Frampton Comes Alive!

Frampton Comes Alive! is a double live album by English rock musician Peter Frampton released in 1976. It is one of the best-selling live albums in the United States. "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do" were released as singles; all three reached the Top 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and frequently receive airplay on classic rock radio stations. Following four solo albums with little commercial success, Frampton Comes Alive! was a breakthrough for the artist.

Frampton Comes Alive!
Live album by
Peter Frampton
ReleasedJanuary 6, 1976 (1976-01-06) (US)
February 13, 1976 (1976-02-13) (UK)
RecordedWinterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, June 17, 1975
Long Island Arena, Commack, NY, August 24, 1975
SUNY Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, November 22, 1975
GenreRock
Length78:06
LabelA&M
ProducerPeter Frampton
Peter Frampton chronology
Frampton
(1975)		 Frampton Comes Alive!
(1976)		 I'm in You
(1977)
Singles from Frampton Comes Alive!
  1. "Baby, I Love Your Way"
    Released: September 1975
  2. "Show Me the Way"
    Released: February 1976
  3. "Do You Feel Like We Do"
    Released: September 1976
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusiclink
Christgau's Record GuideB–[1]

Released on January 6, 1976, it debuted on the charts at 191. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 the week ending April 10, 1976, and was in the top spot for a total of 10 weeks. It was the best-selling album of 1976, selling over 8 million copies in the US[2] and becoming one of the best-selling live albums to date, with estimated sales of 11 million worldwide.[3]

Frampton Comes Alive! was voted "Album Of The Year" in the 1976 Rolling Stone readers poll. It stayed on the chart for 97 weeks and was still No. 14 on Billboard's 1977 year-end album chart. It was ranked No. 41 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Live Albums of All Time" list.[4] Readers of Rolling Stone ranked it No. 3 in a 2012 poll of all-time favourite live albums.[5]

Background and recording

The album was recorded in summer and fall 1975, primarily at Winterland in San Francisco and the Long Island Arena in Commack, New York, as well as a concert on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus in Plattsburgh, New York. The Winterland songs were recorded on a 24-track master recorder. Other concerts were captured on a 16-track recorder. Recordings from four shows were used for the original album. Master tapes were recorded at 15 inches per second using professional Dolby "A" noise reduction.[6]

The live album had been intended to be a single LP disc, but at the suggestion of A&M Records additional shows were recorded and the album expanded to two LPs for release. On the special features for the "Live in Detroit" concert DVD, Frampton commented that some difficulty was encountered in the mixing after the cord to the bass drum mic was pulled, accidentally causing the microphone to face at a 90-degree angle from the drum head. During the concerts, Frampton principally used a distinctive modified black 1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom electric guitar (with three Humbucker pick-ups as opposed to the usual P90 and AlNiCo Staple pickups).[7] On In the Studio with Redbeard, Frampton said "the album is mostly live except for the first verse of 'Something's Happening', the rhythm electric guitar on 'Show Me the Way' (the talk-box came out but the engineer forgot to move the mike) and the intro piano on 'I Wanna Go to the Sun' were fixed in the studio but the rest was all live (all the guitar solos, acoustic guitars, electric keyboards, drums, bass guitar and rest of vocals) which was unheard of at the time".[8]

The introduction "If there was ever a musician who was an honorary member of San Francisco society, Mr. Peter Frampton" was by the general Manager at Winterland, Jerry Pompili.

Release

The double album was released in the US with a special reduced list price of $7.98, only $1.00 more than the standard $6.98 of most single-disc albums in 1976. The album was pressed in "automatic sequence", with sides one and four on one record, followed by sides two and three on the other. This arrangement was intended to make it easier to listen through the whole album in sequence on automatic record changers.

Three hit singles were released from the album: "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Do You Feel Like We Do" and "Show Me the Way". The talk box guitar effect became strongly associated with Frampton when it was heard on the latter two singles. The "Do You Feel Like We Do" single version was edited to 7:19 from the 14:15 album version. But even at just over seven minutes, it is about twice the length of the average hit single and one of the longest ever to make the top 40 (longer even than The Beatles' "Hey Jude" which ran 7:11). The B-side of "Do You Feel Like We Do", the acoustic instrumental "Penny for Your Thoughts", was the shortest song on Frampton Comes Alive at just 1:23.

In January 2001, a 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of the album was released, containing four additional tracks that were not included on the original version (although one of these was recorded in a radio studio as part of a broadcast, and does not form part of the main concert programme). The track sequence is also significantly different, to more accurately reflect the set list used in the original concerts. Frampton produced the completely remixed and extended album, and played an impromptu live performance with the original band from the album at Tower Records in Los Angeles to help promote the release.

Track listing

All songs written by Peter Frampton except as noted. Timings are from the original LP release. Subsequent versions, such as CD versions, had different timings. This was likely decided by whoever mastered the CD and whether a track ended with the song itself or after applause following the song.

Side one
  1. "Introduction/Something's Happening" – 5:54
  2. "Doobie Wah" (Frampton, John Headley-Down, Rick Wills) – 5:28
  3. "Show Me the Way" – 4:42
  4. "It's a Plain Shame" – 4:21
Side two
  1. "All I Want to Be (Is by Your Side)" – 3:27
  2. "Wind of Change" – 2:47
  3. "Baby, I Love Your Way" – 4:43
  4. "I Wanna Go to the Sun" – 7:02
Side three
  1. "Penny for Your Thoughts" – 1:23
  2. "(I'll Give You) Money" – 5:39
  3. "Shine On" – 3:35
  4. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 7:45
Side four
  1. "Lines on My Face" – 7:06
  2. "Do You Feel Like We Do" (Frampton, Mick Gallagher, John Siomos, Rick Wills) – 14:15

25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Disc one
  1. "Introduction/Something's Happening" – 5:56 (Originally titled "Baby (Somethin's Happening)" on Frampton's 1974 album Somethin's Happening)
  2. "Doobie Wah" (Frampton, Rick Wills, John Headley-Down) – 5:43
  3. "Lines on My Face" – 6:59
  4. "Show Me the Way" – 4:32
  5. "It's a Plain Shame" – 4:03
  6. "Wind of Change" – 2:57
  7. "Just the Time of Year" – 4:21 *
  8. "Penny for Your Thoughts" – 1:34
  9. "All I Want to Be (Is By Your Side)" – 3:08
  10. "Baby, I Love Your Way" – 4:41
  11. "I Want to Go to the Sun" – 7:15
Disc two
  1. "Nowhere's Too Far (For My Baby)" – 4:49 *
  2. "(I'll Give You) Money" – 5:46
  3. "Do You Feel Like We Do" (SUNY-Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY, November 22, 1975) (Frampton, Mick Gallagher, John Siomos, Wills) – 13:46
  4. "Shine On" – 3:29
  5. "White Sugar" – 4:43 *
  6. "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 7:40
  7. "Day's Dawning/Closing" – 3:34 *

(* Available only on the 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition

Same track listing as the 25th anniversary edition plus an extra track "Do You Feel Like We Do" featuring Warren Haynes.

Personnel

Chart positions

Certifications
Sales certifications for Frampton Comes Alive!
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Gold 50,000^
France — 105,900[28]
Japan — 15,000[17]
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[30] 8× Platinum 8,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: F". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 24, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  2. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. RIAA. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
  3. Samuel, Lawrence R. (July 1, 2009). Rich: The Rise and Fall of American Wealth Culture. American Management Association. p. 176. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  4. "50 Greatest Live Albums". rollingstone.com.
  5. "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Live Albums of All Time". rollingstone.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  6. Frampton Comes Alive In 5.1 – Mixonline.com
  7. Peter Frampton Interview by Steven Rosen. Modern Guitars Magazine November 21, 2008
  8. Peter Frampton Comes Alive 40th Anniversary
  9. "Billboard Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. April 30, 1977. p. 99. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 117. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. "Billboard Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. February 19, 1977. p. 58. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  12. "RPM Top Albums". RPM Magazine. bac-lac.gc.ca. July 24, 1976. p. 29. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  14. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste – F" (in French). Institut français d'opinion publique. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive!" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  16. "Billboard International" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. April 23, 1977. p. 74. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  17. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  18. "Charts.nz – Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive!". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  19. "Billboard Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. April 16, 1977. p. 71. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  20. "Billboard Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. March 5, 1977. p. 60. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  21. "Billboard Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. December 11, 1976. p. 51. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  22. "Peter Frampton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  23. "Rock LP Best Sellers" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. May 22, 1976. p. 46. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  24. "Cashbox Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cashbox Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. March 13, 1976. p. 57. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  25. "Top 20 Albums of 1976" (PDF). Cashbox Magazine. worldradiohistory.com. December 25, 1976. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  26. "Top 100 Albums of 1977". RPM Magazine. bac-lac.gc.ca. December 31, 1977. p. 15. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  27. "Canadian album certifications – Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive". Music Canada. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  28. Les Meilleures Ventes de CD / Albums "Tout Temps" at the Wayback Machine (archived 8 January 2020)
  29. "British album certifications – Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 5, 2020. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Frampton Comes Alive in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  30. "American album certifications – Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 5, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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