Frampton Comes Alive!: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition [live]

Of all of Universal's Deluxe Editions, Frampton Comes Alive has the least amount of bonus material. Perhaps that's because the album originally was a double record, so it isn't opened up over two discs the way Blind Faith and What's Goin' On are. Or perhaps it's because there just wasn't much to add to what's essentially a concert performance. Either way, there are just four extra tracks here: three worked into the sequence of the concert ("Just the Time of Year," "Nowhere's Too Far for My Baby," and "White Sugar"), with a radio performance of "Day's Dawning" added at the end. These are all nice additions for the hardcore, but changing the sequencing of the record changes its impact subtly, making it a little less addictive. So, this isn't quite appealing for the casuals, and doesn't quite have enough to make it absolutely necessary for diehards — although, if they pick it up, they'll likely be quite satisfied by the first-class sound and beautiful packaging. — Stephen Thomas Erlewine.