Summers Come and Gone

It’s September again and the beaches have cleared and the last throes of summer are with us and it is time for this UK 4 Seasons group to celebrate 30 years of Newsletters with our latest edition. And as a thank you for all the free promotion for Frankie, Bob and the Seasons over that period Frankie is releasing his fourth solo album in that period to be released on 2^nd October…the birthday of our editor George Ingram. So by the end of September our ‘landmark’ Newsletter 50 will be published which is amazing as George Ingram, John Riley, Ray Nichol, Lynn Boleyn et al were responsible for starting the series going back in 1977. Through thick and thin we have survived to bring collectible information on the group to fans world wide. 

This time we will publish the articles via this blog as well as in our paper issue and via our web site www.seasonally.co.uk. So far we have already published ‘When You’re Hot, You’re Hot’ as a tribute to Frankie’s girl backing group back in the mid 60s. (see below in this blog)

So watch out for the following over the next few weeks.

• The Beatles v The 4 Seasons – Revisited 2007

• Lynn’s page on our planned celebrations for the London launch of ‘Jersey Boys’

• Ray’s Clips and Trivia from his 60s UKmusic paper archive

• ‘Presents From Eddie’ – The Ed Rambeau Songbook. A Special Edition of ‘Seasons’ Connections  featuring The 4 Seasons and many others

• Updated discographies

• The late 60s releases and oldies articles

The release of ‘Romancing The 60s’ is also a landmark for Frankie Valli. Back in 1967 and 68 he featured covers of classic 60s songs on his ‘Solo’ and ‘Timeless’ albums. Now he has gone back to that decade to select favourite songs that he wished he had recorded. This is quite a challenge particularly as at 73 his voice does not have the range, power or clarity of his mid sixties albums.

But from what we have heard of a track selection which in every way includes classics we all know and love this will be an inspired choice. The arrangements we’ve heard  by Charles Calello and Artie Shroek on the ballads are as anthemic and lush as songs like ‘Expression of Love’ from the ‘Timeless’ album….and what Frankie lacks in vocal power in comparison he has made up for in the interpretation and vocal styling of these classics.

It is a relaxed and easy listening album and a great celebration of a great career. It is also a celebration of the skills of the arrangers that were so much a part of his past success.

Our thanks go out to Universal Motown for the confidence to release this album. We can but hope that it will be followed next year by the release of ‘The Motown Anthology’ based on the groups tenure at the label from 1971 to 1975 to complete the portfolio of their music. Maybe we will get to hear some of the ‘lost’ Bob Crewe compositions that preceded ‘My Eyes Adored You’ such as ‘Hymn To Her’ ( Crewe – Nolan) and ‘ Be My Lover, Be My Friend’ (Crewe – Greenwich  – Tudanger) which we believe remain in the Motown vaults......

Chameleon