The tale of the talk box and its captives
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It's always whilst I'm listening to the radio that I hear "Do You Feel Like We Do". I never really mean to, but I'm always reminded of just how amazing it is.
Frampton is a great guitarist, but in relation to all things old and new on the radio, he's never my first choice with classic rock; in my mind, he has a few great hits, and that's about it. So I never really have this song in my rotation -- and that's why it always enthralls me when I hear it.
The song, from Frampton's landmark 1976 live album Frampton Comes Alive!, is nearly 14 minutes of pure bliss. First and foremost, the fact that it's live is why it's so amazing. Without being live, it's a few minutes long and I'll expect to maybe hear it overhead at a Denny's, at best. But because he has a captive audience, he strives absolutely to be excellent.
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"Do You Feel Like We Do" starts off like any other tune, and again, Frampton could have wrapped up at the four minute mark, put a bow on it, and moved along. But he doesn't do that -- instead, he whips out the "talk box".
For those who don't know what the talk box is, it's like singing through a drive thru speaker via a tube in your mouth. In Frampton's case, it's like a beam of sunshine from heaven with little rock and roll cherubs flying out all over the place. And you call tell that the audience is absolutely loving it. And when I listen to it, I LOVE IT. Like the way I love bacon or kickball: With pure, unabashed, gluttonous indulgence. Not just the song, but the talk box and the audience together. Again, without the audience, it doesn't work; and without the talk box, it's just another live song. So you have five minutes of a crowd whose collective mind is blown away but this musical robot of a man talking to them though his guitar. The man's guitar SPEAKS. It actually TALKS TO THE AUDIENCE. He's just jamming up there, and his guitar is asking them "Do you feel like I do?" in a way that they've never heard before. And the answer is precious: Not only do they feel like he does, but they can't believe what they're hearing. He's playing off it, toying with them -- like teasing a dog with a treat... but in this case, the treat is the teasing.
Then, in an instant, Frampton immediately stops toying around with the talk box and explodes into one of the best guitar solos in rock and roll history. And then, it's done.
***
So I'll be driving down the road, switching stations, and I'll hear "Do You Feel Like We Do" -- and I'll do what it takes to listen to the finish. If I finally get to Target and there are still seven minutes left in the song, I'll find the furthest spot in the parking lot, and I'll rock out to it with the same unfettered excitement that I can only imagine they did in 1976. I can only imagine that I feel -- and will always feel -- like they do.
Editor's Note: I've seen Frampton live twice -- and both times, I felt like they did.
LISTEN TO "DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE DO"
