chameleon

Future Years

The unreleased Motown tracks were a real treat to research and we will return to the subject as the year unfolds when we hopefully get more info from the ‘Artists Cards’ at Motown Universal to compare with the newly acquired Tape Index. After all the excitement of hearing some of these (even if in a poor sound quality), we have to admit that this is something that is as rare as it gets for fans. But we can guarantee that we will continue the fight to get them released and to try to get some more appetisers.

As I looked at the very last track listed on the last multi-track master tape (P2678) I spotted a very prophetic and significant song….the last recording at Motown. The title ‘Future Years’ reminded me that it was time to get back to the ‘bread and butter’ work of researching and commenting on the Four Seasons sound and the groups full body of work in the ‘Analogue Age’. Jersey Boys and the greatest hits compilations may make one think that the Four Seasons Story is complete but our continuing research is showing that this is far from true.

And the focus is now on the future fans and leaving them a fitting legacy as the Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society turns its focus to ‘succession planning’. The aim is to ensure the ‘true sound’ and the ‘real story’ of the group is not dominated or supplanted by the ‘Jersey Boys’ show and that what we grew up enjoying can be appreciated by future generations particularly ‘dedicated’ fans and the family’s and friends of former Four Seasons. Nothing less than would be expected by fans of The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones or any other ‘iconic’ group of the 60s. 

Our plans are progressing to take our research to a new platform to ensure the Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society can be around in 50 years. Read Ken’s challenging essay here ….. “Is 60s music about to go over the ‘generation’ precipice?” to appreciate the questions facing all ‘Baby Boomers’ and their music collections. 

Ken was also telling me that we may soon have the excitement and hopefully definitive opener in the ‘Battle Of The Biographies’ as Bob Crewe, is working hard with his co-writer. The breaking news is that he is recovering well from his near fatal fall and…. “His co-writer Steven Whitney is actively moving along with Bob's memoirs and it looks like it's gonna hit big.” according to a very reliable source.

And with Charlie Calello actively seeking a publisher for his biography we can hope one hits the book shops before next Christmas..

So now our catchphrase will be the words of the legendary Leonard Nimoy as Mr Spock in Star Trek. ‘Live Long and Prosper”….and eventually you will get to hear the Motown unreleased. and read the ‘real’ story of how Bob Crewe created the success of the Four Seasons by tapping into and maximizing everyone’s talent. We’ve shown this ourselves in our research over the last 15 years so we have every confidence his book (and our future articles) will prove it.

Casey Chameleon

(Ken would like to thank Lynn Boleyn and Eric Charge for the Four Seasons photographs and recognise the copyright of others re the other illustrative images) 

 

The Four Seasons and Motown

 

Kingsley Abbott (author of ‘500 Lost Gems Of The Sixties) joined us for a project to examine the links between the Four Seasons and Motown production techniques. With the help of legendary producers Charlie Calello and Sandy Linzer, we were able to show the impact of this in 1965 and 66.

 Click here for the full article

And here for the story behind one of Frankie Valli’s Motown-like dance classics. Ironically the sound achieved on the record could never be matched live…which is a tribute to arranger Herb Bernstein and 'The Angels' - Denise, Peggy and Bernadette….The ‘Jersey Girls’.

Has Jersey Boys peaked?

When I was in London recently I called at the West End box office and found it very easy to get tickets for any performance and it seemed audiences are dropping. Then I read about JB Chicago closing in January and the takings for NYC slipping. Still 101% occupancy I thought but with the cast album also slipping off the top spot I asked myself…”Has Jersey Boys peaked?”

Of course nothing lasts forever and so sometime it must. Then with rumours and stories about the possibility of an imminent announcement of the movie version of  Jersey Boys suddenly surfacing, I was (perhaps cynically) thinking that someone might be creating a ‘hype’ to hurry the film negotiations along. Most certainly there will be only one thing in the Four Seasons Partnership’s Business Plan for 2010 and that is ‘Sign up for the film for megabucks!’  Movie hype is sure to pick up the bookings. It’s all about timing…to maximize ‘cashflow’. But then along came the Jersey Boys blog showing a record breaking week in Washington DC

If the several venues are earning $1m dollars plus a week like Washington then in a year the show is grossing over $250m which is near unbelievable. It must be strange for Bob and Frankie to see all this money flowing in: more than in their original career years, by a mile. And to keep that going will obviously be a priority for the marketing budget. Here's an example!

The London Cast has been cleverly marketed on every TV show in the UK to maintain our interest and these have been big ‘promos’ for the show. But 2010 needs a big push to maintain the audiences. Then we saw the latest UK promo

 

IF YOU LOVED JERSEY BOYS - WHY NOT COME BACK AND VISIT US AGAIN!

We are offering you £20 off a pair of top price seats to Jersey Boys.
Valid for midweek performances, excluding 21 December 2009 - 5 January 2010.
Book by 31 January 2010, for performances valid until the 30 June 2010.
And as Lynn Boleyn found out "Andrex toilet rolls I have just bought say you can claim 2 for 1 Theatre & Panto tickets including Jersey Boys!  You just need to collect 10 reward points and exchange them for 2 for 1 theatre tickets.  Full details at :www.andrexpuppypoints.com

But what about the film?

Lots of people are writing about a ‘deal’ being done….but most are saying a deal ‘should be done’!! Check Out this link.

Business is business for Valli and Gaudio. Our interest as fans of the group and the show is re the cast and interpretation of the stage show. Casting for the movie shouldn’t be too difficult….we all know the London cast are a perfect fit….and the interpretation shouldn’t be hard. The four monologues can be synced into interviews with the individual Seasons as they arrive at the R&R Hall of Fame…and then told in flashback. The numbers can be staged with audiences in the main and the other songs just fit the action fairly naturally.

All we need is for Bob Gaudio to say…’Show me the money!’ and get a big name director/producer signed. We know the names and any of them will do it well. It’ll be a breeze.

A sensational one.

As for the West End Show....don't worry guys.."We'll Be Back!"

Chameleon

PS Get your free JB London sampler mp3 download here

Four Seasons Students and Teachers get your guides here

 

The Arrival Of The Four Seasons - Parts 3 and 4

As 1962 ushered in the Fall, The Four Seasons follow up to their number 1 hit ‘Sherry’ was so eagerly awaited that Billboard missed it….that is until it quickly became a ‘National Breakout’ hit…’New on the Hot 100 at # 66’

 

TV appearances were essential for promotion but some surprises were found when we reviewed their early TV appearances…….like the time Bob Gaudio played guitar!!

 

As the year ends and Billboard reviews the music market big things are expected from the Four Seasons latest 45. 1963 would establish them but also leave them caught between two audiences. Their traditional ‘adult’ audience from their Four Lovers days: and the powerful ‘teen’ audience who were notoriously fickle.

 

Read Part 3 of our scrapbook here

 

Part 4, our final section completes ‘The Arrival Of The Four Seasons’

'Come out...to my Twist party'

In our latest scrapbook pages we have reached 1961.............

The Music scene in Billboard by 1961 was very different to the 50s scene of the Four Lovers. ‘Teen’ purchasing of 45s was now a major force and the songs of the Bril Building were dominating the Charts. Chubby Checker was huge and the dance crazes were all over the charts. By 1962 the Four Seasons had been born! Well by November 1961 when they recorded and released ‘Bermuda’ which surfaced in Billboard in February 1962. An inauspicious beginning this was to be and it gave no clue to their first number 1 which would arrive by the end of summer……when they asked a young lady to “come out …to my twist party”!!

 

Read the Billboard time line in our Part 2 of ‘The Arrival Of  The Four Seasons’

A Small Dose of Validation

Four months on from Opening Night, and I was back in London for the week, with the excitement of our fans re-union night at the beginning of March still fresh in the memory. I thought it was essential to check-out Jersey Boys down in bustling and noisy Soho a little while on from the heady days of previews shows and Opening night at the Royal Edward Theatre. Now  that it is OK to have been a Four Seasons fan all these years it was time to go back for another dose of ‘validation’.

This show I had excellent seats 10 rows from the front and although Ryan Molloy was not appearing I was keen to take in the current performances and audiences.

I was struck with the age of the audience with very few under 30 and the domination of women who enjoyed mouthing the words of all our well known songs. Ben Brantley of The New York Times had reviewed the show that week and as he said....."Jye Frasca, went on for the show’s star, Ryan Molloy, in the role of Frankie Valli. As a singer, Mr. Frasca is not a natural Valli. Those off-the-register high notes seemed to hurt him,......... But he grabbed the spotlight with such gusto that no one was going to deny him his right to it. For me, at least, this added a touch of unexpected drama to a show I felt I knew inside-out even before I saw it the first time."

The real problem was that Jye is a John McEnroe look-alike, and seeing him after watching John’s Wimbledon commentary was a bit disconcerting. But this was a chance to assess what JB has now become. I do think the London production has taken the play to a new level. The quality of acting and delivery of key lines and moments in the play, was just sublimely professional.

As was evident at the start of this run that the lead Seasons are all very strong actors and positively 'compete' for the audiences hearts. This creates a balance never so obvious to me before with regard to the original group as I and all the members of the UK Appreciation Society never saw the original line-up ‘live’. The show matches all of their talents and contribution and although it would eventually become Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons it is so obvious that without very competent members, Fankie Valli would not have been able to have such an extended career as he has had.  

 The Show however has taken on a life of its own and it is impossible to watch without contrasting it with the reality of what we know of the Four Seasons live performances and recorded albums.

As good entertainment and a live concert ‘Jersey Boys’ is quite brilliant...  but it is not, the 'Sound' of The Four Seasons. It has driven many back to listening again to their albums to enjoy the nuances of songs and production that can only be found there. Bob Gaudio recently said…” "Sometimes the only way I can tell it's not the original version is that the tempos are a little fast" . Well that is not the only difference. As Bob knows the originals use backing tracks in 4 part ‘open’ harmony…whereas the delivery of Jersey Boys songs features 'behind the scenes' additional voices giving them a ‘choral’ backing. I’m not knocking this, it is superb: and raises the power within the arrangements considerably. But these where in the main, 1960s records with the great arrangements of Charles Calello and their blend is so ….’Calello’ … .particularly from ‘Dawn’ on. There is no other way to describe it. I'm still not convinced that something has been lost in the 'translation'.

The good news for the accountant though, is that with all the collections now out on CD, the cash will be rolling in and Frankie Valli will be able to pay off his debt to the ‘mob’….and maybe ‘retire’?

This brings me of the three themes that seem dominate the shows story…….’The Mob’,’Money’ and ‘Women’

It was probably a good thing that the group kept their ‘friendship’ with the mob a secret as I am sure that many of us would have shied away from a group with such dubious relationships…at least the Beatles and the Stones did it all out in the open, and in the papers….and we had a choice as to whether we accepted them or not. And the ‘in concert’ joke by Frankie Valli…..from all those 70s concerts, that ”we need the money” now rings true.

And with regard to the stories of the women in Frankie's life, it struck me as ironic that in the same week as the show I read the article about Frankie Valli’s life which said… “Despite his great musical success, Valli always managed to keep a tight seal on his personal life, including three marriages, three divorces and six children. Single today, he shares his home with son Francesco, 20, and has no plans to remarry. “I’m finished,” he says. “I have no regrets with anything, or anything terrible to say about any of the people I was ever with. It takes two to tango in every situation, and you just move on in life.”

He really put his relationship with his audiences before those with his family and suffered as a result. A hard thing for a performing artist to do is strike the balance. Maybe it was the road that became an addiction or maybe the need for the adrenalin and the (particularly female) adulation …….or maybe just the desire to be singing. As he says in the show "People don't get married to get divorced" and as he has said in interview many times… “I am very thankful for my audience, some performers act as though the audience owes them something. It’s really the other way around. You have to be grateful for all the good things.”

Two other aspects stood out this month too re the show……

LAWSON TAITTE at The Dallas Morning News may have got it right this week in analyzing the difficulties of getting the relationship right between story and music in a Juke Box musical….”At Jersey Boys, though, you never sense an ironically divided sensibility in the response to the music. The audience stays in the story. They love arriving at the biggest hits, like "Sherry" or "Walk Like a Man." They get a thrill from them. But they're caught up in the narrative about the people who gave birth to the songs.

That may just make the Jersey Boys book the undisputed and official champion among jukebox musicals, biomusicals or whatever you want to call theatrical shows that try to tell a story with rock 'n' roll classics. “

The honesty about the past in ‘Jersey Boys’ has also been so illuminating for fans and explains much about why the fan clubs were so poorly supported in the past and why so many difficult questions just didn’t get answered. It would be nice to think that the honesty now shown in 'Jersey Boys' would be followed with greater openness to the long standing fans……but then let’s not get too carried away.!

But with the news that London’s Musicals have all been sold out in the last year, the question that lingers is ‘how long can this last?’. With everyone now being offered 1 free ticket if you book 6 and a recession virtually happening, how long can the show remain in the West End? Only time and the pockets of the British public will define that, but with the levels of job losses announced to date in the UK the show will surely suffer by Christmas……or will it become the ‘feel-good’ escape trip? Whatever happens, we are making the most of what has been the fan’s best year in decades.

For now the one thing we do agree is that we should enjoy all the good things in Jersey Boys. Nothing lasts forever and this show should be enjoyed whilst on a ‘high’. Go see it one more time! Ken Charmer

 

 

 

"Happy Birthday" Bootleg

This month Goldmine Magazine celebrates the emergence of the ‘bootleg’ album, 40 years ago when they recall how..” a couple of Los Angeles-based Dylan fans found themselves feeling inspired on the one hand, by the rash of unreleased Zimmersongs being covered by sundry British bands (“This Wheel’s On Fire”; “Mighty Quinn”); on the other, by tapes of a 14-song acetate of publishers’ demos which were then in circulation .…..Combining seven of these songs with a mishmash of other unreleased Dylan material, finding a No Questions Asked pressing plant willing to produce 2,000 copies of the ensuing double album, slipping the two discs into a plain white sleeve — it all seemed so easy.

The valiant and much maligned ‘bootleg’ is still alive and well. Back then the “Official” response to this first bootleg was muted. Certainly the illegalities of the matter didn’t enter into it (and besides, at that time, nobody was sure precisely what they were).”

This release.. “represented an hitherto unprecedented opportunity for fans to hear music which neither artist nor record company had seen fit to release, a notion that inspired effusive reviews from Rolling Stone to the Wall Street Journal, and sent some publications even deeper into rapture. “

Before 1970, bootlegs struck most people as ephemeral oddities, eccentric adjuncts to the main attraction, bearing music that had no chance — and maybe no business — appearing on a mainstream release.”

But the official release Live Peace In Toronto (John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band) issued album solely to suppress a bootleg of the same event, which hit the shelves within weeks of the show…….. proved otherwise, and its headlong rush into the Top 10 only confirmed that. Bootlegs were NOT big business; most existed in quantities of a couple of thousand at the most. But, if their contents could be harnessed to official releases, the sky was the limit.”

Although the fact that the Four Seasons Partnership owned the masters of almost the whole of the groups portfolio has presented limited opportunities for ‘bootleg’ productions of the groups work, I thought a brief review of the best of these was worthwhile.

The very first and arguably most important was perhaps Stuart Miller’s issue of a rarities LP in 1971 featuring as then the impossible to find tracks like ‘Sleeping Man’ and ‘Whatever You Say’. Only 50 copies and it didn’t inspire anyone to do anything officially.

The demise of the NEW Four Seasons in the late 70s didn’t help persuade anyone to do any more although the circulation of a large number of live concert tapes(all taken from the audience and in really poor sound quality) did persuade the Partnership to issue a ‘LIVE – Re-United” album in 1980?

It wasn’t until the advent of CD’s and our ability to burn tracks and compilations of our own that the combination of rarities and collectable versions would result in one of the most comprehensive and memorable sets of ‘bootlegs’ arising with our USA friend Russ McClelland. The “Yesterday and Today – Hidden Valli” 3 CD set and the “Dance Mix Albums” remain to this day a key part of any Four Seasons collectors ‘archive’. Six discs with all the rarities and more.

Recent years brought us “The Night – Inside You’ compilation from Europe incorporating the bulk of the Motown tracks in excellent sound for a vinyl transfer and this has now been matched by the release by Motown and the Partnership of the ‘official’ Motown Years from Hip-O Select.

As the Goldmine article proves and the sales of the newly issued ‘Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons – The Motown Years’ will show is what Dave Thomson says…..”Unfortunately, they all completely missed the point. Bootleg buyers rarely, maybe never, buy boots instead of authorized product. They buy them in addition to the official releases, then they sit around comparing the untouched, un-overdubbed, unofficial release with the wartless wonder handed down from on high, and thank the Lord that someone out there is willing to make the music available in its unadulterated form. “

But for Four Seasons fans now the bootleg remains the key to preserving memories of great days and performances. The bootleg remix of 'Beggin' by Pilooski, is the most memorable recently storming to Nr 1 in the UK Dance Charts this time last year. Then there is the recent ‘Dutch Gopher’ bootleg …’Lost and Found Vol 1 – Milwauk(ie)ee'? CD which captures our memories of those great live concert performances of the NEW Four Seasons in 1976…and there may be more to come as we search for the best sound recordings from those past classic concerts

Dave Thomson is correct when he states that  the bootleg remains important…”Who knew, when Dylan played the Isle of Wight in 1970, that he would not gig again for four years? That Knebworth 1979 would mark the end of Led Zeppelin? Or that the Doors’ last show before Jim Morrison went to Paris would be the last gig they would ever play? No one, but bootlegs preserve all three.”

Now ‘Jersey Boys’ seeks to present a ‘sound’ from those times which does not match the ‘feel’ that Gerrry, Lee, Don and John achieved with Frankie Valli we owe it to future generations to preserve and protect the true sound from those days. Long live the humble ‘bootleg’

Casey Chameleon

Catch the full Goldmine article here

 

 

 

New Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society Web Site and Newsletter 51

We've been working hard over the last couple of months since our re-union and have re-modelled the web site to our new identity. Just click here to visit our web site and download our latest Newsletter Nr 51 packed with articles from 1971/72 about  Frankie Valli's success in the UK with 'You're Ready Now'.....the debacle that was 'Whatever You Say/Sleeping Man' and the signing with Motown...or just click here
And see if you can find my photograph
Casey Chameleon

Motown Delivers......The Four Seasons ....at last!

It has taken us years but with the help of Harry Weinger…..and the success of Jersey Boys…. we can look forward to the imminent release of the Four Seasons Motown Years on CD. We’ll almost be able to complete our collection of the Four Seasons portfolio. But not quite as at least 40 tracks will remain hidden in the vaults

The 1971 to 74 period is such an important phase of the group’s history that it’s glaring omission has prevented a true perspective on their work to all but those like us who have nursed our vinyl all these years. Then we heard from Harry about the impending release…He told us…. “I'm excited about this release - "Frankie & The 4 Seasons: The MotownYears" is the official title - as it will include the two released albums plus all of the non-LP singles, on CD for the first time. Considering the guys' unprecedented personal control over their entire recorded output, and the quality they have sustained over the years, this alone is a great overview of the years they spent at their dream label. As for unreleased tracks, there may be some tracks which were worked up, or tracks voiced by FV for demo purposes, but in no way were they slated for, or finished for, release. I respect that.

We've got a great package, the guys are happy with it, and between FV's most recent album charting on 
Universal Motown and this set, there's a lot of Motown love for FV&T4S. It should be up for sale in a few days,
then available in a few weeks at retail in and outside the U.S.”

We expect the release to appear on Hip-O Select.

An overview it is as  this has happened just as we are featuring the issue of the ‘Chameleon’ album in our latest newsletter, I spotted an article George Ingram posted about the sessions for this album….. from TCB Motown monthly January 1972

“The group has already finished recording an album with 15 tracks in all being cut at the Mowest studios in Los Angeles. It is thought that a single will be taken from these sessions. The tracks are…..

When The Morning Comes

Save The Children

Thank You

It Would Be Easy

Don’t Take You Love From Me

You’re A Song That I Can’t Sing

Never Gonna Give My Love To You

Loving You,That’s My Thing

Sun Country

The Night

Touch The Rainchild

A New Beginning

My Heart Cries Out For You

Time Will Tell

Love Isn’t Here Like It Used To Be”

Amazingly there are 7 tracks (in red) that didn’t appear on the album and have never been released. Maybe they never will. It is sad that they must remain in the vaults of Motown and that Bob Gaudio insists that all remaining tracks are ‘demos’ and not intended for release. Perhaps we should accept he is doing us a favour for allowing us access to the released Motown catalogue…and again we see evidence of his wish to ‘control’ the music he created. Something understandably he would claim is his right. But an ‘overview it remains, and our inability to hear the other attempts to find a successful song and a sound whilst at the label prevents us from assessing this period properly.

But are we going to complain.?.....No way!  This has been a fantastic year for Four Seasons fans with the opening of Jersey Boys in London and this release completes the CD catalogue of material we have previously collected on vinyl. So get your copy of the Motown Years and enjoy the talent of Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli, Joe Long et al…at their innovative best. This period would prove to be a very difficult one for them personally but musically it is rich with great performances. This was the formative period that would lead arguably to Bob Gaudio’s creative peak with the group and the ‘Who Loves You’ album. And we know the 70s had as much drama behind the music as the 60s did as portrayed in Jersey Boys. It was roller coaster ride from which the music and performances by Frankie and the Four Seasons shines through. We will celebrate it in our forthcoming newsletters.

Casey Chameleon

 

 

 

 

Salvaged Four Seasons

We saw their shows back in the 70s and we have collected all their music. The Four Seasons of the mid 1970s who achieved the groups greatest ever success are now long gone and we hear very little of them today.

All we have now is the excitement of a few of those songs now immortalized in the stage show ‘Jersey Boys’.

Well so I thought until a package appeared in my mailbox from an anonymous sender with a CD which suddenly brought those classic concerts I went to in Southport and
Manchester in 1976 and 77, back to life.

 Click the link here for the story of the biggest find for Four Seasons fans in many years.