Peter Frampton‘s Frampton Comes Alive!, undisputedly one of the greatest rock and roll live albums of the 1970s, turns 40 today.

Originally released on January 6, 1976 as a 2-record set, Frampton Comes Alive!, unexpectedly catapulted the young musician into the success stratosphere. The British-born former Humble Pie guitarist had previously released solo albums to no fanfare in America, but his double-live album saw radio and chart hits with “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” and the lengthy, guitar de force “Do you Feel like We Do,” replete with voice box and axe histrionics which sent the live audience into a frenzy.

Other great tracks on the album include the electrifying “Doobie Wah,” with a hyper guitar funk bridge which also shows that Frampton could play guitar ball with the rest of the greats; the lyrical and poetic “I Wanna Go to the Sun,” which shows Frampton’s underrated singing range; a great cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash”; “(I’ll Give You) Money,” and Humble Pie’s “Shine On,” all tracks that contain that quintessential mid-70s “feel good” mentality, mixed with no-nonsense string bending.

Turntables everywhere at the time of its release made Frampton a huge superstar, and his nice-guy mentality and pretty-boy looks made him an idol to young people from coast to coast. But it was his guitar flexibility, knack for songwriting with complex yet approachable rock idoms and undeniable prowess that made him stand apart from the just-a-pretty-boy box. Though the album initially entered the Billboard charts at Number 191, it eventually climbed all the way up to the Number 1 slot on the Billboard 200 by April 10, 1976, and stayed firm at the top for 10 weeks. Frampton Comes Alive! went on to become the best-selling album of 1976, with over 6 million copies sold in the United States. It also currently has the distinction of being one of the best selling live albums to date.

Now at 40 years old and still going strong as Frampton still incessantly tours the globe annually, Frampton Comes Alive! remains a vintage, important and absolute zeitgeist of the mid 1970s and of the classic rock genre.

Track Listing

Side 1

“Introduction / Something’s Happening” – 5:54
“Doobie Wah” (Frampton, John Headley-Down, Rick Wills) – 5:28
“Show Me the Way” – 4:42
“It’s a Plain Shame” – 4:21

Side 2

“All I Want to Be (Is by Your Side)” – 3:27
“Wind of Change” – 2:47
“Baby, I Love Your Way” – 4:43
“I Wanna Go to the Sun” – 7:02

Side 3

“Penny for Your Thoughts” – 1:23
“(I’ll Give You) Money” – 5:39
“Shine On” – 3:35
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) – 7:45

Side 4
“Lines on My Face” – 7:06
“Do You Feel Like We Do” (Frampton, Mick Gallagher, John Siomos, Rick Wills) – 14:15