On June 13, 1975, Peter Frampton plays the first of two nights at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Recordings from both nights, along with recordings from earlier shows in New York State, would become Frampton Comes Alive!, the biggest album of 1976. The two-record set would hit #1 in the US for ten non-consecutive weeks, becoming one of the biggest selling live albums of all-time. It also hit #1 in Australia and Canada, and reached the Top 10 in Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand, France, Germany, Greece, and Belgium. Frampton’s label A&M Records list priced the set at $7.98, only one dollar above the single disc standard $6.98. Frampton hadn’t had much solo commercial success to that point, releasing four solo albums yearly from 1972 to 1975. Frampton Comes Alive! was originally intended as a single album. It was also one of the last two-record sets pressed in automatic sequence, Side 1/Side 4, Side 2/Side 3. Three singles were released, two of which became monster hits, still Classic Rock Radio staples, “Show Me The Way” and “Baby I Love Your Way.” The third single, “Do You Feel Like We Do,” running 14:15 on the album, made the Top 40 in an edited version running 7:19, eight seconds longer than the previous longest single record holder, “Hey Jude.”

On the same day as Frampton’s Winterland appearance, one of the musicians on “Hey Jude” would make his final television appearance, also his final live appearance. John Lennon, four months from turning 35 and becoming a Dad for the 2nd time, appears in Salute to Sir Lew-The Master Showman, a tribute to media impresario Sir Lew Grade, broadcast June 13, 1975.

Lennon made the appearance (filmed April 18th ’75 in the ballroom of NYC’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel) despite losing legal dealings with Grade. Those lawsuits were no small thing. Grade had outmaneuvered Lennon and McCartney in 1970 in their pursuit of full ownership of their songs. He subsequently sued both again when John and Paul began to co-credit their compositions with Yoko and Linda to circumvent the publishing shares. Both countersued; Paul won, but John ended up having to settle, giving Grade’s company ATV half of his publishing on all 1974 compositions (including the hit “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night”).

Somehow Lennon chose to appear at the tribute, perhaps using it as a promotional vehicle for Rock and Roll, his album of 50’s covers. Lennon was partially motivated to record a covers album so as not to have new publishing to share. John played a three song set of “Slippin’ and Slidin’,” “Stand By Me,” and “Imagine.” Despite “Stand By Me” being in the Top 20, the song was edited out of the broadcast. John, though, seemingly had another motive for performing.

Lennon was introduced at the top of the show as ‘John Lennon, Etc.’ His backing band, shown on the bass drum as BOMF, couldn’t be introduced by their full name Brothers of Mother F**kers. Lennon commissioned sculpture artist Ruby Jackson to create masks for each of the band members with likenesses of their faces, to be worn on the backs of their heads. This was John’s way of calling Lew Grade two-faced at his own tribute. Nice. Here’s Lennon’s set from the broadcast. “Imagine” contains a revised line including “no immigration.” Some problems never go away:

In honor of John Lennon’s final live appearance, and his sly way of calling Lew Grade two-faced, Today’s Playlist is a SomethingIsHappening compendium of Face songs:

#JohnLennon #Beatles #Imagine #RockAndRoll #PaulMcCartney #YokoOno #LindaMcCartney #PeterFrampton #FramptonComesAlive #HumblePie #Guitar