It is not
very often that Four Seasons fans get to hear anything new. After all the best
of the groups work arguably happened before 1980….but we avidly sought out
their 80s and 90s efforts in the hope that something new would capture the
quality of the old group sound and to be fair some of the 80s/90s original
songs and the dance re-mixes have been pretty good.
But
unreleased material and the lack of properly re-mastered versions of the
released material is still the main complaint that we continue to level at the
Four Seasons Partnership.
So when we
got a new ‘bootleg’ release of a ‘Live’ concert from 1974 we were in seventh
heaven. Particularly as the sound quality is pretty good and it contains 8 songs
never recorded by the group in the studio. Frankie even tells us this in the
song introductions..
Another
reminder of what we have missed and how badly served we have been since their
70s revival. Two original albums in the 80s and 90s amid the hundred plus
re-issues as seen in our CD Discography…(click the image below to visit the web
pages)
In an
interview last week on an American Radio Show (WABC Saturday Night Oldies Show #179: May 23, 2009, 6:00 to 10:00 PM ET) Frankie Valli said that as he
sees it that his fans are loyal and they come to concerts because they want to
see him do the 'hits'. …..they wouldn't come if he did new material or
covers....he maintains.
Well maybe in 2009 that is
the case…..but Bachelors III shows that back in the 70s he did quite a few
'alternative' tracks and for me that is what I want to hear.....not the boring
re-modeling of the hits. So today when most fans are happy that he is still
performing…..this concert reminds us of …..’The Way We Were’…which features in
the concert.
To read the
full report on this CD release and the reasons for its importance click on my
link here for the full article which will appear in our late summer Newsletter.
And watch this blog for more re-visits to the 70s revival over the next month.
Chameleon
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