12. Peter Frampton: Do You Feel Like We Do?
For a brief moment in time, Peter Frampton was bigger than God, a man with a Midas touch, a talking guitar, a million groupies, and a million teen fans who took up air guitar or real guitar in his wake. That brief moment lasted about 3 years, from 1976-1978; few artists have fallen so far so fast commercially. Frampton Comes Alive!, a double live album from 1976, is what he built this enormous fanbase with. One of the biggest selling albums of all time, it propelled Frampton from little known cult guitarist to superstar status overnight. While many fans were attracted to his blonde good looks and pop ballads, it was his guitar playing that was really the draw on the album, and remains the best thing about it now. While "Show Me The Way" and "Baby I Love Your Way" were the big hits, "Do You Feel Like We Do?", the album closer, is what his legend rests upon; an 11-minute atmospheric and epic multi-suite hard rock number that features an extended section where Frampton, with a lot of help from a talkbox, gets his guitar to "talk". While it's pure gimmick, it is still a pretty good hard rock tune; all of his studio material sounds better on this album. Frampton came by his guitar prowess honestly, having earned his keep since the 60's in The Herd and Humble Pie before embarking on a solo career. His downfall was swift; starring with the Bee Gees in one of the more noteworthy film turkeys of all time, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978, and releasing a disappointing pop-oriented followup album to Frampton Comes Alive!, I'm In You, Frampton's momentum fizzled almost immediately. By 1981, he was out of the top-40 forever.
13. Kansas: Carry On Wayward Son
Kansas, from Topeka, were a rare band in America; they employed much of the classical-trappings of British progressive rock, and fused it with a heartland style American rock, giving them a distinctive and accessable sound that kept them in the major leagues throughout the late 1970's. Kansas released their self-titled debut in 1974, but it was their fourth album, Leftoverture, from 1976, that really established them. Art-rock almost to the point of put-on, as the snarky title implies, the album is full of complex, almost impenetrable suites with titles like "Father Padilla Meets The Perfect Gnat" and "Opus Insert". "Carry On Wayward Son" is the one most people remember; a cross between midwestern hard rock and arty pretense, it reached #11 on the charts, and helped the album to a #5 showing. Their followup, Point Of Know Return did even better, peaking at #4 and yielding three charting singles, of which the violin-based "Dust In The Wind" was the biggest and best. The band had more moderate success through 1980, but the conversion to Christianity of singer/guitarist Kerry Livgren and bassist Dave Hope led to internal frictions; a period of lineup instability followed which resulted in rapidly diminishing sales. The band's most recent studio album, recorded with Livgrin back in the fold, was Somewhere to Elsewhere from 2000; aside from a token appearence on the Top Internet Albums chart, it failed to draw much notice.
Article comments
1 - The Proprietor
Frampton's signature effect is called a talkbox, not a squack box. Frampton and most 70s guitarists enamored of the effect used the Heil Sound talkbox, although there were other models from Electro-Harmonix and Kustom that enjoyed some popularity at the time.
An interesting trivia bit about "More Than A Feeling" is that Tom Scholz has said that he was very influenced by the Left Banke classic "Walk Away Renee" when writing it.
2 - uao
Thanks for the correction and bit of trivia, Proprietor. I wasn't sure what to call that darned thing. I'll fixt it in the text.
Walk Away Renee? Somehow I can't hear it, although "More Than A Feeling" does contain the line "I See my Marianne walking away..."
3 - Guppusmaximus
Nice review of some great bands... Me personally, I would've listed ASIA instead of Loverboy because Loverboy were one hit wonders(my opinion).With tracks like "only time will tell" and "Heat of the moment"... ASIA was definately Arena Rock!!
4 - uao
Asia would have been an excellent inclusion. I'm not sure I'd bump Loverboy for them, since Loverboy represents something of a road-not-taken by arena rock. Maybe I'd toss the Tubes, who only made the list at the very last moment when my mind was drawing a blank.
5 - cathi
I love your list!!!!! these are songs that I would play as well on a lazy day. thanks
6 - Uncle Fiscus
Where's AC/DC?? These hacks stink!! Or Zepplin??
7 - uao
Uncle Fiscus: Led Zeppelin and AC/DC were left off because the term "arena rock" diminishes them; they both are primarily known as heavy metal or hard rock. As for the rest being hacks, isn't that what arena rock is all about? Read the article, and you'll understand.
8 - Bruiser
Three of the bands listed - Blue Oyster Cult, REO Speedwagon, and Heart - played at the first concert I ever attended: the 1981 Texxas Jamm at the Houston Astrodome. For the record, the other two bands that played were Foghat and the long-forgotten Rockets.
The last two studio records that Cheap Trick have released are among their finest.
9 - Sister Ray
Maybe you could substitute Bob Seger for the Tubes. He would be more familiar to fans of arena rock, and you hear him a lot on classic-rock radio.
Punk just didn't catch on in the Midwest as much as the critics hoped it would. MTV really knocked off the arena bands.
Drifting a bit, remember when early MTV played "closet classics" from the 60s? There was a clip of the Doors doing "Touch Me" and videos by Blue Cheer, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and Donovan. Lots of swirling lights, etc.
10 - Paul Roy
Damn, I've seen nearly every one of these bands in concert. That must make me an arena rock lover. I guess there's worst things to love.
11 - uao
I did consider Bob Seger, but he already turned up in my 'Detroit Rock' playlist, and I'm saving him for a 'Heartland/Midwestern Rock' list as well.
However, his late 70's work definitely could qualify as 'arena rock' too.
12 - Linda
Enjoyed your reviews. However, you left out a very important chapter in Nuge Tune History. In 1990, Ted's band THE DAMN YANKEES, and self-titled CD,
spawned four smash AOR hits ("Runaway," "Coming Of Age," "High Enough" and "Come Again"); High Enough reached #3 on the Billboard Charts.
Additionally, in 2000, the Ted Nugent/KISS Tour made the Top 10 Grossing Tours of the year.
13 - uao
Thanks Linda, I should have said something about Damn Yankees (and added a bit after seeing your comment). It slipped my mind completely, but yes, that was a major chapter in his bio.
14 - godoggo
A defining characteristic of what I think of as arena rock is that it would seem absurdly incongruous if played in a small club, thus disqualifying not only Cheap Trick but also Aerosmith, but of which, not coincidentally, I like.
I also think that a lot of the characteristic mannerisms of arena rock were innovated by The Who, around the time they commenced sucking (I'm sure you all agree). For me the ultimate arena rock moment is "They're all wasted" which was obviously calculated to elicit the ultimate arena rock response: "Whoooooooo!"
15 - NashTrick
Cheap Trick remains a force today. A lot of "new" bands in rock point to them as a major influence....STP,Foo Fighters,etc...all recognize Cheap Trick as their roots. Quite a compliment by todays standards.
Give Cheap Trick's 2003 release "Special One" a whirl...great as ever!!! PEACE.
16 - Christine Foster
I agree with your listing of arena rock artists but I would have left off the Tubes and put Nazareth.Also as a Canadian I loved "Loverboy" but our greatest arena rock band here is the hard workin band "Trooper".
17 - Benatarlvr
Great review of Pat Benatar. However, she hit number #1 in 1981 with Precious Time. Not 1982. And Get Nervous was #4 in 1982 not 1983. Overall a great countdown.
18 - Trigaba
Why is everyone so reluctant to classify Rush as an Arena Rock band? Are they too progressive and conceptual to break the pop seal? Geddy Lee's high-pitched voice and abundance of keyboards makes me thing they definitely belong in this countdown.
19 - guppusmaximus
Ya know... Looking back on this review, I don't believe Pink Floyd could ever be classified as Arena rock along with RUSH. They were way too progressive and pioneering for their time to be lumped in with the comercially appealing rock of the 70's. I mean if you're going to overlook those qaulities, you may as well add ELO or YES to this list. But I do feel it was a great article and I do love alot of those bands....
20 - Ray Violette
Loverboy were hardly a one hit wonder as mentioned in the comments section, with a bunch of Top 40 hits. I saw them in 1981, and they were definitely arena rock then. I saw them in 2006, and they're still arena rock, although playing smaller venues, with all original members (save their bassist who passed away). Their latest album is actually quite good and is getting some surprising airplay.
21 - Kirt
Exactly. You hit the nail on the head with this one. I would only add these bands for consideration. April Wine, Cars, ZZ Top, Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Joe Walsh, Black Sabbath, Molly Hatchet, Fleetwood Mac. All huge arena bands when I graduated from HS back in 1982.
22 - Eye-roller
I don't even like .38 Special, but even I know ('84? Dallas Texxas Jam, watching MTV) that the dark-haired bearded guy (Don Barnes) sang "Hold On Loosely", and nearly all of their other hits. Always seemed like Donnie Van Zandt was just there to sprinkle on some of Skynyrd's "cachet", if one can call it that...
Also, according to the latest re-writing of the Boston foundation myth (in some schwag mag I picked up at '06 Austin NAMM), Scholz actually did go back to Boston and re-record everything with the ostensible band while the label-appointed "producer" stayed back in LA and ran interference.
23 - toocrass
Loverboy were not a one-hit wonder as mentioned, but if you want the epitome of a pre-packaged arena rock band that was a one-hit wonder look no further than Survivor. Saw 'em open for REO back in the day and they were beyond boring live. Unacceptable sin in the world of arena rock.