Frampton Comes Alive 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Regardless of what the other reviewers are saying...this is a pretty good concert...You wouldn't expect Frampton to do any repeats of songs he did on the classic Frampton Comes Alive...Why should he??? He has nothing to prove..That album still holds the record as being the largest selling live album in history...how can you improve on a flawless performance that has been remastered to HDCD standards? But then...why would you??
Frampton himself always expressed that he lived for the stage and the rush of the live performace....he never felt the recording studio did his music justice...as it lacked the audience vibe.
I attended the 1976 tour and witnessed the full impact of his stage prowess from a center position not 75 feet from the stage....best location to get the best sound.
I have been a consistent fan since his early days with Humble Pie...and altho I was never really impressed with his post 1976 albums..I feel this live set features his later material in their most beneficial and natural setting....the live concert...
Try and forget the studio versions of these songs and give them a fresh listen....as I did....If you liked Peter Frampton back when he rode the wave of fame in the mid 70's....you wont be disappointed. He pulls out the talk box and uses it sparingly....just to treat you to a bit of nostalgia.....so you can say.....WOW...it really is him.....he might not have the long curly locks anymore...but he still knows how to wield a mean guitar...Whether it's his famed black beauty or any from his sizeable arsenal...there's no mistaking mister Framptons dynamically powerful playing. Bob Mayo is as supportive as ever...John Regan on bass and JR Robinson on drums are a very tight and solid rythym section..The chops are as strong as anything from 1976's classic.
I always wondered if there was more of the post 1976 material to this concert that wasn't included here...Might be nice if they release this CD set in a 2cd deluxe version in HDCD format.


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The Best of Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band So Far... (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)I should explain two things before I write this. First, I really hate oldies bands. I really feel that if a performer isn't doing something new he/she should be doing something else. Second, Ringo has always been my favorite Beatle. So whenever Ringo's All Starr Band would come through Chicago, which was every year, I'd shudder, and consider and talk myself out of going. Since I acquired this DVD (and the three CD audio release) that decision has become one of my lasting regrets.
These bands really rock. Not only do these guys rock, they reinterpret these classic rock warhorses and make them sound fresh. Brilliant, inspired playing and singing abound but there are enough wrong notes and miscues to indicate that these bands are not over-rehearsed and that the performances are not overdubbed or corrected. Ringo's voice is best described as refreshingly ordinary, inviting the listener to join in whenever he sings.
Some highlights: Levon Helm, Rick Danko, and Dr. John pass around verses during "The Weight". Felix Cavaliere demonstrates that he's still in great voice in "Groovin'". Peter Frampton demonstrates that all that mid '70's hype was richly deserved. During "Sunshine Of your Love" he tears a hole in the DVD. His playing is fluid, his ideas just flow and his phrasing proves that he's successfully studied the Hendrix canon. He plays well over the solid drumming of Simon Kirke and Ringo and the subtly shifting bass of Jack Bruce (also still in great voice). He follows "Sunshine" with a stunning cover of "Norwegian Wood" accompanying himself only on a twelve string acoustic guitar. His performance alone is almost worth the price of the DVD.
Elsewhere, Randy Bachman rocks on "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet", Todd Rundgren makes "the world get stupid" with "Bang The Drum All Day" and the professorial Gary Brooker leads the talent heavy ensemble (Ringo, Kirke, Bruce, Frampton and Mark Rivera) in "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."
This DVD is rock at it's finest. Despite their advanced ages, the members of these bands still know how to do it. Makes me hope Ringo comes back to Chicago soon.

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Ringo lets loose with his superstar friends in this eagerly awaited video of worldwide concert highlights from four different All Starr Bands. All the fun and variety of the shows are captured here as legendary rockers share the spotlight and join in with Ringo on his favorite solo and Beatles hits. Introduced by Paul McCartney, this collection is a must for any true fan of rock 'n' roll! Songs: Honey Don't (Ringo Starr), Iko Iko (Dr. John), The Weight (Levon Helm), Photograph (Ringo Starr), Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go (Ringo Starr), Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh), No No Song (Ringo Starr), Bang the Drum All Day (Todd Rundgren), You're 16 (Ringo Starr), Yellow Submarine (Ringo Starr), I Wanna Be Your Man (Ringo Starr), Groovin' (Felix Cavaliere), You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet (Randy Bachman), Boys (Ringo Starr), It Don't Come Easy (Ringo Starr), Sunshine of Your Love (Jack Bruce), Norwegian Wood (Peter Frampton), A Whiter Shade of Pale (Gary Booker), All Right Now (Simon Kirke), Act Naturally (Ringo Starr), With a Little Help From My Friends (Ringo Starr).

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Frampton Comes Alive (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) Review

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(More customer reviews)For some reason, I feel compelled to start this review off with a few comments from someone else's. Following is a review of the previous CD release of Frampton Comes Alive:
"This album is so 70s that to listen to it would risk opening a time portal back to the days of afros, bellbottoms and - shudder - arena rock! Frightening, eh? Okay, this WAS the biggest selling album of all time at one point, and it DID get tons of exposure on FM radio all over the world. But it was totally PLAYED OUT by 1979! To be caught dead with this disc in your collection then - even moreso NOW - would be an invitation to the worst kind of (deserved) ridicule. The fact that this anachronism has made it onto the compact disc format is astonishing."
Hmm. What's funny is that everything this person said about this CD is the very reason I bought it. I've been tempted to buy it for years, but everytime I picked it up, I hesitated and put it back. Guess I wasn't ready to step through that "portal - back to the days of afros, bellbottoms and arena rock!." But then I saw the 25th anniversary edition on sale and decided to grab it. Guess enough time had passed for me.
The point is, this is a set of live music that does indeed teleport you to a specific time and place. How many recordings can do that so successfully? Whether or not you're a fan of 70s music is really beside the point. Listening to Frampton Comes Alive, you can close your eyes and almost relive those concerts of yore - the sights, the sounds, the people.... Where it was general admission seating and huge mushroom clouds of pot smoke always formed at the top of the venues. Sometimes the music itself was irrelevant. It was about the experience. This was before Ticketmaster wrangled control of the concert business and ruined it forever. Frampton Comes Alive is a stern rebuke to that, and the boy bands that now fill those over-priced, designated-seating arenas. Yes, FCA is a reminder of arena rock, but a reminder nonetheless.
As for the reviewer's comment, "to be caught dead with this disc in your collection then - even moreso NOW - would be an invitation to the worst kind of (deserved) ridicule." Geez, I'm not 13 anymore and feel quite secure in my decision to purchase this. So bring on the taunts, pal. My musical tastes are wide and varied and somehow this CD fits right in.
A great addition to any collection and especially for those who don't mind doing a little time traveling.

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Thank You Mr Churchill Review

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(More customer reviews)Rarely does an album come along of this caliber. From start to finish it is simply amazing. The rocking track with Peter's son Julian, the track with legendary Motown Funk Brothers, Matt Cameron on drums (Pearl Jam / Soundgarden) throughout, and even the instrumental track simply make me speechless. This is classic Frampton evolving and reflecting on the ups and downs in his life. The guitar work is right up there with all the legends. Do yourself a favor and pick up this album. You will not be disappointed. Best album since Frampton Comes Alive!

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Following his Grammy Award-winning instrumental album, 2006's Fingerprints, Peter Frampton returns with Thank You Mr. Churchill (A&M/New Door/UMe), his most personal collection to date.The 11-song set, co-produced and co-engineered by Frampton, features the legendary guitarist at his most incisive lyrically as he tackles the battles that wage within us and the outside forces that rage around us. His searing guitar work flows over every song, setting the mood. "This album is very autobiographical," Frampton says. "It starts with my birth, which I thank Mr. Churchill for bringing my father back from the Second World War." Recorded at his home studio in Cincinnati, Churchill is deeply intimate, weaving tales of loss, love and redemption and the lessons learned along the way. Churchill also includes Frampton's reflective take on troubling world events, including the Wall Street bailout ("Restraint") and even the tragic case of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese girl kidnapped more than 30 years ago by North Korea ("Asleep at the Wheel"). Frampton wrote all tracks on Churchill, penning many with longtime collaborator Gordon Kennedy. His co-producer/co-engineer, Chris Kimsey, was the engineer on Frampton's first solo record, 1972's Wind of Change. Co-engineer Don Gunn (Death Cab For Cutie) also contributes to Churchill. Guests include Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron, who also played on Fingerprints, and the legendary Funk Brothers, who appear on Frampton's Motown homage, "Invisible Man." Frampton remains one of the most celebrated artists and guitarists in rock history. At 16, he was lead singer and guitarist for British teen band, the Herd. At 18, he co-founded one of the first super groups, seminal rock act Humble Pie. His fifth solo album, the electrifying Frampton Comes Alive, is one of the top selling live records of all time.

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Instant Live: 2004 Summer Tour Review

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(More customer reviews)Doesn't this guy ever get old? Here it is, nearly 30 years after his definitive live album, and Frampton still sounds like he actually still enjoys playing his old favorites on stage. Of course there are the inevitable Do You Feel Like We Do, and Baby, I Love Your Way, but what makes this album special is his unique interpretations of his newer songs from the Now CD. Verge of a Thing, and Not Forgotten both sound great, as do the rest of his numbers. Sad to think of Bob Mayo not playing here, but everyone here is a first rate musician. Hopefully we'll get another studio album soon from Peter with all new material; the Now album was his best since... well, I guess I'll just say it; it was perhaps his best ever. Also, am I the only person who would love to hear Frampton live with totally new material? Or maybe a disk featuring tracks with only Frampton's vocals from The Herd & Humble Pie years. (sorry Steve Marriot!)

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This Instant Live recording is a collection of Peter Frampton's favorite performances from his 2004 Summer Tour. Peter hand-selected the 14 live tracks for the album, resulting in a must-have live collection for any fan.

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