Frampton Still Alive

Rip It Up, Issue 18, 1 December 1978, Page 1

Frampton Still Alive

Louise Chunn

Peter Frampton is a nice guy. He is most courteous and patient. He is very pretty, short and slight. He dresses cutely in modestly cut jeans, sweat shirt and bright little sneakers. His much commented-upon hair is tidy and wellstyled. He really is a Nice Guy. The question then, with phenomena such as Frampton, is just how deeply beneath the epidermis one can pry. I mean, is there more to this man than a Kolynos smile and ever so appealing British accent? Is the tan real anyway? And mightn’t he just fade away if the going got rough? But this boy is oo ethereal fly-by-night. Vet another of the second-time-around crowd, Frampton first hit the stage in the mid sixties with what he now calls a ‘teeny-bopper’ band, The Herd. In '6B while still in his teens, Frampton was named the Face of the Year, a fate that his 78 posters could almost impose upon him yet again. After The Herd Frampton formed Humble Pie with Steve Marriott only to quit on the eve of the Big Break in the U.S. He did session work with a few notables (George Harrison on All Things Must Pass and Harry Nilsson on Son of Schmilsson) and recorded his first solo album. Its commercial failure left Frampton looking for an alternative. He went on the road.

"I love touring. I always have done. If I sold a million albums a week for the rest of my life I would still want to tour. If you don’t you stagnate; you lose touch with the audience. That's probably why the album (Frampton Comes Alive!) was so successful. Because I’d been on the road so long, and I knew what the audiences wanted and knew how to win over an audience who didn’t know me.”

Frampton’s build-up came with his fourth album. Frampton, but it wasn’t until his double album, Frampton Comes Alive\, recorded on tour in 1975, that he really scored. And it was phenomenal. With 17 million copies sold internationally and sales equivalent to 6 platinum records in New Zealand alone (eat your heart out, Split Enz), Comes Alive! became the biggest selling live album in history. And Peter Frampton became a superstar of the highest order. In 1976 Frampton was named Rock Personality of the Year in the U.S. Rock Music Awards. While the Rolling Stone critics chose Paul McCartney as the best of that year, their readers opted for Frampton and his live album. The following year Record World dubbed him Top Solo Artist and Top Male vocalist. Accolades and awards fell in bundles upon his head while Frampton sat stunned with the enormity of his success.

Alongside all the while was Frampton’s longtime friend and his manager of eight year now, Dee Anthony whose stable also includes Al di Meola and Gary Wright. Considering the almost traditional conflict between artist and administrator in the rock ’n’ roll biz, does Frampton find this closeness an advantage or a liability? “It’s not necessary that my manager be a friend, but I’ve known Dee for ten years. We've been through good and bad times together. Really, all

I want is someone who’s straight,” he says. Then adds, perhaps drawing from past, bitter experience with The Herd’s Jost royalties, “Someone who won’t rip me off.” It was primarily managerial jealousies that caused problems when Frampton became involved with filming and subsequent recording of Sgt Pepper's. Frampton chooses to say little on the matter, but his business manager for the tour puts much down to billing: Robert Stigwood pushed the Bee Gees; Dee Anthony plumped for Frampton. Stigwood, the producer of the

film, won. Critical reaction to the movie has not been good. Again Frampton keeps it short; “The reviews didn’t bother me too much. I wasn't as involved in the film as I am in my music. And I wasn’t acting anyway.” Why then did he decide to take it on: “At the time it seemed like a good idea to take advantage of the opportunity to be in a film. As a Beatles’ fan I was honoured to be asked to do it.”

Early next year. Frampton will begin recording a studio album in Los Angeles. Also in the pipeline are plans for another movie, but not a musical this time. At present his management are rattling around for a suitable script. Frampton has shown interest in remaking one of the screen’s Golden Oldies but is unprepared to name titles yet.

He sounds enthusiastic when he talks about filming again. Almost more enthusiastic than he is about his forthcoming album. But it’s talk of touring that really brings out that boyish grin again. He even smiles at the cameras.