Guess we feel like we do

 

Peter Frampton is one of those iconic artists that may not have the staying power of a David Bowie — with whom he worked, The Beatles — half of whom he worked with, or The Rolling Stones — half of whom he also worked with, but he precisely stands at the crossroads of many pivotal moments in (recent) rock history. And that is just as well…

Starting from the beginning, Frampton actually was a successful musician and singer from childhood, joining rock band The Herd at the tender age of 16 — and scoring several hits with them. He then decided to move into adulthood by starting Humble Pie with Small Faces’ Steve Marriott. That union produced 4 studio albums — and, perhaps more importantly for what was to come, a live album as well. In 1971, the man finally decided to go solo after these various early experiences — he was only 21…

Frampton’s first solo albums did not fare so well, however. The best he achieved in that period came with his fourth attempt, 1975’s Frampton, which reached #32 in the US album charts. Then, in 1976, the guitarist/singer decided to release a new live LP, aptly titled Frampton Comes Alive!. That album contained the classics “Show Me the Way”, “Baby, I Love Your Way” (later covered by Big Mountain with a reggae spin) and “Do You Feel Like We Do”. That last one is in many ways the artist’s signature song, having very much lasted to this day with its startling use of the “talk box”. The live set became the best-selling album of 1976 and (finally) made Frampton a household name.

You would think the story ends there — and you would be wrong. The man’s following efforts did not quite meet expectations that were admittedly high. Several albums failed to make a proper dent in the charts, the first (moderate hit) being 1986’s Premonition. The following year, he performed with David Bowie, both in the studio and on stage, which gave his career the boost it needed. Quick note: the two were actually students in the same technical school back in East London, although Bowie was 3 years older than his fellow future rockstar… We should also mention 1978’s musical film Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which featured both Frampton and the Bee Gees and was based on the album of the same name — with less success. That collaboration still led to Frampton playing guitar on the Barry Gibb-penned “Grease“…

In recent years, as the iconic nature of Frampton Comes Alive! only became more affirmed, the status of its creator naturally followed. Despite unevenly successful releases, the musician kept touring fairly consistently all around the world, enjoying a near-cult following. A few years ago, he announced that he would soon retire for health reasons — a degenerative muscle disorder that would arguably make it hard to play those incredible solos. Whatever happens, Frampton has already come alive many times over, marking a generation — and then some…