Peter Frampton live in ’75
A quartet of music-related seventies stories in the news this week. Read on for details.
FRAMPTON ON FRAMPTON
Vulture interviews guitar god and former teen idol Peter Frampton. The topic of discussion is the 45th anniversary of the Frampton Comes Alive! LP. Lots of great, and occasionally humorous, anecdotes to enjoy here.
Vulture Quote:
“I had multiple shows in Detroit and I went to a tiny record store to sign some records. I was behind the counter and they let everyone in. There were so many people that the place became stuffed.At some point I lost control of the crowd and they started climbing over the counter to get on top of me. I had to be removed from the building. The limousine was out back and I was hustled into it quickly. We tried to drive away, but all of the people jumped on the car and they started rocking it back and forth, like they were trying to turn it over.”
MCCARTNEY WAXES LYRICAL
Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present via PaulMcCartney.com
In lieu of a full autobiography, Paul McCartney will be releasing a 2-volume tome entitled The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present on November 2nd. This collection is the closest thing fans will get to having McCartney describe his journey through life. Beware though, the books will set you back one hundred bucks.
If that doesn’t frighten you off – you can pre-order here.
PaulMcCartney.com Quote:
“More often than I can count, I’ve been asked if I would write an autobiography, but the time has never been right. The one thing I’ve always managed to do, whether at home or on the road, is to write new songs. I know that some people, when they get to a certain age, like to go to a diary to recall day-to-day events from the past, but I have no such notebooks. What I do have are my songs, hundreds of them, which I’ve learned serve much the same purpose. And these songs span my entire life.”
JAMES BURKE PASSES
The Five Stairsteps circa 1970
James Burke of The Five Stairsteps has died at the age of 70. Burke sang on the Chicago-based family band’s biggest hit “O-o-h Child” which made it to #8 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 in 1970. The band also repeatedly placed songs in the Top 20 of the R&B charts and worked with the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Billy Preston, and George Harrison.
Variety Quote:
“…Known locally as ‘the First Family of Soul,’ as teenagers…had their first hit in 1966 with the Mayfield-backed ‘You Waited Too Long.’ The group’s name was said to have been coined because of how the sister and brothers had incrementally varying heights when lined up together.”
WELLER’S COSMIC POP
Paul Weller ‘Cosmic Fringes’ video, February 2021
Paul Weller, who seventies fans will fondly remember from his days fronting The Jam, released a new tune today called “Cosmic Fringes.”
Weller also revealed that a new LP, Fat Pop, will be arriving May 14, 2021. You can find the disc and lots of goodies available for pre-order here.
Promo Quote:
“The new album from Paul Weller was recorded in Spring 2020 whilst unable to hit the road and tour. Locked-down at Black Barn studios, Paul initially recorded vocals, piano and guitar on his own, before sending to the core band to add their parts remotely. Eventually the full band were able to reconvene as restrictions lifted and finish the record.”
Paul Weller “Cosmic Fringes” (2021)
Links:
Peter Frampton on the Thunderous Legacy of Frampton Comes Alive!, 45 Years Later
Paul McCartney – ‘THE LYRICS: 1956 to the Present’ to be published in November
‘O-o-h Child’ Singer James Burke, of the Five Stairsteps, Dies at 70
Previously on 70s In The News: Bootsy Collins, McDonaldland & More