Yow! It's finally been released. This has always been on my personal list of all-time favorite albums. Before his managers turned him into a pretty boy, and "Comes Alive"--and yes, I believe the image colors our perception of that album--there was a fine down-to-earth songwriter and crack guitar player who knew how to rock. I was SO disappointed w/the "Comes Alive" version of "Lines on my Face." Frampton's Camel has the definitive one--a beautiful song he wrote about the breakup of his marriage. This album really gives one a taste of Frampton's fine guitar work (as do his Humble Pie recordings)--straight ahead rock without the excess of "Comes Alive."

Remastered Version of This CD available at regular price at Peter Frampton's website. I just got mine about a week ago!

While Pete's great debut, Wind of Change was a balanced mix of rock and mellow tunes; Camel finds his songwriting and melodies to be mostly quiet, personal and introspective. Of course Pete still shows his licks rocking out with tunes like White Sugar and Do You Feel...; but the listener can really hear his emotions pour out on Lines On My Face and Just The Time Of Year.

I've never found Frampton's abilities as a lyricist to be all that profound. He does at times seem to put incongruent phrases together more to insure they rhyme than to really convey emotion or thought. Camel's strength as a whole however is the combination of his best effort with his lyrics and songwriting combined with fantstic, memorable riffs and melodies. And of course, without saying, beautifully skilled guitar work. Many of these songs can truly hook the listeners emotions and bring a tear to an eye or two.

So many rock fans out there are only familiar with the post-FCA artist (save for the below reviewers). This is truly a shame since Peter Frampton's best music was his first 3 studio efforts.

It's been 27 years since its original release on vinyl, but Frampton's Camel, Peter's best album, is finally out on CD. Granted, I was an impressionable 17 year old when this album first came out, but it blew me away. And this was 3 albums before Framptom Comes Alive changed him from an unknown into a star! Since I haven't owned a turntable for almost 2 decades, it's been that long since hearing it. The good news is, it's still the definitive Frampton. Even the original version of Do You Feel Like I Do puts the more famous live version to shame. Peter's talent and career has taken nothing but hard knocks since the live album. But his early albums, this one in particular, showcased a great singer, guitarist, songwriter, and the perfect band to make it all complete. As proof, the live album was more or less a collection of the best of his earlier albums. It was obscure then, and even more so now, but this is surely one of the great rockers!

This is why Peter Frampton still has the respect of anyone who can pick up a guitar. Listen to this and you can hear history. Way before he was the teen idol, he was just a excellent player.