June 6, 2025 —– Chart #301
Hello Music Friends,
Hey folks, welcome to another edition of Chart of the Week. After the confetti cleared from last week’s 300th post celebration (and I finished sweeping up the crumbs from the commemorative donut), it’s time to jump right back in with Post #301 — and this one is a face-melter.
This week, we’re talkin’ talkboxes, stadium shows, and shirtless charisma with one of the all-time great live rock anthems: “Do You Feel Like We Do” by Peter Frampton.
Let’s be honest — if you were alive in the ‘70s and didn’t own Frampton Comes Alive!, were you even really alive? That album was like oxygen, shag carpet, and avocado-green appliances — absolutely everywhere. And the crown jewel of that record? This glorious, sprawling, audience-interactive, talkbox-blasting epic of a song.
“Do You Feel Like We Do” was originally written by Peter Frampton, Mick Gallagher, Rick Wills, and John Siomos, back when they were all part of Frampton’s Camel — no, not a pack animal, but the band. It first appeared on the 1973 studio album Frampton’s Camel — and spoiler alert — it didn’t exactly set the world on fire.
But then came 1976’s Frampton Comes Alive!, and suddenly this song went from “oh yeah, that’s on Side B” to “OH MY LORD TURN IT UP!” The live version clocks in at over 14 minutes, and not one of them is wasted. It’s rock theater at its finest — dynamic, soulful, funny, and loaded with tasty licks.
Now before he was charming stadiums and turning talkboxes into a full-blown rock instrument, Peter Frampton had already done some serious musical mileage. At just 16, he joined the British pop group The Herd, where teen magazines dubbed him “The Face of ’68” — not a bad start, even if it sounds more like a cologne ad. From there, he co-founded Humble Pie with Steve Marriott, cranking out raw, bluesy rock that gave him both street cred and guitar hero status. By the time he went solo in the early ‘70s, he’d already built a resume most musicians would kill for — and he hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.
The original live lineup was tight enough to bounce a quarter off. You had Bob Mayo on keyboards and guitar, contributing that killer call-and-response solo section. Stanley Sheldon on bass, keeping the groove glued together. John Siomos on drums, who deserves a medal for pacing a song this long without needing oxygen. And of course, Peter Frampton himself — lead vocals, guitar heroics, and yes, that unforgettable talkbox. The talkbox became his signature sound, like a musical Etch A Sketch for your mouth. Suddenly, the guitar talked — and teenage boys everywhere started begging their parents for one before even learning a chord.
This song isn’t just a performance — it’s a conversation between Frampton and 20,000 of his closest friends. You’ve got extended solos, jazz-like jam sections, and that delicious build-up to the big question:
“Do you feel like I do?”
If you’ve ever played this one live, you know the challenge. It’s long. It’s tricky. And if your talkbox isn’t working, you better have a great sense of humor — because there’s no hiding behind your pedalboard here. You are out there, friend.
Frampton absolutely commands the crowd — not with pyrotechnics or makeup — just with a Les Paul, a cable, and a mouth tube that made his guitar say, “Hello.” Literally.
The live version of the song reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 — not bad for a 14-minute jam session. And Frampton Comes Alive! went on to become one of the best-selling live albums of all time. It turned Peter from a well-regarded guitarist into an international rock god with feathered hair that could have its own agent.
So this week, roll down the windows, cue up the live version, and let that talkbox do its thing. Whether you’re on a long drive or just standing in front of your mirror with a hairbrush, this one is guaranteed to make you feel like we do.
Keep Rockin’,
Stan Bradshaw