Frampton Comes Alive! - Peter Frampton

I am very late to the party with Frampton Comes Alive! Not that it's an excuse, but I was just thirteen when this came out, and it really wasn't an album any of my friends had at the time, so I never had a chance to hear it. It also didn't help that, for whatever reason, the big hits seemed schmaltzy. Peter Frampton looked like a rock star who didn't really seem to play rock, but played smokin' guitar. At the time, I liked Kiss, Alice Cooper and BTO, and this wasn't on my radar.

Of course, the album was huge, and Peter did play that really cool Les Paul. If two pickups were good, three would put you over the top. But still, aside from the radio hits, I didn't know anything about the guy or the album. Of course, by the time I had enough money to buy things, I never really felt this was anything I'd ever want or even listen to.

Then, a couple of years ago, I was in a music store and got to talking with the guy behind the counter about players we liked. This young guy, much younger than me, asks, "You heard the Humble Pie at the Fillmore stuff?" I replied, no, I hadn't really listened to Humble Pie, other than it was a name I'd heard before. This guy kept at it. "You should hear the stuff Peter Frampton does. It'll melt your face." Okay, maybe he didn't say melt your face, but that's what he meant.

So I find the Fillmore concert, and after putting my face back on, I had a newfound appreciation and respect for Mister Frampton. Then one day in the car, "Do You Feel Like We Do?" comes on the radio, and it wasn't schmaltzy at all. For close to fifteen minutes, I'm listening with new ears, and now I get it.

Not long after, I'm at the record store going through my favourite dollar bins, and there it is. Frampton Comes Alive! "Please be in decent shape," I mutter to myself. I give it a good clean, and aside from the missing sleeves, the rest was in decent shape and played great all the way through both records.

I played it again.

Sometimes it takes me a while to figure things out. I suppose better late than never.

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