# Why was 'Frampton Comes Alive' so popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 6, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171 "2013-09-06T13:19:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/21 "2013-09-06T15:54:58Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > The Frampton Comes Alive! 35th Anniversary was very successful, and if you’re a fan at all, you should check out the DVD. He still has the all that talent and charisma, but, as he readily admits with a smile, a lot less hair. We went to the FCA!35 show here in Chicago, and it really was outstanding. He was having a great time on stage, and he and his band were in the zone. They played all of the songs from FCA!, in order, and then played for another hour or so. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/22 "2013-09-06T17:17:17Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > We went to the FCA!35 show here in Chicago, and it really was outstanding. He was having a great time on stage, and he and his band were in the zone. They played all of the songs from FCA!, in order, and then played for another hour or so. Some years back, a local DJ and a small group of people got to see Frampton put on a small mini-concert in his hotel suite. The DJ gave major props to Frampton, saying (I’m paraphrasing), “This guy was the biggest star in music once. Here we are decades later and he’s playing in front of a tiny crowd in his hotel toom, but he didn’t care. He put on a real show, jumping around on his bed as if it were the stage at Madison Square Garden.” So, Frampton KNOWS he’s not a star any more, but doesn’t mind- he still loves performing and he still gives it his all for the (much) smaller crowds that still show up. Good for him! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/23 "2013-09-06T18:24:36Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > So, Frampton KNOWS he’s not a star any more, but doesn’t mind- he still loves performing and he still gives it his all for the (much) smaller crowds that still show up. > > Good for him! He always seemed like a pretty regular guy. I saw him live at a stadium gig in 1976 when he was at the height of his fame. He was up there in shorts with his leg in a cast, looking distinctly less rockstar-ish than anyone else who played that day (who were Yes, Gary Wright, and Gentle Giant). ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/24 "2013-09-06T18:53:51Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > But he was ALSO a young cute guy, which means he could be sold heavily to the teenybopper Tiger Beat crowd. That’s why my step-sisters loved him and they played that awful album incessantly. > [@](#): > > Then Frampton made a terrible movie, _ **Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band** _, which was also aimed at the teenyboppers. I think that movie turned off rock fans who’d liked him for good. And even teenyboppers found the movie confusing and boring. My god what an awful piece of shit that was. One of the worst things ever conceived IMO. > [@Leaffan](#): > > The voice box sure had a lot to do with it. > > In 1976 disco was still very much part of the scene. For those of us who hated disco, and were looking for the kind of album rock we were used to, this was the ticket. > > The alternatives were ABBA and Captain & Tennille. That’s funny. I hated disco at the time and put Frampton in the same category as ABBA and C&T. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/25 "2013-09-06T18:58:10Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Well, having been at the Winterland gig, I can say it WAS a great show. The Bay Area had always had a soft spot for him, and that night it all came together. > > As others have noted, Frampton is a really talented and charismatic performer, and he’s worked hard throughout his career. He hit a bad patch when FCA! became cliche, I’m In You bombed, and he was nearly killed in a car accident. > > Still, he kept working as a session and sideman…and a lot of his fans stuck with him. The Frampton Comes Alive! 35th Anniversary was very successful, and if you’re a fan at all, you should check out the DVD. He still has the all that talent and charisma, but, as he readily admits with a smile, a lot less hair. Several years ago, I was channel surfing and PBS was showing a concert. The song he was playing hadn’t been one of his hits, but the music was good so I kept listening even though I had no idea who the band was. I figured it was a classic musician because of his age, and when he started to sing, I knew immediately that it was Peter Frampton - with a gray crew cut and glasses. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/26 "2013-09-06T19:00:19Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > My god what an awful piece of shit that was. One of the worst things ever conceived IMO. > > That’s funny. I hated disco at the time and put Frampton in the same category as ABBA and C&T. The “Sgt. Pepper” movie almost killed the Bee Gees’ career too. As for ABBA, yes, people made fun of them, but not a small number of performers tried to cover their songs as a joke and found out they couldn’t play them. They are now recognized as the seriously talented musicians that they are. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/27 "2013-09-06T19:03:05Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > As for ABBA, yes, people made fun of them, but not a small number of performers tried to cover their songs as a joke and found out they couldn’t play them. They are now recognized as the seriously talented musicians that they are. Of the three, I like ABBA the best by far. ---
**Author:** ![OtisCampbellWasRight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d78d45/32.png) [@OtisCampbellWasRight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtisCampbellWasRight)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/28 "2013-09-06T19:04:17Z")
One other thing I don’t think anyone else mentioned: A&M records spent a shit ton promoting this album too. By all accounts, Frampton was a regular work-a-day musician who was a little overwhelmed by the overnight success of FCA! He seems like a good guy, and I say this as one of the poor slobs who got dragged into the movie theatre to see Sgt Peppers LHCB. What a waste of two hours…but at least we had a good buzz on. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/29 "2013-09-06T19:06:55Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > It was priced pretty good. $7.98 for a double album when a single album was $6.98. You felt like you were good value. Especially when his previous records hadn’t sold that well. Many people didn’t have him in their collections. Single albums were $3.99. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/30 "2013-09-06T19:09:45Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > So, Frampton KNOWS he’s not a star any more, but doesn’t mind- he still loves performing and he still gives it his all for the (much) smaller crowds that still show up. True enough. When we saw him, he was at the Chicago Theater, rather than the United Center, but it was still a full house. I got to meet Frampton about 7 years ago, when I was working at an ad agency in downtown Chicago. He was making a tour of the major agencies in town, basically letting them know that he was interested in working with them (either as a songwriter, or a celebrity endorser / spokesman). At that point, he had just released “[Fingerprints](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerprints_%28album%29)”, an instrumental album which won a Grammy, but which he, himself, admitted was a personal project, rather than something which he expected would be a big commercial success. At any rate, he was extremely personable and humble in person, and very interesting to speak with. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/31 "2013-09-06T19:12:18Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Single albums were $3.99. According to Wikipedia Jim’s Son is correct. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/32 "2013-09-06T19:13:58Z")
> [@OtisCampbellWasRight](#): > > I say this as one of the poor slobs who got dragged into the movie theatre to see Sgt Peppers LHCB. What a waste of two hours…but at least we had a good buzz on. My friends and I took the bus to Westwood to see a different movie and it was sold out or we screwed up the time or something and the only thing left to see was Sgt Pepper. I loved the Beatles and had heard plenty of the movie songs on the radio so there was no fucking way that I was going to sit through that. I took the first bus back home by myself. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/33 "2013-09-06T19:20:00Z")
Here is my favorite video from the FCA! 35 tour. I could’ve bought tickets to the Warfield show, but instead I went for a much closer seat at the next gig…what a bummer! [Peter Frampton Hooks Up With the International Space Station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A8MpAiD3CE) ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/34 "2013-09-06T20:07:32Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > True enough. When we saw him, he was at the Chicago Theater, rather than the United Center, but it was still a full house. > > I got to meet Frampton about 7 years ago, when I was working at an ad agency in downtown Chicago. He was making a tour of the major agencies in town, basically letting them know that he was interested in working with them (either as a songwriter, or a celebrity endorser / spokesman). At that point, he had just released “[Fingerprints](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerprints_%28album%29)”, an instrumental album which won a Grammy, but which he, himself, admitted was a personal project, rather than something which he expected would be a big commercial success. > > At any rate, he was extremely personable and humble in person, and very interesting to speak with. Again, he still commands a lot of respect as a musician from all kinds of people that teenyboppers of 1976 wouldn’t have cared about. He and David Bowie have been friends since they were kids, and thye’ve worked together several times. Frampton toured as Bowie’s guitarist in 1987. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/35 "2013-09-06T20:14:48Z")
> [@Sparky812](#): > > (snip)…Oh and he’s a great guitar player, with or without the talk box. Agree, I have a recent DVD of him, live, doing a bunch of \*Comes Alive \*songs and some interesting covers. I have also seen him live in the last few years and yes, he can play! ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/36 "2013-09-06T20:24:40Z")
I had the pleasure of seeing Frampton play the entire album just last year in St. Louis. He even had the original bass player in the band. Great concert and got to buy a copy of it. BTW: Bob “High Tech” Heil invented the talk box used by Frampton, Joe Walsh, and others. Heil lives over on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River across from St. Louis. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/37 "2013-09-06T20:39:04Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Here is my favorite video from the FCA! 35 tour. I could’ve bought tickets to the Warfield show, but instead I went for a much closer seat at the next gig…what a bummer! > > [Peter Frampton Hooks Up With the International Space Station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A8MpAiD3CE) That was incredible, thanks for sharing. Should have gone to the show eh’ **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/38 "2013-09-06T20:54:10Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Frampton toured as Bowie’s guitarist in 1987. Much to Bowie’s long-time collaborator Carlos Alomar’s displeasure…so much so that he demanded a set-opening solo. I don’t know if Carlos had anything to do with mixing the Glass Spider DVD, Frampton is often so low in the mix you can hardly hear him. Still, they do have a really nice guitar duel on _The Jean Genie_ (at one point Peter fires off a few licks from Do You Feel with a sly wink). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/39 "2013-09-06T22:33:59Z")
It was a fun album that would get you laid when played. What’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171/40 "2013-09-06T22:53:40Z")
Anyone remember that HORRIBLE “Free Bird/Baby, I Love Your Way” remake that came out ca. 1990? I hear it sometimes as background music. IIRC, it shot straight to #1 despite DJs getting requests to NOT play it, something that also happened when Madonna remade “American Pie”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-frampton-comes-alive-so-popular/668171.md?page=3)