How Did Susan De Passe Lose A Four Seasons Master?

Stories make music sound better…It’s a fact!

That’s why Jersey Boys is such a great show….and sometimes they give us a song which might never have been heard. So it is with the Four Seasons.

At last years International Four Seasons Convention for the fans, special guests Joe Long and Demitri Callas ….former Four Seasons during the mid 70s…..told the story of how a song that the group believed in and recorded was lost by the Executives at Motown.

Read the full story here ….

Added notes......In our rush to produce the demo 45 image we made a grave error and omitted one of the key writers and arrangers - Joe Long aka LaBracio. As Demitri said ..."It would be appropriate to see Joe LaBracio's name under the title of the song; without his superb bass playing, singing and vocal
arranging, this song would be lifeless and devoid of the true Seasons'flair.  If Joe had not recorded the unmixed playback as we were leaving the studio, the recording would be lost forever.  LaBracio to the
rescue! "

And the ever modest Joe ...."That song brings back many happy memories. And, the YouTube video is terrific. Thank you very much. As I recall, Demetri and Lee did the bulk of the writing. There was added input from the rest of us. I had the most studio experience, so I handled that end. It was a fun session."

So now we are correct and you can hear the ‘almost lost’ song below….

Comments

[Don Mull Sr]

This sounded so much like their old sound , They should of never tried to change the sound that brought them to the top. Please find more LOST ones . If there is this what else is there out there !!! Don

[David Chan]

frankie valli is a hard working artist. i felt that he & the 4 seasons were under rated. it looks like motown did not promote the group at all. i was very disapointed that valli & the group were not included in the 50th anniversary of motown CD sales display. i'm sure that motown someday will release those 40+ songs. in the meantime all you valli fans, ENJOY.

[Gary New]

I Wonder Why is superb. What a shame that we can't get the other 50 lost recordings. In the mid-seventies I attended a concert at Painters Mill Theatre in Owings Mills Maryland and for about an hour before the show many Four Seasons songs were played that I hadn't heard before or since. They were great and must have been the lost songs. I once heard that the Seasons produced an album called Natural Day which Motown would not release.

[USA Four Seasons Fan]

I wonder if this story was one inspiration of later Four Seasons member Jerry Corbetta's song with Sugarloaf "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You". Who knows what they did with the master. Did she think the song sounded too much like Frankie, Bob, and Tommy?