His Studio Albums Weren't Selling. Then He Made One Of The Best Live Albums Ever

One of the biggest, out-of-nowhere flukes in rock 'n' roll history occurred in 1976 when Peter Frampton managed to sell millions of copies of one of the best live albums of all time in spite of his middling success beforehand. An initially self-taught rock musician, the sweetly voiced singer with the looks of a heartthrob pop star came up in the British rock scene of the 1960s, playing in bands like the Herd and Humble Pie. But none of his numerous early 1970s solo albums made much of a commercial impact stateside. The next gambit developed by the musician and his handlers? Show off Frampton's substantial skills as a performer by releasing the live-recorded "Frampton Comes Alive!" in 1976.

It all worked exceedingly well. "Frampton Comes Alive!" generated three huge hit singles (although his iconic live version of "Baby I Love Your Way" never actually made it to No. 1), earned a Grammy nomination for album of the year, and sold eight million units. And it was all thanks to Frampton's prowess as a stage performer, and his label's willingness to take a chance.

Following his departure from Humble Pie, Peter Frampton, under the direction of A&M Records executives, elevated his solo career by touring constantly for nearly five years. That created strong fan contingents in big cities. As the crowds got more intense and Frampton's rock radio presence grew, A&M commissioned a live album, and portions of several shows in 1975 were recorded for that purpose. But when label co-founder and boss Jerry Moss heard the final product in December 1975, he found it lacking. "They had enough good material to make another record. He had left out some really good songs," Moss told The Hollywood Reporter.

"Frampton Comes Alive!" was scheduled for release in January 1976, mere weeks out, and so Frampton played a few more shows to gather enough material to help extend the project into two LPs. Among the tracks captured live were new versions of "Show Me the Way" and "Baby I Love Your Way," fan favorites from the 1974 studio album "Frampton." Those would later become the two biggest hits from "Frampton Comes Alive!"

Appearing on the Billboard album chart dated January 31, 1976, "Frampton Comes Alive!" hit No. 1 on April 10. It would remain on the Billboard 200 for nearly two years thanks to the popularity of the rocking "Show Me the Way" and the gorgeous ballad "Baby I Love Your Way," No. 6 and No. 12 hits, respectively.