Monday, May 23, 2011

Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way




1976 was a year that really belonged to Peter Frampton. As a very young man, he had been a part of the band Humble Pie, which had some success both artistically and commercially in the late 60s and early 70s. By the end of 1971 he left the band to venture on a solo path, and put out several albums that were well-reviewed, and decent but not great sales. In 1976 he released a live double album, Frampton Comes Alive, and all that changed. He because the poster boy for rock music, and his songs ran up the charts. It all started with the release of Show Me The Way, which went to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and put the record in the limelight.



The second single off the album was the ballad, Baby, I Love Your Way. It was a song that was played at every high school dance I ever went to, and everyone was supposed to slow dance to it.



Like many of the rockers of the day, Frampton looked great with no shirt, or with one flailing wide open in the breeze. His boyish good looks, the floppy mass of hair, big doe eyes and those amazing lips certainly never hurt his appeal. And, bless his heart, he could play the guitar pretty damn well. If you need proof, you can check out the final single off the album, the rocking Do You Feel Like We Do?. It made it to #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and had a great guitar solo!



Interestingly enough, the first two were released as singles from earlier albums, and went nowhere on the charts. But with the live album, Frampton's career and life exploded. And forever, 1976 will be considered his year.


2 comments:

  1. Did he do, "I'm in you", if so I love that song

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  2. Wonder Man, yes, I think "I'm In You" is the follow-up to the "Frampton Comes Alive" album in 1977. Good memory! I thought the song was pretty sexy...

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