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Frampton Comes Alive

Can anyone tell me why this is one of the most popular albums of the 70's and the appeal of Peter Frampton is?

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by Anonymousreply 156October 18, 2021 1:27 AM

He was in the right place at the right time and exploded all at once. I liked him.

by Anonymousreply 1October 4, 2021 3:56 AM

If you have to ask, you’d never understand.

by Anonymousreply 2October 4, 2021 3:58 AM

You had to be there. The timing was perfect.

by Anonymousreply 3October 4, 2021 4:01 AM

What do you mean "the timing is perfect" ? Were there not better performances the year this was released? If anything this album is mediocre and his voice is not that great, but everyone seem to be blown away by "Frampton Comes Alive"

Please explain.

by Anonymousreply 4October 4, 2021 4:09 AM

Well gee R4, most people at the time disagreed with you. There's nothing to explain.

by Anonymousreply 5October 4, 2021 4:12 AM

Did all you eldergays in the 70s get fucked in the back seat of a Camero with "Oohh Baby I Love Your Ways" playing on the radio?

by Anonymousreply 6October 4, 2021 4:13 AM

He was considered a sex symbol and a great live performer. He had the young rocker vibe that was all the rage.

Trust me, no one in the future will understand why Bieber or Lil Nasty were popular.

by Anonymousreply 7October 4, 2021 4:13 AM

[quote] Trust me, no one in the future will understand why Bieber or Lil Nasty were popular.

I don't understand it now.

by Anonymousreply 8October 4, 2021 4:14 AM

The first rock concert I ever went to was Peter Frampton a very very long time ago, and he was fucking GREAT live.

by Anonymousreply 9October 4, 2021 4:15 AM

Yes, you bitch R6!!!!

And it was a CamAro!! Get it right!!!!!

by Anonymousreply 10October 4, 2021 4:21 AM

No. We can't.

We're sworn to secrecy.

by Anonymousreply 11October 4, 2021 4:24 AM

He had a real pretty face.

by Anonymousreply 12October 4, 2021 4:25 AM

My introduction to Peter Frampton was the movie "Sgt Pepper's Loney Hearts Club Band."

by Anonymousreply 13October 4, 2021 4:31 AM

It was always a mystery to me.

by Anonymousreply 14October 4, 2021 4:33 AM

Peter was also part of the raunchy rock band Humble Pie.

Humble Pie was an offshoot band of the original Small Faces, another band which was waaaaay before OP's time. The Small Faces then evolved into The Faces, led by Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood. Both Rod and Ronnie played in the amazing guitarist Jeff Beck's band.

OP, you need to check out Humble Pie, The Faces and maybe even Jeff Beck's many bands, those bands might be more your cup of tea. They were more hard rock than the type of music Frampton was making at the height of his stardom.

Fun Fact, Peter's daughter Jade Frampton works for either ELLE or Harper's Bazaar.

by Anonymousreply 15October 4, 2021 4:36 AM

I saw his farewell tour and he was great. He’s a nice guy and very liberal. The album had 3 hit singles and as has been written he appealed to young girls for his looks and their big brothers as a rock star. He’s truly a musicians musician and was in David Bowie’s band in the 80s.

1976 was all over the place as far as popular music goes so the timing was perfect comment fits in this case.

by Anonymousreply 16October 4, 2021 4:36 AM

I never understood the appeal either, OP. I wasn’t around at the time, but I bought this on CD in the 90s when I was giving a lot of classic albums a shot, because I was and am a huge rock music person. The album did nothing for me.

by Anonymousreply 17October 4, 2021 4:39 AM

He had "The Look" for young male sex symbols in the late 70s, which was to look androgynous and angelic and have long curly blond locks (like Christopher Atkins and Leif Garrett).

He was so ridiculous in Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. I remember a story just after it came out (it was a huge flop) about in a humor magazine--maybe the National Lampoon?--that projected an upcoming big-budget movie based on the first appearance of the Silver Surfer in Marvel Comics, which would star the Bee Gees as the Fantastic Four , featuring Peter Frampton as Sue "Invisible Girl" Storm.

by Anonymousreply 18October 4, 2021 4:46 AM

It was the wa-wa guitar pedal.

I mean, I didn't get it either.

But people went gaga over that wa-wa.

Now, I personally didn't even get gaga over Radio Gaga. Certainly not Lady Gaga.

But then I like Ben Platt's cover of "You and I"

And isn't Ben Platt basically the Peter Frampton of our time?

I mean Trump just lowered the bar on so many things.

by Anonymousreply 19October 4, 2021 4:54 AM

I think Frampton's best record was I'm in You. Goddamn, that song was young lust on a stick. And so was Frampton on the cover of that album.

I was only 7 and I knew I wanted him to do things to me.

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by Anonymousreply 20October 4, 2021 5:01 AM

1. The double live album was a staple of 70's rock. Live music was routinely played on the radio back then. People were used to less-than-perfect live vocals, and real musicians playing real instruments.

2. Peter Frampton was already a fairly well-known name in rock circles, but though many Americans had heard about him, most had never actually heard his music. But he'd been at it a long time, having scored his first hits in the UK as a teenager with a band called The Herd in the late 60's. By the time this album came out, he was a seasoned pro, and was poised for a breakthrough. All he needed was the right set of songs and the right promotion behind him, which finally happened with "Frampton Comes Alive".

3. He had that rare combination of serious, credible musicianship that appealed to young male fans, and pretty boy/teen idol looks that the young female fans went crazy over. From a marketing standpoint, that's a recipe for massive success.

4. The "talk box" gimmick gave him a signature sound that was relatively new to listeners at the time.

I always felt bad for Frampton and how his career was mismanaged after this. His follow-up album, "I'm in You" was marketed strictly to the "Tiger Beat" crowd, which cost him a lot of his male fans. Then the fiasco of "Sgt. Pepper" was pretty much the death blow. By the time of his next album in '79, the music scene was really changing, and he was already seen as yesterday's news.

by Anonymousreply 21October 4, 2021 5:13 AM

Here are my guesses:

1. He was good-looking in a pretty way, also sang in a pretty way.

2. People actually bought live albums back then. IIRC, this was a double album, which felt like you were getting a lot for your money, maybe.

3. People weren't that familiar with his music and if you bought the live album, it was almost like buying a greatest hits album at the same time. (I think this may have been the first Peter Frampton album that most people bought.)

4. It had sounds you could listen to while smoking marijuana and stoned. I guess that was the wa-wa, mentioned above.

by Anonymousreply 22October 4, 2021 5:14 AM

i was born in 69 and i LOVE Frampton. I've played his YT live performances many times while drunk and/or stoned and it's really a great vibe and soundtrack to relax to. Also, his collaboration with Bob Mayo was legendary. They were a great team. RIP Bob Mayo.

by Anonymousreply 23October 4, 2021 5:20 AM

This poster on every teen girl's wall.

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by Anonymousreply 24October 4, 2021 5:33 AM

Do you not have ears? Or eyes?

by Anonymousreply 25October 4, 2021 5:40 AM

Marijuana had a lot to do with it.

by Anonymousreply 26October 4, 2021 5:43 AM

I don't know but my 12 year old ass wore that record out, ha ha. Live albums were so great back then. There is a moment in Do You Feel Like I Do? where he's finished with the soundbox solo (which is awesome by the way) and it launches into a bit that always makes me think of being at an outdoor concert late at night and you're totally caked in sweat but then a breeze comes over you and the music kicks in and you just *rejoice* and suddenly life feels good. It was an awesome feeling. Man, we had some great fucking bands back then. I miss those concerts.

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by Anonymousreply 27October 4, 2021 5:51 AM

His cousin lived next to me in freshman dorm at Cornell. If remember correct he was tall, kind of sexy, kind of affluent, and jewish. People ribbed this boy a lot for Peter who was in the 80s a nostalgic joke but I didn't because even if I was way too cool to admit it I had liked Peter Frampton. He was BETTER than other sexy young singers. Of course he wasn't a favorite, as a HS boy I was into Bowie and yes, Elton John. I liked disco still handing around from the late 70s punk and new wave came in strong, and funk. Lucky for Peter he was briefly big - he must have made $$$$ and he was pleasant enough. Mendes should look at Peter and realize that he has to have the musicianship and appeal to straight boys, at least for a few year, if he wants to be a pop rocker. Mayer did it well and has the musicianship.

by Anonymousreply 28October 4, 2021 5:55 AM

I don't get it either, OP. I also didn't get it then, but I was only 11 at the time.

Frampton is one of those artists who causes me to change stations when one of his songs is played.

by Anonymousreply 29October 4, 2021 5:58 AM

r27 I couldn't have said it better.

by Anonymousreply 30October 4, 2021 6:00 AM

My neighbor's mom bought "A Star Is Born" soundtrack album, which featured Barbra Streisand with a hairdo like Frampton's. My neighbor caught a glimpse of the Star Is Born album and got excited, think that his mom had brought home "Frampton Comes Alive."

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by Anonymousreply 31October 4, 2021 6:01 AM

Pretty young popstars--Leif Ericson, David Cassidy--were very 70s.

by Anonymousreply 32October 4, 2021 6:36 AM

And now he has degenerative muscle disease.

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by Anonymousreply 33October 4, 2021 6:38 AM

Sorry, I meant Leif Garrett

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by Anonymousreply 34October 4, 2021 6:41 AM

It's a great live album. Peter is one of the greatest guitar players to ever walk the planet! His works speak for itself. If Bowie was still alive he be one of the first people to praise him, OP.

by Anonymousreply 35October 4, 2021 6:45 AM

Completely agree, r35

by Anonymousreply 36October 4, 2021 6:53 AM

Frampton is probably more respected by his peers than the public, which is an odd thing to say about someone who made one of the best-selling albums of all time. He was post-glam, pre-disco, right place at the right time. Has a cameo as the manager of Humble Pie in “Almost Famous,” for which he was also a technical consultant (he & Nancy Wilson taught Billy Crudup & Co how to play guitar and act like rock stars on stage).

by Anonymousreply 37October 4, 2021 7:19 AM

Frampton married an American and now lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

by Anonymousreply 38October 4, 2021 9:50 AM

That was a great response R21

Not the OP, but also always been curious about Frampton and your explanation makes a lot of sense.

by Anonymousreply 39October 4, 2021 9:59 AM

According to some female groupies who wrote their tell-alls, Frampton has a small penis.

by Anonymousreply 40October 4, 2021 10:02 AM

According to Wikipedia he now lives in Nashville.

And his second wife was named Barbara Gold, which would explain the Jewish nephew at Cornell someone above mentioned.

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by Anonymousreply 41October 4, 2021 10:09 AM

^^He's in great shape for an old dude.

by Anonymousreply 42October 4, 2021 11:26 AM

Peter Frampton has lost his beautiful head of hair and is now 71 years old.

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by Anonymousreply 43October 4, 2021 2:58 PM

Frampton Comes Alive then and now.

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by Anonymousreply 44October 4, 2021 3:00 PM

I was born in 1974 and had never heard of Frampton until the late 1980s and I was watching some show where they were talking about his album being the greatest selling album of all time. Considering I had older siblings and cousins who were really into music, I know about a lot of other bands, musicians who were big in the late 1970s: Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, etc. I was just amazed that I would never have even heard of Frampton. I think it speaks to how fleeting his popularity was.

by Anonymousreply 45October 4, 2021 3:09 PM

Peter Frampton suffered a near fatal car crash in the Bahamas in 1978 which helped to derail his career. A year later he recorded a new album but it didn't do at all well.

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by Anonymousreply 46October 4, 2021 3:16 PM

[quote]Peter is one of the greatest guitar players to ever walk the planet! His works speak for itself. If Bowie was still alive he be one of the first people to praise him

I remember going to see Bowie on his Glass Spider tour in 1987 (what a fucking GREAT concert) and seeing Frampton on guitar as part of the tour band. When Bowie introduced the band members, the roar from the crowd when he got to Frampton was truly something to witness. He got the loudest, longest, screaming cheers from the audience I've ever witnessed for a band member. Because of course, he was more than just a band member - he was a legend all his own. Damn that was such a good concert.

by Anonymousreply 47October 4, 2021 3:52 PM

He was the Farah Fawcett of the rock world.

by Anonymousreply 48October 4, 2021 3:59 PM

Much 70s music aged like milk.

by Anonymousreply 49October 4, 2021 4:08 PM

As a teen I remember live albums being huge and it seemed like everyone I knew had Frampton Comes Alive. They also had The Song Remains the Same, Cheap Trick Live at Budokan, Bob Seger Live Bullet and Rush Exit... Stage Left, to name a few more. That era is sadly gone.

by Anonymousreply 50October 4, 2021 4:14 PM

Bat Out of Hell is another huge selling multi-platinum album that no one remembers anymore. The only 70s acts that are still popular are Queen and Fleetwood Mac.

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by Anonymousreply 51October 4, 2021 4:17 PM

Thanks to those of you who have posted well thought out replies. It was a serious question. I've always wondered why this album was such a big phenomenon in its day and you've explained it to me giving me history and background about Frampton and the time period. Now I can go back and listen to it again with all that in mind. I've even went on YouTube to check out some of his live footage.

To all you lazy cunts with your curt "You'll never understand" and 'There's nothing to explain" responses - fuck you. Take notes from your peers in this thread on how to properly respond to a question.

by Anonymousreply 52October 4, 2021 4:18 PM

The masses from 1977 would disagree with your premise

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by Anonymousreply 53October 4, 2021 4:21 PM

It wa a huge selling album, and made Frampton a household name, while in the few years prior he was only a minor rock/pop figure.

"Frampton Comes Alive" had 3 hit singles: "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", and "Do You Feel Like We Do." The song "Do You Feel Like We Do" had already been released on an earlier album, but the live version on this album became a radio hit. It was notable for Frampton's use of the "talk box," which allowed him to articluate guitar sounds into words, by inserting a tube into his mouth. It seemed like everyone went out and bought a copy of "Frampton Comes Alive" that summer.

by Anonymousreply 54October 4, 2021 4:23 PM

Gee OP, perhaps if you didn't post things like

[quote]If anything this album is mediocre and his voice is not that great, but everyone seem to be blown away by "Frampton Comes Alive"

then more people would be willing to give you straight answers. When your questions are filled with judgement from the beginning, you reap what you sow. So just accept that you were getting your big "fuck you" right back in your face.

by Anonymousreply 55October 4, 2021 4:23 PM

First concert I ever saw but only because some girls I knew thought he was hot. Live albums were very popular in those days -- hard to believe but teens didn't go to concerts as much - many weren't allowed to - certainly young teens never went. There was no YouTube. So live albums were a big deal.

by Anonymousreply 56October 4, 2021 4:30 PM

Not sure why many here are confusing a wah-wah pedal with the soundbox/talk gizmo Frampton used via a tube which was in his mouth. One has nothing to do with the other.

by Anonymousreply 57October 4, 2021 4:30 PM

Frampton has been married THREE times. He has three children.

His first marriage was to Mary Lovett, from 1972 to 1976.

He was sued by Penelope J. "Penny" McCall in 1978 for palimony. McCall asked for half of Frampton's earnings during the five years that they were together. According to McCall, she left her husband and gave up her job as a rock promoter and devoted herself full-time to Frampton, just as he achieved superstar status.

A New York judge ruled that Frampton and McCall never intended to marry each other and "never held themselves out to the public as husband and wife" and dismissed her complaint on the grounds that to act otherwise would condone adultery. The case set precedent in New York.

From 1983 to 1993, Frampton was married to Barbara Gold, with whom he had two children named Jade and Julian. The latter co-wrote and sang on Frampton's song "Road to the Sun" from Thank You Mr. Churchill.

His third marriage was on 13 January 1996 to Tina Elfers, with whom he had a daughter, actress Mia Frampton, and a stepdaughter named Tiffany Wiest. Frampton filed for divorce from Elfers in Los Angeles, California, on 22 June 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.

Mia with her father.

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by Anonymousreply 58October 4, 2021 4:35 PM

He hit it big with FCA and was one of the biggest rock acts around. He was a great musician and was pretty as hell; what could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot did.

He had poor management and was rushed into another album quickly after FCA. It was mediocre and the critics were not kind. It did reasonably well, but was nowhere near the success of FCA.

He developed a major cocaine problem.

He got into that bad car accident.

He was duped into starring in the execrable movie "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band". He at first balked at being in a movie based on a Beatles album, thinking that it was somehow sacrilege, but consented after being told Paul McCartney was going to be in the movie. McCartney wasn't in the movie. The movie was a laughingstock and made Frampton look like an idiot.

He had a hard core rock and roll girlfriend named Penny McCall. They resembled each other (both skinny with a mane of blonde hair), except that she had what only could be called a barracuda smile. He wrote a song dedicated to her ("Penny For Your Thoughts") and called her "my lady." Some "lady!" She had wild parties while he was on the road and cheated on him. He apparently was the last to know. They parted acrimoniously; she sued him for half his earnings during the time she was with him, saying she was his "muse" and that his success was derived in no small part from her. She said she even helped him with his clothes. She was responsible for those chiffon shirts and satin pants? I don't think THAT helped his career any. She didn't prevail in her lawsuit; the judge said she had no case because when she took up with Frampton she was already married. What a viper she was.

Frampton never achieved any more success like FCA, but he did continue to put out good work as a musician. He's generally known as a nice guy. He's been diagnosed with Inclusion body myositis, an progressive neuromuscular disorder. He did a "farewell" tour a couple of years ago. I don't know if he still does shows. I hope he's doing well.

by Anonymousreply 59October 4, 2021 4:37 PM

Through the haze of my memory, I feel like 4 albums made up about 90% of what you heard on the radio between 1975 and 1978:

1. Fleetwood Mac (1975) 2. Frampton Comes Alive (1976) 3. Rumors (Fleetwood Mac) (1977) 4. BeeGees Saturday Night Fever (1977)

by Anonymousreply 60October 4, 2021 4:39 PM

What everyone else has said previously, and I’ll add that while using the talk box/guitar on Feel Like We Do, he says, ‘I wanna fuck you’ which of course sent everyone into a tizzy. That was a bit taboo to hear language like that on a record back then. Also, the record would play in the background at kegs while people got high and had fun. No politics or religion discussed at these parties ever. Just friends and acquaintances having a good time.

And while cruising in your friend’s car, it was always on the radio.

by Anonymousreply 61October 4, 2021 4:39 PM

Well, gee R55, I'm sorry that some DLers here are smarter and more persuasive than you are. Triggered morons like you who can't come up with anything more than snark should spend less time on message boards.

by Anonymousreply 62October 4, 2021 4:39 PM

[quote]He developed a major cocaine problem.

Something he had in common with every other 1970s rock star.

by Anonymousreply 63October 4, 2021 4:40 PM

When he sang "I'm in you / You're in me," was he trying to tell us he is versatile?

by Anonymousreply 64October 4, 2021 4:40 PM

I think it played well on both FM/AM radio. It had a little bit of everything that was popular at the time.

by Anonymousreply 65October 4, 2021 6:16 PM

Frampton had been around for years before the live album became a huge hit in the US. He was a well respected guitarist. Bowie had good things to say about Peter, Peter even showed up at NYC Bowie concert I attended.

No one can predict the type and level of fame many musicians achieve. For example, The Police started as pseudo punk band, despite two of the musicians playing in rock/blues bands (Andy Summers) and a prog rock band (Stewart Copeland) and Sting having never been in a rock band before The Police, he was a jazz bassist, The Police then went on to become extremely popular rock band which had an extremely diversified audience and critical acclaim.

Years ago, the publicity/hype machine wasn't as in-your-face and obvious as today, especially due to the internet, influencers and other such crap. Fame in the music industry was more organic back then.

I'm sure Frampton wasn't 100% comfortable being a teen idol and sex symbol, especially as he was more well known in the UK as guitarist. The success of Fleetwood Mac was also baffling. Not sure why the original member of the British blues version of Fleetwood Mac, McVie and Fleetwood, even kept the name, it was a completely different band when Nicks and Buckingham joined. The hugely successful version of the band were nothing like the 1960s blues version of Fleetwood Mac led by guitarist Peter Green.

Someone else here mentioned Frampton had been in a UK band called The Herd, then Humble Pie. Peter also had his own band called Frampton's Camel. There was another UK band called Camel at the time, so Peter had to add his last name.

by Anonymousreply 66October 4, 2021 7:04 PM

R60, you left out "Hotel California". Love it or hate it, it was ubiquitous in 1977.

by Anonymousreply 67October 4, 2021 10:39 PM

[quote] Not sure why many here are confusing a wah-wah pedal with the soundbox/talk gizmo Frampton used via a tube which was in his mouth. One has nothing to do with the other.

Because they sound vaguely alike, and this is Datalounge where people don’t know much about guitar-based rock music.

by Anonymousreply 68October 4, 2021 11:42 PM

[quote]Because they sound vaguely alike, and this is Datalounge where people don’t know much about guitar-based rock music.

What an absurd generalization, because all gay men listen to Broadway show tunes and dance music, right? They don't enjoy any other sort of music?!

I guess you are now going to post that there aren't any gay rock musicians? Please STFU.

by Anonymousreply 69October 4, 2021 11:48 PM

[quote] this is Datalounge where people don’t know much about guitar-based rock music.

The fuck we don’t. YOU don’t know much about Datalounge.

by Anonymousreply 70October 4, 2021 11:51 PM

He was hawt hawt hawt in his see thru shirt

by Anonymousreply 71October 5, 2021 12:01 AM

R68 DL doesn't know much about music beyond corny divas. Aside from a few vocal and prominent dilettantes, most gay men have awful taste in music.

by Anonymousreply 72October 5, 2021 12:20 AM

R69 Every music based thread on here is borderline retarded. There are a few people who know what they're talking about but it's buried in a sea of uninformed yet strongly opinionated nonsense. The total absence of discussion about amazing gay musicians in favor of lowest common denominator junk like Olivia Newton John and Cher is a testament to this. Most of DL would be happy if Captain and Tennille came back in fashion.

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by Anonymousreply 73October 5, 2021 12:29 AM

"Fame in the music industry was more organic back then."

Not even remotely true. You know how many scandals there have been over the years concerning record promoters bribing radio DJs to play the tunes they're repping ?

The musical talent may have been "more organic." But fame has always been about marketing and sales.

by Anonymousreply 74October 5, 2021 1:52 AM

[quote]Most of DL would be happy if Captain and Tennille came back in fashion.

You mean they're not in fashion?

by Anonymousreply 75October 5, 2021 2:07 AM

Queens. June. Lovely afternoon, light warm rain. I walked 2 blocks over to my friends house, Billy and Jean. I wore leather sandals with ankle straps held together by metal buckles, we all got high, laughed together, good times. Their dog named BJ (Billie and Jean) a black lab, sweet as all get out. I went to put on my sandals which I had kicked off in their little foyer as they were wet, only to discover BJ had ate them. We all laughed and laughed and I walked home barefoot in the warm light rain, laughing softly about it all as I walked. beautiful time with my friends.

Whole time Frampton Live played. Memories.

by Anonymousreply 76October 5, 2021 2:15 AM

"Talk box" effect around 8:00

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by Anonymousreply 77October 5, 2021 2:34 AM

An example of wah-wah pedaling from 1:38 to 2:18

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by Anonymousreply 78October 5, 2021 2:37 AM

R75 DL wishes. Many posters on DL still haven't gotten over Connie Francis.

by Anonymousreply 79October 5, 2021 2:38 AM

I, for one, am waiting for the release of "Connie Comes Alive".

by Anonymousreply 80October 5, 2021 2:41 AM

Some of us want Judy to Come Alive.

by Anonymousreply 81October 5, 2021 3:03 AM

[quote]Not even remotely true. You know how many scandals there have been over the years concerning record promoters bribing radio DJs to play the tunes they're repping ? The musical talent may have been "more organic." But fame has always been about marketing and sales.

Sure there was always payola, I'm quite aware of that. There still is payola to some extent, it's handled differently these days. I meant, the relentlessness involved in promoting so much truly bad 'pop 'music' these days. Years ago, it wasn't so obvious.

Years ago, there also weren't as many platforms pushing music, it wasn't so in your face. The internet has made music, and everything else, more immediate. Years ago, music fans had to wait a month to read about their music faves in magazines. Most fans anticipated a new LP by their fave bands and solo artists, if they loved their music, they didn't care about an advertising campaign.

Marketing was and is important, but relentless marketing was and is never a guarantee that a record will sell. I know that is a fact, I work in advertising..

Years ago, the bands seemed to be more original and there was also more diversity in rock and pop music.

In the end, it's up to the fans if they want to buy what is shoved down their throats. Bribing promoters and paying off DJs only went so far. It's the same with films, fashion and well, everything. There is just so much that behind-the-scenes hype can do, same with relentless advertising.

You've got to give music fans much more credit than believing all the hype. Not all music fans are easily duped and gullible, some actually enjoy the music and don't get all wrapped up with a band's or a singer's image. They could give a shit about the marketing aspect.

In the end, you cannot force people to buy terrible music, see awful films, purchase horrible clothing and read crappy novels.

by Anonymousreply 82October 5, 2021 5:17 AM

As other's have said, "right place, right time". PF wasn't really well known in the US as his former band, Humble Pie had been sliding downhill a few years before. And this was at a time when live albums were all the rage. I think Deep Purple's Made in Japan album was the catalyst for live LPs. It was a way to get more people to fill concert seats. Nearing the end of the 70s, live albums were basically greatest hits collections and more often than not, a signal that the next album by a given artist would be more commercial, with greater mass appeal and more pop hooks. See: Cheap Trick, Bob Seger, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Scorpions. In Frampton's case, the follow up to his great live album was saccharin dreck with little or no vestiges of his great guitar chops. It was a total turn-off to the millions of people that bought Comes Alive.

by Anonymousreply 83October 5, 2021 2:06 PM

I can't OP. You would have to feel like we do.

by Anonymousreply 84October 5, 2021 2:20 PM

Miss Ross did a cover version of Baby, I Love Your Way

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by Anonymousreply 85October 5, 2021 2:59 PM

R83 I agree about the album after that "I'm in You". UGH.

by Anonymousreply 86October 5, 2021 3:14 PM

OMG a learning thread

Never "got" Frampton but I can see from many upthread posts why he was popular.

Thanks to whoever posted "I'm in You" audio.

by Anonymousreply 87October 5, 2021 3:25 PM

At the time there were rumors the album sales were due to subliminal advertising which was a popular subject - Anyone remember "The Clambake Orgy" or the Hager Twins appearance in Playgirl magazine?

by Anonymousreply 88October 5, 2021 5:39 PM

R82 You forgot one of the most important elements in those days - you couldn't hear the album until you bought it. Unless you borrowed it. That just so different from today. People had to buy an entire physical album to hear all the songs.

by Anonymousreply 89October 9, 2021 4:36 PM

R69 and R70 — I have been on this site since 2007 and have read most of the threads about rock music. You guys may know a lot about guitar based rock music, but most DLers don’t. Of course there are exceptions, such as yourselves and me. Do you seriously think there’s a sizable chunk of DLers who know the difference between Frampton’s talk box and a wah pedal? Give me a break.

by Anonymousreply 90October 9, 2021 4:41 PM

[quote]Do you seriously think there’s a sizable chunk of DLers who know the difference between Frampton’s talk box and a wah pedal? Give me a break.

How many people of any sexuality do?

by Anonymousreply 91October 9, 2021 5:07 PM

Frampton's Peter Comes Alive

by Anonymousreply 92October 9, 2021 5:07 PM

[quote] How many people of any sexuality do?

Likely a much larger share of straight men than gay men. Sorry, but I’ve been in the “rock music fan world” and the “gay male” world long enough to know which group knows more about which things. Datalounge has not changed my perception of those groups’ differences one bit.

by Anonymousreply 93October 9, 2021 5:10 PM

Baby I love your way is classic though I do prefer the acoustic version.

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by Anonymousreply 94October 9, 2021 5:14 PM

Wasn't Peter's dad one of Mick Jagger's school teachers?

So many of these British rockers have some odd connections.

by Anonymousreply 95October 9, 2021 7:55 PM

I had two friends who owned used record stores in the 70s. They said by far, Frampton Comes Alive was the most returned title. One stopped taking them because they had so many and they never sold.

by Anonymousreply 96October 9, 2021 8:29 PM

[quote] Wasn't Peter's dad one of Mick Jagger's school teachers?

It was David Bowie who was a student of Frampton's father. He was David Jones back then. David Bowie was a loyal friend, hiring Frampton to tour with him when Frampton was down on his luck.

by Anonymousreply 97October 9, 2021 8:33 PM

"Baby I love your way" made a big comeback in the Gen-X movie "Reality Bites."

by Anonymousreply 98October 9, 2021 8:44 PM

i dare you to listen to this while either drinking or at least smoking and not think this was the shit. watch the vid, he is a sex/concert god and plays amazing guitar with Mayo and that whole vibe was amazing! That was what the 70's were about.

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by Anonymousreply 99October 9, 2021 8:52 PM

[quote] At the time there were rumors the album sales were due to subliminal advertising which was a popular subject - Anyone remember "The Clambake Orgy" or the Hager Twins appearance in Playgirl magazine?

I don't remember the Clambake Orgy, lol, but I do remember staring at my Saturday Night Fever (Bee Gees) double album cover. Supposedly, the word "SEX" was written on John Travolta's forehead. I stared at that album cover and I was amazed to see, very faintly, the word "sex" on his forehead.

I know this sounds wacky, but I do remember this.

by Anonymousreply 100October 9, 2021 8:54 PM

[quote] I had two friends who owned used record stores in the 70s. They said by far, Frampton Comes Alive was the most returned title. One stopped taking them because they had so many and they never sold.

Returned?

by Anonymousreply 101October 10, 2021 2:06 AM

I was 10 at the time and don’t really understand it.

It was real. But no idea why it was such a huge deal.

One thing I will say is that there’s a scene in Reality Bites where Ben Stiller and Winona Ryder sit and listen to it and love it.

Totally out of character. That would be been people at least 10 years older, which is out of place for a movie that is about being Gen X.

by Anonymousreply 102October 10, 2021 4:02 PM

I sold 11 million copies of it and now I just use them as Frisbees! Ha ha ha ha ha!

by Anonymousreply 103October 10, 2021 4:07 PM

[quote] Totally out of character. That would be been people at least 10 years older, which is out of place for a movie that is about being Gen X.

That's horseshit. That's my generation and I grew up loving both Baby, I Love Your Way and My Sharona. I'm the same age as the characters in that film.

by Anonymousreply 104October 10, 2021 7:09 PM

Crazy I most be acting out of character too considering I grew up in the 90's and most of the music I listen to is from the 60s/70's.

by Anonymousreply 105October 10, 2021 7:16 PM

Some horrible (Dutch, I think) faux-reggae cover band did a version of BILYW that was a hit in 1988 (I think it was paired with Free Bird). And I remember My Sharona got some extra airplay after Reality Bites was released but I don't think it re-charted.

by Anonymousreply 106October 10, 2021 8:20 PM

I remember seeing him perform on the Mike Douglas show.

by Anonymousreply 107October 11, 2021 3:05 AM

Framptom was an angel with long, curly blonde hair.

by Anonymousreply 108October 11, 2021 3:08 AM

It's hard to believe that for a very short period, Frampton Comes Alive, became the number one album of all time, replacing Carole King's Tapestry. Then Fleetwood Mac's Rumours replaced FCA, then Saturday Night Fever replaced Rumours, The musical chairs finally ended when Thriller assumed the crown.

by Anonymousreply 109October 11, 2021 3:30 AM

Thriller doesn’t seem like it could’ve been as broadly appealing as the ones that came before it, but what do I know.

by Anonymousreply 110October 11, 2021 3:34 AM

[quote] I remember seeing him perform on the Mike Douglas show.

What business did have have being on the Mike Douglas show? None, of course. It was a booking made by his crummy manager, who helped to ruin his career.

by Anonymousreply 111October 11, 2021 3:58 AM

When Frampton did Sgt. Peppers, Rolling Stone said he made Olivia Newton John look like Clint Eastwood.

by Anonymousreply 112October 11, 2021 4:02 AM

R111 Mike Douglas had cool guests. John and Yoko were on his show.

by Anonymousreply 113October 11, 2021 4:25 AM

[quote] Frampton Comes Alive, became the number one album of all time, replacing Carole King's Tapestry. Then Fleetwood Mac's Rumours replaced FCA, then Saturday Night Fever replaced Rumours, The musical chairs finally ended when Thriller assumed the crown.

FCA never became the "number one album of all time." Until 2009, it was the best selling live album of all time, before Garth Brooks' live album surpassed it. However, the whole thing is kind of wonky when it comes to double (or multiple) record albums. For some reason, Billboard would count double the sale for a double album, so if FCA sold one unit, it would be counted as two records sold. Springsteen's Live 76-86 was something like five or six records so every time one copy sold, he would be credited for five/six sales. So his album is certified 13x platinum even though in actuality, it should have only been certified platinum. For some reason, this rule only applied to single artists and not soundtracks (i.e. Saturday Night Fever).

by Anonymousreply 114October 11, 2021 5:16 AM

I must be the only one who saw the Sgt. Pepper film TWICE! It wasn't really a bad move for Frampton, since he played the lead (and did a wonderful version of Golden Slumbers in the film), but why the Bee Gees appeared as glorified stooges for Frampton is beyond me.

by Anonymousreply 115October 11, 2021 5:18 AM

Frampton's farewall tour concert was one of the best I've ever seen. He out-played most guiltar legends I've seen live, including Clapton. And all this in his 70's and with a devastating muscular disease.

by Anonymousreply 116October 11, 2021 5:28 AM

I loved some of the versions of Beatles songs on the Frampton/Bee Gees Sgt Pepper soundtrack. Besides Golden Slumbers, Sandy Farina sang a great Here Comes the Sun, Aerosmith's cover of Come Together, Dianne Steinberg and Paul Nicholas' You Never Give Me Your Money, as well as Steinberg and Stargard's Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and Robin Gibb's Oh, Darling.

I was 8 when the movie came out and it was actually my first exposure to Beatles songs. My parents were not Beatles fans, so I did not grow up hearing their music. I probably knew Wings' music before Beatles. That's how good their music was, though- any version of it made you sit up and take notice.

by Anonymousreply 117October 11, 2021 5:35 AM

I guess Robert Stigwood thought it would be a brilliant idea to put the Bee Gees and Frampton in a movie. They were the biggest rock acts at the time; they'd be singing the music of the Beatles; how could it fail? Well, for one thing Frampton and the Bee Gees couldn't act at ALL. And the script sucked. And the versions of the Beatles songs by and large sucked. I guess Stigwood never took those things into consideration. I did like Robin Gibb's version of "Oh! Darling." And Aerosmith's version of Come Together" wasn't bad. Sandy Farina also did a sweet version of "Here Comes The Sun." What ever happened to her anyway? She had a nice a voice and was pretty. I guess that movie pretty much killed her career.

by Anonymousreply 118October 11, 2021 6:18 AM

[quote]Frampton's farewall tour concert was one of the best I've ever seen. He out-played most guiltar legends I've seen live, including Clapton. And all this in his 70's and with a devastating muscular disease.

Found this on Google: Frampton has inclusion body myositis (IBM), an autoimmune disease that affects his muscles. He has experienced some weakness and loss of function in larger muscles, however, his fingers still work great.

by Anonymousreply 119October 11, 2021 6:46 AM

Never saw the Sgt. Peppers movie or at least I don’t remember it. I am pretty sure I had the album. It may have been a double album. IIRC, the covers (of the Beatles’ songs) were decent. I prefer Aerosmith’s Come Together to the Beatles’ original. It’s more rock and edgier, IMO.

by Anonymousreply 120October 11, 2021 7:11 AM

Because all the goils thoughts he were their hubba dubba der-reem-may-an

by Anonymousreply 121October 11, 2021 7:15 AM

Part of the appeal was the zeitgeist. Frampton was a cooling balm on America's hot, battered psyche.

R47 I saw Bowie's great Glass Spider tour too and was incredibly excited to see Frampton. I was at the San Jose, CA show.

by Anonymousreply 122October 11, 2021 7:25 AM

[quite][R47] I saw Bowie's great Glass Spider tour too and was incredibly excited to see Frampton. I was at the San Jose, CA show.

Saw Frampton at MSG in NYC during the same Bowie tour, the audience went nuts when Frampton came out.

by Anonymousreply 123October 11, 2021 7:27 AM

He was gay enough for the gays and straight enough for the straits.

by Anonymousreply 124October 11, 2021 4:34 PM

I remember back in the mid-'90s when MTV was running their Unplugged series that an album titled, 'Liza Unplugged at the Carlisle sings Frampton Comes Alive', for whatever reason it didn't see the light of day, but many were saying it was Liza's ticket back into the mainstream spotlight.

by Anonymousreply 125October 11, 2021 4:34 PM

[quote]Some horrible (Dutch, I think) faux-reggae cover band did a version of BILYW that was a hit in 1988 (I think it was paired with Free Bird).

Will to Power

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by Anonymousreply 126October 11, 2021 4:45 PM

Thanks for digging that up, R126. Now, I'll try to forget that that song happened (joking).

by Anonymousreply 127October 11, 2021 6:08 PM

I think the only hit to come out of the Sgt. Pepper movie was Earth, Wind and Fire's "Got To Get You Into My Life". I had forgotten about Sandy Farina's "Here Comes The Sun". She did a nice job on that.

by Anonymousreply 128October 11, 2021 6:15 PM

EWF hit #9 with that song.

Oh Darling by Robin Gibb hit #15 and Aerosmith hit #23 with Come Together. They also released a single version of Get Back by Billy Preston, but it did not hit the Top 40. (But it was another good track.)

by Anonymousreply 129October 11, 2021 7:38 PM

Damn, I'm now in the middle of listening to the Sgt. Pepper soundtrack. Oh memories! I played the shit out of this when I was 8.

by Anonymousreply 130October 11, 2021 7:57 PM

The cast was an odd ensemble. Weren't George Burns and Steve Martin among the stars (who SANG???)

by Anonymousreply 131October 12, 2021 12:31 AM

[quote} Weren't George Burns and Steve Martin among the stars (who SANG???)

Attempted to sing is more like it. Attempting to sing Beatle songs. Ugh.

by Anonymousreply 132October 12, 2021 12:34 AM

I was a bit too old for him when this came out, although I knew about Humble Pie (best known for "I Don't Need No Doctor") and Frampton's Camel. He definitely had a moment where he was unavoidable. FCA didn't get as much airplay on more serious FM rock stations as Fleetwood Mac, who had been popular on those stations in the Peter Green and Bob Welch days.

There were iconic live Albums that pre-dated "Made in Japan": for example, the Allman Brothers "Live at the Fillmore East" was released in 1971. CSN&Y released Four Way Street in 1971, as well.

by Anonymousreply 133October 12, 2021 1:18 AM

There are quite a few live at Fillmore albums by great bands and are great albums.

Every time I listen to classic live recordings from he 60s and 70s, I readjust to real music and real singing and that's always nice

by Anonymousreply 134October 12, 2021 1:31 AM

I can’t imagine living in NYC at the time of the Fillmore East and getting to see all those groovy bands. God damn.

by Anonymousreply 135October 12, 2021 1:32 AM

The Allman's at the Fillmore East was the LP that everyone had. It really elevated them in a way that their previous albums never had.

by Anonymousreply 136October 12, 2021 1:40 AM

recentish release

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by Anonymousreply 137October 12, 2021 1:44 AM

Another show

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by Anonymousreply 138October 12, 2021 1:45 AM

The Saint was the next venue in the Fillmore! So some of us had that.

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by Anonymousreply 139October 12, 2021 1:48 AM

R133 I forgot about the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East! Not to mention Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies. I was referring to the late 70s live albums that were often precursors to more commercial follow-ups. I think Frampton’s follow-up was the worst violator.

by Anonymousreply 140October 12, 2021 2:58 AM

Peter Frampton will always conjure up a hot summer night in the 70's hanging out with your friends, stoned and drunk, leaning on cars, listening to the Do You Feel like We Do wa-was.

by Anonymousreply 141October 12, 2021 3:43 AM

[quote] I've always wondered why this album was such a big phenomenon in its day

1. He had a very pushy agent named Robert Stiggwood.

2. He had excellent teeth (see R33) and he was as pretty as Jesus and more pretty than Beeeber.

by Anonymousreply 142October 12, 2021 4:07 AM

[quote] He had a very pushy agent named Robert Stiggwood.

Frampton's manager was Dee Anthony. He was instrumental in fucking up his career. An article said:

Peter Frampton said a former manager made sure he was always high on drugs in order to hide the fact he was ripping off the guitarist.

By the time he discovered the truth, Frampton said he was left with “less than nothing” and struggled to rebuild his career in the ‘80s.

In a new interview with The Guardian, Frampton said manager Dee Anthony, who died in 2009, told people never to discuss financial matters with him. “I was kept away from those things,” he explained. “I was kept high. If I needed weed, he made sure I had weed. If I needed cocaine, he made sure I had cocaine. He didn’t want me thinking about what was going on. I had less than nothing. I owed hundreds of thousands of dollars. … It was criminal. I could have put him in jail.”

In his upcoming memoir, Frampton said Anthony persuaded him to take part in the ill-fated Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band movie by telling him Paul McCartney was going to appear in it – knowing that wasn’t true. “There was barely a script,” he said of the 1978 production. “It just said, ‘Walk in here, someone will yell ‘playback’ and then you lip-sync. Everyone thought we were too big to fail.”

David Bowie helped rebuild Frampton’s career by taking him on tour in 1987. “I knew I would make it back,” the guitarist said. “It just took a lot longer than I thought."

by Anonymousreply 143October 12, 2021 4:31 AM

There were Frampton people and Fleetwood Mac people. I was the latter.

He was cute but tiny. The epitome of guitar being a phallic compensation.

I still want that shirt on the front of 'I'm in You", though.

by Anonymousreply 144October 12, 2021 4:39 AM

He was so pretty! Prettier than Rick Springfield.

by Anonymousreply 145October 12, 2021 4:47 AM

He was as pretty as an angel.

by Anonymousreply 146October 12, 2021 5:55 AM

[quote]I was a bit too old for him when this came out, although I knew about Humble Pie (best known for "I Don't Need No Doctor") and Frampton's Camel. He definitely had a moment where he was unavoidable. FCA didn't get as much airplay on more serious FM rock stations as Fleetwood Mac, who had been popular on those stations in the Peter Green and Bob Welch days. There were iconic live Albums that pre-dated "Made in Japan": for example, the Allman Brothers "Live at the Fillmore East" was released in 1971. CSN&Y released Four Way Street in 1971, as well.

Frampton already had a body of work before he became a big star/sex symbol in the US. He made several albums with Humble Pie before they became popular in the US. When Humble Pie 'crossed the pond' and became famous in the US, IIRC, Frampton had already left the band.

I have a double album, a US pressing, by Humble Pie with Frampton, which is essentially a compilation of the UK albums Frampton recorded with them. I have Frampton's Camel. I also have two other Frampton solo albums, his earlier LPs. For some reason, I never bought Frampton Comes Alive. I never liked the sound of live albums. The voice box gimmick was annoying, another turn-off.

My friends who were Frampton fans pre-US fame, had all his recordings, his work with The Herd and with Humble Pie.

For those interested in Humble Pie, the late HP singer Steve Marriott was in the original Small Faces, the bulk of that band went on to record with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood as The Faces.

Steve was also an actor, well, he was in one British film that I know of.

by Anonymousreply 147October 12, 2021 5:52 PM

I never heard anything bad about Peter Frampton until after he became a huge star. After that, criticism was heaped on him; criticism for the mediocre album he put out right after FCA, criticism for that awful Sgt. Pepper movie, criticism for being photographed heavily made up and swathed in silks and satins, tousled golden locks flowing to his shoulders. A lot of it was his own fault. He let himself be talked into a lot of things. He had really poor judgement. Or maybe he was just a nice guy who let people have their way. Anyway, his was one of the greatest career downturns in rock history.

by Anonymousreply 148October 13, 2021 1:21 AM

[quote] Or maybe he was just a nice guy who let people have their way.

He was passive as well as pretty.

by Anonymousreply 149October 13, 2021 1:23 AM

He was mismanaged and some of that was his fault.

However, i maintain he is a massive talent on guitar and i'm surprised he's not regarded as such. I'd put him up there with Chris Cornell and Dave Grohl.

by Anonymousreply 150October 13, 2021 5:48 AM

All that crap, the rushed follow up album, the crummy Sgt. Pepper movie, the photos of him in all the flower of his gorgeous beauty, all of it damaged his cred as a musician. He was a laughingstock for quite a while.

by Anonymousreply 151October 13, 2021 6:05 AM

I agree with R141. For us, the soundtrack to the summer nights of 1975 was Led Zeppelin's "Physical Graffiti," and the soundtrack to the summer nights of 1976 was "Frampton Comes Alive." That was the era of album-oriented rock, when you played a whole album.

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by Anonymousreply 152October 13, 2021 8:12 PM

R150 Dave Grohl is a minor talent.

by Anonymousreply 153October 13, 2021 8:15 PM

[quote]I never heard anything bad about Peter Frampton until after he became a huge star. After that, criticism was heaped on him; criticism for the mediocre album he put out right after FCA, criticism for that awful Sgt. Pepper movie, criticism for being photographed heavily made up and swathed in silks and satins, tousled golden locks flowing to his shoulders. A lot of it was his own fault. He let himself be talked into a lot of things. He had really poor judgement. Or maybe he was just a nice guy who let people have their way. Anyway, his was one of the greatest career downturns in rock history.

I assume most of the people who were aware of Frampton before his US fame were essentially Anglophiles, the types of rock music fans who followed a lot of British musicians who were barely known in the US.

My older brother was, and still is, into obscure music and rock bands from all over the world. Back in the 1970s, my brother would purchase the Melody Maker and NME, which were weekly British music papers which covered more than just rock music, these papers were available in the city and even in some outer NY boroughs. Indie record shops also carried British music papers and European and Japanese rock magazines.

by Anonymousreply 154October 17, 2021 2:02 AM

R154: Knowing about Frampton pre-FCA didn't require being an "Anglophile", just living someplace with true progressive radio stations as they were known in those days (much of what's now called "prog rock" was then called "Art Rock"). The difference between living in Cleveland and some rock & roll cultural wasteland like Toledo or Columbus.

by Anonymousreply 155October 17, 2021 2:35 AM

[quote][R154]: Knowing about Frampton pre-FCA didn't require being an "Anglophile", just living someplace with true progressive radio stations as they were known in those days (much of what's now called "prog rock" was then called "Art Rock"). The difference between living in Cleveland and some rock & roll cultural wasteland like Toledo or Columbus.

I think it did to some extent, you had to seek out this type of British rock music, not all progressive rock redisplayed every obscure British rock band. A lot of American rock music fans wouldn't have been aware of The Herd or even that Frampton was an original member of Humble Pie.

Not sure if 'Anglophile' was the correct word to use, sue me.

Music fans into English rock bands, esp progressive rock bands of the late 1960s through the1970s, such as King Crimson, and even a band like Yes before they became more well known, would have to be a bit more adventurous than most American rock fans who might have been into say, a crappy US band like Grand Funk Railroad. People into non-mainstream rock would have been aware of The Herd and the early Humble Pie records which featured Frampton.

Sure, these same fans might have heard pre-fame Frampton music on the more progressive rock radio stations and on college radio.

Pretty sure few American rock fans who listened to commercial FM rock radio ever heard of Van der Graaf Generator/Peter Hammill, Gentle Giant Nick Drake or Kevin Ayers, for example. You had to seek out those Britsh musicians, they sure didn't get much airplay, even on the FM progressive rock radio stations, at least not on radio stations such as WPLJ in NYC.

Perhaps if a rock station such as WNEW-FM in NYC had a special late-night show which was devoted an hour or so to obscure rock music, then you'd hear these musicians.

You'd definitely hear these 'obscure' British rock bands on NYC college radio.

by Anonymousreply 156October 18, 2021 1:27 AM
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