredible in 1971!

Finally these are back out in CD and you don't have to pay $40 each to get them used. "Camel" is the better of the two albums, but "The Lodger" on "Wind of Change" is great. The sound quality on "Wind" is generally poor, but I guess you have to live with that. For $12 you can't go wrong.

Frampton was lead guitarist for the R&B-heavy English band Humble Pie ("I Don't Need No Doctor," "30 Days in the Hole") who left after the live album to go solo. Most of the offerings are the lightweight pop-rock later made ultra-famous by "Frampton Comes Alive," including a few of the songs performed on that blockbuster live album. It's pleasant enough - some mild jazzy influences and here and there some OK guitar work. Vastly preferable to "Comes Alive." The highlight is Frampton's magnificent cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Believe If I Fall in Love With You It Will Be Forever." It's nice that two LP's are combined in one package; I doubt I'd have bought either singly.

These are the first Frampton's solo albums. They contain songs like "Wind Of Change", "It's A Plain Shame", "All I Want To Be", "Lines On My Face" and "Do You Feel Like We Do". I must for every Frampton's fan. Two pearls for the price of one...

I think a part of me bought these CDs just so I could pen this tale. In February of 1976, I was newly returned from a semester overseas, and reconnecting with a friend in college. We discussed many things, including music, and when we mentioned Peter Frampton we both agreed that he was about the most unfortunate character in rock music. (Other than those who drugged or drank themselves to death, of course.) He was a burgeoning star as a teenager, made some sensational music with Humble Pie ("Rock On" was a favorite LP of mine) and then released a couple of unnoticed solo albums, including Frampton's Camel, which John and I had both liked a lot. (I did not own Wind of Change, but John did; we agreed Camel was far superior.) How sad, from star as a kid to has-been in his early twenties, though clearly a supremely talented guy. Ah, the mysteries of fate......

Well, several minutes later another Frampton LP was released, something called Frampton Comes Alive, and even those of us listening to K-Double I-K Kick in rural Illinois heard about it. And I was hugely amused....shows how much of a prognosticator I was! Think we counted Pete out just a tad early!

OK, so here I am 33 years later, reviewing the double CD package here. And trying to see what I found so wonderful back then. Camel is still far superior to Wind of Change. If that LP were the sum of Peter Frampton's career, no one, and I mean no one, would know him today. He'd be teaching high school English some where, talking about how he almost made it big once. Pleasant enough, but nothing to make you stand up and say, "Wow." Not a memorable tune or lyric in it.

Frampton's Camel presents a more interesting dilemma. On first listen, it is full of painfully awkward and silly, or utterly incomprehensible, lyrics and some la-di-dah arrangements. But repeated listens demonstrate its power, with a rather plain start that gradually hooks the listener, until the knockout conclusion. "Do You Feel Like We Do" is still a great rock and roll song. Even in the studio version. Splendid keyboards and powerhouse guitar, appropriately screechy vocals, and a hook as barbed as any song of its day. Great stuff. I was right to like it way back then!

Listening to all 9 songs in a row is a little weird, as I bet I played side two of this 90% of the time I had it on my turntable. Now side two opened with White Sugar, a sterling tune that demonstrates the whole band's chops. Great drumming and gorgeous piano support Frampton singing in what I think is his best vocal on the LP. However, this works. Well. The more I've listened, the more I've enjoyed. Which is certainly not true of Wind of Change.

So a 5+ and a 2.5 average to a 4, but in this case the stinker can be left in the packaging and the 5 played with pleasure.

This is a great package. Two great Framp albums all ready to rock. If you only have Frampton Comes Alive, then there is no choice but to pick this one up. Great songs, great Framp. Love it.