That 'Four Seasons' Sound

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Sessionography Part 4

The start of the Four Seasons career at Philips was a major step up from their ‘novelty’ falsetto sound as a Vee-Jay doo-wop group to become a ‘major league’ pop group. They would battle it out with the Beatles to become the top selling male pop group of the mid-sixties and become a respected and loved live performing group at a time the Beatles abandoned touring for the studio.

Examining and questioning the details of Valli and The Seasons recordings at Philips by reviewing our Part 4 sessionography raises as many questions as it reveals in terms of the timeline and their approach to hit making via 45s and albums. This blog note only scratches the surface of who did what and how things happened, but what it does do is gather the timeline and the sequence of recording (in fact challenging some of the dates) and maybe will make the listening to their recordings a little more understandable and enjoyable.

November 1963, as they pursued their law suit against the soon to be defunct Vee-Jay label, saw their first milestone recording which would launch their new sound and hits....but not at Philips studios as they prepared to sign contracts, but at Atlantic Studios. Charlie Calello had his biggest part to date in arranging the song...”We recorded "Dawn (Go Away)" at Atlantic studios. That was our first opportunity to work on 8 track. It was an extreme luxury to have the bass and drums on their own track. It was amazing. “

It was the first time the group had also (fully) used studio musicians to do all the instrumentation.

Strangely the original full mix never survived in STEREO. Well that is what all vinyl and CD issues since reveal. The only STEREO mix that appears to exist, does not have the slow intro...”Pretty as a mid-summer morn....they call her 'Dawn'” and the 'straight in' version in glorious STEREO only ever appeared on the 'Edizione D'Oro' hits collection in 1968 and has never appeared since. It may not exist on Master tape but is at least preserved in our Vinyl Masters library.

Amazingly, the day before this session which Charlie Calello recalls involved 5 songs (?), the group had recorded with Larry Santos as Larry and the Legends on 'Don't Pick On My Baby'(along with -it is rumoured - several other presumed lost recordings).

The master numbers show only 'Dawn' and 'No Surfin' Today' as The Four Seasons at Atlantic for this session with several tracks following in January 1965 at Stea-PHILIPS which would make up the 'Born To Wander' folk styled album once they had signed for the label.

With 'Dawn' a major hit , February sessions in 1964 targeted the next hit and an album. Although the 'Dawn (Go Away) and 11 Other Great Songs' vinyl album shows Bob Crewe as producer, arranger and conductor, this was not possible as Bob had no formal music training...the musical production of Bob Gaudio featured highly and the arranging and conducting was by Charlie Calello.

Whilst all of these recordings may survive in both MONO (we hope) and STEREO (see ACE 2fer CD issues) only 'Ronnie' failed to ever appear in STEREO and no master appears to exist in this format ( a pseudo STEREO version appears on 'Edizione D'Oro'). Surprisingly, it seems likely no STEREO master was ever cut.

April saw the group arranging the classics 'Rag Doll/Silence is Golden' and the subsequent Number 1 in June 1964 called for another set of tracks for the songs inevitable album. Recruiting Denny Randell as arranger/conductor and Sandy Linzer as writer reduced the workload on Bob Gaudio for the June and July sessions and with another Top Ten hit (Nr 10) in 'Save It For Me' the group had hit their 'Golden Era'. MONO and STEREO versions tended to be similar/or the same mixes but Bob Crewe had a habit of taking the MONO masters to Bell Studios after completion and overdubbing or adding echo to get the radio sound he needed. This would apply for the recordings in the latter half of the 60s so checking the versions on CD and vinyl is well worth the research.

September's session to record 'Big Man In Town/Little Angel' must have been a big test as to their ability to match 'Rag Doll's success but it's Nr 20 peak must have been a big disapointment given the quality of the production .

In an attempt to get a top ten hit sound again the group changed studios for their November 1964 session of 'Bye Bye Baby(Baby Goodbye)'. Charles Calello recalls...”The reason we changed studios was that for some reason the records started to have distortion in them and we went from there to a place called Olmstead.” Between Olmstead, Stea-PHILIPS and (we believe) Atlantic Studios  they recorded their 1965 sessions before Charlie left as arranger after a brief spell as a Four Season.

Efforts in the studio were constant through 1965 as they really pushed the hits 'machine' churning out 'manufactured pop' as Charlie describes it – very much like the Motown label.

The Nr 12 hit of Bye Bye Baby....was followed by the disappointing 'Toy Soldier' in February 1965 (reaching Nr 64) after January LP tracks sessions and another surprisingly small hit with the complex arrangement of 'Girl Come Running' in April 1965(Nr 30).

Valli himself embarked on a side project to test the possibility of  a solo artist career in June 65 with 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' (possibly at Atlantic’s 8 track studio) as Nick Massi decided to leave the group. Was his departure a reaction or was Valli’s new direction a contributor? Going solo would continue on the agenda throughout and beyond 1965.

Before he did leave, according to Charlie Callello, Nickie contributed to the ill-fated Dylan /Bacharach/David sessions back at Stea-PHILIPS. With the situation critical the group had to find a replacement member quickly for their road act and Charlie Calello stepped in for 4 months as he played bass and had sung on most of the hits which he had arranged and conducted too. 

It was a critical time and the sessionography shows the timeline of the tracks during this period of change. All of the remaining team of writers and arrangers with producer Bob Crewe were needed and the close of the year would see them achieve once again major hits with 'Let's Hang On' (recorded in August 65 – a Nr 3 Hit) and 'Working My Way Back To You' (November 1965 – a Nr 9 hit)

1966 was a difficult time for the group and they almost lost their way..

We will re-visit and expand on this period and what happened next in Chapter 1 of 'The Rise and Fall of the New Four Seasons' soon.

We are still researching 1967 to 1970 and with sound engineer George Schowerer hoping to establish which of the sessions were recorded on the new 16 track machines at Mirasound Studios.  Charlie Calello left and returned but just ‘when’ we have now been able to establish. Charlie Calello had left in December 1965 but 3 tracks arranged by him would appear in early 1967 (as ‘B’ sides) posing the probability that these were left over from 1965 sessions. (He can hear himself singing on ‘Dody’ – released Feb 1967). Charlie eventually returned for ‘I Make A Fool Of Myself’ in June 1967. He worked on many sessions during 1967 through to 1970 after his exclusive producer role at Columbia in 1966. He even played piano on ‘Genuine imitation Life Gazette’ LP.

This sessionography also contains reference to the ‘unique’ STEREO mixes Bob Crewe prepared and issued in 1968 on the ‘Edizione D’Oro’ 2 LP compilation of hits. By then the studios had the latest technology and STEREO sound was reaching a previously unheard standard with 16 track recording on the latest sessions. His review of the surviving masters brought several alternative versions in a superb STEREO sound stage, but surprisingly NONE of these vinyl masters appear to have survived or appeared again on CD. At least we have these digitally preserved. There is lot’s more research to come including our review and preservation of all the 45 MONO mixes in our archive in 24 bit 96Khz sound (ie better than CD quality) and then maybe the STEREO versions of the recordings in the sessionography. It is a fact that much of the 4 track recordings mixed to STEREO during 1965 at the STEA-Philips studio are poorer quality (‘ping-pong’) STEREO which can’t be easily corrected with no multi-track masters surviving…..but with advances in STEREO processing by computer a better re-mixed sound stage may eventually be possible.

Once the recording moved to Mirasound in 1966 the sound quality improved immensely as we will consider in our forthcoming ‘Mirasound Studios’ story. Why Gaudio and Valli haven’t researched and fully archived all of their MONO and STEREO versions remains a mystery.? This sessionography shows the asset base they have (or may have?). But with little money to be made from it on CD as their music and audience ages, we will have to take the lead in preserving the best recorded quality available from mint vinyl.

But for now enjoy studying Part 4 of our Sessionography here (version 5) or check out the other Parts.(here)

 

A Four Season In Spain

It was an honour and a privilege to entertain my friend and former Four Season John Paive this weekend in Spain. We reminisced about the first time I saw them on 9^th April 1976 at the Southport Theatre England and John said, “We were a tight band and had been together for a couple of years so we knew each others style of play and we just played the songs without monitors. Frankie’s job was easy and he just had to focus on his own performance. Musically, were we the best Four Seasons ever? Maybe…and we should have gone on and done more work together. I keep in touch with Lee (Shapiro) and follow the Hit Men’s growing success. They are getting lots of bookings now and great reviews from the venue managers. People are once again seeing what a great band we were. I really hope they continue their success and that you guys in the UK someday get to see them. “

John still plays regularly as a Jazz musician in his home town of Munich Germany and recently completed an album of funky jazz tracks with Lee Shapiro even though they never actually went into the studio together. Below we feature John on a Four Seasons song in his own modern Jazz styling.

http://www.seasonally.co.uk/Workin%20My%20Way2.mp3

 

 

 

CD Discography Up-date and a 'Surprise' find!

It sometimes gets to be a bore when a record company re-issues a collection of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons work without any apparent recognition of what the fan base might want……but sometimes the most un-inspiring collection of ‘mis-matched’ tracks can reveal something new.

 

This is the case with the mastering on Working My Way Back To You (2011) - Audio CD by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Rhino BGJXT8

This CD which appeared in the UK in February 2011 had largely been ignored by us as it didn’t appear to contain anything new. As part of our CD Discography update our music detective and sound engineer Eliot Ness decided to take a closer listen. And he was surprised at the sound content.

Up to recent times we have all hung onto the fact that the original vinyl and the early CD re-issues was what captured the ‘original’ sound of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. After all Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio and the group set out the ‘sound’ in their original mixes and changing that surely amounts to ‘heresy’ and a distortion of the ‘truth’??. Well that may be some peoples opinion and is valid to some extent….but when a sound engineer is aware of today’s technology and production techniques and takes the time to bring the best out of the productions in a re-issue, then it makes the result an interesting listen.

 

That is what our ‘Sound Guy’ Eliot found and he was so impressed he did a comparison with the compilation re-issues since 2000 that represent the ‘modern sound’ of our fave artist(s). If you have this collection we feel sure you’ll find the detailed review by Eliot Ness (click here) a great compliment to your listening again to this CD.

The CD’s Mastering Engineer Nick Watson of www.fluidmastering.com is happy that we found this collection had some benefit for fans…..”I have to say it comes as a pleasant surprise to find that there are people out there appreciating the sound quality on a release like this, which must be just the latest in a long line of re-issues of the same material on CD.”

 

“I'm very pleased to know that you enjoyed the CD and think it compares well against others. However, it is not an album that I would necessarily make reference to in our promotion or website. I had sources of unknown origin that had previously been mastered (maybe several times), that were digital and didn't sound very good, and I had little time. Of course I wanted to get the best out of the material that I could, but I don't think the end result comes close to how good it would have sounded if I had had the opportunity to re-master this stuff from analog tapes! Then, we would have been talking about a dramatically better-sounding CD”

Of course we find in today’s CD market with the price of CD’s so low and the profit margins so meager compared to a decade or two ago that a job like this comes in with a tight budget, and we can be pretty sure that if  Nick hadn’t been commissioned to do the job, then it would have been done by another rival studio that would have maybe simply normalized the levels but not done much else - whereas it is clear from Eliot’s analysis that time was spent eq-ing where necessary and fixing faults wherever they were significant (in most cases)

It is very likely that the sources where simply 16/44 mastered files sent by Rhino UK, and there is no way of knowing where each file originated from, except to say that they would have been from CDs in their catalogue. It is a very annoying development in today's record business, that record companies now have their catalogues archived as digital files which can be ordered up from a database (which of course saves the cost of proper archiving). This means that from the point of view of a mastering engineer, his options, and the information he has to go on when choosing the best sources, are severely limited.

It is clear from Eliot’s review that , in the case of the Four Seasons files used here, that much of what Nick had to do was about *Un-doing* some extreme and unmusical EQ and even compression that was evident in the source files. Many were (- to our ears in recent CD compilations -) too heavily EQd and heavily compressed. Correcting this to make them sound more 'natural' is what Eliot found in his review. Some have had some quite radical treatment which whilst overall gives a good set doesn’t work in every case. Perhaps this is due to the source material being beyond ‘repair’.

With regard to ‘flaws’ in tracks, Nick could recall only a little of this CD as many projects have come by him since….”All I can say is that if a flaw can be removed without compromising the recording, and it seems worth the effort, and isn't part of the original recording but is a result of later damage, then I'll probably remove it. Sometimes I'm surprised on mastered material that flaws haven't been taken out - but I guess mastering engineers who don't have restoration experience don't look for those things or don't have the tools to deal with them.”

We suspect that like many ‘corporate’ record company re-issues, the client wanted to send some files and receive back ASAP a double CD compilation, with minimum fuss. So from their point of view, that's what they got. However we as fans see it as a situation where the mastering engineer is working with some important and classic material under non-ideal circumstances!

We have to count ourselves fortunate that this mastering engineering recognized the importance of these tracks historically and responded with a very listenable collection. Obviously the visit by Frankie and TV promotion took sales into the top 20 CD’s at the time(11^th place on the chart in May 2011) and the popularity of ‘Jersey Boys’ clearly helped.

The ‘modern sound’ of this CD may not include mixes that appeal to all long-standing fans but perhaps the sound is compatible with the stage show production approach.( i.e. maybe ‘louder’ and more ‘up-front’) The fact is that it continues to keep the group sound and profile available to today’s audience. To check out the whole back catalogue of CD issues visit our ‘mega’ CD discography at http://www.seasonally.co.uk/CDDiscog.htm

We’ve added more detailed reviews of the sound quality (click on the pictures with a colour code - ‘Green’ represents the best sounding) and check back in your collection to find the good, the bad and the plain ‘ugly’

This collection hits the ‘Green’ button!!

Some would say that this collection is still a ‘mismatch’ of tracks and we need a serious set of re-issue projects. So in case anyone in ‘high places’ wants to know what the fans want - here it is

• A collection of original 1960s 45  masters all re-mastered properly
• Sets of ALL of the STEREO masters for the 1960s albums to replace the ACE /Curb collections/Collectors Choice collections with flaws and missing tracks corrected
• The researching, re-mastering and issue of the large number of unreleased tracks at Philips, Motown and Warner Bros.

Now is that too much to ask????

Casey Chameleon

Updated Sound Logs

• RHINO(UK)BGJXT8
• Comparison Chart(xls file)
• RHINOR2-70974
• RHINOR2-71490
• CURBD2-77713
• ACECDCHD620

 

The Four Seasons at Motown - Part 2 (cont'd)

Aka ‘How Bob Crewe Saved Frankie Valli’s 'Solo' Career”

The Four Seasons period at Motown represents for many long-standing fans a ‘lost opportunity’. It was then, (with few releases and little promotion) and remains so today with a sparse and unrepresentative Anthology CD set from Hip-O-Select.

Perhaps some younger fans wonder why this should be important as they happily celebrate the original group’s music in the fictitious stage play ‘Jersey Boys’. Why is a period that produced NO hits at a fading  label so important.?(it would subsequently  lead to a UK Top Ten hit with ‘The Night’ – now being performed in concert by Frankie Valli for the first time for nearly 40 years).

Well simply put, it is important because the released music does NOT properly represent the work of the group and its producers over the period of their contract. Another distortion on the reality of their history: just like Jersey Boys. 40+ tracks remain on tape…many unheard and some on 16 track tape that remain un-mixed. This is more than their released catalogue of work at the label.

Only recently has information surfaced to indicate the extent of the work they did at the famous label and the remaining lack of interest of both Universal Motown who own the masters….and Valli and Gaudio who appear uninterested in its existence.

In our first blog note on this period ‘The Mowest Story’ (now available as a pdf file here) we described the optimism of their early activity on the Mowest label and now we extend that story to 1974 and their departure from the label. Based on recently acquired Tape Index information regarding 16 and 24 track tapes, we can see what was (and if adequately stored should still be) in the Universal Motown vaults. 

This second period is important because the group did actually fall apart, and Frankie Valli was left ill and alone at what was arguably the lowest point of his career. But the Tape Index information reveals just how hard Valli, the surviving group members and various producers, in particular, Bob Crewe worked to recover the 40 year old Valli’s career - and how the eventually succeeded.

Whilst we are still unable to hear much of this work (with so many tracks worked on remaining unreleased) it paints a fascinating prelude to the return to fame of the hugely talented vocalist and his NEW band of Four Seasons who would take the charts by storm during the mid 1970s.

Download the FULL story as a pdf here

At present the current story of their history, ‘Jersey Boys’, continues to be promoted as the definitive bio. But evidence and events this year will, we believe, lead to a more accurate perspective on both the shows sources and the group’s musical history. We have always argued that another storyline exists and should be told. But with a film script pending and so much hype tied into the ‘Jersey Boys’ image it is unclear how long that focus will persist.

It, unfortunately, remains doubtful that anyone can persuade Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio to support a CD project to research this lost period in the group’s history…and a bit of accuracy as to their music making efforts. It is more likely such a thing would eventually be a tribute to the ‘late’ Frankie Valli CD.  But as we owe Bob Crewe so much for the success of the group and Valli…….we have to pose the question. Can miracles happen?!!

Casey Chameleon

 

More Frankie Valli UK Tour Dates 2012

A further date has now  been added to the UK Tour by concert promoters Kennedy Street   Enterprises —Manchester Arena on 1 July.

The Special UK Fan Club link to order tickets to see Frankie Valli at Manchester Arena is as    follows :

http://www.ticketline.co.uk/frankie-valli-and-the-four-seasons?presale=rzlcqv2

The above link is for tickets right at the front of the Arena in Blocks A, B and C.

If you require tickets in another part of the arena then please use the general link below:

http://www.ticketline.co.uk/frankie-valli-and-the-four-seasons?presale=4oq6cdq

So now we have two Birthday parties where Frankie Valli will be playing —Ken Charmer’s 65th on the 26 June at the Royal Albert Hall and now Ray Nichol’s 66th Birthday at Manchester on Sunday 1 July (it is actually Ray’s Birthday on the Saturday but don’t tell Frankie!). 

Special thanks once again to Frankie’s Road Manager, Dean Egnater, and to Flick and Danny at Kennedy Street Enterprises for allowing the Fan Club to have such great tickets reserved for the Royal Albert Hall and Manchester Arena shows.  We are very, very grateful to you.  Just the hotels to organise now!

STOP PRESS!! 

We have just heard that another date has now been added CLYDE AUDITORIUM IN GLASGOW.  Promoters for this concert are D F concerts in Glasgow.  We know Ally Annand in Perth is delighted and is getting a big party together for this one!

Date:  Tuesday 3 July at Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow.  Tickets can be obtained by telephoning 08444 999 990 or from www.gigsinscotland.com

STOP STOP PRESS!! 

Keep an eye on the following venues who are also advertising Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons :

Newmarket Racecourse—Friday 29 June

www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk

 

Tickets for Friday 29th June - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons available here:

 

http://www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk/concerts/2012-concert-dates/adnams-newmarket-nights/friday-29th-june-frankie-vall-ykq8jv2w/

 

and

Epsom Racecourse—Thursday 5 July

www.epsomdowns.co.uk/live

Frankie, of course, is also playing at the Hampton Court Palace Festival on Saturday 23 June—details here:-  www.hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com. 

Details to follow shortly for a big get together for all the fans in London.

Compiled by Lynn Boleyn   

www.seasonally.co.uk    8.2.12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frankie Valli - Unreleased

When you follow a 77 year old vocalist nearing the end of his career you don’t expect new singles and ambitious projects. But Four Season Frankie Valli has just stunned his fans by allowing the issue of a terrific song from a project in 2007 recorded at his home studio.

On ‘All Or Nothing At All’, Artie Shroek has done an arrangement of an accapela styled vocal backing with Valli singing lead and it has just appeared on You Tube.

Not available anywhere else this version of Frank Sinatra’s break through record from 1943 (actually recorded in 1939) is surprisingly good for three reasons. Firstly the arrangement of a Hi-Los type harmony background allows Valli to singer against a vocal background group sound once again. He has always sounded best in this vocal setting. Artie and his son have done a superb backing vocal.

Secondly Frankie’s vocal styling is excellent given the vocal range he now has at 77. It is reminiscent of his Solo/Timeless album work back in the late 60s.

Finally it is such a great song and works perfectly in this arrangement.

This song has a long history. A Sinatra fan filled in this background….” The three (important) studio recordings of this song epitomize the three stages in Sinatra's singing persona: The Harry James cut (1939) is Sinatra the Crooner, singing for a predominantly female audience; the Don Costa cut (1962) is Sinatra, the Sadder-But-Wiser-Guy singing for a predominantly male audience; the Nelson Riddle cut (1966) is Sinatra the Swinger, singing for ALL audiences, everywhere, for all time.”

Valli’s version provides a strong alternative appreciation in an appealing style. The best we have heard from Frankie in a long time. Thanks Artie for sharing this.

Here is Sinatra’s original.

More please say the fans and we will monitor developments and reactions to this track.

This comes amidst the news from our Motown research that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons have 31 ‘listed’ unreleased Masters in the 60000 series (60516 to 62217 and a total of 56 listed from research to date)which are confirmed on records as on 16 track tape in the Universal Motown vaults. We are reasonably confident that the tapes still exist. There are 11 mix-down on 2 track stereo tapes containing unheard recordings of some of these and many that may need mixing. This news also gives a new slant on the groups departure from Motown.

In March 1974 Valli did a (final)session of 3 tracks with Bob Gaudio which it now seems was destined for a NEW album(according to records). Tapes P5084 and 85 contain a number of stereo mix-downs from the 16 track masters designated for the new album. Records indicate this may have been for the listed, but we know, unreleased album ‘Inside Out’ MW788.

Tracks mixed down include…

My Eyes Adored You

Whatever You Want

You Can’t Hold On

Love Isn’t Here

Hickory

Lovers

Hymn to Her

Sun Country

The Night

Touch the Raincild

Inside You

Now we know that Motown had been promising the group an album release for over 12 months (since Feb 1973) and with the end of their contract and their unwillingness to believe Motown and to sign up re this album, their departure left the album shelved on stereo master tapes. Songs like the unheard ‘Whatever You Want’ and ‘You Can’t Hold On’ were all slated to appear but a year later when the group was riding high from their success at Warner Curb, only a few made it onto the hastily released ‘Inside You’ album MW852 (assembled on Tapes 5536 and 5537)

We will keep pressing Valli/Gaudio and Universal re an historic release for this unheard and unreleased material and hope to speak with Frankie re this situation in June…….. but for now enjoy Frankie from 2007 and look out for our forthcoming story of how Bob Crewe saved Frankie Valli’s solo career in 1973 and 1974 when he joined Motown as a writer/producer.

Casey Chameleon

UK fans hunt down the ‘Hit Men’ - EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

The Four Seasons are portrayed as having links to the mafia in Jersey Boys, but by the time we UK fans saw them in the mid 1970s any hint of that was dismissed  as those Seasons  were a clean cut bunch of guys in their mid-thirties with huge musical talent. A NEW line-up with a NEW sound. 

Well 35 years on they are still hugely talented and 3 of them are once again regularly demonstrating this in the band ‘The Hit Men’….but there are no criminal connections here. It is just hit songs!!

We don’t feature or support ‘Four Seasons’ or Jersey Boys tribute bands but when former Four Seasons start playing the songs they made famous again we start to take notice. And when they start recording again that is cause for celebration.

The group which is now a six piece band comprises former Four Seasons – Lee Shapiro, Gerry Polci and Don Ciccone – together with Jimmy Ryan, Larry Gates and Russ Velazquez

 

As Frankie Valli played only a minor vocal part in their hit numbers back then they are able to reproduce the sound from those times even without him.

We contacted the band’s arranger and conductor Lee Shapiro and he gave us an EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW which we are able to share via this blog. Just click on the audio files to hear ‘Kenny’ and Lee discussing the Four Seasons.

Question: How did you come up with the idea of the ‘Hit Men’?

Question: What is the biggest benefit you have found from performing again?

Question: Do the audiences see you at all as the Four Seasons you were or as a NEW band.?

Question: What can you tell us about the ‘Live’ album CD? Does it include any of your UK hits like ‘Silver Star’ and ‘Down The Hall’?

Question: When is the CD out and what are the chances of a UK visit?

Go to the Hit Men Facebook page….

Order the CD here

Or visit their blog here

The group are at Mexicali next weekend and we will have our correspondent’s there to rate the performance. More from Lee and the guys as they expand their concert performances and profile.

And here’s a very special Christmas single to all fans….with ‘Seasons greetings’ to all from us and the guys

Casey Chameleon

 

Frankie Valli - Now Available for Birthday Parties?

How do you get Frankie Valli to perform at your birthday party!

Just book him into the Royal Albert Hall London.!!!

That is what has happened for our music historian and blog writer Ken Charmer who is 65 on 26^th June 2012 and with the great news that Frankie Valli is to perform at The Royal Albert Hall on that date and at the Hampton Court Festival on the 23 June, Ken very quickly moved his party from his home town of Torrevieja in Spain to London’s Royal Albert Hall.

So Christmas has certainly come early for all UK fans and we are all really excited at Frankie’s first UK performances since 1994. It will certainly be a busy time in London in 2012 with the 50th Anniversary of “Sherry”; the Queens Diamond Jubilee, the London Olympics and a 65th Birthday Party to attend.  Now just how did Ken manage to get Frankie to perform at his Birthday Party?  Probably because we are always writing about his career so Frankie … my Birthday is in September!

OK so the important bit—how to get your tickets.  Well the first show on 26th is sold out but the theatre has anounced a second concert on 27th. Dean Egnator, Frankie’s  Road Manager, who has been absolutely brilliant, has helped to secure for the Fan Club a reservation of the best front Area seats in Blocks A and F which can only be booked via this special link:

This link has been set up so only the people who use it can access these ‘special’ tickets.

Our thanks go to Dean Egnater and to Flick and Danny for allowing the Fan Club to have such great tickets reserved from them.  Next thing to arrange is the get-together but more news on that next year!  It will be really great to see Frankie, Robby Robinson and everyone once again.

If you require tickets in another part of the Royal Albert Hall then please use this general link

We now have  details  re the Hampton Court venue 

www.hamptoncourtpalacefestival.com/artists/frankie_valli

With the success of Jersey Boys all tickets are sure to sell very quickly.

So get my Christmas Newsletter here and keep following us on this blog for more news. 

Seasonal Greetings, Lynn Boleyn

The Rag Dolls Story

We’ve been friends with Jean Thomas for several years and it has been great to hear the back stories of someone that was so involved with the music scene in NYC during the 60s. And knowing someone who was a member of so many groups and who did so much recording back then has led us to discover lots of great music from the period which is so little known.

But the biggest thrill perhaps, apart from meeting this great lady, has been the story of her greatest success as leader of the Rag Dolls – Bob Crewe’s female Four Seasons.

Whilst memories are dim of those times from artists and producers who are in their 60s and 70s, Jean Thomas’ log books have been a detailed window into the recording sessions. She meticulously documented her sessions and earnings from those days in log books that span 1963 to 1970.

So far we have been able to transcribe her sessions from 1963 to 1966 and with record collectors we have identified released 45s from these sessions. In the process we have discovered (and re-united Jean with) over 100 recordings from the many hundred sessions she did. We have uncovered demos and commercials she did and collated the story behind many songs and sessions.

Now we are able to present Part 3 of her biography from the heady days of 1965 when the girl group sound reached its zenith.

 

The story of how Bob Crewe created one of the most iconic girl group sounds of the decade has until this time been unknown and prone to mis-information (see the Rag Dolls CD compilation at I-Tunes which is full of incorrect tracks and data). Tracey Dey was never a member of the group or Diane Renay and we are pleased to be able to capture Bob Crewe’s concept and the actual session dates. It is full of surprises re membership and back stories to the songs.

But one thing shines through and that is Jean’s consistent lead vocal. A true female Frankie Valli. Her range and pitch made her one of the few session singers capable of consistently pulling it off. She wasn’t - and remains - not totally happy with Bob Crewe’s final mixes and would have liked to do more takes….but Bob knew what he wanted to achieve and ‘Dusty’ is a s good as many Four Seasons records.

With Billboard data from the actual papers and comments from the songwriters this is the definitive story of the Rag Dolls….and also of some very rare and very good 45s from the time by other artists….plus her solo work from that year. 

Jean didn’t dwell on any record she did as another week and another 45 hit the Top Ten and you had to run to stand still in terms of successful 45s as a session singer.

The session logs are now up to date to 1966 with added details of discovered 45s from the time and the bio covers several group identities as well as the Rag Dolls.

Click here for the session logs

And click here for Jean’s biography of working with Bob Crewe and his production team (Sandy Linzer , Denny Randell and Charlie Calello)

Jean’s web site is ….http://www.jeanthomas.info

And she believes their last 45 ‘Baby’s Gone’ remains one of her best ……..lost and under-rated tracks from her time as a Rag Doll.

 

The Four Seasons 'Lost' Recordings Updated Version

As we see in the stage show ‘Jersey Boys’ The Four Seasons were signed up as ‘backing artists’ by producer Bob Crewe under what has been described as ‘a personal services contract’.

In 1960 the then Four Lovers, four New Jersey guys - 2 of whom had a shady background - were going no-where and it looked like it would stay that way. Their backing work with Crewe has largely gone un-noticed and unknown and although much of it is pretty poor pop music by 1960s high chart standard (and their subsequent ‘Four Seasons’ catalogue), it is still never the less historically interesting. Through our research over the years we have been able to compile a sessionograpy that logs in time their efforts in this respect along with some of the other side projects they undertook.

We have all read lists of songs that (perhaps) ‘featured’ the group on backing vocals as shown in Jersey Boys (on ‘Trance’ and ‘I Still Care’) but this is the first time a fully comprehensive collation of these efforts has been attempted and published.

The sessionography appears at our special web-site and can be downloaded here. (revision 5)

 

After the RCA contract of the Four Lovers in 1956 and 57 they did attempt to find a new identity as ‘Frankie Tyler’ and ‘Frankie Vally(e) and The Romans with 45s that didn’t find success. Changing line-ups which included Charlie Calello (who contributed the excellent ‘Comme Si Bella’) continued until they embarked on their contract with Bob Crewe in 1960. This initially saw them work as The Village Voices, Turner Di Sentri (Bob Gaudio on piano) and Billy Dixon and The Topics (incorrectly portrayed in Jersey Boys as a singer other than Frankie Valli) on 45s that they always tried to forget during their hey-dey. Understandable perhaps when you hear them but by this time Bob Gaudio was developing his song-writing skills and this would be the big platform for the group’s eventual success. The group line-up had settled to Valli-Gaudio-DeVito-Massi and their name was changing by the session.

Backing efforts for other artists continued throughout 1960 and 1961 including what appears to be an effort with Freddie Cannon, with Hal Miller and The Rays and Danny and The Juniors. Many 45s show clear vocals that obviously include Frankie Valli’s falsetto to ‘sweeten’ the mix but some necessarily sound like them on backing. However we have included all tracks ‘alleged’ as having their involvement. Many have appeared on CD re-mastered for the first time from vinyl in our ‘Seasons’ Connections series and a quick search on You Tube for the titles listed will enable readers to sample the sound of much of  the listing.

1962 saw them appear as the Four Seasons for the first time (Dec 1961 – ‘Bermuda/Spanish Lace’) before they appeared again as the Topics in May.

With the success of ‘Sherry’ in August 1962 we might have expected the group’s work as backing vocalists to end but Crewe had them under contract and many backing tracks had been laid down before their first #1 hit and kept in the can by Crewe. Their appearance on the mid 1963 45s by Hedy Sontag (‘Anymore’) and Cholie Maye(‘Cry For Me’ – the first appearance of the ‘Jersey Boys’ Bob Gaudio ‘sign-up’ song) are illustrative of their work but the actual recording dates remains questionable.

Crewe’s ‘services’ contract ran out in 1963 but it remains unclear how much backing work they actually recorded after their success as the Four Seasons in August 1962. However there is no doubting that Valli and Gaudio embarked upon side projects to develop their own production skills and Wade Flemons 1963 outing on ‘Watch Over Her’(penned by Valli and Gaudio) is a clear example of these side projects.

Even as 1963 closes and they had left Vee-Jay we find them recording as Larry and The Legends(‘Don’t Pick On My Baby’) the day before they recorded ‘Dawn’ at Atlantic Studios.(19^th and 20^th November)

Data from the Atlantic Larry Santos sessions allows us to hear them appearing on ‘Someday’ and ‘True’ whilst the archive shows several recordings unreleased and (we presume) lost in an Atlantic archive fire.

But even more surprising is their involvement as late as 1964 on the Four-Evers local NYC/Philly hit ‘Be My Girl’ and as Scott Oberle (‘Cupid’s Poison Dart/You’re My Dream Girl’)

It is not until 1965 that we finally run out of sessions with them appearing as producers or backing vocalists and by then Nicky was about to leave the group. Joe Long has commented that they never did any side projects after he joined the group and that was when Bob Gaudio appears to have taken over the production of the group with Bob Crewe accepting a less dominant involvement. However Frankie Valli’s solo sessions studio shots show Crewe still dictatorial in the studio as late as 1967.

  

Above: Crewe takes Valli through the harmony on the session for ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ – Photo courtesy of George Schowerer

There are as many questions, as illuminating possibilities, presented by this sessionography but memories are dim and these 45s so old that little more can be accurately established. Our thanks go out to Tom Cramlington for his original research, to Mike Miller for collecting and sharing so many of these 45s and to Russ McClelland for researching the 45 issue dates that enables us to log and appreciate the timeline.

New additions and corrections have rolled in since our first publication including Bernadette Carroll confirming that The Four Seasons DIDN’T back her on ‘Nicky’ (a long believed rumour) but was in fact The Four Winds.

But check out this Freddie Cannon 45 as we can clearly hear Frankie’s falsetto in harmony with the rest of the PRE-FOUR SEASONS.

We will continue to research and edit the information which remains an important window on the background work of an historic group and their ‘lost’ recordings.

Next time we’ll have the Philips catalogue fully documented

Casey Chameleon