ROCK Frampton continues with first love, the guitar

The former '70s superstar says he's an artist just trying to make a living.
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Peter Frampton refuses to become a nostalgia act. He still plays his past hits during concerts because they're an integral part of his music career, but they're interspersed with numbers from his current album, the aptly titled "Now."
Even when the subject turns to the continued interest in musicians from the '60s and '70s, he can barely spit out the dreaded "classic" term.
"We're called classic acts. I guess it's the better of any term out there. But to me, I'm just an artist still making a living," he said during a recent phone interview from his Cincinnati home.
Frampton may be best known for his multiplatinum "Frampton Comes Alive." But, as good as that record's been to him, he's never been one to rest on past success. That's a trait that can be found throughout his nearly four-decade-long career.
Learning how to play the guitar shortly after he began grade school, he joined the Herd as a teenager. That group charted a few hits in his native England. Frustrated that his desired role as lead guitarist was switched to lead singer, he left to form the rough-and-tumble blues rock sound of Humble Pie. When creative differences led him to leave that band he started anew as a solo artist.
Though his early albums sold modestly, Frampton's constant touring schedule developed a core following. The appeal of his live act could be heard on "Comes Alive." That release, briefly, sent him into the stratosphere of rock superstardom, but he landed back on earth with a rushed follow-up and a starring role in a widely panned film loosely based on the Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
Doing what he wants to do
His first studio effort in four years, "Now" could have been titled "Back Where I've Always Wanted To Be."
"If I could only choose one thing out of everything I do -- writing, being an engineer, being a singer or being a guitarist -- I would always choose being a guitar player. That's the core of what I do."
Recorded and mixed at his home studio, the extra degree of control allowed him to work on the material until he was completely satisfied.
"I know exactly what I want to hear. I have a vision of the way I want it to sound. I've always produced my stuff so it's nothing new to me. I'm not really a producible kind of artist. I much prefer to do it myself. All of it."
The results on the album's 11 tracks back up his working method. The originals show off a reinvigorated Frampton and highlight his concise playing and sharp songwriting. The instrumentals, a cover of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Greens," offer an emotional tribute to his late friend George Harrison and a sonic nod to valued peer Jeff Beck.
More than a pinup
The album represents a good argument for his worth as an artist breaking the boundaries created by the "classic" tag. For someone whose curly locks and pinup image overwhelmed his abilities, it's a relief to be viewed once more as a hard-working musician.
"The hair's gone. I know they're not coming to see that. They're coming to hear the music and see me play it. I'm really pleased. It's been a nice way to re-educate, and it seems to be doing its trick.
"In general, perception has changed back to more like the way I would like it to be."