When we met Snapper last August re the proposal of [up to] a 40 CD album project on Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons - 'What Do Fans Want?' seemed a daunting question nor one the Four Seasons Partnership or any previous Record Company had ever asked us.!! When asked what our priority was we all said the Motown Unreleased. When we were told Bob Gaudio was totally on board with the project and he had 'unreleased' tracks from every decade, the project became a NO BRAINER.
With a list of 'assets' in the Partnership of MONO and STEREO 'available' seen for the first time the objective became compiling 'The List'for licensing and contracts. The big news was that the MONO album Masters are available [for most of the 60s albums] and the proposal is to include both MONO and STEREO Masters as new transfers 're-mastered'.
So what about the 'Non-LP 45s'.......and the 45s that are different mixes from the album MONO?
Well the search is on in the Tape Archive with long-term archivist Bill Inglot 'on the case'. By November 'The List' was needed to prepare contracts and the proposal was to have the Non-LP 45s on a separate CD.....but we advised straight away that this would break the timeline of the set and so we suggested a structure like the ACE CD's from the 1990s with Bonus tracks to each album be the preferred approach. We burned the midnight oil to help construct the set 'list'
So the list included for relevant CD's album 'Bonus' tracks for 45s and 'special' STEREO mixes from the 'Golden Hits' album and where possible for all the 1960s albums to add to the MONO and STEREO versions.
MONO versions of 'Solo'and 'Timeless'albums have not been found and were never originally issued.[Possibly 'destroyed']. Philips we believe always intended these albums for STEREO only issue, and this seems to also be the case with the 'Half and Half' album.
BUT a MONO Tape of 'Genuine Imitation Life Gazette' has been found and is being proposed as a vinyl album insert to the box with FULL replica artwork
Bob Crewe's 'special' STEREO re-masters for 'Edizione D'Oro' have been found on Master Tape and will be included. Only 29 tracks are proposed as 'Peanuts'[special Golden Hits 'Re-mix]is included elsewhere.
A 'Rare 45s and Unreleased'CD is proposed for 1968 to 1972including releases on various labels and late Philips sessions plus the UK Warner 45 sides from 1971.
Snapper Records have said Bob Gaudio will supervise the Master tape availability/transfers with vinyl dubs from mint/Promo copies used by Snapper to achieve the list if necessary.
What a wonderful set of tracks if it can be achieved . This will be in new re-mastered sound and has never ever been attempted or achieved since the advent of CD re-issues.
More re the Motown Unreleased and other decade tracks in future blogs.
Casey Chameleon
PS. Back in 2013 we published the following blog note re our work on the MONO Archive and why it was so important. Click the Link Below.
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