Today in rock history: on this date in 1976, Peter Frampton’s monumental 2-LP live concert album, Frampton Comes Alive! went to No. 1 on Billboard’s pop albums chart for the first of 10 non-consecutive weeks. The album was released to little fanfare in January of 1976; it debuted at No. 191 on the charts and was never really predicted to become the monster hit that it did. After leaving British blues-inspired boogie rock band Humble Pie in the early 1970s, the multi-talented singer/songwriter/guitarist embarked on a solo career but never really achieved substantial success with any of his albums. But with this, his fifth solo release, all of that changed for Frampton. Thanks to the strength of the singles lifted from the album, “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do,” the record became Peter’s breakthrough album. While the singles received heavy airplay on FM rock radio stations, the album quickly ascended to the top spot and wound up remaining on sales charts for a whopping 97 weeks. Frampton Comes Alive! became the highest-selling album of 1976 with over 8 million copies sold in America alone and remains one of the best-selling live concert albums of all time.

Today in rock history: on this date in 1972, Cleveland, Ohio power pop masters The Raspberries released their debut, self-titled album. The band’s sound harnessed the spirit and pop sensibilities of bands like The Beatles, The Hollies and The Small Faces and was filled with powerful guitar riffs, harmonies plus the expressive vocals of singer Eric Carmen. The original pressing of the album came with an adhesive, title sticker affixed to the cover that, when scratched, gave off the aroma of fresh raspberries. Two singles were released from this fine album: “Don’t Want to Say Goodbye” which charted in the lower reaches of Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart and the power-pop classic, “Go All the Way” which climbed as high as No. 5 and became a regular part of most radio playlists throughout the summer of 1972. Sadly, none of the band’s four albums charted particularly highly; this debut album only made it as high as No. 51 but is widely regarded as an essential, integral power-pop classic. The Raspberries parted ways in 1975 at which time Eric Carmen launched a successful career as a solo artist. Many artists have cited The Raspberries and their hook-filled pop songs as a major songwriting influence including Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Axl Rose.

ROCKABILLY CHRISTMAS
Review: In Clearwater, Brian Setzer dusts off Christmas classics and his own big tunes, too (w/photo + setlist)

Today in rock history: on this date in 1959, rockabilly guitar slinger and fantastic vocalist Brian Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York. A member of jazz bands as a child, Setzer’s passion for music steadily grew and branched out into the fields of punk rock and rockabilly. Forming the throwback trio The Stray Cats in the early 1980s, Setzer and his bandmates headed to England to make a name for themselves since rockabilly was still so popular there. After meeting Rockpile guitarist/singer/songwriter Dave Edmunds (who also shared a love of rockabilly music), the band wound up having him produce its first two U.K.-only releases and scored hits with tunes like “Stray Cat Strut” and “Rock This Town.” Trying its luck again in America a few years later, the band struck gold when MTV began to play Stray Cats videos on heavy rotation, making the band extremely successful here in the States. Setzer has since become a highly successful solo artist and has helped revive swing and big band music with his own touring rock and roll orchestra and several hit albums of his own. Read our review of his latest Bay area set here.

Today in rock history: on this date in 1990, pioneering, outspoken and politically-motivated hip-hop group Public Enemy released its third album, the landmark Fear of a Black Planet. The ambitious album is chock-full of clever samples, soundbites, loops and snippets of dialogue; a sound and style that went on to influence countless other hip-hop acts. The album was steeped in controversy upon its release due to a variety of reasons; most notably the band’s disparaging remarks about American heroes Elvis Presley and John Wayne in the song “Fight the Power,” which didn’t sit too well with some critics of the band’s overt politicism. Other standouts from the album include “911 is a Joke” and “Welcome to the Terrordome” which helped make this PE’s most direct and straightforward album. Fear of a Black Planet reached the top 10 on Billboard’s pop albums chart and made it to No. 3 on the publication’s black albums chart. The million-selling record was positively received by fans and critics and made it onto several prestigious and highly-respected 1990 year-end lists for the best albums of the year.