Peter Frampton – Reissues: Premonition/When All the Pieces Fit/Now  
Omnivore Recordings
http://omnivorerecordings.com/artist/peter-frampton/

Ratings:
Premontion:                         D
When All the Pieces Fit:        C
Now:                                     B

Premonition
Peter Frampton owned the 1970s with his massive live album, Frampton Comes Alive; the ‘80s were a different story.  In 1986, he attempted a comeback with the release of Premonition.  While the album featured the minor hit “Lying” and made the Billboard Top 100 Albums chart, the reality is that album was not very good. 

The album sounds very dated and it appears Frampton was attempting to be modern, but the result was a tired sounding Frampton playing boring music.  Despite help from Steve Ferrone (Average White Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Tony Levin (King Crimson), Richard Cottle (Alan Parsons Project), and Omar Hakim (Sting, David Bowie) the album tanked. Frampton actually joined David Bowie’s band the following year and took a break from his solo career.

When All the Pieces Fit
Frampton decided to try it again in 1989 and this time he fared better.  The album, while largely ignored by the masses, featured more of his signature songwriting style and vocals.  This album, too, is dated in its sound, but at least it sounds more like Peter Frampton than the previous effort. 

“More Ways Than One” starts the album off with a bang and should have been the first featured single off the album.  Instead, the label went with the slower “Holding On to You” which flopped.  This album has its moments, but still fell short of many fans expectations. 

Now
Peter returned in 2003 with Now, which was a return to his former glory.  The album features a ton of guitar playing and is not dated in its sound at all.   This is among one of Frampton’s best albums in his long career. 

“Verge of a Thing” is a rocker that returns Frampton’s 1970s attitude to the forefront.  “Flying Without Wings” opens with a bluesy riff that sets the tone for the tune.  The high point on the album is Frampton’s tribute to George Harrison.  He recorded his version of the Beatles classic “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”  Frampton put so much emotion into this tune that the rest of the album, which is pretty damn good, is quickly forgotten.  At the risk of sounding trite, he literally plays his ass off on this song. 

All three albums are now released on CD with expanded artwork and new liner notes taken from interviews with Frampton.  Now is the big winner of the three, but don’t overlook When All the Pieces Fit, as it has some great moments as well. 

Premonition CD/Digital Track List:
1. Stop
2. Hiding From A Heartache
3. You Know So Well
4. Premonition
5. Lying
6. Moving A Mountain
7. All Eyes On You
8. Into View
9. Call Of The Wild
Bonus Tracks:
10. So Far Away
11. Nothing At All

When All The Pieces Fit CD/Digital Track List:
1. More Ways Than One
2. Holding On To You
3. My Heart Goes Out To You
4. Hold Tight
5. People All Over The World
6. Back To The Start
7. Mind Over Matter
8. Now And Again
9. Hard Earned Love
10. This Time Around

Now CD/Digital Track List:
1. Verge Of A Thing
2. Flying Without Wings
3. Love Stands Alone
4. Not Forgotten
5. Hour Of Need
6. Mia Rose
7. I’m Back
8. I Need Ground
9. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
10. Greens
11. Above It All

By Jeb Wright