Peter Frampton - Breaking All The Rules (1981) + Bonus Live Track

 (U.K 1966 - Present)

By the early 1980s, Peter Frampton was tired of being called the "romantic rock boy" and decided to make the most rocking, commercial and aggressive album of his career.  1981's 'Breaking All The Rules' broke all the barriers.

'Breaking All The Rules' has been Peter Frampton's lesser known / heard album in part due to the record company clumsiness to properly promote the record and because Frampton indeed broke some rules here; he decided to make a rocking LP instead a Top 20 hit generator.

Of course there's a brilliant sweet melody in the slow, touching 'Going To L.A.' which should have been a hit in the charts, but most the material here rocks, and pretty hard.

For this matter Frampton enlisted a terrific back-up band including the half of Toto; Steve Lukather & Jeff Porcaro.

Lukather trades some killer licks with Frampton (the title track is awesome) but also contributing with his trademark, distinctive rhythm guitar, while Porcaro provide his unique 'groove-touch' all over the recording.

A proof of the guitar driven nature of this album is the opener "Dig What I Say", starting the record in a rocking mood with solos all over it, something unusual for a Frampton release. Here he also uses guitar synth to good effect.  The cover of  "I Don't Wanna Let You Go" is done in an absolutely classic Frampton vein but even here the guitar swirls like never before. Check Porcaro's hi-hat fills here, a master in this game.

Written by the Alessi Bros 'Rise Up' is another tune with a hit potential, there's an elegant midtempo on 'Wasting The Night Away', a rocky version of the classic 'Friday On My Mind' (Originally released by the Easybeats), while 'Lost A Part Of You' is the ballad on the album with some hints to Frampton's hit single "I'm In You".

For the end we have the title track 'Breaking All The Rules', a seven minute tour de force plenty of killer riffs, a melodic verse and a superb Frampton / Lukather duel in an almost hard rocking piece.

Here, Frampton demonstrates all his skills not only as an excellent guitarist but also as a vocalist. The heavy sound is always commanded by Frampton 's guitar and his "warmer" and stronger voice gives a more bluesy tone to the music.

Despite not having sold even half as much as his famous "Comes Alive", "Breaking ..." is, without a doubt, Frampton's best studio album, and the title track, one of his best songs.

Interesting Side Note: 

Frampton released an album only in Brazil called 'Rise Up' in 1980, which had a similar track listing as 'Breaking All The Rules'. Frampton states:  "This album was released in Brazil to promote our tour there in 1980 - the album eventually turned into 'Breaking All the Rules', released the next year." 

However, the 'Rise Up' album featured an almost entirely different lineup of musicians and partially similar track listing.  

While touring Brazil, Frampton suffered a serious setback when all his guitars were thought destroyed in a cargo plane crash that killed four people. Among the instruments he lost was the black Les Paul Custom which he had named "Phenix" (pictured on the cover of Frampton Comes Alive) given to him by Mark Mariana and first used on the night of the recording of the Humble Pie live album Performance, and which he had used all through his early solo career. However, by shear luck, the guitar was recovered and returned to him in December 2011. 

And so 'Rise Up' eventually turned into Breaking All the Rules, released the next year in 1981. These albums were the first he recorded almost completely live. In 1982, following the release of 'The Art of Control', Frampton tried unsuccessfully to split his ties with A&M Records; he re-signed with the label in 2006 and released his Grammy Award–winning album 'Fingerprints'.  But that's another story !

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my vinyl and includes full album artwork for both CD and vinyl, along with label scans. One track that appeared on the Rise Up album (but not Breaking All The Rules) was a live recording of his hit single "I'm In You". I have therefore decided to include a live rendition of this track (taken from Frampton Comes Alive II) as a bonus track.

One thing that attracted me to this album when I first viewed it in the record store was the inclusion of the Easybeat's mega hit "Friday On My Mind", which by the way he has covered admirably. Of course, the killer title track is the highlight, in fact all of Side B is brilliant and the first side is almost as good.  Overall, this album is one of Frampton's best studio albums and should not be passed by.

Track Listing:

01 Dig What I Say 4:10

02 I Don't Wanna Let You Go 4:21

03 Rise Up 3:46

04 Wasting The Night Away 4:12

05 Going To L.A. 5:57

06 You Kill Me 4:13

07 Friday On My Mind  4:18

08 Lost A Part Of You 3:42

09 Breaking All The Rules 7:04

10 I'm In You (Bonus Live)   4:24

The Band:

Vocals – Peter Frampton

Backing Vocals – Arthur Stead, Steve Lukather

Bass Guitar – John Regan

Drums – Jeff Porcaro

Guitar – Peter Frampton, Steve Lukather

Guitar Synthesizer – Peter Frampton

Keyboards – Arthur Stead, Peter Frampton

Peter Frampton Link (275Mb)

Peter Frampton - Comes Alive (1976)

 (U.K 1966 - Present)

Peter Frampton's live double epitomizes post-Vietnam escapist sunshine rock. With an estimated l6 million sales, it is second only to Bruce Springsteen's 1985 blockbuster as history's most successful live set. Recorded between March and November 1975 - principally at Frampton's first headlining gig, at Winterland in San Francisco - the album was summed up by Cameron Crowe in Rolling Stone as "much more than a souvenir. It is a testimony to Peter Frampton in his natural habitat." See full review below

Following a template established by Kiss with their Alive! double LP, Frampton's album transformed a leaguer into a major player. The former member of British rockers The Herd and Humble Pie had made three, moderately successful albums: now he enjoyed ten weeks at the top of the Billboard chart.

This ad ran soon before Peter Frampton briefly
                       ruled the world

The 14-song selection provides a fine cross-section of his albums and Humble Pie days. Jaunty "Somethin's Happening" and insistent "Show Me The Way" lay out his stall of echo-rich vocals, jazzy electric and sweet acoustic guitars, melodious harmonies and - "Ooh Baby" - lyrics. The band rock out on the likes of "I Wanna Go To The Sun," but it is the hysteria elicited by the hit anthem "Baby, I Love Your Way" and the talkbox laden "Do You Feel Like We Do" that proves the life-affirming nature of the Frampton sound. The album prompted an invitation to the White House President Gerald Ford. We are not worthy! was Frampton's response.
[extract from 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Cassell Illustrated, 2005. p372

Rolling Stone Review, Dec 1975
by Cameron Crowe (Contributing Editor)

It's the classic tale of most inspired performers. Be they actor or musician or both, anyone whose art often burns with the passion of a man possessed is more often than not a soft spoken personality way from their craft.

Twenty-five-year-old Peter Frampton is no miraculous exception. He is a quietly good-natured man who, in his own words, lives for the stage.

Which is not to say that Frampton, in the four years since he left Humble Pie and began a solo career, hasn't made the studio his stage. 'Wind Of Change', his first solo effort, was as strong a debut as an artist could hope for. After lacing five Humble Pie and two Herd albums with his especially versatile acoustic and electric guitar playing, singing and song writing prowess, Frampton had immediately established himself as his own best interpreter.

It was about that same time that Peter took to the road - surely his first home - with his own band. "Performing is the best thing for a musician", he said at the time. "It keeps my music alive and breathing. That's too important to give up. I really don't think I'll stay off the road for very long".

The effect of the stage can be strongly felt on his second album 'Frampton's Camel', which introduced such live staples as "Lines On My Face" and the tour de force "Do You Feel Like We Do"

'Somethin's Happening' and 'Frampton', finely-crafted albums that spanned both breezy and gritty peaks, were next. The latter may well be his best studio work yet. Recorded at Clearwell Castle near Wales with his solid backing unit of Andy Brown and drummer John Siomos, it shows an ever-evolving Frampton playing all guitar and keyboards and more confident and relaxed than ever before.

Which brings us to 'Frampton Comes Alive', the trump he has been holding all along. Two records culled from a series of Peter Frampton concerts, its release finally completes the portrait of a strong young artist. The full range of his live material, both acoustic and electric, is presented here. Even the audience enjoys a major role throughout and, as always, Frampton & Band perform with the earnestness and competence that we've come to respect. Frampton Comes Alive is much more than a souvenir. It is a testimony to Peter Frampton in his natural habitat.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from both CD and Vinyl, and includes artwork for both media. For some reason, A&M chose to release this double LP album on CD with 4 tracks missing. At first I thought it was due to time restrictions for the CD media, however further investigation shows that the full 78min concert would have fitted.  WTF !

So, to rectify this shortcoming, I have included the 4 missing tracks - "All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side)","Doobie Wah","It's A Plain Shame","Penny For Your Thoughts", ripped from my vinyl. 

This live album was the biggest selling album in Australia in 1976, and remains one of my favourite live albums. Frampton really did take the world by storm with this one and his popularity literally 'Came Alive' when it landed.

Track Listing:

01 Something's Happening 5:54

02 Doobie Wah 5:28

03 Show Me The Way 4:42

04 It's A Plain Shame 4:21

05 All I Want To Be (Is By Your Side) 3:27

06 Wind Of Change 2:47

07 Baby, I Love Your Way 4:43

08 I Wanna Go To The Sun 7:02

09 Penny For Your Thoughts 1:23

10 (I'll Give You) Money 5:39

11 Shine On 3:35

12 Jumping Jack Flash 7:45

13 Lines On My Face 7:06

14 Do You Feel Like We Do 14:15

Frampton Comes Alive! Link (494Mb)