Peter Frampton
's solo debut after leaving
Humble Pie
(as they stood on the brink of stardom) spotlights
Frampton
's well-crafted, though lyrically lightweight, songwriting and his fine guitar playing. The songs on
Wind of Change
are built primarily around acoustic guitar foundations, but
"It's a Plain Shame"
and
"All I Want to Be (Is by Your Side)"
sound like they could have been lifted off
's
Rock On
. The sound is crisp, the melodies catchy, and
's distinctive, elliptical Gibson
Les Paul
guitar leads soar throughout. A comparison between this album and
's post-
turn to generic boogie-rock shows why
left that group. Although
Smokin'
was much more successful, hitting the Top Ten in the spring of 1972,
was far superior musically. With its mix of ballads and upbeat numbers with just enough of a rock edge,
showed
at his creative peak. The band here includes
Ringo Starr
,
Billy Preston
, and
Klaus Voorman
. ~ Jim Newsom