Customer Reviews

Frampton Comes Alive

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Ahhhhhh...1976...America was celebrating its 200th birthday, Farah Fawcett hairdos were all the rage, everyone wore either pooka shells or a mood ring (or both) and this album was EVERYWHERE.

I was eleven years old.

I remember sitting in the garage of my aunt's house listening to this album with my significantly older cousins. We'd have the garage door shut and Mike would light incense so that his mom, my aunt wouldn't smell the.....uhm, the biscuits that we were baking, in the garage...well, maybe it wasn't biscuits, but something was getting baked.

I just remember shutting my eyes while the music was going and feelung like everything was just this weird and wonderful dream. The music just kept on going and going even though I knew that my cousin periodically pulled himself up from the avocado colored beanbag he was sitting on to change the record. This music just seemed to register into my pre-teen brain. It even made me want to take guitar lessons even though my dad insisted that I should learn a more "practical" instrument first and then move on to the guitar.

Since when is the accordian practical?

But I never learned to play either of those instruments. Kind of sad, really. But cue up Show Me the way and I play a real mean Fender "air-caster". This album is just loaded with gems and even though later on, I was informed that a lot of stuff was done in a recording studio with stadium effects put in later, it still didn't sour my memories any.

I had this on vinyl and my friend at the time begged me to let him borrow it, after much pleading and promising, I succumbed to his whining. He promptly left it on the seat of his truck on a 105 degree Southern California Summer day. Oh, the carnage. He didn't even offer to replace it. He just told me it was an unfortunate accident. No, his mom not keeping her legs closed 20 years ago was an unfortunate accident. I did find another copy in a used record store, but it's still not MY copy. My copy had vibrations of my love, my joy, my gladness seeping through the album cover onto the album itself. The album that I was now holding had vibrations of someone desperate for a little cash money to buy their next beer so in their desperation they pawned this record for a buck...maybe even less. There's no love coming from this. Only desperation.

So I bought a CD version. Still not the same. At least it's mine, though. My little nephews get a kick out of this music. My youngest likes to pretend he's playing drums and my oldest is a chip off the old block playing his Fender air guitar just like his uncle. It makes me proud that I was able to provide them with some groovy music for some groovy memories later on.

Not too long ago I asked my cousin whatever happened to his vinyl version of this recording. Tears welled up in his eyes as he recounted a very sad tale of him being so desperate one night for cash. He said he sold it to a used record store for a buck so he could get a beer.

Buy this album. Make it yours and never sell the things that move your soul.

Peace & Blessings

This album contains inspired tunes played in one of the best live performances ever. If you've never heard this album from beginning to end you may think you can sum it up with "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do?" but you would be wrong. This album is pure magic all the way through. The best way to describe it is "laid back rock n roll", mellow songs that still manage to jam. There are also a few of the best acoustic numbers on this album. The lead guitar work is some of the most stunning ever captured on a live album and Frampton's voice is flawless. This album is the reason everyone makes such a fuss about the live sound, when it is done right it delivers something a studio album cannot. Also,the recording is done perfectly so every instrument is heard clearly. Frampton Comes Alive is a must if you are looking for a classic live album.

Frampton Comes Alive came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest albums of all time. Peter Frampton released several albums in the early to mid 70's, a couple of which sold respectively. When this album was released in early '76, it exploded and stayed in the top ten for over a year. The album offers something for everybody from straight forward rockers like "It's A Plain Shame", "Something's Happening" & "Doobie Wah" to ballads like "Baby, I Love Your Way" & "Show Me The Way" to extended jams like "I Wanna Go To The Sun", "Lines On My Face" & "Do You Feel Like We Do?". It also has that voice-box. Frampton is a great guitar player and an energetic performer and those traits didn't always come across on his studio albums. They were front & center on the live album and people tapped into that. Frampton never again reached the heights he reached with this album, but it stands today as a touchstone of 70's rock music.

this review is dedicated to the punk loser below who bashed the album. listen up there hoss, i know that you are sooo original liking punk and all, which is the friggin downfall of the 2000's so far, ripofawful, unoriginal, standard, cookie-cutter whiny punk music. and i know your comeback there chief, "i like ORIGINAL PUNK, like the ramones." thats absoluste bullcrap, there is no original punk. im a bassist for an innovative, progressive, and creative band, and i appreciate those type of, and i quote, "unnessecary guitar solos". OK, so frampton was no jimmy page. but who was??? frank zappa was one of a kind, so why expect others to recreate him??? just because those musicians were music GODS, do not take that away from frampton comes alive. Frampton was a spectacular lyricist, songwriter and performer, so let that be known, and also, you dont have the BEST SELLING LIVE ALBUM OF YOUR ERA by accident. Frampton had that "it", that unique blend of allure, talent, and luck that made him huge, and i still can smoke a doobie and enjoy "feel like we do" as much as my dad did 30 years ago. so go play some standard sh*tty chords and scream some sh*tty lyrics at your own pops, cause we here enjoy real music about life, love, war, and gettin' high my man...long live the 60's and 70's, the golden age of rock an roll!!! and long live the extended, unnessecary guitat solo and improving, for that, friends, is why i am addicted to this thing called rock an roll!!!

Take it from someone who was there at Winterland in 1976, the audience track is not faked! That evening was magical the crowd was definitely in tune with the man and his band, and we were all so blown away by what we were hearing that night it only makes sense that the crowd sounds sweetened to you. The sound engineers did a masterful and up until that time unachieved level of perfection in capturing the real sounds of a live performance. That is why the album sold so well, it does not have the hollow sound of typical live performances. His guitar was ringing loud and clear that night as was his voice. It is such a pleasure to be able to listen to a live perfomance that ranks as one of the best concerts I have ever been to, (and believe me I have been to a lot of them) any time I want to, and be able to relive that very special performance in San Francisco. Thank God they recorded this show!

This truely was one of the best albums of the 1970's. Peter Frampton's live album was immensely popular when it was released and its not hard to see why. It is still awesome to listen to 20 plus years after it was released, and the remastered version brings out the sound of Frampton even better. From "Show me the way", to "Shine On" and his immortal classic "Do You Feel Like We Do" each and every song showcases Frampton's great guitar playing and wonderful voice. You can tell Peter Frampton was having a great time at this concert and his guitar playing was never better.

This is a great CD that has finally been remastered and it will delight all Frampton's fans and any fan of good Rock and Roll. Highly Recommended!!

This is one of the coolest and one of the absolute greatest LIVE albums EVER! Frampton knows how to please and this cd is proof even though you arent physically even there! All the songs are great but the highlight of the album would be "Do You Feel Like We Do" which is, in my opinion, one of the best LIVE songs ever done period. It is just so cool when he is wailing away on the guitar and then starts going at it with the voice box, the whole crowd gets very enthused. Anyways if you're looking for a good LIVE album than this is it!

This is Peter Frampton in his prime! I had purchased a copy on CD last year and was impressed by the sound quality. Peter Frampton's guitar playing is one-of-a-kind. He's also a great acoustic guitar player, as shown on "Winds of Change" and "Penny for Your Thoughts". "Doobie Wah" uses the wah-wah pedal and borrows a lot from the Doobie Brothers style. "It's a Plain Shame" is as Frampton calls it "an oldie but a goodie" with more great guitar work. Keyboardist Bob Mayo also does a good job on "Baby I Love Your Way", "I Wanna Go to the Sun", and "Do You Feel". Back in 1976, a DJ described this as "the best selling live album". Listen for yourself to hear why.

English guitar maestro Peter Frampton's fifth album Frampton Comes Alive was released in January of 1976 (around the time I was born).
I grew up as a toddler/child of the 1970s/1980s digging this album thanks to my mom. Then one day after hearing the making of this classic on In the Studio, I went out in a snowstorm from college to a Strawberries Records and plunked down $12 for this kick*ss album on cassette (now I have the CD). This epic live album, over 35 years on, still rocks and does not only feature Frampton's great guitar solos and vocals and Stanley Sheldon's great bass playing but also showed us what great musicians the late great John Siomos and Bob Mayo were. John was what Peter called "the John Bonham of his band" and John's passing in January of 2004 was a sad moment and less then a month after John's passing keyboard player/occasional guitarist/backing vocalist Bob Mayo passed away after having a heart attack in Switzerland while touring with Peter. This album is a living testament to Peter's band whom played with him from 1975 to 1979.
This live album (unlike many live albums of its era like KISS Alive for instance) was completely live except for part of the vocal of "Something's Happening" (the killer opener), the rhythm electric guitar on the classic Top 10 hit "Show Me the Way" (the voice box guitar came out but the engineer failed to switch the microphones back to main amp) and the piano on "I Wanna Go to the Sun" (also a classic) but the rest of the album is all live (all guitar and keyboard solos, drums, bass and backing vocals, rest of vocals and rest of rhythm guitars).
This classic album features the Frampton standards "Show Me The Way" (which hit #6 on the singles charts), the Top 20 hit "Baby I Love Your Way" and the Top 20 epic "Do You Feel Like We Do" in all of its 14 minute plus glory with its famous talk-box section and he and Joe Walsh would have a great talk-box duel.
The other tracks "Doobie Wah", "It's a Plain Shame", "All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side)", "Wind of Change", "I Wanna Go To The Sun", "Penny For Your Thoughts", "I'll Give You Money", his rendition of Humble Pie's "Shine On", his killer cover of "Jumping Jack Flash" and "Lines On My Face" are all superb classics!
In fact, much of the album was recorded at Winterland in 1975 and was to be a single disc until A&M co-founder Jerry Moss said "let's make a double album". Then with Chris Kimsey recorded the tunes that appeared on 1975's Frampton with Eddie Kramer and Chris Kimsey to the fabled Winterland gig.
This classic live album showed Peter Frampton and his band in all their glory. Besides being a excellent songwriter and singer, Frampton ranks as one of the greatest guitarists in all of rock and roll history.
This live album for the longest time was the biggest selling live album ever and was #1 for a total of 17 unconsecutive weeks making it the best selling album of 1976 hands down and sold 8 million copies Stateside to date.
It's unfortunate that critics panned Frampton after this album for his good looks rather than his musical talent showing critics are more about pazazz and glitter than music integrity.
In July of 1998, A&M re-released the album to fit the 78 or so minute live album onto one CD superbly remastered by Doug Sax (who has done much of the Pink Floyd back catalog from The Wall forward) and trumps the original sterile 1980s 2-CD issue.
Highly recommended!

Way back in the dark ages of 1976, when I was significantly younger, this album was played everywhere. The album went to number one on the charts and became the biggest selling live album of all time up to that time. The album was eventually certified 6 times platinum.

The album generated three songs that climbed into the heights of the pop singles chart. "Baby, I Love Your Way" reached #12, "Do You Feel Like I Do" reached #10, and "Show me the Way" reached #6. Though these songs are generally mellow, there are heavier elements in the 14+ minute album version of "Do You Feel like I Do." In addition to vibrant elements is the electronically modified voice of Peter Frampton. The voice modification was a bit of a gimmick, but it fit the song and helped give the album an exuberant frat rock ending that was a part of the charms of the album that kept it at the top of the charts for weeks.

The three songs released as singles are standout songs on this CD. However, there are other songs that are just as fun. "Something's Happening" sets the tone for the album with its bouncy, optimistic music and lyrics. The pace stays fast with "Doobie Wah," where Frampton clearly enjoys his vocals and his guitar. "It's a Plain Shame" is arena rock at its best. The first significant change is the ballad "All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side)." The pace slows down and Frampton charms his audience with a love song. "Wind of Change" is done acoustically and makes a nice change before moving back into faster, harder music. "I Wanna Go to the Sun" is the third longest song on this CD as well as being one of the best songs on this album. I think this song would have done well had it been chosen to be a single.

The album takes a brief instrumental interlude with "Penny for Your Thoughts." The guitar on this instrumental is well-played and is short enough to give your brain a rest without being boring. I do wish the audience noise was reduced during the instrumental.

The previous instrumental was a prelude to the rocker "(I'll Give You) Money." This song is a great arena rock song and has nicely executed hard edges to it. "Shine On" also keeps to the harder side of rock and maintains a nice pace and is yet another enthusiastic song. "Jumping Jack Flash" is the second longest song on this CD and is a marvelous interpretation of the Rolling Stones song. I like covers that bring something new to a song, and Peter Frampton's cover, which adds blues, changes the pace, and has an extended instrumental portion, is unique and enjoyable. The end of this song has a lot of wailing guitar in a 70s style that is fun for classic rock fans to hear. The next to the last song on the CD is a beautiful ballad. "Lines on My Face" is another song that I think would have made a great single.

Live albums rarely sell well on average. However, occasionally a live album will come along that strikes a chord with the listening public. "Frampton Comes Alive" is and album that was perfect for its time and its sales made the album legendary. While other live albums have surpassed this album in sales, this album remains a great album with a marvelous array of music. The only thing better than this album is the two disk version, which has even more music on it.

I strongly recommend this album to fans of classic rock, arena rock, frat rock, live albums and Peter Frampton. If you like enthusiastic albums perfect for a party, get this one.

Enjoy!