Frampton Comes Alive

Can confirm he was alive

When I was 15 years old, I got a free ticket to go see Peter Frampton in Newport, Rhode Island. I knew and liked the three big radio hits - "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do" - and free is free, so why not? Before the show started, the venue made a big to-do that no one was allowed to stand in the space between the front of the stage and the front row; alas, by the middle of the first song, there were quite a few people right up in there. Halfway through the set, Frampton ripped into a killer cover of "Black Hole Sun". My friend and I thought it was super badass, so we tried to sneak up to the front. A security guard stopped us and explained that the only people allowed to stand either had front row tickets or exclusive VIP passes. As we returned to our seats disappointed, I turned around to see Frampton looking at us with a confused expression. During the next song, a killer version of "(I'll Give You) Money", a couple more people tried to get up front and were also stopped. As the song kept playing, Peter announced, "Let the people come up and dance! If they can't get up here and dance, I'm walking off this stage." My friend and I looked at each other and *booked it* to the front, as did many others. The security guards continued to try and stop a few people, which Frampton objected to. He cued the band to stop, took his guitar off, and left the stage. I remember saying to my friend, "Even if he doesn't come back, this is the most badass concert ever." Sure enough, though, he returned about 10 minutes later with a shit-eating grin on his face and said, "Let's pick that one back up from my guitar solo." He finished the song (and the set) while my friend and I got to enjoy it from right up front, and to this day, it's one of the coolest, most respectable rock star moves I've ever witnessed. I suppose I can understand why he may not be everyone's cup of tea, and I'm sure some people of a certain generation got burnt out on this album's hype, but I will never have anything but the utmost respect for Peter Frampton. And this album is pretty damn good. 4/5

"Man, that guys guitar is talking." "Hey, my shoes are talking too." "Don't worry, we wont hurt you, we only want to have some fun."

Dad rock you don't need to pay attention to. Peter has a steady hand, he doesn't need you to check in on him. He'll just keep going competently until you tell him to stop.

It's a solid live album, it has a couple of songs I began to remember from my childhood as I heard them. Yes, it's not anything out of the ordinary and I don't think it "brought anything new to the table" back then, but I also don't think it meant to. It's just an "inoffensive" pleasant album (with a pretty unfortunate Stones cover, I have to say)

The guitar is impressive on this album. It's no use having great guitar if the songs are kind of boring though.

Great live album. Vast majority of this album playa on radio already. Good songwriter, connects with the audience and he sounds like he is having fun at this show in SF. Frampton understands his craft and changes the gimmick of his voice box into more than that. He doesn't overuse it, but it becomes part of his toolbox.

Everytime I think the 70s were cool I'm going to remind myself this tepid guitarist wankfest was the best selling album of 1976. 2/10 smooth music for smooth brains.

Framptom Comes Alive (barely). Boring dad rock. Thank God punk came along.

As with all live albums - this is going to have to be absolutely goddamn exceptional for me to see past the fact it was recorded live. The sad thing is that just from the first track I can tell that it absolutely isn't going to be. His voice is just...not good. The guitar playing is decent, in an showboating sort of way. The drums and bass are tight. But in track 2 we "get to" hear the audience clapping along - and I simply don't give a monkeys about that. I don't want to feel like I'm there - in an uncomfortable seat, or being jostled constantly by some prick. The combination of audience noise, ludicrously over the top wah-wah & talk box, and the fact I just don't much like this kind of soft rock is not a great combination.

Back in high school the cool kids were mad about this album. I didn’t understand the hype about it then, and 45 yrs later I still don’t see what all the fuss was about. At least now I can confidently say that I wasn’t missing anything. This is a pretty bog standard rock/pop record and a terrible live recording to boot.

It didn't have to be a live album. It didn't have to be a double album. It didn't have to be

just fuck off. 70s shite and to top it off its LIVE. crowds going woo through a completely unrecognisable song just somehow makes it worse. its the least amount of an album i;ve managed to listen to for a long time.

I'm having another ohhhhhhhhhh-I-get-it-now moment. I've heard bits of this my whole life but never sat through the whole thing and kind of didn't think I'd like it that much. I listened to the 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, 1 hour and 46 minutes of music that I didn't want to end. Frampton's musicianship is astounding --- there's plenty of impressively spoodly electric guitar solos but then there's some lovely acoustic technique in Penny for your Thoughts and All I Wanna Be. And his voice! Smooth and lovely throughout, lots of variation. None of the fatigue or pitch problems you can sometimes hear in live recordings. I think of Frampton as a great guitarist but he can really really sing and he seems to be an incredible showman. In addition to the singles I was familiar with, I fell in love with several of these songs during this listen: Wind of Change, All I Wanna Be, I Wanna Go to the Sun, Shine On, and White Sugar. I didn't really love the cover of Jumpin' Jack Flash --- it just didn't seem to have teeth for some reason --- but I have renewed appreciation for Do You Feel Like We Do, all 14 minutes of it. So great!

Fantastic album. I haven't listened to it before, but I'm sure I'll be listening again sometime. 3RS

Loved that it was recorded at Winterland in San Francisco! Also do you feel like i feel is so insanely epic

Peter Frampton somehow became successful and made the back then best selling live album. All the singles charted in the US Τοp 15 and the album was voted album of the year on multiple occasions after 1976. It was a well rounded success for him and transported him into stardom. Problem was, he just wasn't that good. He's a solid guitar player, solid songwriter, okay singer... He's slightly above average but that's it. This album was just a one-time lucky strike and he had luck that it was recorded. If this was made in a studio setting, it would not have worked. Back to the album, it's mainly Pop Rock with a couple of Hard Rock, AOR and Soft Rock touches to round out the sound. It sounds commercial but not necessarily bad with a lot of nice details and sonic additions that are not really expected with this type of release. The first song 'Something's Happening' mixes elements of Hard Rock, namely the guitar riffs with elements of Soft Rock into a melodic song that starts the show with a pretty memorable piece. It's mainly the mixing here that kind of removes from the enjoyment. The vocals aren't loud enough and the drums are just quiet. It would've sounded much better and cleaner if it was studio quality and the live aspect takes away from it which not every live recording does... but this does it. It's still a pretty good song with some very enjoyable moments, especially the chorus and the way it builds up to that. The second song 'Doobie Wah' on the other hand is just kind of boring. It tries to be a little silly and fun but it's performed way to seriously and the result feels off and without moments that really stick. It's a Power Pop & Soft Rock mix but done in a way where I feel just not interested with what is done here. It's a snoozer and Frampton's vocals aren't helping much. The mixing is a little bit better, mainly the drums feel louder but now the guitar feels not loud enough... 'Show Me the Way' is one of these more popular songs that the album had to offer after its release mainly as it's got a really "intruding" Pop attitude that must've really resonated with the times back then. From todays point of view it feels corny and overdone. The song tries to be a hit and I do not like it when a song tries to do that when it obviously cannot reach that. If it's done like MJ on 'Beat It', yeah, that works, but here? No... It's not inherently bad but it's nothing more than an okay track. On 'It's a Plain Shame' the type of memorable chorus that the first track offered returns and the song is actually quite good. Yes, the mixing feels off again and the guitar solo as well as the bridge aren't really interesting but the verses and especially the chorus are quite interesting and even groovy. I like the song but it doesn't go far enough out of its way for me to think that it might be anything close to great, it just isn't. The acoustic 'All I Wanna Be (Is by Your Side)' returns to the boring songs as it tries way to much to be introspective and full of great lyricism which it just isn't. He is a Rock artist and should try to stay in that lane as songs like this are just not it. The feel off, boring and just fill the album with unnecessary. The exact same thing happened with 'Wind of Change' which is just another acoustic track and while the song before at least had somewhat of a nice chorus, this is just boring throughout without anything that really makes this worth to listen to. The "gun" sound effect (idk what it is) does add a spark of hope for the second it appears but that's about it and I am pretty sure that this was an accident. Luckily, 'Baby, I Love Your Way' picks it up again with a song that sprawls with amazing songwriting, chorus, verses and even the bridges and instrumental parts are made interesting with the addition of an organ. It's an amazing song throughout and while it isn't perfect, this is one of the few tracks where the live setting actually adds to the enjoyment of the song. It's a great song and one of the albums best moments. The quite lengthy 'I Wanna Go to the Sun' is with the 7 minutes only the fourth longest song on the album but it is the longest in this first half of the album. It also closes this first half and it does it pretty well. It's got a lot of Blues influence and has some quite interesting moments but it fails to build on them and extend what made the song good at first. It slowly becomes more and more boring and in the end it's simply a snoozer, again. Side 2 starts with the folky and short 'Penny for Your Thoughts' which is another acoustic piece and this time it's even completely instrumental. I have no clue why the crowd was going so wild, this sounds, feels and maybe even is basic without anything to it that would need the crowd to celebrate like this. It's just a pretty boring interlude. '(I'll Give You) Money' is quite the contrast with some really heavy riffs throughout that feel completely different to pretty much everything the album had so far. It's also suprisingly good. The chorus is weak but the structure and the songwriting is quite good. The vocals are a little... too dynamic but other than that, it is pretty good and quite enjoyable. The following 'Shine On' keeps the hard rocking riffs but turns out to be way flatter and uninspired. It feels basic and boring and not even the chorus can make up for the way he delivered with the verses. The only thing that I enjoyed was how he used the guitar in the very short bridge. That was one little bit of hope but it fell right back into the dull and average song that it is. Oh god, he absolutely butchered 'Jumpin' Jack Flash'. Nothing that made the original good is kept and it's just dreadfully boring. And when you compare the original side by side, it feels like comparing gold to mud. I am absolutely disgusted by this version. Go on, cover as many songs as you want, but at least do them good. No need to be better, but it shouldn't be a drag through the dirt. The vocals are performed so weak compared to the original, he's just trying to burst out the words as strongly as possible without any emotion behind it. This is not singing. And there is no need for this to be nearly 8 minutes... 3 would've been enough. It does get a little better towards the end, especially the guitar solo is really good but it's not enough to make up for the terrible start. The song's bad but not completely ear ruining. Following one long song comes the next one right along: 'Lines on My Face' is pretty much the same length and while it isn't as bad as its predecessor, it's still not good. A couple of moments in the intro do give hope but the song tries way to hard to be "Jazz" here while clearly not being it just feels so off. It's a quite slow moving song that slowly builds up with more and more and actually sounds really good for a moment but as it continues for another 4 minutes, it spirals into dreadful boringness. The album closes with a song that features a length that puts all the other songs in a shadow. 'Do You Feel Like We Do' is 14 minutes long and moves through different parts and probably has the most experimentation the album offers. The usage of a talk box is pretty interesting and even a little "forward thinking" as it was mainly used in Soul and Funk and not much in Rock at least at that time. The song is overall pretty groovy and uses the time that it has pretty well and while there are some moments that feel a little streched, most of the song is pretty enjoyable and actually a pretty good song. favourites: Baby, I Love Your Way, Something's Happening, Do You Feel Like We Do, (I'll Give You) Money least favourites: Jumpin' Jack Flash, Doobie Wah, Wind of Change Rating: strong 5 to light 6 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes

Despite living in the suburbs, I was never issued a copy of Frampton Comes Alive. That’s not to say I’m unfamiliar with it, though. Even if you’ve never heard the record, the chances you haven’t heard “Show Me the Way” or “Baby, I Love Your Way” are slimmer than Peter Frampton’s Bell bottoms. You know who probably did get a copy of this record in the mail back in 1976? Trey and the boys from Phish. A lot of this record has a kind of proto-Phish jammy-ness to it, except not as weird and played competently. (Look, I’ve got a thousand and one records to listen to, it was inevitable that I’d eventually talk a little smack on Phish) About a decade ago, while in Colorado for business, I took an afternoon and visited Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I had only intended on touring the venue, just to see in person how awesome it is. Even if you’re not going there for a concert, it is worth visiting. Absolutely beautiful. What I didn’t know when I arrived, was that Peter Frampton was playing that night and I would be walking around the venue while he and the band sound checked. I’m not a Peter Frampton fan by any stretch, but hearing his talk box reverberate off the giant slabs of prehistoric rock is one of the coolest “concert” experiences I’ve ever had. It sounded amazing. …and for that, Peter Frampton is cool with me.

Shoulda stayed dead

I really dislike Live albums as is. I don't think this album was bad. But I think it was so fucking boring I couldn't make it all the way through.

Sounds like something you'd play in a truck if you only had one record to hand

Dismal. How was this ever popular?

I didn't realise how many Peter Frampton songs I knew. Plus this is a terrific recording.

Claaaaaaasic

Oh my GOD stop it with the lame live albums, just stop!!!

I feel a little more forgiving toward this album than other overlong 60-70s live albums. The self-indulgent bits are a little more interesting and it just feels a little more fun, even if it overstayed it's welcome a bit.

There's a difference between "was very successful" and "good"

As good as it gets for CSNY

I was initially skeptical of a double live album but I shouldn't have been. Trust the process. Everything sounds great and distinct and the crowd energy is present. Just the kind of live recording I like. I didn't realize how good Frampton's guitar playing was. Almost all the songs have something to offer but the biggest hit is Baby, I Love Your Way. I really dig a lot of the soloing, especially on I Wanna Go To The Sun. Nice heavy riff on (I'll Give You) Money. There's quieter moments too. And then the epic finale caps things off. I can't deduct any points.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Fantastic album. Love the instrumentals here. I wasn't always on board with the vocals, but at times they hit nicely. 'Do You Feel Like We Do - Live' takes my fave.

9/10. Great vibes. It's one of the most important live albums of all time. :) Peter Frampton got inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a few days ago, and I watched the ceremony. I think that his induction was incredible!!! :)

Loved this! Very fun album. Will listen again in the future.

Love a lot of this album

Man this dude likes to noodle on the guitar. Quite into that sort of thing though.

Have always loved this one!

good

sound isch huuuere schön. erste song blibt scho im ohr. soliert huuuere geil doobie wah isch chli sehr funky funky. nöd soo geil schow me the way isch de für meega geil 16tel prechorus. seeehr cool. jaaaa talkbox solo. its a plain shame isch au huuuere geil er soliiiert sooo geeeil. all i want to be extreem schön er chan ebe au singe. the wind of change is blowing jo. uh baby i love you kenni! huuuuere schön mitem rhodes aaaaah. er will zude sunne und i find er dörf d band spielt soo geil alles lebt ebe echt und er spielt sooo geeeeil penny for your thoughts au extrem guet mega schöööni gitarre aaah. ill give you money wieder chli stampfi classic rock aber immerno crazy geili solos. shine on au cool aber find die souligere geiler. ok etz sind gad d breaks cho und finds huuuuere geil. jumpin jack flash geile song. wie hemmer no keis rolling stones album gha? sehr cools cover. sin gitarresound isch insane. er spielt soooo geil. mue nocher luege bim rick beato (beato) waner für amps spielt und so. bruuuudi cha de gitärrele es isch sooo melodisch. aaaaah. jetz fehlt nurno ei siite quasi vom album. s letst isch anschinend de hit, aber lines ln my face fangt guet aah. okay do you feel like we do. bin ready. de paulo bliibt z rom ich bin happy. gib de good shit peter. refrain seeehr cool. freu mi ufs solo. uuuh zweistimmig mitem rhodes sehr geil. solo time. s tönt alles so schön? sie gönd meeega mit ihm mit und denn BAM refrain huere geeil. ui rhodes solo goht jo blöööd. publikum klatscht brav im takt. etz fohter zerst fiin und denn easy chratzig ah soliere. schööön. lieb d kicks vom drummer. JA TALKBOX TIME. so expressiv ultra geile scheiss. doingdwuang doing. wonen d lüt verstönd durd talkbox und usrasted hahaha. gad mehrmols mis gsicht vezoge well de peter so tschuttet. das isch gad e extrem langs solo gsi und s isch nüüüt langwilig worde, get peter'd eric clapton. so geil. herte maultaschen. FUMF.

Didn‘t know his name, but some of his music. I love the hits on this one, the instrumental only parts and the live atmosphere captured in here.

Solid

Imagine how I felt finding the live version of «Do You Feel Like We Do?» on YouTube when I was 13, right as I started playing guitar. I mean, just the transition from the talkbox part to the solo — holy shit! And then a full album of stuff like that! Yeah, this is awesome!

Before autotune we had "Talk Box" technology! What a gem of an album! What a treat to pretend that you are somewhere in the audience, throwing back a beer, hitting the bong, or just passing along the beach ball, and being lucky to have had good sound engineers tape this show! Sure, not all songs are 5 stars, but taken as a whole, if you like electric guitar driven music, this is a must listen!

5/5 Amazing, timeless, classic rock. Side 1 is banging, but side 2 emerges touching and beautiful. The whole thing is paced fantastically, with a delicate instrumental leading into a heavier side 3, which contains a great change of pace within the brilliant Jumping Jack Flash. Then side 4 has only the relaxed Lines On My Face and the supreme Do You Feel Like We Do to finish this exceptional album with a bang. It's coincidental to review two live albums in a row which have incredible peaks right at the end of their runtime (after Nirvana's MTV Unplugged). Something's Happening 4.5/5 Doobie Wah 5/5 Show Me The Way 4.5/5 It's A Plain Shame 4.5/5 All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side) 5/5 Wind Of Change 4/5 (LEAST FAV) Baby, I Love Your Way 5/5 I Wanna Go To The Sun 5/5 Penny For Your Thoughts 4.5/5 (I'll Give You) Money 4.5/5 Shine On 5/5 Jumpin' Jack Flash 5/5 Lines On My Face 4.5/5 Do You Feel Like We Do 5/5 (FAV)

Sensational!

Excellent!

Absolutely incredible seminal album! Frampton at his best

Oh Peter, I love your way! I had no idea who Peter Frampton is, but i am happy i found out!

Rips.

Absolutely fantastic - I didn't know how much I liked Peter Frampton until I got this album on the app, really enjoyed it.

I have this album on MP3 and vinyl and just listened to it last week, but listened to it again today anyway! Wonderful, wonderful listen and it's just so good. The musicianship on display here is absolutely amazing, and I can't get enough of it. Five stars, easily.

one of the greatest live albums

This was great! I was skeptical when I realised it was a live album, but the crowd noises really add to the atmosphere. Songs are varied enough to stay interesting (the midpoint acoustic instrumental track comes at just the right time to keep it fresh). Cool electric guitar riffs and beautiful solos

This album is too long. But it’s really good. Really tasteful guitar licks. I love a little talk box. Usually anything over an hour loses a star from me, but this manages to escape that fate.

Bangers from top to bottom

Classic

Surprised to find how many of these I knew. Frampton is a massive talent, and this may be the one that sells me on live albums: maybe they just don't make them like they used to?

Iconic

Big Pete Frampton guy

Still a classic worth listening to.

The album, the concert, the poster, the crush… I had it ALL! Who wouldn’t love an amazing guitarist with the gifts of story-telling musical dynamics, lyric writing, the entertainment factor, and a killer smile?

I went into this album knowing only one song - "Baby, I Love Your Way". I have to say, the rest of the album passed muster. Truly a rock classic. But I cannot describe how much I enjoyed the final track. It started off like a fairly usual Frampton track and when the Rhodes kicked in at around four minutes in, I knew it was something more. The rest of the track has a similar chord progression to Telegraph Road by Dire Straits, which I LOVE. When Frampton whipped out the talkbox around seven and a half minutes in was when the goosebumps formed. I've been listening to this on repeat ever since. What an absolutely phenomenal performance. This album gets 5 stars on the merit of "Do You Feel Like We Do" alone.

I did enjoy this a lot.

Possibly the best live album by any artist ever. This version of “Do You Feel Like We Do” is one of the best songs of all time. For me, it’s rare that a live version eclipses a studio version for one song, let alone an entire album of songs. This is Frampton’s masterpiece.

One of the Greatest albums of All time!! Love it !!

YAY!!!! Reminds me of hanging out with my friend Dana (6th grade?). She had older sisters so we listened to everything they did when I came to the house. This is the best live album ever in my book.

I’ve got this in vinyl. My dad said the was a must-have on the medium and he wasn’t wrong. No other live album makes me feel like I’m at a concert like the one

A brilliant live album. Never heard 'Somethings Happening' before. Really liked it - great opener. The guitar work is such an absolute pleasure to listen to. Show Me The Way - what a perfect feel-good song. As is, Baby I Love your Way. I Want To Go To The Sun - another track I never heard before. Loved it. Do You Feel Like We Do - excellent. Looking forward to playing this album again in full. Thoroughly enjoyed it. A perfect 5! 😊

this album by peter frampton is... uuuuugh this is good, really really good. something about the energy of the crowd, the clear-as-day instrumentals sweeping in, and peter's voice... if you close your eyes are really allow yourself to become one with the audio, i swear you feel like you're actually there. i love this. i love this with every fiber of my being.

Phenomenal live album, best record on this list i’ve listened to so far! Favorite track: “Do You Feel Like We Do” and “All I Want To Be”

I always felt there was a tendency for the qualities of tracks on live albums to be drowned out and lost in the noise, rarely do I find them living up to the same standards as their accompanying studio albums, but this is one of the exceptions. Penny For Your Thoughts is such a refreshing interlude, unexpected but appreciated. Jumping Jack Flash is also a great track with a killer solo towards the end, surprised it isn't more popular. Do You Feel Like We Do is a 14-minute finisher, excellent solos from Bob Mayo on keyboard and Hammond, great track to end.

The gimmick of the talking guitar almost masks how solid the performance is. Listen to the audience just loving it. I don't think there's a lot of poetry going on here but everyone playing and listening is all about it. Huge fan of the energy. I don't know what I'd rate this if it wasn't a live album, but it being one adds so much. Finishing with Do You Feel Like We Do makes the album. The whole talking part going into that crazy breakdown and the crowd explodes. I can see so many people hearing this and deciding to start a band.

classic album -- 4.6

Awesome album that I remember well from my freshman year of high school

This is a live album where the embellishments - with exception - are lean, and the concert setting enhances the music. Each track is a Standout.

Great live album

This album is part of the soundtrack of my late teenage years. A superb piece of music.

A great live album. Exceeded my low expectations.

Fantastic. Nobody does it like Frampton, and live he's unreal. Easy 5/5

Honestly was never a big fan but this might be enough to change my mind

a classic. I already own this record

grande mestre, sonzeira

Classic!

Rock a la antigua usanza. Vinilo.

Live rock. "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way"

Enjoyed listening to this whole thing. The switching from acoustic, to rock is awesome. Good voice. Tasteful guitar work and leads. Bluesy and modal interlinking. Do you feel like we do is an absolutely jam banger.

Wow!!

This album was everything I love about rock.

I know it's not yacht rock but it's soft rock so I still wanna listen to it on a boat or a beach. Either way it's right up my alley. 9/10

Great live album

This is excellent. Awesome production and sound quality on a live album. Every song is well performed as well. Favorite track: Show Me the Way

Peter Frampton a juste trop de talent, peut importe le commentaire, je suis l'argumentaire, un genie 5*

"Show Me The Way", "Baby I Love Your Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do" are three super hits that I really like. Crazy good live album. 9/10.

Rock a la antigua usanza. Vinilo.

Liked it a lot more than I though I would

Another much loved album I have in numerous media, LP, cassette, RTR, digital, etc. I have it on both the HD in my car as well as on an iPod that often travels with me.

I owned this album on a twin cassette pack and played it until is was stuffed, great album.

Live rock. "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way"

I honestly didn’t thought I’d give it a five stars but truth is, I really liked listening to this album. It has the energy of a great live album, and even though I didn’t know that much songs, I stayed hooked on my first listening ! The audience is on fire. Surprised also by the quality of Frampton’s guitar play, there’s some killer licks and solo. Of course the last track “Do you feel like we do”is a definite banger and Frampton makes good uses of talkbox. Anyway a fine discovery and definitely among my favourite live albums.

great album

"If ever an album title was in dire need of an exclamation mark It surely had to be Frampton Comes Alive!" ("Third Track Main Camera Four Minutes" by Half Man Half Biscuit. 2000) I saw Frampton support Deep Purple in 2004, and he was just as good as you would expect. This album is an absolute belter! One of the easiest 5's I'll give.