That 'Four Seasons' Sound

We Owe Stuart Miller A Lot -Story of a Bootleg

The collapse of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as a hit-making group started in 1967 and lasted several years. But strangely by 1971 whilst out of contract with Philips, the few dedicated followers of the group in the UK and USA had formed fan clubs.

The failure of singles like ‘Electric Stories’ (Philips 40557) and the concept album ‘Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’ are striking examples of this era. By 1970 very few copies of the group’s 45s were being issued and none in the UK although one unique British release would occur - become lost and would eventually re-surface for fan club members thanks to Stuart Miller - the early 1970s UK fan club President who recently passed away.

 

The 1973 Bootleg LP(A Much Camp and High Falsetto production) is famous amongst long-standing Four Seasons fans and we pay tribute to Stuart’s efforts here.

The history of bootlegs is even documented in Wikipedia which highlights the importance of the medium. It says….” Most artists have made little effort to pursue legal action about bootleg recordings, viewing such "rarities trading" as harmless provided that it is not being done for profit. The benefits of interfering with such trading are fairly minimal compared to the potential ill-will generated against the artist, as the illicit works are generally circulated among the artist's most loyal fans, which have the most interest. Most record companies also have not shown an interest in pursuing or prosecuting small-scale bootleggers, but this could change at any time.”

This album is now available on released CD sets so anyone seeking to hear this material today can hear it (see our CD discography). But in 1973 the titles were mysteries to most of us and a friend’s music cassette tape copy was our only hope of obtaining it. It is still illegal today to copy such recordings, which perhaps shows the ridiculous state of copyright law. Stuart at least agreed with me on that subject .

John Hornsby has a copy of the album and told us….” The material that follows is a transcription from the liner notes to the bootleg L.P. produced by Stu Miller for the U.K. 4 Seasons Appreciation Society.  The original pages on which these notes appeared have deteriorated significantly over the past 40 years, and I have done my best to fill in the gaps where the words are simply not legible.  I have also made minor corrections in spelling along the way.

I first became aware of the existence of this L.P. a few years after it was produced, but not until 2009 did I ever even see a copy of it.  The copy I now own is the gracious gift of Ray Nichol, who presented it to me at our gathering in Raleigh, North Carolina.  As a fan from the southern United States, I can affirm that Stu’s analysis of the rarity of the later Philips releases is exactly as he describes.  It was virtually impossible to obtain the vinyl 45 rpm records. 

I never met nor corresponded with Stu, but I know that we early fans benefited from his love and dedication to this music.  May he rest in peace. Johnny Hornsby  Mandeville, LA  USA November, 2011 “

The album included the following tracks….

Side 1

1.Where Are My Dreams (Sandy Linzer)  Five Arts Music.  A Crewe/Gaudio production.

2.Lay Me Down (Crewe/Callelo)  Saturday Music/Seasons Four.  A Crewe/Gaudio production.

3.Heartaches and Raindrops (Petrillo/Cifelli)  4 Seasons Music Corp.  A Crewe/Gaudio production.

4.You’ve Got Your Troubles (Cook/Greenaway)  Mills Music.  A Crewe/Gaudio production.

5.Dream of Kings (Gaudio/Holmes)  Seasons Four Music/Montage.  Produced by Bob Gaudio.

6.Sunday Kind of Love (Belle/Nye/Prima/Rhodes)

7.Singles Game (Brown/Bloodworth)  Saturday Music.  A Crewe/Gaudio production.

Side 2

1.The Stranger (Sherman) Sheldon Music.

2.Honey Love  (McPhatter/Wexler)

3.Jambalaya  (Williams)  Acuff Rose Music.

4.Lovey Dovey  (Harrison/Carroll)  Roosevelt Music

5.Apple of My Eye (Blackwell)  Shalimar Music.

6.Whatever You Say (Gaudio) Kinney Music.  A Bob Gaudio production.

7.Sleeping Man (Gaudio) Kinney Music.  A Bob Gaudio production.

8.Theme to the Joey Reynolds radio show  (Gaudio).

Thanks to John Hornsby and Jon Pingree we are able to bring you Stuart’s full notes from the album sleeve. 

“Pressure of time demands that these notes be written before I have actually received the finished product from the factory, but if the original tapes were anything to go on the quality of this L.P. will be quite good.  As you all know by now, the original idea was to produce a “Live” recording and although this fell through on account of the quality of the original tapes, there are still hopes that sometime in the future we will go ahead on that score.  This L.P. was decided on as a substitute for the original idea because when the bulk of the orders initially received in lieu of the Live album were received mainly from UK members, the track listing here was constructed primarily with them in mind.  There is only one person that I know of in this country who can boast of already having every single song here and that’s not myself but Diddy Dave Quick.  At this point, a brief history of the tracks would be pertinent.

          Unlike side 2, none of the tracks on side 1 were ever released outside the United States.  Tracks 1-5 were recorded during the group’s last 1 ½ years with Philips.  “Lay Me Down” and “Heartaches and Raindrops” came out towards the end of 1970 and achieved little in the way of success.  A surprisingly short time later, “Where Are My Dreams” surfaced only to follow the same path.  “You’ve Got Your Troubles”/”Dream of Kings” also came out in 1970.  The flip was originally intended as the theme tune to the film of the same name starring Anthony Quinn.  For some reason this never came about and neither has the film ever been shown in the U.K.  What makes these five tracks so interesting is their rarity which is due to the state of the group's relationship with Philips at the time.  Nothing was going right between them when these were recorded with the result that Philips weren’t so hot in pushing the group’s products.  Consequently few copies were pressed and as such, despite their relatively young age they quickly achieved a rarity value.

          The story behind “A Sunday Kind of Love” is a strange one.  It initially appeared on the first few thousand U.S. copies of the “Entertain You” L. P.  But at that time, “Toy Soldier” was out and as soon as that began to move, Philips took “A Sunday Kind of Love” off and replaced it with “Soldier.”  “Love” was never again to appear on the Philips label at all (although it was recently resurrected on Pickwick’s “Brotherhood of Man” L. P.) and was one of those selected band cuts such as “Ain’t That a Shame” and “Little Boy” which the company chose never to make capital out of.

          “The Singles Game” appeared in 1969 as the flip to “And That Reminds Me”, the Seasons only cut for Bob Crewe’s “Crewe” label.  The record was a minor hit for them and was interesting because of the highly coloured pictured sleeve in which it was packaged - depicting the group in way-out clothes.  The reason for the one-off switch to the Crewe label was because their contract with Philips had just expired and negotiations for a new one were taking a long time.  A single was needed and so this was the result.

          The picture of the 4 Seasons on the sleeve was taken about the time tracks 1-5 and no.7 on side 1 were recorded and features the line up as it was then and as it has been since.  Left to right: Tom Devito, Joe Long, Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio.

Of the fifteen tracks on this album, the only two ever to be definitely released here are contained on the second side. (There is the possibility that some 4 Lovers material was issued in Britain but this is far from certain at the moment).  

Tracks 1-5  on side 2 were recorded by the 4 Lovers between 1956 and 1958.  They all of course feature Frankie singing although this was not always the case with the Lovers.  There’s not an awful lot to say about them.  Only one was ever a hit—“Apple of My Eye”—but they are of interest from an historical point of view in that they demonstrate the group’s early influences and background.  As singles on today’s market they are practically impossible to find or buy because of their high collector’s value.  The photo of the Lovers on the front depicts the group that cut the tracks here.  Left to right: Frankie Valli, Nick Devito, Hank Majewski, Tom Devito.

          Side 2 -Tracks 6 and 7 came out as a single in this country only on the Warner Bros. label.  Most of you will remember the facts behind this.  It was at the start of the group’s early 1971 tour and they were without a record company here.  They needed a follow up to “You’re Ready Now” so they signed another one-off deal with W.B.  No one was happy with the result but the company, after losing the tapes, managed to find them again in time for the group’s second tour later that year.  The record achieved absolutely no success at all.  Few copies were pressed and those quickly disappeared so that the record is now impossible to obtain.  The lead guitar heard on both cuts is played by Bob Grim who briefly stepped in as a replacement for Tom Devito.

          The last track, no. 8, was recorded for American dee jay Joey Reynolds when he was on a radio station in Philadelphia.  Although it was meant as a theme tune, it was pressed and made available free  of charge to anyone who cared to write into the station.  The year of publication is uncertain but it must be beween ’66 and ’68.  Notice that it uses as the musical backing the cut off the “Bob Crewe Plays the Hits of the 4 Seasons” album.

Credits 

I have to thank two people without whose help this L.P. would not have been possible.  Firstly my sincere appreciation goes to John Riley who developed the photos that are to be found on the sleeve.  And thanks must also go to the Sultan of Walworth, Dave Quick, who filled in the gaps in my record collection to make this selection possible, and who also was brave enough to accompany me in my car ON THE MOTORWAY to John Riley’s house in Manchester.                 

Hope you enjoy this album

Stu Miller (signature)

President, 4 Seasons Appreciation Society

©  1973,  Much Camp and High Falsetto productions.  World copyright exists on all material contained herein.  Written permission must be obtained in order to reproduce any part by sending a written request accompanied by an exceedingly large cheque to me.  You know, I’ve received a large number of letters from people demanding to know why I always insist upon spoiling things like this by adding ridiculous copyright clauses at the end.  It could be because I have a very low regard for copyrights as a whole (witness this L.P.) but also because I’m an extremely silly person who is absolutely besotted by the idea of seeing his highly suspect views and opinions in print.  Add to this also the fact that I’ve still got to find some way of filling up another third of a sheet.

IMPORTANT

THIS L.P. IS IN NO WAY MEANT TO BE TAKEN TO BE A SANCTIONED RECORDING BY THE FOUR SEASONS OR THEIR RECORD COMPANY TAMLA MOTOWN.  IT IS IN NO WAY MEANT TO BE INDICATIVE OF THE QUALITY OF ANY NORMAL SEASONS/MOTOWN ALBUM.  IT HAS BEEN MADE WITHOUT THE PERMISSIN OF BOTH THE AFOREMENTIONED PARTIES.

Thanks Stuart: your efforts made many of us Four Seasons fans for the rest of our life as well as allowing us to hear these otherwise ‘lost tracks’

Casey Chameleon

 

 

 

A Distinct Lack of Storyline - Biographies and the Four Seasons

(Revised 10th Dec 2011)

Biographies are an amazingly difficult thing to find when it comes to the Four Seasons. It has always been that way. Since compiling Newsletters during the 1970s it was always a case of very little detail and a lot of evasive PR.

But suspicions arose during their successful revival years when we researched the back stories for ‘The Rise and Fall Of The NEW Four Seasons’.

This is a quote…..” Rex Woodard again…”On 13 July convicted felon and “stoolie” Gerald Zeimanowitz testified before a US Senate Sub Committee that the Four Seasons were connected with the Mafia.  Allegedly, according to Zeimanowitz, mobster Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo of New Jersey owned a “piece” of the band.  DeCarlo had been imprisoned in 1970 but pardoned by President Nixon in 1972. Zeimanowitz, however, really had his facts mixed up judging from his testimony, and probably confused the Four Seasons with another act (Valli, when asked about the charge kept his humour:  He just wanted to know why his career was going so lousy despite these so-called friends in influential positions!).” Valli was very sensitive to this news and was concerned it would alienate his fans if found to be true. Now he admits involvement in the ‘Jersey Boys’ book and the association seems of little harm although it may be ‘fictionalised’ in the stage show.”

 We also know Bob Crewe and the Four Seasons had a rocky relationship and friction was something Bob had to deal with. We heard that at one stage Bob Crewe threatened the group that he would sack them and get a new line-up. It has been a well hidden fact but evidence of it can be found here as Artie Wayne comments on this on his blog in an article recollecting his meetings with Bob Crewe

http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2007/06/02/brief-encounters-with-bob-crewe/

 And we know that friction led to Sandy Linzer and Denny Randal walking away and eventually in litigation with Bob Crewe which effectively ended their working relationship as Four Seasons writers. This left Crewe and Gaudio without a background team by mid 1966. 

How this happened and how they recovered will appear in Chapter 1 of ‘The Rise and Fall of The NEW Four Seasons’ in our e-book soon.

 But this only demonstrates that we have half of the story and we need the people who were there to elaborate and let us fully understand the difficulties of making and selling 81 million plus records.

And an example of how we know so little background came in recently from song writer Larry Russell-Browne……” In your article reviewing my dear friend and teacher Bob Crewe's credits, one other amazingly talented and highly successful artist, was left out:Oliver. Crewe produced 2 chart smashes with a singer who has an obvious speech impediment. After ‘Good Morning Starshine’ had sold a million records, Crewe was trying to figure out what single to release next. I implored him to put out the song ‘JEAN’, which he did with spectacular success. This earned me a hefty raise at the time. Crewe had faith in my ability to spot a hit record and in the final analysis, I proved him right. When I attended the Grammy's, I took him as my guest. He was brimming with pride when they announced my song ‘TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE’ as one of the nominee's for song of the year. Needless to say we lost to my dear friend Charlie Fox and his classic tune ‘KILLING ME SOFTLY’.

L.Russell Brown”

Many thanks….great story Larry.

One biography will surface soon and that is by Charlie Calello, who has frequently been very open about the back story to the Four Seasons. Bob Crewe also (reputedly) has a biography writer but Tommy De Vito’s draft, (some say was used for the Jersey Boys script) has been the subject of litigation for some years with Rex Woodard’s wife over the late Four Seasons historian’s draft.

But factually Tommy had mob connections from the early days. We recently collected two songs from the Variatones recorded in 1955. Check out this link to hear  ‘I’ll Always Love You, Dear’  which features an Italian singer, Bill Cecere backed by the Variatones. The story here we were told is that the Variatones (Valli, T.DeVito, N.DeVito, Majewski) did these sides backing Bill but “before the songs could get an official release the mob murdered Cecere and stuffed him into the trunk of a car”. Instrumentaly, these songs feature Tommy DeVito’s distinctive style in the 50s and are not dissimilar to the ‘Joyride’ album. The other song was ‘Jealous Heart’. This story has been challenged (see Comments below) so we can't verify it or otherwise account for the track or its origins. For a better perspective on the mob’s involvement with entertainers like Valli and DeVito check out ‘Frank Sinatra and The Mob’ to realise how the real stories have been suppressed re music makers involvement and why Frankie Valli rightly has kept his distance from them.

But hopefully we’ll have Charlie Calello’s bio focusing on ‘making music’ (which is our primary focus) soon and hopefully our work with Rare Rockin’ Records of Australia will result in the release of a CD project next year featuring the best of Charlie Calello’s (non-Four Seasons) arrangements. Tentatively titled ‘Arranged For You: From Doo-Wop To Northern Soul’, it is planned to feature the best of his diverse arrangements and productions. More re this soon.

Casey Chameleon

 

 

Will ’Northern Soul’ surpass ‘Jersey Boys’ The Movie.?

It may seem a ridiculous question to some Americans reading this but the hold of Northern Soul in the UK psyche MAY be stronger than that of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons stage show which will soon become a movie.

A forthcoming MOVIE about the UK’s unique dance club ‘craze’ is coming, and Guardian writer Bob Stanley has been in at auditions. The reasons perhaps why this MOVIE will take audiences by storm is that in many ways it will celebrate American music BUT in a uniquely British way. It is the music America rejected!!

Just as importantly as Stanley comments re the films creator Elaine Constantine…”For Constantine, though, Northern Soul was about comradeship. "So few people understand what it's all about unless they've been involved in the scene," she says. "When I've tried to explain to people how incredible the music is and how great it is to dance to en masse, when you know everyone in the room is going through the same experience emotionally as you ... it's hard to sum up in words alone. I knew a film would give anyone the experience almost firsthand."

Those of us who experienced the scene (or it’s pre 1970 gestation in Northern underground clubs) a listen to the music and a video of the dances captivates the mind and the heart.

And amongst the core tracks are two featuring Frankie Valli which have made him ‘iconic’ on the music scene. ‘You’re Ready Now’ and ‘The Night’

By comparison ‘Jersey Boys’ on the big screen is going to have to change a lot to avoid being a sanitized presentation of ‘a story’ loosely based on the Four Seasons rise to fame laced around a phenomenal music catalogue.

It will be an interesting battle if they both come to the ‘big screen’ at the same time.

Bob Stanley’s report (Read the whole article here) makes it clear that this film has the capability of creating ‘new generations’ of Northern Soul fans. ‘Jersey Boys’ by comparison could be seen as a blatant ‘cashing-in’ on the success of the show. That’s OK commercially……..as far as The Partnership is concerned….but what will be the legacy this film leaves us. One thing that is apparent from this article by Stanley is that ‘spiritually connecting to the music’ is what ‘Northern Soul’ will do for a lot of people.

Both Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio have commented on how surprised they were (and probably remain) at their UK success on this music scene. They have never really connected with it in my opinion. The 1970 and 1971 tours made an attempt though and created the cult following we represent today. But it is the way the ‘music’ (yes…their music) connects at an emotional and crowd level that has made the songs ‘anthems’ of the scene. The success of ‘Beggin’ on the European club scene was just an extension of this phenomena.

Let’s hope the ‘Jersey Boys’ MOVIE doesn’t slip into a ‘Grease’ like style which portrays the 1960s (and the Gerry Polci led Seasons of The 70s) music scene in a distorted presentation of reality. ‘Northern Soul’ THE MOVIE we are sure will do justice to the scene….the dancers ….and most of all THE MUSIC.

And of course we still have Gerry and the guys performing as the ‘Hitmen’ if we need a reality check. So guys get to the UK soon!!

Casey Chameleon

 

Motown's 'Four Seasons' Archive Preservation - Part 2 : The Mowest Story

“(Don’t you know? Ahhhhhh-hhhh-hhhh) Today that world is over. (Don’t you know? Ahhhhhh-hhhh-hhhh) You cannot live it over.(Baby, live it over) You’ve hit the bottom-side you nearly died. A chosen few can get to tomorrow, beg or borrow. You wrote the song, now you’ve got to sing along.”

A New Beginning ( B.Crewe – B.Gaudio) opening lyric to ‘Chameleon’ album (1972)

One period of the Four Seasons career that remains little known is the Mowest/Motown contract and on the 40^th anniversary of them signing, we are only just beginning to understand the story of their recordings at the label(s). Now that we have the Universal Motown Tape index we can see the work that they did (at least the info listed, although this is likely to be incomplete) and be amazed that this period generated at least 45 recordings that have not been released and in many cases not been heard since, as no research and restoration project has been launched.

 So what do we really know about how the Four Seasons came to sign with this Motown label?.

 

The fact is that the group by this time (1971) had literally fallen apart with Tommy DeVito’s departure at the end of their contract at Philips and Bob Gaudio’s pending retirement from touring.(His last tour of the UK would be in autumn of 1971) Signed up musicians fulfilled the group’s gigs and Joe Long stage managed the shows and to some extent the identity of the group as their MC. But there would be a very good reason for employing the best musicians and finding a new direction and sound.

 

[The Four Seasons line-up in 1970 for a BBC Top Of The Pops TV performance - right to left - Bob Grimm, Joe Long, Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio]

Berry Gordy the Motown President and owner was moving his operation to the West Coast and in 1971 he launched Mowest Records, which would be based in Hollywood. It is claimed that his original plan was that the Motown label would be superseded by Mowest Records once the move had been completed. However, it soon became apparent that this new label would turn out to be the home for a number of white acts. The next step in the Four Seasons Partnership’s search for a future took place in late 1971 when Ewart Abner (ex-Vice President of the now defunct Vee-Jay label)  who held an executive position at Motown and was a friend of Frankie Valli, heard that the group were looking for a label to record upon.  A speedy phone call to the Motown Corporation President, Berry Gordy, resulted in the group signing with Tamla Motown in October 1971.  They were the second white group ever to do so and were placed upon the newly formed Mowest label.

A recent article by  Greame Thompson  in the Guardian UK reveals the background to the MoWest label….”If success was purely a question of aesthetics, then Mowest could have ruled the world. The label logo certainly deserved to be stuck to the centre of any number of hit records: a generous slice of bright blue Pacific framed by a golden sunset and the equally golden California sand, it promised fine times and good living. The reality of its brief tenure, however, proved less blissful.

The existence of Mowest, one of Motown's more obscure subsidiaries, is attributable to a very American impulse to head west and prospect for gold. By the early 70s, Motown supremo Berry Gordy was already inching his Hitsville operation from Detroit to California. Motown had run a Los Angeles office since 1963, while Gordy had been living in the city since the late 60s. Mowest, a wholly west coast enterprise with its base in LA on Sunset & Vine and a studio in Romaine Street, was formed in 1971 as an expendable advance party for the final phase of Motown's westward creep.

"For Gordy it was a transitional thing," says Don Peake, a member of the legendary Wrecking Crew group of LA session players,but you may be less familiar with his work in the multicultural seven-piece Odyssey, who released their only album on Mowest. "Mowest was their first arena to test the waters out there and foster talent in the area."

During the September tour of the UK the writing of much of the what was to become the Gaudio inspired ‘Chameleon’ album took place, as Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli accepted Berry Gordy’s commitment to work closely with them and bring back the success they had achieved in the 60’s with a new sound. The deal signed with the label in the fall of 1971, following negotiations between Gordy and Valli himself, involved Gordy taking personal charge of guiding them back to the top, with his team of writers and producers, collectively known as The Corporation.(made up of Berry Gordy, Freddie Perrien, Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards)

In Novemebr and December the group worked extensively in the studio on a supposed Frankie Valli solo album and a group effort.. TCB Motown’s monthly newsletter in January 1972 reported….”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”. Now we can see that the Valli solo tracks were Motown Classics which Mowest’s producers (allocated to the label by Berry Gordy) Al Cleveland, Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson and Hal Davis produced.

Al Cleveland has a long and distinguished writing career, initially for New York artists on the Wand/Sceptre labels such as Dionne Warwick(e) and Tommy Hunt, as well as Gene Pitney before moving to Motown, where he provided songs for Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, the Marvelettes, David Ruffin, the Four Tops and Chuck Jackson before hitting the big time with a co-authorship of Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On?" and "Save the Children."

Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson had worked with the Jackson 5 and  would have big hits with 12 year old Michael on “Rockin’ Robin” and “Little Bitty Pretty One” during 1972.

What we can now see is that the still unreleased song ‘My Heart Cries Out To You’(Tape P2060/P2082) was co-produced by Marcellino and Larson as a potential single. Steve Bailey the USA fan club President managed to get into the sessions that finished the song. He wrote on a newsletter at the time….” Frankie had already done lead vocal and musical tracks were finished. Joe(Long) and Demitri (Callas) with Mel Larsen did background tracks and then Frankie did some doubling and backgrounds. It is a fantastic song. Maybe the new single. I sure hope so." ‘Lovewell’ (Tape P2111) was also mentioned re this session.

Frankie Valli also recorded the The Four Tops ‘Baby I Need Your Loving’  with the same producers and had Al Cleveland producing the Smokey Robinson song (see also Mary Wells and The Temptations), ‘What Love Has Joined Together’ (Tape P2079) plus the Marvin Gaye song he co-wrote ‘Save The Children’(Tape P2079). Also Hal Davis recorded a stylish up tempo version of ‘Just Look What You Have Done’ (the Brenda Holloway classic) which was released as a promo Motown PR-10 (12") in Oct 1975 and was included on the ‘Inside You’ albums trawl back through the master tapes that year.

 

Bob Gaudio had in 1971 also signed a contract with Motown as song writer/producer and although he was no longer touring with the group, he remained their producer. His songs for the groups sessions Valli described as a ‘concept album’, but that was after it was complete. Gaudio says he was just writing constantly as ideas came into his head and he was not thinking in terms of a hit song. The concept came after, when he listened to the recordings and he heard ‘colours changing constantly’. The opening song ‘A New Beginning’ was in fact a year and a half old and had been penned with Bob Crewe before he and Gaudio had a major fallout. Gaudio at the time said that this was one of the ‘better things’ he and Crewe had written together. But being a ballad it was not thought strong enough for single release by a group with a reputation for up-tempo songs.

 

The ‘Chameleon’ LP [Mowest 108], which included the aptly titled ‘A New Beginning’ as the first track was a breathtaking example of West Coast pop of the early Seventies - to many an unusual excursion for the group who for so many years were the sound of New York. The album, which everyone could see had a conceptual feel, received massive critical acclaim from the music press - although artistically and musically brilliant, record buyers would need time to adjust to this sound and the promotional budgets would not accept that. When tracks like “A New Beginning” were performed in concert the fans had become so locked into the oldies style that they failed to appreciate the new direction, destroying the group’s belief in the new sound. The album Bob Gaudio said was based on a fairly ‘legit’ production approach with heavy rhythms, bass and drums, and full orchestrations using Charlie Calello, Dave Blumberg and Joe Scott as arrangers. The album was held up by technical problems at the new studio. Gaudio worked tirelessly getting the sound right.(eg De-essing Valli’s voice)

‘Love Isn’t Here/Poor Fool’ Mowest 5011F (2-72) was the first release from the album and Mowest just didn’t have the management to promote the single or the subsequent album. They didn’t have the personnel to get the radio promotion and couldn’t ‘sell’ the new sound (it just wasn’t a Motown sound). Gaudio said that “ Motown can’t go on living with the same sound…they have to diversify” in a 1972 interview. “There does come a point where even the Four Seasons (60s) sound gets to be a drag, after a while….after 42 hits… I don’t want to hear it no more…there are a lot of people who have to feel that way”, he comments. Ironically, how times and attitudes change and today 40 years on that sound is making him millions in 5 shows world wide via Jersey Boys whilst his Mowest/Motown material remains largely unheard.

Why Motown failed to see the potential of ‘The Night’ remains a mystery. A single was scheduled for release on Mowest during 1972 and was allocated to Mowest 5025 but only appeared as a white label promotional single in the USA. People commented at the time that the whole album just didn’t sound like a Four Seasons album. As Gaudio responded…’if it doesn’t sound like the Four Seasons, then who does it sound like. The harmonies are the same but there may be less of them and Frankie Valli is still Frankie Valli. He has his own sound. Certain companies can’t sell certain type products and ‘Love Isn’t Here’ was one they just weren’t ready for. But it has been a slow building process at Mowest and they have to get into the ‘white’ market because it is awfully big and they are trying desperately.”

Several songs not produced by Gaudio didn’t make the album from Tapes P2105, P2110,P 2111 and 2113 including  Oh Girl, Everything Is Gonna Be Alright(B.Moss), What It Is(Whitfield-Strong), Girl, Don't Take Your Love From Me(W.Hutch), Love Well, Loving You-That's My Thing, That's All I Want From You, Wigs and Lashes( A Miracles album track), Time Will Tell and an alternative fast version of Gaudio’s production ‘You’re A Song’ . All ended up staying in the vaults as Gaudio concentrated on his own songs with Crewe, Ruzika and with wife Brit who had been separated from Gaudio for some 18 months before their reconciliation in 1972. In March, the Seasons long time writer and producer Bob Gaudio had retired from the group and was replaced by the 20 year old Clay Jordan from LA . He began working as a Motown producer with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and Martin and Finley.

Not prepared to leave it just to Bob Gaudio, Berry Gordy continued to try to find success for Valli with other producers. Willie Hutch with ‘Thank You’ in early 1972 and a Hal Davis session resulted in a master tape (P2134) which included the unreleased Where Love Ends, I'll Make It Up To You and Stop, Look And Listen (To Your Heart) which would be a Diana Ross-Marvin Gaye release later in 1973.

The Corporation followed up by writing ‘Walk On, Don't Look Back’ (Tape P2205), specifically for Valli's high pitched vocal style. This was after release of the album ‘Chameleon’ in May 72 had created little market impact. The record, a classic case of deja vu, had everything a Four Seasons hit from eight years earlier had. Unfortunately, this was 1972, sounds had changed and already Gordy was starting to get sidelined with Diana Ross' movie career. ‘Walk On, Don't Look Back’ finally saw release in the USA on Mowest 5026 during August 1972(b/w /Sun Country). Unfortunately, there weren’t enough Four Seasons fans of this 60s sounding record in 1972……or more importantly, hearing this song on radio…to buy it in enough numbers. Gaudio remarked at the time that this release was as close to getting the Four Seasons today to do The Four Seasons back in the 60s as they could get. But personally HE couldn’t re-visit the ‘old style’

One other single was scheduled for release on Mowest during 1972 –‘The Night’; was allocated to Mowest 5025 but only appeared as a white label promotional single in the USA.  Sessions by Valli and/or the group with Hal Davis resulted in Torn Between Two Lovers (which would become a hit for Mary MacGregor in 1976) and Thank You For Yesterday both remaining unreleased. (Tape P2203). Amongst all the personnel changes efforts were made to resurrect the groups career as 1973 opened. Tracks still in the vault from these sessions include  I Will Love You Like A Man (P2225), After I'm Gone, Time Will Tell (P2206), Include Me In Your Life (recorded by Marvin and Diana) and Point Of No Return (P2304)

But although Bob Gaudio stated that he felt the relationship with Motown was “good and really together” in 1972, Mowest didn’t know what to promote as “their sound” and couldn’t see merit in these Valli session tracks. Gaudio commented  that Motown were only just realising their need to diversify and he quotes The Beatles as an example of how important this is in the way they “spread themselves” all over different music styles. He believed Motown were beginning to see their own potential with people like Marvin Gaye and The Jackson Five. But the market still identified a ‘Motown Sound’ (and still does today!). In retrospect we can see it has phases and evolved, but it remained ‘The Sound Of Young America’

Two more singles were released in the UK ‘The Night/When The Morning Comes’ (MW3002 in 10/72) and ‘Walk on,Don’t Look Back/Touch the Rainchild’ (MW3003 in 3/73) but without promotion and this would be the last we would see of the Mowest label. ‘The Night’ became an essential play (without achieving significant sales) at the Wigan Casino in Lancashire, England as the cult Northern Soul dance club scene began to gather momentum. By 1973 the releases seemed to have dried up and the group had virtually disintegrated working the oldies circuit with their sixties hits programme.

In retrospect the songs by a commercially faltering Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons constitute an unexpected purple patch in their and the history of Mowest according to the recent CD compilation ‘Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love’ – The Mowest Story 1971-1973. ’Chameleon’ represents the peak of the labels creativity thanks to Bob Gaudio and in no small part to the ‘temporarily retired’ Bob Crewe.

As Greame Thompson asks……..

 “If the music is this good, why was Mowest such a commercial failure? It lasted barely long enough to leave a trace, releasing just 10 albums and 40 singles, many of which failed to make it beyond the promo stage. Its only hit was Tom Clay's terrible spoken-word rendition of What the World Needs Now, the portentous oration intercut with socially provocative media reports.

Many of Mowest's troubles stemmed from a fraught relationship with its parent label. Dave Pell, a celebrated jazz saxophonist, producer, record executive and former president of the Grammys, was hired by Gordy to be "in charge of all Mowest's music, production and signings". At least that was the theory. In reality, "Berry was involved in everything," Pell says. "He was a strong record man and I really liked him, but I fought him every day. He hired me to change things, then stood in my way. It was like, 'What the hell did you hire me for?'"

There was, feels Pell, little impetus from above to make Mowest work. Motown's marketing men and pluggers were constantly preoccupied with Marvin Gaye, or Stevie Wonder, or extending the Jackson Five's run of hits. By comparison, Pell's ragged roster of obscurities, in-house writing talent, future stars and familiar names fallen on hard times seemed less than essential. On the rare occasions when an act did show a glimmer of commercial promise, they were swiftly spirited off to the mothership. The Commodores released their first two Motown-related singles on Mowest. When the second reached the nursery slopes of the R&B chart, Motown snapped them up for further development. "We were auditioning acts for Motown," says Pell. "Of course that was happening. 'It's too good for Mowest.' I heard that a couple of times. I felt we were secondary to Motown people, we weren't on the first team."

The label's image was also problematic. Motown was changing, but it retained a powerful core identity, whereas one of the charms of Mowest's output was its lack of any unifying aesthetic. "It was eclectic, open format, multicultural, crossing all sorts of boundaries," says the Canadian DJ Kevin Howes, who compiled Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love. "People want an identifiable style, and Mowest wasn't that bag, which may have been part of its downfall." Intrinsic to the aim of giving soul music a broader base was the idea of making the music a less overtly black proposition. This, too, alienated both audiences and artists. "Acts didn't really want to come with us because we didn't have the right image," says Pell. "And people weren't buying because they thought we'd made a vanilla Motown that didn't have the soul, the feeling, or anything else that was really Motown. Mowest didn't have an identity."

Perhaps that's why many musicians felt little personal investment in Mowest. Several were house songwriters and session players whose affiliations lay with Motown. Marilyn McLeod, who has written for Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops and Anita Baker, released one Mowest single, A Heart Is a House, as part of the Nu Page. "I wasn't signed up as a Mowest artist," she says. "I was signed up to Motown as a songwriter." Peake agrees: "I was a staff musician for Motown and I never really felt much of a distinction. While I was in Odyssey I was still making records in California with the Supremes and the Temptations."

Hamstrung by internal power struggles, identity confusion and a commercial profile somewhere south of low, Mowest lasted less than two years. By the time it folded in 1973, Pell had already gone. "I got fired for a story I won't tell," he says. "Gordy brought me into a room with 20 of his people and said: 'Here's what we're going to do, what do you think?' and I said, 'This stinks, it's a shitty way of doing things.' And I was gone, out of my office in five minutes."”

Bob Gaudio was aware of the ‘casualties’ of Berry Gordy’s new regime in LA and the resentment some felt that long-standing Motown artists were no longer there. Bob Gaudio recognized that albums where the future and ‘you couldn’t just rely on top ten hits all the time’ as he said, “albums are the thing that bring in really big, big money, and (in the past) they (Motown) never really took the time to make good albums…..they could win awards for some of the worst albums ever with B sides, C sides and even E sides on compilations” . But he believed the current issues of singles and albums in 1972 “was incredible” and “not typically in a Motown groove”. He quoted Michael Jackson’s ‘Ben’ as an example……and his attitude re the Four Seasons was uncompromising……. ”What the Four Seasons were, is not what they are and I understand it’s hard to accept but somewhere along the line they (the fans) need to stop putting down releases because they say…’It doesn’t sound like the Four Seasons that I know’…well OK it doesn’t but at some point they have to stop looking at it in that aspect….to open their ears and ask…..’Is it a good record?. Is it a hit record? Do I like the song?….forget it is The Four Seasons ….and that’s a problem….but somewhere along the line it will break through because it if you make ‘good product for long enough’  somewhere along the line somebody is gonna have to buy it…I really believe that.”

Gaudio has always been and remains a seeker of ‘commercial success’ rather than being focused on ‘artistic direction’ although he always wrote solely from ‘where his head was’ at the time. He staunchly believed ‘Chameleon’ was NOT un-commercial when you look at the ‘current charts’ of late 72 as he was interviewed by UK Fan Club President Stuart Miller. He felt that the success of artists like Gilbert O’Sullivan with songs that are surprising hits showed what was possible… “it was a commercial record….but if Frankie Valli sang it, would it be accepted?”….he asked. Fans have to move on he correctly stated….and “HE couldn’t remake ‘Sherry’!.”

But by 1973  ‘Chameleon’ had failed to generate any success. (although ‘The Night’ thanks to the Northern Soul scene would gain a Top Ten position in the UK in 1975 and generate an LP release of some of the vault tracks mentioned above…proving Gaudio’s comment about ‘good product’ to be correct). But with Mowest in 1972 – “the product was simply lost amongst the changing cultural tides and lack of promotional power” as Kevin Howes aptly says in this new CD compilation of the label.

Graham Thompson concludes…..”By 1973 Mowest had fulfilled its primary function of preparing the ground for Motown to make its permanent base in Los Angeles, which it did in 1973. In the end, Pell believes: "Motown didn't fit, out in California, I thought they were very uncomfortable." History largely backs him up, and yet had its adventurousness been enthusiastically harnessed and its output properly promoted, Mowest could well have mapped a viable route for Motown to follow. Several songs on Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love predict the popular soul trends of the near future: the sleek, orchestrated shimmer of Philly, the polished sheen of disco. The new sounds, in fact, that by the mid-70s had made Motown seem increasingly irrelevant as it became over-reliant on a handful of waning big-hitters.”

The vaults index reveals that there are at least two albums full of unreleased tracks from this period by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. A project of ‘Valli Sings Motown’ and ‘The Chameleon Sessions’ with alternative versions and unreleased tracks would we believe make a very sellable collectors CD release. All tracks characterized by Frankie Valli’s distinctive vocal style and the sleek sounds commented on above. Eventually they may see release.

Perhaps in the circumstances the Four Seasons (by then a sacked group– 25^th March 1973 - retaining only Valli and bassist Joe Long) didn’t have much of a chance at Mowest. Its internal management frailties are clear. But they were still signed to Motown and 1973 would see a return of one man who could perhaps save them By late 1972 Bob Crewe was negotiating a writing and production deal with Motown.

Casey Chameleon

Next Time – Part 3: How Bob Crewe Saved Frankie Valli’s Solo Career

Thanks to George Ingram, Ken Charmer, Stuart Miller and Frank Rovello for information re this period.

THIS ARTICLE IS DEDICATED TO FORMER FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE FOUR SEASONS UK APPRECIATION SOCIETY – STUART MILLER

Stuart sadly died in a motor cycle accident in Manchester in May 2011. He was 58, a father of 4 and a grandfather. His contribution to our society is documented here. Stuart’s crowning glory’s were a bootleg vinyl album of rare Four Seasons recordings in 1971 and a comprehensive interview with Bob Gaudio in September 1972 which is, we believe is the most ‘definitive’ portrayal of Bob’s role with the group and enabled the writing of this article. Thanks Stuart, for giving us the inspiration to keep the stories and the music in our heart’s and ears.  Sorry that you wont get to hear the ‘lost tracks’ mentioned above.

Frank Rovello has posted the full interview here

 

Motown's 'Four Seasons' Archive Preservation - Part 1

I keep getting e-mails from fans of The Four Seasons asking “what is the latest news on the unreleased tracks in the Motown vault?. Is there any chance of any of it being released?” And they keep coming even nine months after we highlighted the demos of some of these in Chameleon’s blog at the start of 2011. So this is our latest assessment.

There are we now KNOW over 40 unreleased tracks ‘named’ as existing on 16 track tape sitting in the Motown vault in we believe an air-conditioned unit in New Jersey. What is more we now know which tapes exist and what the Motown data records show “should be on the tapes”. Knowing Crewe and Gaudio’s attitude to recording it is unlikely the recording sessions are incomplete. During the Detroit period many of the backing tracks were recorded separately and at a later date the lead vocal was added. Sometimes it wasn’t…..leaving incomplete songs…sometimes another artist used the backing track. We believe that during the Four Seasons Motown 70s sessions this may only have happened with a few of the songs: The Marvin Gaye –Diana Ross Duet ‘Stop Look and Listen to Your Heart’ for which Valli is alleged to have laid down a lead vocal. (Tape P2201 Master 60950) and the Bobby Darin recording ‘I Won’t Last A Day Without You’ which Bob Crewe produced with a Four Seasons ‘style’ backing with Bobby and which is also listed as covered by Frankie Valli (Stereo Tape 3912 )

 

We are currently analyzing the tape archive data to paint a better picture of the group’s spell at the label and how their tenure there failed to produce a hit record and why only 23 out of 70 to 80 recordings have surfaced.

 As for the question “what are the chances of these being released?” . Well we believe that is not the right question.

The risk of loss of masters is high. This research paper highlights the current situation…” Record companies are engaged intensely in providing customers with an alternative to Napster that will generate income for the record industry and prevent piracy of music. The major subscription Web sites for music will probably concentrate on contemporary music and the history of rock and roll (Surowiecki 2000). The universe of musical riches promised by celestial jukeboxes is not likely to include a wide selection of historical sound recordings that represent the full breadth of recorded music. This is certain to be true if they are not preserved and documented properly. If audio recordings that do not have mass appeal are to be preserved, that responsibility will probably fall to libraries and archives. Within a partnership between archives and intellectual property owners, archives might assume responsibility for preserving less commercial music in return for the ability to share files of preserved historical recordings.

All audio preservation is expensive; it is estimated that preservation engineers' studio time required for a recording averages three times the length of the source recording. Digital preservation holds great promise but it adds significant investment costs, such as the creation and maintenance of repositories and the generation of controlling metadata. Whether for lack of foresight or funding, libraries are not creating digital mass-storage systems for audiovisual works, which are common in broadcasting archives. We face an extraordinary dilemma: at a time when a greater range of audio is available to more people than ever before, and the means are finally at hand to preserve those sounds for posterity, we stand the greatest risk of losing them. “

We recently contacted Universal Motown Vice President , Harry Weinger to make a case for the urgent ‘preservation’ of these tracks rather than focusing on their release. In an e-mail to Harry we set out our concerns.… “Gathering information on the Four Seasons at Motown over the last year has been very fruitful in us finding recordings of acetates of Bob Crewe's productions during late 1973. If you have followed our blog you will have heard these on You Tube.

This of course adds to the belief that there is a good deal of material complete or suitable for mixing to completion by Valli and the group and which has never been released. 

We understand you have accepted Bob Gaudio’s position that this material is not to be released and that is his right and stems from his membership of The Four Seasons Partnership .(notwithstanding it is not owned by him nor is it all his work, it is Valli's and they are Partners) 

In gathering information we now have combined research from 1970s sources with info from anonymous people in Motown during the 1990s and compilation of a more detailed database of the P tapes in the Universal Motown archive and of the 60000 series of master numbers has been possible. We can now see on our lists the released and unreleased tracks on their master 16 track tapes. Like many Motown artists the lists of unreleased tracks in the vault continues to be a big focus for collectors as there are potentially so many.

As a result, the picture of the Four Seasons recording career at Mowest/Motown has become much clearer and we are optimistic that there are at least 45 tracks/recordings identified from data records of what should/could be on tape which have not been released. We realise the LA tapes indexing is not good and suspect that many have not been researched since they were recorded.

Our concern re this is with regard to the fact that these tapes are not digitized or preserved in a form that enables them to be finished/mixed down from multi-track(or even if this is possible)

It is clear from your own comments in interview for previous projects, that until the tapes are properly researched and digitized it is unclear what can be salvaged. That appears to be a core problem for Universal Motown’s Tape Archive and it isn't getting any easier as economic models for the release of music make life more difficult for you the tape owners. Obviously the biggest expenditure is in locating and re-mastering tapes. This process has to be gone through, whether the end result is a CD or an on-line piece of music. Maintaining Ampex or other relevant tape machines is a cost it seems some corporations are wishing to remove and the risk of loss of this art appears real.

From our perspective, The Four Seasons are and will remain very important artists in the history of pop music and the preservation of their recording history remains a key objective of our work.

We do realise that, whilst Bob Gaudio does not want unreleased material issued at present, there is still in our opinion an important project to be considered in researching and digitizing the results of the group’s sessions at Motown. Current research has already shown the importance(and quality) of Bob Crewe's compositions with Kenny Nolan in 1973 and other songs which relate to key writers and producers.

We can all see that the commercial exploitation of the tracks in the Motown Universal tape vaults remains difficult in a music retail climate that is reducing the commercial value of past  music year on year. However, from a art perspective every year sees the artistic and cultural value of these recordings becoming more and more important, and like newly discovered paintings by recognised artists this material will have high value in time.

Our project wish is to simply target the preservation of the material for future potential use rather than them being an unknown piece of work. Fans really are interested in this information and it is hard to see why Universal Motown would not wish to reach such a position. We think it is more important to confirm the status of recordings rather than to manage expectations re a release. The latter has become less important than the former given the age of the tapes and the artists/producers.

 Like all great creative output, it is inevitable that these rare works will appreciate in value. There can be little argument that a modest investment in reviewing and preserving the 'Seasons' Motown collection today will give everyone more freedom to develop new 'products' from it in the future, as appropriate.”

What we were highlighting was that Universal Motown are the ‘curators’ of this ‘art’ and it deserves the same respect as other historical art like film/video or paintings. The risks of losing this work was brought home to us by an article from Billboard in July 1997  “Labels Strive to rectify Past Problems”. Writer Bill Holland won an ASCAP-Deems Taylor award for this stunning overview of the industry and highlights horror stories of ‘lost assets’ (ie the master tapes) and how ‘mindless companies and employees’ sometimes simply threw them away or over-taped them. We believe this happened with the original Four Seasons masters stored at Bell Studios.

 

[The Apex MM-1000 16 track console came into use from 1970 onwards]

But Universal Motown are not stupid and are fully aware of the value contained in these tapes for the wide range of artists in their archive. The success of some of the re-issue projects by them and licensing companies such as ACE has led to superb output this year alone for Tammy Terrell, Patrice Holloway and Marv Johnston helps maintain interest in the archive.

Although we haven’t yet had a reply from Harry we believe our strategy is likely to be implemented. The evidence of this is in interviews Harry gave earlier this year and in this article to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of Motown.

“NEW YORK -- It's a plain little room. The size of a small garage, maybe.

For Detroit, this is a very important 150 square feet. Housed here, on the fifth floor of an office building 500 miles from West Grand Boulevard, are the most valuable raw materials in the city's cultural history.

This is Universal Music's Motown vault, and these are Motown's original session tapes: the reels that rolled in the studio at West Grand, capturing what would become some of the most beloved sounds in popular music. These tapes are the sacred texts of Detroit music, and this is their sanctuary.

The little room is concealed behind secured doors deep in Universal's glossy Broadway headquarters. It's not a romantic-looking nook. Fluorescent lights, white walls, metal shelving.

But the contents are pure gold, and worth that much, too. Lining the shelves are hundreds of thin square boxes, many with crinkled, typewritten labels itemizing the songs inside. These reels have been on a lengthy journey -- from Detroit in the '60s to Los Angeles in the '70s to New Jersey in the '90s to Pennsylvania in the '00s to this little room in Manhattan today.

This vault is a way station for the tapes as Universal staffers do their work, creating digital archives, performing restoration work and -- most importantly -- extracting songs for an ever-churning array of Motown projects. When the reels aren't here, they're in heavily guarded, climate-controlled facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with Motown's full archive of 30,000 reels.

Founder Berry Gordy Jr. says Motown's 50th anniversary is "really about celebrating the unsung heroes as well as the ones everybody knows." Years ago, those unsung heroes were fearless salesmen, patient artist trainers and other offstage personnel. Today they're the core team of six people in this office, along with staffers across the country, doing the work that keeps Motown's music thriving.

"Universal is the caretaker of the legacy, and we take that role very seriously," says Harry Weinger, vice president of Universal's catalog division. "Motown is still alive. It's not some creaky museum piece. It's real."

Down the hall from Universal's New York vault is the mastering room, a mood-lit space with a pair of leather couches and a stately console at the center. Studio A, they call it, in a tribute to Hitsville back in Detroit. Two vintage tape machines, the size of card tables, sit against a wall. They're rare, expensive and meticulously maintained. The last thing anybody wants is to see a stream of Motown tape go twisting and shredding into a real piece of history.

This is where staffers take the work of Motown's greats, transferring the old tapes into computer files for mixing and mastering. Scrutinizing the tape boxes brings little thrills. Each contains a track sheet from the original recording session, meticulously listing song titles, dates, personnel and the placement of instruments. (this is we know not correct as data re some of the tapes is very limited and often incorrect as they admit) Motown often cut several sessions on one reel. Pull a box off the shelf, and you might see "The Tears of a Clown" and "Standing in the Shadows of Love" side by side.

"We're following in someone's footsteps, and they've done beautiful work," says Weinger. "So sometimes you just want to touch the tape. You get the vibe of the session, the feel for it.".

"I always knew it would become valuable," Gordy says. "We were locked into the baby boomers early, and they followed us right down to where we are now. And now their kids, their grandkids, are getting a taste of something they loved so much."

So we believe the process of digitizing and protecting this heritage has commenced. There is no need to maintain a staff base (or sound engineers) in this day and age with projects and releases being licensed out and commercially successful (and so well done) by the likes of ACE Records. Sub-contractors (for example Sterling Sound) can undertake the preservation and digitization of ‘the assets’ and a specialist small team can over-see the process.

So what else makes us believe the Four Seasons Motown catalogue will be researched and preserved soon.? Well look what is coming in October at the 131st AES Convention (Friday, October 21, 9:00 am — 10:30 am) the subject is…..”Yesterday, Today, and Forever: The Art and Science Behind the Motown and Verve Catalog Reissues
Presenters: Kevin Reeves, Andy Skurow, Harry Weinger
The panel will discuss: What is catalog, and how are reissues conceptualized? The vault system: What is the process of finding the assets? And they will talk about how the technical engineering brings all the elements together for the final package.”

Whilst generic this will possibly focus on the above issues and how the archive team plans to go forward. Let’s hope someone asks the right question!!

Casey Chameleon

Next Time: The story of the sessions at Mowest and Motown and the chances of Valli, Gaudio, and Crewe agreeing to a release of the lost tracks 

 

 

 

'Arranging' Stories

In our last post we commented on how getting everyone’s take on the past allows the ‘truth to wash through’. Well we got an example this week in an interview sent to us and conducted in August 2011 with Artie Schroeck by Bernhard Vogel.

 

Bob Crewe (left) Artie Schroeck (centre) and sound engineer George Schowerer (right) in the Mirasound Studios NYC 1967. Photo courtesy of George Schowerer.

Artie came to the fore as a Four Seasons/Frankie Valli arranger after Charlie Calello left the Four Seasons for a Head of Production role at Columbia in December 1965. At the time Charlie had just arranged and produced Lou Christie’s mega Number One Hit ‘Lightnin’ Strikes’. Or did he?

When we saw the comments below we wondered what the correct story was…..

Question by DSS:
 You then continued to work as musician and arranger.
 
 ARTHUR SCHROECK:
 Yes, in 1965, I started working as a studio musician and arranger. For Lou Christie, I wrote the arrangement for his #1 hit record 'Lightnin' Strikes' (MGM Records 1965, BV.)…
 
Question by DSS:
 …which originally got credited to Charles Calello?
 
 ARTHUR SCHROECK:
 I know you are familiar with the term 'ghosting'. Back in the 1960s, I just had come off the road, and Calello, whom I basically taught arranging to and who had been to High School with me, was into arranging for recordings at that time. He had a lot of hits with The Four Seasons. He helped me to get into arranging for recordings by having me ghosting arrangements for him. 'Lightnin'  Strikes' was one of them. My reputation as an arranger got so noticed, that it came out that I was the arranger. Calello was the producer and conductor.
 
Question by DSS:
 Charles Calello later also worked on a very special Sinatra album, 'Watertown', released by Reprise Records in 1970.
 
 ARTHUR SCHROECK:
 I'm not at all familiar with 'Watertown', but I know Chas arranged it. Calello is a brilliant arranger. I had many encounters with him in our recording days. He was producing an album, 'Eli and the Thirteenth Confession' for Laura Nyro (Columbia 1968, BV.) He wasn't happy with the drummers on the tracks that had been recorded so far, so he called me in to replace them and finish the album on the drums for Laura. Callelo and I later shared arranging jobs on a Frankie Valli album called 'Romancing The 60s', released in 2007 (on the Motown label, BV.)
 

Question by DSS:

What moments, if looking back now, would you count as highlights among your professional work?

ARTHUR SCHROECK:
 I worked with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. I arranged their hit recording of 'I've Got You Under My Skin' (Philips Records, 1966, made it to US Billboard's Top Ten, BV.), and Frankie Valli's solo of 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' (1967, reached #2 on the US Billboard Charts, BV.), for which I have a gold record hanging on my wall. I also did arrangements for Paul Anka and Neil Diamond. And for The Lovin' Spoonful, I orchestrated the movie 'You're a Big Boy Now'

So what did Charlie think as the ‘Original Sinner ‘ CD clearly credits Charlie Calello with Producing and Arranging, ‘Lightnin Strikes’?

Charlie Calello responded……

“Hmmmm - - - For the record - I had spent 3 days rehearsing Lou and the Angels so I had the record laid out. I booked the musicians and hired the rhythm section and horns. In my instructions to Artie I told him what records of mine to copy the sound from and NOT stray from the piano vocal demo. I recorded Lou and the girls on tape and gave that tape to Artie. who because of playing on my records as a musician knew my style. All he had to do was copy the demo and keep my style. But in fact, yes he did "orchestrate" the music but in FACT the arrangement was already written when I played it on the piano. All he had to do was not screw it up. So - yes - I did 'arrange" the Lou Christie #1, Artie "orchestrated" for me. Most of my arrangements were written on the piano and after I rehearsed the song with the singer I'd take my tape copy home and write from my tape. ‘After the Lovin', ‘My Heart Belongs to Me’, ‘Native New Yorker’ and many other songs I arranged were all written the same way. 

Artie is correct in mentioning that he inspired me when I was 13 years old. He was also my mentor in high school. After high school we worked in a band together and that band was where I started honing my arranging skills. As far as the guys we played with they considered Artie to be a great player and a great copier of other people's material. What they recognized in me, as Frankie did, was my originality.  It's easy to copy someone's style - - it's hard to develop a style. The reason Artie wasn't more successful as an arranger was because, although he had the craft, he lacked originality. For as much as I love and respected his musicality as kids, it was unfortunate he never grew. It's funny how people remember the past. “

Charlie Calello and 'you know who'!

Subtle differences in perspective in this fascinating background to two great arrangers. When Charlie left in December 1965, and the Four Seasons needed a new arranger they used Artie because he knew their way of working. This interview is surprising too in not mentioning Artie’s contribution to the mega-hit ‘Beggin’ which is probably the best known Four Seasons songs to young people today!. The group also did great work with the legendary Herb Bernstein during 1966 and 67. Now Herb did have originality. Check out his Northern Soul classics.(eg ‘You’re Ready Now’ March 1966 and ‘Fireman’)

 

And we have news of two potentially exciting Charlie Calello products soon as his new biography is due for completion and publication as an e-book in October and we are working with Rare Rockin’ Records of Australia on a possible 2 CD set ‘Arranged for You: From Doo-Wop to Northern Soul’ which will track the diverse arrangements and productions of this uniquely talented man during the early to late 60s. More re these soon.

Casey Chameleon

 

Musical History Preservation

Ironically as The Beach Boys plan a mega release for November of the ‘Smile’ sessions from 1967 (see here), Four Seasons fans are forced to continue to tolerate the paucity of quality of the groups back-catalogue (it simply isn’t available on vinyl or in a re-mastered HQ sound)

 And this is so much more frustrating when we know that at least 40 unreleased tracks lie in the Motown vault and we know of around 10 tracks from the last Philips sessions and a full album of material from the ‘Helicon’ sessions still remain unreleased and unlikely to see the light of day. Equally so no biographies from key people who where part of the Four Seasons Story are emerging and there is amongst some of us a disturbing but not unsurprising ‘conspiracy theory’ as to why this is.

Perhaps the executives behind ‘Jersey Boys’ – The Show and possibly The Movie are  suppressing any attempts at an alternative story line emerging as they continue to rake in mega-profits from this production.

Having read ‘Dirty Little Secret’s of the Record Business’ and ‘Appetite For Self-Destruction’: excuse us for once again fearing the dominance of financial objectives over artistic preservation.

 In a week when we lost iconic people from the 60s music industry in Jack Ashford(of Ashford and Simpson), Jerry Leiber and Motown Matriach Esther Gordy Edwards it remains depressing that there is evidence of a lack of open-ness re the back catalogue from both the Four Seasons Partnership and Motown Universal. It continues to be a surprise why Record Companies remain so secretive about what they have and their potential projects and releases. They may argue it is about ‘managing expectations’ and the complex and costly legal and production costs of bringing original masters from the vaults today. Even Capitol issued a hasty denial when Al Jardine ‘leaked’ the news of the project for ‘Smile’ earlier this year. Surely someone somewhere cares about the true story of 60s and 70s music and that of the Four Seasons (apart from us)? For 40 years Motown Universal have hidden the history they have in their vaults and they still wont speak about it even when Frankie Valli has admitted recently that he and Bob have no ownership rights to the material and he can see no reason why a record company couldn’t release it.

 At least Capitol found a way to get the Beach Boys to acknowledge the importance of the ‘Smile’ sessions but perhaps it was the lucrative financial rewards from the spectacularly packaged box sets for collectors : and with master engineer Mark Linnet doing the re-mixing the result will be a collectors dream. Unlike the Jazz scene where an artists history is honoured, it seems things only happen in the ‘pop’ market when there is ‘big money’ to be made. And if that means promoting a fictional history, so be it!

Whatever the actions of The Four Seasons Partnership or the JB Executives, we will continue to campaign to dispel the myths of Jersey Boys and to get the truthful story out to the world. In fact much of this can be found in the Melcher Media – The Jersey Boys Book and in our series of article ‘The Rise and Fall Of The New Four Seasons”.

 OK I hear you say but “you ask four guys and you get four different stories” as the Jersey Boys script argues. Well we would rather believe Esther Gordy Edwards approach as told to us by Motown Alumni President Billy Wilson in his recollections of this great lady….”. Though few fans knew of her, historically she became one of the primary driving forces in the Motown camp. The eldest sister of Berry Gordy, Edwards worked part time with Berry Gordy in the early years of Motown's development, until in 1962 she decided to work full time with the label.  She was one of the original corporate board members of Motown Record Company along with Raynoma Gordy (Berry's second wife). She was the manager for virtually all of the Motown stars through the formation of the companies booking agency, Senior VP of Motown, and held numerous other jobs. She was also the founder of the Motown Historical Museum which she created in the 80's”…….He continues…”. "When I started moving with the alumni association she gave me so much insight on what the company was all about, I had to adjust my frame of thinking on what was true about the company and what was fiction; it was that conversation that still holds true to this day on how I look at Motown Record Company back in the day" said Billy Wilson President of the Motown Alumni Association. He went on to say ...The greatest advice she gave me was to quit reading the fiction that was put out, and ask the people that were there, then blend the stories, she said two people can be in the same room and see two different stories, the truth will come through the wash. I've held on to that advice like the gospel, and found it to be absolute; nobody could have given me better advice,”

So watch out for our research publications as the year closes as we publish our list of myths in Jersey Boys…..more on the Motown Tape vaults and the response to our plea for the digital preservation of the unreleased tapes. Plus we hope to unearth the story of how the Four Seasons nearly ended as a hit making machine in 1966. Taken from interviews with ‘the people who were there….the truth will wash through’ …believe me…and as for what is in the vaults…well if the ‘conflicted’ Beach Boys can be brought together to see the light and preserve their sessions, then maybe Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli can do a deal with Motown Universal?

 Casey Chameleon.

Check out the unreleased below:

–       16 Track Master Tape 2664

Hymn to Her

Lovers

You’ve Got to Make Your Tomorrow Tonite!

Plus…..their own master….

I Wonder Why

Bob Gaudio – Songwriting Genius?

In our last post we compared Bob’s Crewe and Gaudio as producers and Ray Ricci thought this somewhat unfair (see his comments on our last post). So we asked Casey Chameleon to redress the balance with a perspective on Bob Gaudio’s biggest strength – that of a songwriter.

“Wikipeadia describes a Songwriter as….” an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer. Although songwriters of the past commonly composed, arranged and played their own songs, more recently the pressure to produce popular hits has tended to distribute responsibility between a number of people.”

Although the composer is the most important element in the writing of a hit song, the need for a good arrangement and good lyrics are vital. Bob Gaudio was fortunate in the collaborators he had during his career as a songwriter

He has said on many occasions that he was lucky…but so too were his collaborators and we were the beneficiaries of their creative combination.

As well as being a performing member of The Four Seasons, Bob Gaudio was on most occasions also their main ‘composer’, and sometimes their lyricist, but if you  examine the hits in his BMI listing , it becomes apparent that by collaborating with other lyricists he achieved his greatest successes. And he didn’t always give credit in interviews…but he probably feels his contribution was somewhat under-estimated. So let’s redress the balance and examine what really happened with the help of two men who know his work very well – Charlie Calello and Larry Russell-Brown.

Bob Gaudio found by working with Bob Crewe initially as his lyricist and producer (or co-producer) that he was able to create pop songs that really struck a chord with the record buying public of the 60s and 70s

His own compositions, when he wrote the lyrics too, tended to be somewhat ‘doom-laden’ or morose and his approach has been described as “very mechanical and methodical” but it is his collaborations that found a counter-balance, it seems, and achieved greatest success. His approach whether alone or in collaboration, as he said in interview with Stuart Miller in 1972, was not always the same. He had a different focus at different stages in his career.

During the early 60s he did sit down specifically to write a hit song for The Four Seasons (“I was writing a record” and one for Frankie’s voice) – but  as the 60s progressed  he often didn’t sit down with the intention of writing a ‘hit’ song at all…. he often just decided to write with a collaborator (and in that interview he used the example of him and Bob Crewe sitting down to write a song and the result was ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’…arguably their biggest songwriting success together). The songs since then he said just came out of the ‘process’. He even commented that if you stripped the 60s hits back to their ‘bare-bones’, there is not much there. The strength was in the arrangements. Much of these he wrote with Charlie Calello’s help.

The best example of how a song changed as result of this was perhaps ‘Dawn’. Charlie Calello tells the story….

“Although I was working on the 4 Seasons records, I really didn't have a chance to have complete input until "Dawn." In the beginning I was there mainly because I knew how to write music and I worked with Gaudio writing the arrangements together. "Dawn" was originally written with a totally different feel than what is on the record.” In fact originally it was a slow folk-ballad. 

Charlie again….” How that happened was: Frankie Valli and I were in a car when "More," the Kai Winding record came on. Frankie said, "that's the kind of feel we need on our next session," which was in two days. When we recorded "Dawn," we recorded 5 other songs on the same date. I usually worked on the arrangements with Gaudio the day before the sessions and the night before the sessions, when it came to "Dawn" I asked Gaudio to give me around 10 minutes as I felt the song wasn't happening. After around 10 minutes Frankie, who was sleeping on one of the desks in Crewe's office jumped up and both he and Gaudio come into the writing room and said, "what's that?" I said “I'm working on "Dawn." It blew them away. In 10 minutes I had come up with the basic figure that was the glue to the song and the bell sound that became part of the Seasons' sound for the next few years. I changed all the chords, wrote the whole tone scale rise at the end of the bridge and wrote all the instrumental parts in around an hour. The next day I made my "first" Calello track for the 4 Seasons. Although my input was important on the other records that I worked on, "Dawn" was the first record I felt I really made the track and controlled the musical taste of the record.”

Collaboration took Bob Gaudio’s composing qualities to a new level and allowed others a chance to innovate and contribute to make a good composition a great song. This happened not only with Charlie but others like Linzer and Randell but it is clear Charlie was the one in those early Philips days that made a big difference, as he told us…

“Another record I really loved was "Let's Hang On." I had the Stones….."Satisfaction" fuzz guitar sound added on the intro. I not only wrote the arrangement for the band but also wrote the vocal parts. The Seasons were in Atlantic City performing and after we made the track, Denny Randell took the vocal part down to them to teach them the song. The intro was added when the guys came into town to do the vocal. The intro was also good - I think it was Crewe's idea. (Denny Randell’s description of this recording makes interesting reading too and expands on Charlie’s memory)

The cool part about the instrumental is, I basically wrote the melody off "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine, " which we had recorded a few months earlier.  I didn't realize it until I heard it on the radio. “

Gaudio, actually got the idea for Rag Doll from Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell. He and Denny were writing in one of the writing rooms at Crewe's office and Gaudio popped in. He asked what they were working on, so they played him the song.  The lyrics were not complete so when they sang him the song they did ooh's and ah's - - - thus two weeks later, "Rag Doll".  Crewe helped Gaudio finish the lyric and arrangement and The Seasons made that record on there own. They actually made it as a demo but it turned out so good they didn't re-record it. "Rag Doll" maintained the bell sound from "Dawn" “

But Charlie is clear that the composing and songwriting driver of these hit songs was Bob Gaudio. He continues…..

“No doubt about it, Gaudio was the main guy! Crewe was talented and was very instrumental in keeping us on our toes but Gaudio was the 4 Seasons.”

 Larry Russell-Brown another collaborator and co-writer  on songs like ‘C’mon Marrianne’ ,’The Singles Game’, ‘Watch The Flowers Grow’ and ‘The Girl I’ll Never Know (Angels Don’t Fly This Low ) has a huge respect for Bob’s ability.. “When it comes down to his input to any and all creative projects, he involves himself ‘in-depth’. He has that amazing ability to recognise greatness, uniqueness, and the commercial value of music.

He has that God given magic ‘unschooled’ touch, when it comes to the creative process. Lyrically his input is oftentimes quite basic but earthy and youthful. Unlike Bob Crewe who is a modern day Cole Porter, Bob Gaudio can at times find it laborious to write a clever lyric, thus the combination of Crewe and Gaudio, produced spectacular results.(ie Crewe’s creative ‘genius’ mentioned in our last blog article)

My own area of expertise seemed to be parallel to Bob Gaudio’s, in that like Gaudio, I too found writing the music, a God given gift, however, I also possess the ability to tell a story in a song, as good as anybody has ever done. When I wrote with Bob Gaudio he leaned on me for the lyrics just as he did when he wrote with Crewe. Although Bob Gaudio and I enjoyed writing together, we at times laboured at the process. Crewe and I employed a different method when writing together. We basically threw the ball back and forth and completed all parts to our songs in tandem”

But Larry is quite sure about one thing…….”Bob Gaudio is no doubt one of the finest creators of classic melodies of all time as well as a superb arranger. Truth be told, Gaudio had his hand in nearly all the arrangements ever written of his hit songs as well as most other hits involving the 4Seasons, Frankie Valli and the brilliant Neil Diamond.

(Above Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio at the 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' session - Photo courtesy of George Schowerer)

For instance, with Frankie Valli, had it not been for Gaudio's editing and instruction, the chart for “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” would have been nowhere near as BRILLIANT as it is on the record. I know this as a solid fact!

I also know that Neil Diamond brought many of his songs to the recording sessions Bob Gaudio produced for him, in a disjointed condition and Bob had to not only clean them up and edit the hell out of them: he actually wrote bridges where needed and "NEVER" took credit for his writing in these instances. In essence,  Bob Gaudio is truly deserving any, and all praise heaped upon him, and more.”

The fact that we can see how the collaborators brought out the best in him doesn’t diminish that original ‘composing’ and ‘arranging’ brilliance that made the songs hits.”

For the final word though, Charlie Calello (being an arranging collaborator who worked so much with him and so closely) perhaps best sums up Bob Gaudio’s ability ……”Today, we don't speak that often, but whenever we do, he is still the same guy he was when we were kids. Whenever I'm in his company, I never lose sight of the fact that he is one of the best song writers and creative minds I have ever worked with; he truly was a "pop" genius!”

Casey Chameleon

PS Following on from our last post and Bob Crewe’s contribution to the Four Seasons hits and his general contribution to songwriting we are not the only ones that believe this is understated. Check out this Goldmine Magazine article.

 

Postscript query…..

A confused Phil Elms asked……”Gaudio has repeatedly told the story of his inspiration to write Rag Doll(traffic lights, little girl in tattered clothes washing car windscreen) and that Crewe contributed to the second verse. Now we are told that Randell and Linzer came up with the idea and that Crewe and Gaudio merely finished it off. Is Gaudio being economical with the truth? Did Crewe get a writing credit for not very much? Should Randell and Linzer have got composing credits? Has Calello mis-remembered? Or is the reportage sloppy? I realise all this happened (or didn't happen) nearly half a century ago, but Rag Doll remains such an iconic recording that I'm sure a lot of us would like to know the ultimate version of how it came to be written. Or is this another unanswerable case of "You ask four guys, you get four versions"?

 

And Charlie Calello was able to clarify the situation…

 

“Ahh - - ya see how things get twisted! Linzer and Randell played Gaudio a song they were working on that didn't have a lyric so when they performed the song they sang it with oohs and ahhhs. As far as the melody of Rag Doll- - That's Gaudio!!!! He may have even been inspired by the girl washing car windows but the idea of the oohs and ahhs was what inspired it. Gaudio didn't steal the song - - he just used the concept.

Both Linzer and Randell relayed that story to me. They were never upset and/or thought that Gaudio stole the song or idea from them. They were just proud knowing they sparked the Gaudio idea, whether he was aware of it or not. 

Keeping in mind we all influenced each other and that's what helped make Crewe, Frankie, Bob, Tommy, Nicky, myself and Linzer and Randell all part of the 4 Seasons recording team.

CC"

And what a great team….thanks Charlie

And finally......

Ken, that was one of the most incisive articles I have ever read about the

incredibly talented Bob Gaudio. I hope he gets the opportunity to read it.

 

L.Russell Brown 

Best Producer – Bob Crewe or Bob Gaudio?

In our Chapter 7 of the Rise and Fall of The NEW Four Seasons, Casey Chameleon defended Bob Crewe’s ability re an article in Crawdaddy magazine back in the 70s in which Frankie Valli argued that the ‘genius’ of Bob Gaudio was the real talent of the Four Seasons success story. That claim and a recent article on the www prompted the question ‘Who was the best producer Bob Crewe or Bob Gaudio?’

Well for a fuller appreciation of Bob Crewe’s ability read Don Charles Goin' Places! the Bob Crewe Era (Part Two) to appreciate the sheer power and personality that enabled a ‘non-musician’ to succeed so spectacularly. It shines through in the Don Charles articles as it does in the photos of George Schowerer’s studio collection. It prompted me to revisit the recurring theme in our story of the ‘conflict’ between Crewe and Gaudio in the studio. In a 1972 interview, Bob Gaudio admits to the clashes in the studio that resulted in them not “working together in the studio” for periods in the late 60s and early 70s whilst still occasionally “writing together”. The clashes are understandable and people who worked with them have said that “it was like having two producers in the studio”….”

Don Charles describes Crewe’s production style very aptly.. . “His productions were always a patchwork affair; seldom did he ever cut songs "live" with all his musicians in the same room. The musical overdub was his favorite tool to use in the studio. He liked to spend a lot of time on details: A harp flourish here, a harmonica part there, a drum roll, a Flamenco guitar riff, a weird sound effect, a dramatic pause. Those details were often as important as the basic track, if not more, and they were essential to his production style.

(Bob Crewe photo courtesy of Aloma)

Arranger/producer Charlie Calello stresses that Crewe never began a recording session without first laying out his vision. "Before we would go into the studio, (Bob) would have other records as reference points and (he'd) explain how he wanted his song to sound. He would say that he liked the rhythm on one record, the strings on another . . . when he heard the concept in the studio, he would continue to make changes and adjust it until (he got) what he wanted. Crewe would move parts of a track to an earlier or later point on tape, or repeat it over and over again. His energy was always 'up', and he constantly came up with different ideas that would shape the record," Calello says. "If there was one thing I learned from Bob Crewe, it was (that) 'the impossible takes just a bit longer!'." Anyone who observed Crewe at work couldn't help but come away impressed by his creative ability, especially once they came to terms with the fact that he could neither read nor play music.”

In the early 60s Crewe's ambition and spontaneity clearly overshadowed Gaudio's. At the time, the feeling in the studio based on anecdotal information from those that worked with him was that Crewe really had a good handle on what he thought the market needed...and he had hits to prove it.

Gaudio cut his production ‘teeth’ (apart from some experimental projects with The 4-Evers, Jessica James and the Outlaws et al) from 1966 with the spectacular ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ but would follow that with ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ with Bob Crewe before he took control of most of the Four Seasons output . What followed were the failures of ‘The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’ and ‘Chameleon’ albums before he scored with the ‘Who Loves You’ album before the flop ‘Helicon’. Then came his series of excellent successes with Neil Diamond. But Bob Gaudio has maintained he never set out in many of his song-writing/producing situations to write a ‘hit song’.

Crewe would argue his ability brought Valli’s solo career back from the dead with ‘My Eye’s Adored You’ and ‘Swearin’ To God’ . Don Charles talks up Crewe’s achievements as he maps out Crewe’s fundamental grasp of the hit sounds people wanted.” It's not surprising that Bob Crewe scored several big Disco hits in the '70s; it was all but inevitable that he would. Clearly, productions for The Four Seasons like "Workin' My Way Back To You", "Opus 17" and "Beggin'" anticipated Disco music; they're the missing link that falls between Cameo-Parkway's dance novelties and Motown's big beat concertos. All three styles form part of a direct line which connects the mambo and the cha-cha-chá to the Bump and the Hustle. Crewe's tickets to dance music immortality were the glam Rock trio LaBelle, who rode his Creole hooker fantasy "Lady Marmalade" to the top of the charts in 1974; Frankie Valli, for whom he wrote and produced the 1975 club classic "Swearin' To God"; The Eleventh Hour, with whom he waxed the cult favorite "Hollywood Hot" (1975), a revamped Bob Crewe Generation, who came back strong with "Street Talk"(1976); and the infamous Disco Tex and His Sex-O-Lettes, for whom he crafted the high camp anthem of 1974, "Get Dancin'". His Disco Tex LP is revered by dance music aficionados; a concept album revolving around the androgynous stage persona of former Las Vegas headliner Sir Monti Rock III, it features guest vocals by Sugarloaf's Jerry Corbetta, Crewe's new songwriting partners Kenny Nolan and Cindy Bullens, old friend Freddy Cannon, and '60s beach movie soundtrack singer Lu Ann Simms. Without a doubt, this was the wildest party Crewe ever staged on wax.

As important as the aforementioned records are to Disco music, Bob Crewe made his most significant contribution to the genre not as a producer, but as an organizer. After moving to Hollywood in the mid-70s, he co-founded the Los Angeles Deejay Pool. In his book Turn The Beat Around, Disco historian Peter Shapiro explains the significance of these organizations: "The idea was that the record companies could save money by sending promotional material to one centralized office (and) the deejays would get all the new records without . . . being rejected because their club wasn't (considered) important enough." By ensuring that the best dance records would be heard in a large number of discothèques, deejay pools facilitated Disco's transition from an underground phenomenon to the cultural explosion that it became. As always, Bob Crewe was primarily interested in promoting his own product, but with LADP, he helped foment a musical revolution in the process.”

 

So was Valli correct in attributing the success of the Seasons sound of the 60s to ‘Gaudio’s musical genius’ in that 1970s article.?

Crewe, a non musician, surrounded himself with talented people encouraging them to achieve their best and succeeded time and time again and he gave others credit and inspired them. Gaudio never did apart from a nod to Crewe’s contribution of lyrics in a 1972 interview and his crediting his first wife Brit who did contribute full lyrics to two songs via her poems. Doubts however have been expressed re Judy Parker’s lyric writing contribution to the 1970s songs Bob Gaudio penned.

Jersey Boys gives no inkling of the ‘reality’ of Bob Crewe’s contribution to the Four Seasons success which was clearly a team effort led by Crewe.

As Charles Calello says….”the key thing is that the Jersey Boys show is centered on the Four Seasons and the original members….and so Crewe’s involvement is somewhat incidental to the shows main direction”

One photo from George Schowerer’s studio set  paints a picture in their body language that doesn’t lie. Two big ego’s - they struggled to get on in the studio.

Charlie is quite clear that Crewe was the best producer…..”Well you’ve got look at what a producer actually does…a producer is someone that not only makes the records, but he also starts it from scratch. And if you look at Crewe’s history of success…Crewe was responsible for Freddie Cannon, Billy and Lilly The Rays …all before he met the Four Seasons….and then the success with the Four Seasons, Diane Renay, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, The Bob Crewe Generation, Disco-Tex and The Sexolettes, Lady Marmalade and Frankie Valli’s career…so that is 9 artists he was responsible for developing in his career(as a producer) since he made the Four Seasons a success”

In Gaudio’s case he would offer up his success with Neil Diamond as a producer in the late 70s, but his production work with Diamond was when he was already a superstar.

“Gaudio doesn’t come close to Crewe as a producer’ says Charlie, “as a producer you have to get the song, find the artist, rehearse and record it and get it promoted by the record company. It is really hard work….. But one of the things I’ve noticed about Gaudio, to his credit, is that over the years, he didn’t score often, but when he scored he scored BIG….’Sherry’ launched the Four Seasons…and he wrote their first 3 hits…and some smaller hits(although ‘Rag Doll’ was a major hit I don’t credit him with that as it stemmed from an idea by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell) before the next blockbuster that he wrote…which was ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ and that was brilliant and he didn’t score again until ‘Who Loves You’ and ‘December 63’ and although he did further records, that was that as far as blockbuster hits was concerned”

A top arranger and producer himself Charlie describes the collaborative but visionary skills of Bob Crewe in this comment….

“Back in the days when I was doing the Crewe records, Bob always had a lot to say about direction and what he wanted the records to sound like. He was one of my teachers that helped me learn how to make "pop" records. I would write the arrangements and Crewe would finish them himself. Although he wasn't a musician and would sometimes have the singers sing the wrong notes, the parts always seemed to work. Crewe is singing and doing the background voices on "My Eyes Adored You." There are sections the singers sing the wrong notes, which always seems to bother me - - but  - - it worked. Crewe was more then capable and was a brilliant producer. Not to minimize my involvement, I just made his ideas work! Later on, with experience under my belt, I was able to do more and more and eventually became "Charlie Calello - Producer" In the beginning we needed Bob Crewe because he knew how to make "Hits."  He taught us well and the records tell the story.  Also, the songs were much simpler to record and there were usually a few people around that would help Crewe is he ran into trouble.”

And as Don Charles says Crewe has been mis-read. As a bi-sexual producer working with straight and gay artists throughout his career his contribution, as many believe, has been understated and his portrayal in Jersey Boys may have “ led some people to think of Bob Crewe as a King of Kitsch, Rock 'n' Roll's equivalent of an Andy Warhol or a John Waters. That's hardly an accurate assessment. They've mistaken embellishment for exaggeration! Crewe approached music making every bit as seriously as his contemporaries did; he just had a highly theatrical style. That style involved injecting a generous dose of humor into his songs when appropriate. It also involved giving records a larger-than-life quality, which all of his best productions have. His body of work reflects great conceptual vision, and would make any musician proud. What makes it all the more remarkable is the fact that Bob Crewe isn't a musician! He's a gifted audio-visual artist who possesses the power to dazzle you, regardless of which medium he chooses to work in.”

”What an amazing résumé he has! Singer, songwriter, producer, publisher, painter, sculptor, celebrity host, fashion model, consultant, entrepreneur and now, author . . . it's almost like he's lived several lifetimes at once.”

As producers they both have their fans and we all love Bob Gaudio’s melodies and creative ability. But thank God he did get to write and produce with Crewe, without whom, ‘Sherry’ and the rest of the Four Seasons story wouldn’t have happened. Bob Crewe added a dimension to the Four Seasons that they would not have otherwise achieved during the early 60s and he deserves to be saluted as a ‘pop genius’…and he would be the first to admit the contribution of Gaudio/Calello/Schroek/Hutch and others in the writing and producing of the fine music which is his legacy.

But who was the best producer is not really the key fact. They did their greatest work together and even during the 70s at Motown they found a way, together and apart to produce great material for Frankie and The Group some of which we have never heard. We’ll continue to push for the release of their separate and combined productions from 1973 and 74. More evidence of its existence has emerged and we will report on this later in the summer.

But for an example of classic writing and production by them both from the very early days is this gem …a Crewe-Gaudio lost classic written and recorded before ‘Sherry’ and beautifully delivered by Jerry Jackson on this 1962 Bob Crewe Production

And always being prepared to make the most of a good arrangement Bob Crewe re-used the Hal Miller and The Rays instrumental backing track for ‘An Angel Cried’ with a completely new Crewe-Gaudio lyric for Chuck Jackson on ‘King Of The Mountain’ in 1963. It just shows the imagination and innovation of this pop genius.

 

The real story of the Four Seasons music is NOT Jersey Boys but the collaborative skill of Crewe – Gaudio – Calello – Linzer – Randell and the incredible vocal performances of Frankie Valli.

Casey Chameleon

(Photos courtesy of George Schowerer)

Edizione D’Oro 1968 (ED) – Almost the Ultimate Four Seasons Hits Album

It was the first Four Seasons vinyl album of the 60s in STEREO ONLY ( Valli’s Solo album ‘Timeless’ had appeared in only the stereo format in June that year )and was a celebration of their incredible run of hits during the decade. 28 tracks re-mastered in glorious stereo using the best sound engineering technology of 1968.(One track ‘Ronnie’ was re-channeled (pseudo) stereo).  A real collectors item then and surprisingly, even more now.

Today we believe the MASTERS of this album may not exist at all and the UNIQUE STEREO mixes and Takes (10) are simply not available on CD in some cases.

Paul Urbahns takes up the analysis of this landmark album……

“ED was a big improvement over the stereo quality of even the Gold Vault Of Hits album previously issued by Philips in 1965. Strange as it may seem, the first album, Gold Vault Of Hits on Philips contained their most recent material: yet, of the 12 songs on that album, half of the songs are presented in mono indicating at that date there was no stereo masters for Let's Hang On; Rag Doll; Ronnie (still not in stereo anywhere); Silence Is Golden; Dawn (Go Away); and Girl Come Running. Whereas the 2nd Gold Vault Of Hits (Nov 1966) which featured the older Vee Jay masters was all stereo. Just so happens these mono Gold Vault of Hits recordings also seem to be the ones Crewe had to remix for ED.I used my old notes I have on a stereo discography I did quite a few years ago, so the following list shows where some of the tracks were previous available in stereo.

Two track that confuse me are Big Man In Town and Save It For Me which according to my notes had previously been issued in stereo on the Gold Vault of Hits (vinyl edition) but many fan reviews of this album(ED) indicate these two songs were unique mixes originated for this album. A recent detailed review has confirmed this. Here is our assessment of the mix sources.......

EDIZIONE D’ORO (Two disc set by sides)

A1 Sherry [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 2:30 

A2 Big Girls Don't Cry [2nd Gold Vault of Hits]  2:25 

A3 Connie-O [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 2:28       

A4 Walk Like A Man [2nd Gold Vault of Hits]     2:21

A5 Candy Girl [2nd Gold Vault of Hits]    

A6 Marlena [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 2:32         

A7 Peanuts [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 2:20        

A8 Ain't That A Shame [ALTERNATE TAKE]      2:33 

B1 Dawn (Go Away) [ALTERNATE TAKE]          2:11 

B2 Stay      [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 1:58

B3 Big Man In Town [ALTERNATE MIX] 2:44   

B4 Alone [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 2:50   

B5 Save It For Me [ALTERNATE MIX]

may also be stereo on Gold Vault of Hits  2:36 

B6 Girl Come Running [ALTERNATE TAKE] 3:00        

B7 Ronnie [[Rechanneled]] 2:25   

C1 Rag Doll [UNIQUE STEREO RELEASE] 3:00

C2 Bye Bye Baby (Baby, Goodbye) [Gold Vault of Hits]2:32        

C3 Toy Soldier [Gold Vault of Hits] 2:28 

C4 Let's Hang On [ALTERNATE TAKE] 3:09     

C5 Don't Think Twice - The Wonder Who [Big Hits of Bacharach, etc] 2:59    

C6 Working My Way Back To You [2nd Gold Vault of Hits]   2:51 

C7 Opus 17 (Don't Worry 'Bout Me) [2nd Gold Vault of Hits] 2:33       

D1 I've Got You Under My Skin [2nd Gold Vault of Hits]      3:37 

D2 Tell It To The Rain   [New Gold Hits] 2:32   

D3 Beggin' [New Gold Hits] 3:48   

D4 Silence Is Golden [First Stereo Release] 3:03     

D5 C'mon Marianne [New Gold Hits] 2:23        

D6 Watch The Flowers Grow [First Stereo Release] 3:33  

D7 Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow [First Stereo Release] 3:13”

Paul's analysis is we believe the definitive track sources listing.

There is evidence that Philips had not done a very good job of managing the library of Seasons recordings during the mid-sixties. When Bob Crewe came to assemble this masterpiece we can see he couldn’t find some tracks and in some cases used unique alternative takes.

Stories at the time circulated that the Four Seasons had returned to the studios to record again some of their past hits but today we do not believe that was the case. At this point in time we believe Crewe tried to reconstruct stereo versions of the hits from existing multi-track tapes. Unfortunately some of these multi-tracks did not contain all the vocal parts, or contained vocal parts previously dropped from the hit single versions. Crewe we believe had his engineer search the then master tapes to find STEREO versions or to RE-MIX from multi-track to create the NEW MASTERS.

ACE Records of London attempted a re-issue of this album in 1996 and asked the Four Seasons Partnership (under the terms of their contract) for the masters and an opportunity to access the original master tapes. Trevor Churchill told us at the time of his intense frustration at the attitude of the Partnership and the difficulties encountered. It was a contract they regretted very much at the time although their CD issues represent probably the best Four Seasons re-issue catalogue on CD.

ACE’s reissue of the original albums in two-fer format series is to be complimented for issuing all the albums in the best stereo quality to be available on CD. Arguably many of these CD’s are examples of excellent mastering(but not all)

The re-issue of the Edizione D’Oro album on CD should have been a landmark in the series but it was a big disappointment.

Not wishing to duplicate the existing stereo versions available on other CD albums in the series, as illustrated in the chart above for source material for the original ED album, ACE assembled a collection of mono versions of the songs. These mono versions had previously not been available on CD. Unfortunately, since some mono masters were not in the Partnership collection, they did use some fold downs (from stereo) in the collection. Of the 10 known alternative versions or unique stereo mixes on the original 2 album set only 3 managed to appear on this CD issue with ‘Watch The Flowers Grow’ and ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ getting cut for time reasons along with ‘Tell It To The Rain’. In all other respects it was an all mono CD. Surprisingly the ACE CD   reissue today, typically sells in the $150 to $200 range, if you can locate a copy.

Two opportunities were(have been) missed by ACE and The Four Seasons Partnership since the advent of the CD. Firstly the issue of all the hits as the MONO 45s and also the reproduction of what was an excellent sounding stereo album which Edizione D’Oro was with some stunning unique mixes really well mastered(and pressed in the case of the UK vinyl). But as many of the Masters are missing the only source would have been vinyl and that approach has been a ‘no-go’ for all except Northern Soul aficionados (eg Goldmine Records)

Fortunately this album has now been re-mastered from vinyl(UK pressing) to preserve this unique sounding vinyl epic and preserved in our library. Now we will move onto the MONO masters of the 45s as we heard them back in the early 60s and see how many we can recover to good quality sound.

Casey Chameleon