Sensational '70's Tune for Wednesday, June 10th, '09

Peter Frampton's name is synonymous with two songs: "Baby I Love Your Way" and "Show Me the Way." They, along with "Do You Feel Like We Do," were the monster hits from his commercial breakthrough, Frampton Comes Alive, and both were originally featured on his fourth studio album, 1974's Frampton. In a way, they were two sides of the same coin, both love songs about "the Way," which wasn't some Tao of Peter thing, but rather what he loved about his love. Since it was the ballad, "Baby, I Love Your Way" wound up being the standard, getting covered many times, but it was actually the smallest hit on the three Frampton Comes Alive singles. The biggest was "Show Me the Way," and it still brings back the heady thrills of 1976 when Frampton Comes Alive was a phenomenon. A large portion of the nostalgia has to do with his heavy use of talk box on the track -- in memory, it feels like he speaks through his guitar nearly as much as he sings -- but if that's all that it was, it wouldn't have been a hit in 1976 and it wouldn't remain a favorite of album rock fans of all ages. The reason why "Show Me the Way" endures is that it's a veritable cavalcade of hooks with the guitars and vocal melodies fighting for space, and all the while they both make indelible impressions. This is that rare song where the verse melody is catchier than the chorus, and the whole thing is memorable after a spin simply because the hooks are so insanely catchy. "Show Me the Way" isn't a deathless pop song -- it certainly is tied to its era -- but it's undeniably fun and easily the best pure pop song Frampton recorded during his teen idol phase.