“He was a handful. I wasn’t enjoying it anymore”: How musical differences with Steve Marriott led Peter Frampton to leave Humble Pie and go solo
Peter Frampton’s 1976 live album, Frampton Comes Alive!, remains one of the best-selling live albums of all time. Recorded at several venues across San Francisco, San Rafael and New York between June and November 1975, the album has reportedly sold over 11 million copies worldwide since its release.
But Frampton may have never enjoyed that astounding success had he never left Humble Pie in 1971.
The circumstances surrounding his exit essentially boiled down to growing musical differences with his bandmates, notably frontman Steve Marriott. And in a new interview with Record Collector, the guitarist recalls the fracturing professional relationship that led to his decision to depart.
READ MORE: “Don’t lecture them”: Why Mick Jagger leaves politics out of his concerts
He explains that his decision came after the release of Humble Pie’s 1971 live album, Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore.
“It wasn’t just the direction, it was personality-wise, as well,” Frampton says. “Steve and I were not on the same planet anymore, unfortunately. I loved him dearly, but he was a handful. I wasn’t enjoying it anymore.”
Frampton explains how concerns over the band’s sound being “chosen” for them based on the material that appeared on the 1971 live album made him preemptively exit the band.
“We started out doing acoustic without drums, acoustic with drums, electric guitar, pianos, keyboards, and then heavy… we did it all,” he goes on. “That’s what I loved about Humble Pie, to start with. But our direction was kind of chosen for us by what we put on the live record, and I knew that everyone was going to expect that, and only that, from then on, on record.
“So that was why I decided to leave before the record came out. I believed it was going to be a small hit, not knowing it was going to be a much bigger hit than I thought, and then it would be much more difficult for me to leave.”
Last month, Peter Frampton reflected on his affliction with inclusion body myositis (IBM), a progressive degenerative muscle disease which has affected his ability to play guitar. Ever the optimist, the guitarist says he enjoys the “challenge”.
“I can’t complain about my life at all,” he said. “Yes, it’s not the most pleasant thing to have. It changes your life. It’s not going to end it, but yeah, it’s a little difficult. But really I’ve gotten used to it, and I like the challenge of being able to do what I do as it progresses.”
Peter Frampton released his latest solo album Carry the Light in May this year. Listen below:
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
