Peter Frampton’s landmark 1976 live album Frampton Comes Alive! topped the Billboard 200 chart on April 10, 1976. The double album propelled the British singer/guitarist into rock superstardom, after he established himself as a moderately successful solo artist during the first half of the 1970s.
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Frampton had gotten his start in the 1960s as singer and lead guitar for the U.K. group The Herd. He enjoyed teen idol status while with the group, but left the band in 1968 to form the blues-boogie outfit Humble Pie with Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott. Frampton went solo in 1971, and released four studio albums before Frampton Comes Alive!
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Frampton Comes Alive! was recorded at four different venues during his 1975 tour in support of his then-latest studio effort, Frampton. The live album featured renditions of multiple songs from his each of his four solo albums, as well as one tune he recorded with Humble Pie, “Shine On.”
Frampton Comes Alive!’s Chart Success
After Frampton Comes Alive! reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in April 1976, it returned to the top spot on the chart for a week in July, three straight weeks in August, and five more consecutive weeks in September and October. With its 10 total weeks at No. 1, Frampton Comes Alive! wound up being the best performing album of 1976 in the U.S.
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The Album Featured Three Hit Singles and a Cool Cover Tune
The album also yielded Frampton’s first three hit singles in the U.S.—“Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” “Do You Feel Like We Do,” which peaked at No. 6, No. 12, and No. 10, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100.
The studio versions of “Show Me the Way” and “Baby, I Love Your Way” appeared on the 1975 Franpton album, while “Do You Feel Like We Do” was first heard on the 1973 release Frampton’s Camel.
Frampton Comes Alive! also featured a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash,” which Peter had recorded for his 1972 album Wind of Change.
More About Frampton Comes Alive!
In 2011, Frampton Comes Alive! was certified 8-times platinum, for sales of more than 8 million units in the U.S. It initially was ranked as one of the bestselling live albums of all time, although it’s been eclipsed by many over the years. In 2020, Frampton Comes Alive! was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Frampton Is Touring This Year, Received a Rock Hall Nomination
In 2019, Frampton revealed that he’s been diagnosed with is of inclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive muscle disorder, and he announced his plans for a farewell tour. Thankfully, Frampton has continued to be able to perform, and last year he launched a trek dubbed the Never Say Never Tour, which he extended into 2024.
The current leg of the trek features three more shows. They’re scheduled for April 11 in Reno, Nevada; April 13 in Los Angeles; and April 14 in San Diego.
Tickets for Frampton’s concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
Frampton also has been nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. He currently is ranked in third place in the Rock Hall’s fan poll. The inductees are expected to be announced in late April.
Frampton Comes Alive! Track List:
- Side One
- Introduction
- “Something’s Happening”
- “Doobie Wah”
- “Show Me the Way”
- “It’s a Plain Shame”
- Side Two
- “All I Want to Be (Is by Your Side)”
- “Wind of Change”
- “Baby, I Love Your Way”
- “I Wanna Go to the Sun”
- Side Three
- “Penny for Your Thoughts”
- “(I’ll Give You) Money”
- “Shine On”
- “Jumping Jack Flash”
- Side Four
- “Lines on My Face”
- “Do You Feel Like We Do”
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