ARTIST: Peter Frampton
TITLE: Somethin’s Happening
YEAR RELEASED: 1974
CHART ACTION: #125
SINGLES: Baby (Somethin’s Happening)
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: Doobie Wah
LINEUP: Peter Frampton, Rick Willis, John Slomos, Nicky Hopkins
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Third Frampton solo album doesn’t excite anyone, much like his first two. It’s an improvement over his second, barely.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Kicking off with “Doobie Wah”, a blast of 70’s rock energy, there was hope that this third solo album from Peter Frampton would be a great improvement over his second, lazier, too-mellow album.
Well, the sound of the group (now a trio for the most part with Frampton on keyboards as well as guitar in the studio) is rawer and fresher and there’s more energy here. Yet, somehow, Frampton still doesn’t inspire here.
Many of the songs seem to be half-written excuses to show off his guitar playing. Maybe it was the constant touring, but it sounded like he couldn’t be bothered to write more than a couple of decent tunes and then coast on the rest.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: Nicky Hopkins plays piano on two tracks, else it’s Frampton on the keyboards.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: No
GRADE: C+ : I like the fresher energy, but the songs are kind of lame. Somehow he kept his contract.