“Hello San Francisco!” These words have been spoken millions of times from thousands of stages across the city of San Francisco. Never were these words heard by more people than when Peter Frampton spoke them on September 13, 14 and 15 in 1975 from the stage at the Winterland Ballroom in SF. Only the people in those audiences heard them that night but the world heard them after the live album was released. The album: “Frampton Comes Alive”, released on January 6th, 1976, is considered one of the best live concert albums of all time. I consider it to be my favorite and most influential album of all MY time.
Show Me The Way
It helps that I was 13 years old when “Frampton Comes Alive” came out. It is at this age, I contend, that one’s musical tastes are permanently formed. Meaning that what excited you at 13 will always excite you, at any age. It also helps that I had an older sister who was dating a big Humble Pie fan. His favorite guitar player from that band left for a solo career. That guitar player was Peter Frampton and my future brother-in-law already was familiar with Frampton’s previous four studio records BEFORE “Comes Alive’ was released.
SIDE NOTE: Said bro-in-law supposedly turned down an offer to attend Winterland one of those historic nights that Frampton was coming alive and taping the show. Oh well, he was close to history anyway
So I had an early listen to ‘Frampton Comes Alive’ and was hooked immediately. Even at a relatively young age, I was a pretty savvy student of music but it was coming at me so fast. I seemed to enjoy everything I heard on the radio. I was a sponge, soaking it in. But when I heard Frampton for the first time, a new window opened for me. Right off the bat, you hear the introduction by none other than the iconic Bill Graham. And the music that followed was exciting and very accessible. Here was a guy who could sing as well as he could play. A lead singer who was also the lead guitarist! And THAT guitar playing was something I had not experienced before. I think it’s Peter Frampton’s fault that I am obsessed with the electric guitar! Even the album cover is special. A surreal full body photo of Frampton that folds out when the double album gatefold is opened. This album is THE ONE for me. My number one, most frequently played, desert island, GOAT!
I Wanna Go To The Sun
I wasn’t alone in my wonderment of “Frampton Comes Alive”. The record captured the imagination of anyone and EVERYONE who loved rock and roll. It was the best selling album of 1976. It was the perfect representation of an audience falling in love with an artist. The excitement of a live show was on display for anyone to hear. Listening to this album (as well as KISS Alive) prepped me for a lifetime of concert going. The whole record sounded like everyone was having such a good time! I could only imagine attending a concert, any concert would feel like.
This is the attraction of a live recording. It’s a moment in time captured. I know that most artists play the same show in every city they visit. Some even SAY the exact same raps between songs every night. But even if the concert is a repeat of the one before it, it is still a one-time event for the fans in the room. There is always the anticipation that something special could happen.
Something’s Happening
Something special DID happen on the nights that Peter Frampton played in San Francisco and recorded the collection of songs for Frampton Comes Alive. It was special that SF was chosen for the taping. The Bay Area was a popular tour stop for Humble Pie and its music fans were familiar with Frampton already. The symbiotic connection between artist and crowd is evident immediately after Bill Graham announces Peter as “an honorary member of the San Francisco society” and the band launches into the opening number “Something’s Happening”
The double album flows as Frampton’s sweet vocals weave in and out of his even sweeter guitar licks. Most of the tunes are rousing rockers that show off said guitar licks. But it’s when the tempo slows down that the real action happens. “Lines On My Face” is a quiet song with a yearning guitar sound that floats the listener along a lazy river with intermittent rapids along the way. Luckily, every listener is delivered safely by the end of the song.
Two songs from the record became radio hits, “Baby, I Love You Way” and “Show Me The Way”. Funny that the studio versions of these songs never came close to any Billboard lists but the live versions became big hits. Another song became famous for its extensive use of the “Talk Box” guitar attachment. “Do You Feel Like We Do” is an 11 minute extravaganza where Peter famously uses the talk box midway through the song to ‘talk’ to the audience through his guitar. While Frampton did not invent the Talk box, he did use it better than any other artist. My 13 yr old mind was BLOWN when I heard the guitar say “I want to thank you!” How the Talk Box Works
I’ll Give You Money
The immense popularity of this double live album was both a blessing and a curse for Peter Frampton. All of a sudden, he was a household name and the expectations were high. After struggling for years as a solo artist, Frampton was finally getting the recognition he deserved but not without some cost. As is common, when the money starts to flow, so do the excesses. Frampton was not the only one to ever ‘enjoy the fruits of his labor’. He also was not immune to the pitfalls of shady business partners, either. It did not help that the rushed follow up album “I’m In You” received a tepid response. The icing on the cake was a terrible decision to star, with the Bee Gees, in a very strange movie adaptation of The Beatles album “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. All these factors resulted in Frampton’s decline in popularity.
But I stuck with him . Buying subsequent albums and seeing him live throughout the years. He may have fallen from mainstream popularity but he remains, to this day, one of rock’s greatest guitar players. It’s unfortunate that the public gave up on Frampton or maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a rockstar in the first place. Now, as Peter struggles with age and a muscular disease that will eventually stop him from playing, he is purposely prolific and is producing a lot of great music. His recent work is definitely worth checking out!
Shine On
Full Circle moment.. FCA 35 is Frampton Comes Alive 35th Anniversary tour! On August 8th, 2011, the tour made a stop at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. My dreams were gloriously fulfilled that night. “Frampton Comes Alive” was played live in whole that night (in album order, no less). My 35 year itch was scratched. It may not have been 1975 or the Winterland Ballroom but it WAS Mr. Peter Frampton (minus a lot of hair) sounding and playing as good or even better than ever. He was singing the songs that first captured my rock and roll imagination! I felt completed.
