Peter Frampton Says Goodbye During Farewell Tour Finale at L.A.'s Forum

In an era, rife with farewell tours, Peter Frampton's is perhaps the saddest. He's not packing it in because he's tired of the road or performing. As he announced in February, Frampton is suffering from Inclusion-Body Myositis (IBM), a muscle disorder that causes inflammation, weakness and atrophy. That disease is forcing the 69-year-old British guitar phenom to step away from what he's best known for performing live.

Back in 1976, the British singer/guitarist made his commercial breakthrough with Frampton Comes Alive! a two-record set which to this day is one of the best-selling and best-known live albums in rock history. It was recorded mostly at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, but the Forum, across state in Inglewood, Calif., has a prominent place in his history. In his '70s heyday, it was a stop on Frampton's tours, so it seemed fitting one of the final dates on his farewell trek would include a visit to the arena Saturday night (Oct. 5).

Of course, Frampton has survived some missteps during his '70s heyday, ranging from the ballad "I'm in You," released following the massive success of Frampton Comes Alive! to the disastrous Sgt. Pepper's Lonely-Hearts Club Band movie he co-starred in with the Bee Gees. Saturday, there was nary a hint of those blunders in the set list or the career-spanning opening video montage. Instead, Frampton focused on material from his early solo albums (that became better known on Frampton Comes Alive!), songs from his recently released All Blues, nods to his days with '70s Brit rockers Humble Pie, and some key covers with deep emotional ties to the singer/guitarist.

Billed as Peter Frampton's Finale -- The Farewell Tour, Frampton referred to his disease after night's final number, saying the love and support of his fans would help him heal, but the show wasn't a bummer. Rather, it felt like a celebration with the singer/guitarist taking a joyful look back at his career, with several thousand people on hand to partake in the party.

Dressed in jacket, T-shirt and jeans, Frampton looked lean and fit and it didn't appear that the disease has affected his ability to perform, as he was fine in voice and his guitar virtuosity remained intact for the two-hour set.

Opening with "Baby (Something's Happenin')," the title track from Frampton's third studio album, released in 1974, and the opening cut on Frampton Comes Alive! (where it was retitled simply "Something's Happening"), Frampton and his four-piece backing band -- Adam Lester (guitar/vocals), Rob Arthur (keyboards/guitar/vocals), Dan Wojciechowski (drums) and Steve Mackey (bass) -- were in top form.

Prior to performing the third song of the set, "Lines on My Face," Frampton shared a story about his first trip to New York as a solo artist to record his second album, 1973's Frampton's Camel. He recalled how his new drummer, John Siomos, only had a mismatched drum kit made of various odds and ends, so Frampton bought him a green Ludwig set. Years later, Frampton quipped, he bought it again on eBay, only for much more money. He then motioned over to drummer Wojciechowski, noting he was playing that very drum kit, complete with the Wind of Change cover art. Frampton dedicated the delicate ballad to Siomos and guitarist/keyboardist Bob Mayo, long-time members of his backing band who were immortalized on Comes Alive! but have since passed.

During the set, Frampton mostly focused on his guitar-fueled, hard-rocking side and blues numbers, but he also performed his two best-known pop hits, "Show Me the Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way." The former came early in the set, with his name in red neon letters on the video screen, in homage to the '70s TV show The Midnight Special, and Frampton moving to center stage to use a talk box, the guitar/vocal effect featured on some of his most notable songs.

Prior to "Baby, I Love Your Way," Frampton shared a story about how he traveled to the Bahamas for a short solo writing session between albums and tours but was sidetracked by a chance meeting with Alvin Lee that resulted in several days of hard partying. With only a few days left on his trip, he ended up writing "Baby, I Love Your Way" in an afternoon on the beach. ("Show Me the Way," he said, came on the same day that morning.) Frampton performed the song on acoustic with much of the crowd singing along.

A mostly instrumental cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" hit hard, following Frampton's intro that noted he once performed the song live with the late Chris Cornell on vocals. He dedicated the song to Cornell, his wife and children, and added some talk box vocals towards the end, giving it an otherworldly feel.

The encore "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" also carried an emotional wallop, with the knowledge that some of Frampton's earliest noteworthy work was as an unaccredited guest on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. While Frampton's performing career is indeed passing, Saturday's show gave us reason not to cry, but to celebrate his career triumphs. – Billboard Magazine / Craig Rosen

Keb’ Mo’ Announces First Christmas Album, ‘Moonlight, Mistletoe & You’

This first festive offering shows that the four-time Grammy Award-winning blues man is just as adept addressing R&B and Americana-styled roots music.

Following the release of the thought-provoking Oklahoma, a record that brought worldly issues to the forefront, Keb’ Mo’ returns to lift spirits with a heartfelt feel-good Christmas album Moonlight, Mistletoe & You, due for release on 18 October via Snakefarm Records (UK).

After 25 years performing under the ‘Keb’ Mo’ alias, this widely respected artist has finally granted his eclectic global fan base a Christmas outing, offering a melting pot of influences and original songs.

Moonlight, Mistletoe & You embraces Keb’ Mo’s diverse talents to great effect, showing that the legendary blues man and four-time Grammy Award winner is just as adept addressing R&B and Americana-styled roots music. Produced by Keb’ himself and recorded by Zach Allen at Stu Stu Studio in Franklin, Tennessee, this genre-bending artist provides seven new songs with three covers.

“After 25 years of performing without releasing a Christmas album, I felt now was as good a time as any to spread some love and compassion” says Keb’ Mo’. “There’s something about Christmas time that makes everyone’s heart a little lighter, and I wanted to contribute to the movement of spreading a little joy. I feel like I was able to accomplish that through the making of the album”.

Starting the album, Keb’ Mo’ puts his spin on a Christmas Classic, ‘Please Come Home For Christmas’, offering a more uplifting, optimistic disposition versus the Charles Brown original and the many covers that have followed it. While singing lyrics like “Oh what a Christmas to sing the blues, my baby’s gone, and I have no friends, to wish me greetings once again”, Keb’s warm version of the song offers a sense of hope.

Staying true to his Blues roots, Keb’ uses the building blocks of a traditional Blues song with the tracks ‘Santa Claus Santa Claus’ and ‘Santa Claus Blues’, while bringing his own flair to the Mildred Bailey original and Billie Holiday-covered classic, ‘I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm’. Keb’ keeps a jazz-like sway throughout with the help of Melissa Manchester’s distinctive vocals, acting as his female counterpart.

Many can relate to the humorous track, ‘Christmas Is Annoying’, helping one’s inner Scrooge to shine, while pointing out the maddening events that come along with the Christmas season, like maxing out credit cards and having “no time to relax”.

Keb’ also highlights the romance that soars throughout the holiday period, with both the title track ‘Moonlight, Mistletoe & You’ and closing number, ‘One More Year With You’, carrying a more traditional Christmas sound. While “Moonlight…” brings on the saxophone solo, ‘One More Year With You’ starts with jingle bells accompanied by piano and brass horns throughout, giving a true sense of the season and closing the album on a high note singing “sign me up for one more year with you”.

Moonlight, Mistletoe & You is out on 18 November. CREDITS: Udiscovermusic.com - By Tim Peacock

The Police 6-CD Box + Vinyl Reissues Due

The Police will reissue re-mastered 180-gram heavyweight vinyl of Reggatta de Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta, Ghost in the Machine and Synchronicity, as well as a six-CD boxed set, Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings, which brings together all of their studio albums with the addition of a bonus disc of B-sides titled Flexible Strategies.

All titles will be released separately on Nov. 8 and are available to pre-order at the links below. A press release summarized the albums:

Reggatta de Blanc—Originally released in 1979, this is the band’s second album and their first album to reach #1 in the U.K. It features the band’s first two chart-topping hit singles— “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon”—while the album’s title track received the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1980.

Zenyatta Mondatta—The third Police album, released in 1980, is regarded as one of the finest rock albums of all time and again reached #1 in the U.K. album chart , as well as #5 in the U.S., and features two classic hit singles: “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and “De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da.” The album won two Grammy Awards including Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” and Best Rock Instrumental Performance for “Behind My Camel.”

Ghost in the Machine—Originally released in 1981, their fourth studio album was #1 on the U.K. album chart, #2 in the U.S. and is a multi-platinum bestseller. It features three hit singles: “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Invisible Sun” and “Spirits in the Material World.” Their jazz influences became more pronounced, but the album had a very strong, sophisticated pop appeal.

Synchronicity—The fifth and final studio album was released 1983 and was the band’s most commercially successful album. This album made the Police global superstars, reaching #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and generating no less than four classic hit singles: “Every Breath You Take,” “King of Pain,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger,” and “Synchronicity II.” At the 1983 Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for a total of four awards, including Album of the Year, and won for Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for the title track “Synchronicity” and Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal for “Every Breath You Take.”

Following the 40th-anniversary vinyl box of the same name, Every Move You Make: The Studio Recordings is a limited edition six-CD boxed set, featuring all five studio albums plus a bonus 12-track disc, Flexible Strategies, comprising non-album B-sides (including a very rare remix of “Truth Hits Everybody”). All albums are full-color gatefold CD digipak wallets housed in a lift-off lid clamshell-style box and have been remastered at Abbey Road.

- by Best Classic Bands Staff

Black History Month: Bob Marley house honored with blue plaque

Reggae legend Bob Marley has been honored with an English Heritage blue plaque at the London house he lived at when he finished recording the ground-breaking album Exodus.

The plaque marks where Marley lived with his band the Wailers in 1977 at 42 Oakley Street, in Chelsea.

It comes after a drive to uncover more addresses of ethnic minority figures.

Marley and the Wailers' famous Exodus album included hits such as Jamming, Three Little Birds and One Love.

The plaque had been stuck in the planning process because Marley was not registered in phone directories or electoral registers.

Marley also gave a different address during an arrest for cannabis possession in 1977 to prevent the police from searching the house in Oakley Street for drugs.

English Heritage confirmed the house was the band's headquarters and Marley's primary address from contemporary reports.

In 2015 English Heritage, which manages more than 400 historic buildings and cultural sites across the country, established a working group to reinvestigate the addresses of noted ethnic minority figures.

Out of more than 900 blue plaques across London, only 4% are dedicated to black and Asian individuals.

Blue plaques commemorate the link between a location and an individual who was regarded as "eminent" in their field.

Their achievements should have made an "exceptional impact in terms of public recognition", and they must have been dead for at least 20 years.

Other musicians to have received the honor include John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and Mozart.

Rastafarian writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah unveiled the plaque on Tuesday.

Mr Zephaniah, said: "It's very difficult to say what Bob Marley would have said about this plaque, but he did once say, 'Live for yourself, you will live in vain, live for others, and you will live again', so I'm quite sure he would say that this is for his people and his music."

Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga said: "More than a brilliant musician, he became a cultural icon who blazed a trail for other black artists." - bbc.com