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Originally written January 2001 | pp. 1 2 3 4
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Guitarist and songwriter
Peter Frampton can neither be classified as a one hit wonder nor a member
of the lofty pantheon of rock legends. Frampton is more comfortably situated
in that category of musicians that the public inappropriately identifies as
"overnight sensation"—those musicians who toil for years and suddenly break through
the threshold of popular awareness. And Frampton seems to be the textbook
example. A forty year journey in music can be neatly summarized by one year
and one album: 1976 and Frampton Comes Alive.
Acting as a review of
his four previously released solo albums, Frampton Comes Alive sold
an unprecedented ten million copies in one year, was met with critical praise,
and epitomized the unmistakable brand of mellow and breezily melodic mid-seventies
arena rock. With nearly ten years of industry experience, a solid work ethic,
solid musicianship, and a large dose of self-effacing charm, it would have
been logical to predict that Frampton would have parlayed the success of Alive
into a decade's worth of rockstar domination.
It's possible that the
whimsy and fickleness of the record-buying public, regrettable career moves
(Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band -The Movie), and songwriting
that never quite captured the dynamism and electricity of Alive all
contributed to Frampton's inability to capitalize on the success of 1976 and
sustain a flight in the firmament of celebrity. Casting logical analysis aside,
however, let us see what illumination the planetary archetypes can shed on
Frampton's meteoric rise to fame.
The year is 1974. Frampton
releases an album aptly titled, Something's Happening, and, from an
astrological perspective, that's exactly right. Uranus was opposing his natal
Sun. Of the many potentials of this important transit–liberations from previous
constraints, eccentric and erratic conduct, unrestrained rebellion against
structure—Frampton appears to have harnessed the most positive potential from
the Uranus•Sun combination, namely, impassioned self-expression and abundant
creativity.
The two-and-a-half year
period in which the Uranus•Sun opposition was in effect was the foundation
for Frampton Comes Alive. In fact, during one particularly prolific
day, Frampton poured out both "Show me the Way" and "Baby I Love Your
Way"–arguably the crowning hits of Alive.
In 1975, Frampton and
a capable back-up band took the material written in the previous years on
the road for his first headlining tour. Studio execs from Frampton's label,
A&M, believed that the time was right for Frampton to put out a live album
showcasing his earlier efforts to gain greater public exposure. Frampton
Comes Alive, with the exception of two tracks, was the result of one concert
recorded in San Francisco in 1975. Some concerts are often described as magic;
that night at San Francisco's Winterland is certainly no exception.
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