15. Peter Frampton, ”Show Me The Way,” from 1976’s Frampton Comes Alive

15. Peter Frampton, ”Show Me The Way,” from 1976’s Frampton Comes Alive

Peter Frampton was only 26 when he leapt from utilitarian guitar player to release the double album Frampton Comes Alive, still the biggest-selling live record of all time. Of the album’s three singles, “Show Me The Way” was the most popular, hitting No. 6 on Billboard (besting “Feel Like I Do” and “Baby, I Love Your Way”). Frampton told The A.V. Club in 2001 that he realized his success came backward, with the live album kicking off his pinnacle: “Hardly anybody bought my studio records, but when I put it together live, it went through the roof. So go figure. It’s because I enjoy performing live so much. It’s a wonderful feeling.” Frampton’s obvious joy onstage certainly helped put Frampton Comes Alive across, as did his showier efforts, like the way he jumps on his guitar’s talk box (a gadget rigged up through a mouth hose) every single chance he gets. But the secret to Frampton’s mass appeal was that he was about the most romantic big-arena rocker out there. In “Show Me The Way,” he’s in full romantic bliss mode—“I wonder if I’m dreaming / I feel so unashamed / I can’t believe this is happening to me”—in front of a screaming crowd of thousands just as in love as he is. [Gwen Ihnat]