Friday 3 August 2012

Frampton. Peter - Frampton Comes Alive! (1976)



A long personal story....... When I was a kid, I wanted to buy this album. This and Smokie's Greatest Hits album. I went for the latter one though. A pretty dire album, though. Smokie was a dire band. So I did not get the Frampton Comes Alive alive album until three weeks ago when I picked it up in a car boot sale for some pennies. Was it worth the wait ?

Wikipedia is my friend and it tells me Peter Frampton is an English man and has previously played in Humble Pie. His biggest selling album was this, the Frampton Comes Alive! album. It has sold zillions copies and is one of the most selling live albums of all time. It has spawned some hits too and there is always a radio station around this planet playing songs from this album. Frampton Comes Alive! is a huge album in the world of classic rock. I have not seen any of his other albums though. He has released more than ten studio albums. The last one two years ago. He is most/only known for this live album. A very strange case, Peter Frampton's career. He is still gigging and I guess he is still financially living well on Frampton Comes Alive! somewhere in the sunny part of USA. A smart choice !

The music........ Commercial classic pop-rock in the 1970s vein. Not many power-chords can be found here. The hit singles is a bit too sugary sweet and sickness inducing. This album has not aged well.

...... Despite of aging a bit disgraceful, this album and the music here has some endearing qualities. It is a charming meeting with a very good guitarist and artist. His use of the talkbox is excellent. He is a very good guitarist and the long instrumental parts on this album is really great.

Yes, this is a bit of a cheesy album and it has not aged well. But it is also a good album which deserve a second chance. I actually recommend it, shocking as it sounds. Most car boot sales and flea markets have a copy so go check them out and pick up a copy from there or you can even buy a new copy from the usual places. Frampton Comes Alive! will stay with us for decades to come. In my view; for all the right reasons too.

3 points

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