A concert by Peter Frampton, the former Humble Pie guitarist gone solo, at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom was recorded on this day and later used as a primary source of songs for the two-disc live album Frampton Comes Alive! The album was fleshed out by later recordings in Commack, NY as well as additional tracks from concerts in Plattsburgh, NY and on June 13 in Marin, CA.
Solo albums from Frampton in 1972, 1973 and 1974 had barely made a dent in the American market. Things changed, however, with the release of Frampton in March of 1975 and his concert audiences were responding to two of the album’s songs in particular, “Show Me the Way” and “Baby, I Love Your Way.” After the live two-fer was issued on January 6, 1976, it debuted at just #191 but steadily gained popularity and generated increasing sales and radio airplay, until it reached #1 on the Billboard Albums Chart in its 11th week on April 10, 1976, where it stayed for 10 weeks.
This ad appeared in the Feb. 7, 1976 issue of Record World
Related: Frampton Comes Alive! hits #1
Comes Alive! also yielded three big singles: “Show Me the Way” (#6), “Baby, I Love Your Way” (#12) and “Do You Feel Like We Do” (#10). It eventually sold more than eight million copies in the U.S. and 11 million worldwide, and is one of the best-selling live albums in recorded music history. The success of Comes Alive! shot Frampton to superstar status.
Watch Frampton perform “Show Me the Way” on The Midnight Special in 1975
Related: Our interview with Peter Frampton
The album, and many of his other recordings, are available here. After previously announcing his retirement from touring, Frampton scheduled several dates for 2023 and 2024. If he tours, again, tickets will be available here and here.
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7 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationThanks for the memory bank with Peter Frampton. I recall the hair and his great sound on the guitar.
Saw him at a county college in Spring of 76. Think we paid 3 bucks a ticket. Still could see amazing shows at that time and we were not standing! Forget about that now. So if u get a chance see the shows!
I was there for the live taping of this album in San Francisco at Winterland. One of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Saw him in 76 to at Oakland with Wright, Mac, Mason and Trower
Don’t miss Framp’s terrific and very open bio “Do You Feel Like I Do”, which came out a couple years ago.
Does anyone have an actual video of the live band in ’75 in Winterland? I was hoping to see my brother in the crowd. 🙂
I posted that on my brother’s birthday of this year. He passed away in February of 2022. You can hear him yelling in the crowd when the keyboardist messes up. If anyone has a video I would love to get a copy. Thank you
In August 1975, I saw him open for the J. Geils Band in Providence, RI. A year later, in July 1976 I saw him headline a show in Colt Park in Hartford, CT with 25,000 screaming fans. What a difference a year makes. Now looking forward to seeing him next month here in CT. Can’t wait….
Nice… I was a 16 year old high school student living in New York City with my father, going to concerts at the garden one of which was Peter Frampton at the height of his popularity. That was an epic show. I remember kicking someone’s pipe over full of hash. They weren’t happy ha ha.
Also saw Geils in Central Park.