Happy Christmas and a hopeful New Year for 2022 to all of our followers from us the founders of The Four Seasons UK Appreciation in our www identity.......George Ingram, Lynn Boleyn MBE, Ray Nichol and myself Ken Charmer[Happy Christmas from Spain].
So here is our Christmas 'music treat' of the original Four Seasons line-up 'Becoming the Four Seasons'
It is 60 years last month since the Four Seasons appeared on the record label – Gone 5122. Anyone who studies the Four Seasons catalogue will know their first recording was in November 1961 with 'Bermuda b/w Spanish Lace'.....an unedifying yet interesting beginning.....and even more so as they appeared as Billy Dixon and The Topics before and after that supposed NAME CHANGE. Firstly in October 1961 with 'Trance b/w I Am All Alone', and then in January 1962 with 'Lost Lullaby b/w Trance' both on Topix......and again as the Topics on a single side 45 on Perri 1007 with 'Girl Of My Dreams' in May 1962. So the road to success with Vee-Jay and 'Sherry b/w I've Cried Before' was up to this point in late 1961/early 1962 unclear in terms of the FINAL ID that they would live with and become famous as. They had been recording backing vocals for Bob Gaudio since 1960 and appearing LIVE still as The Four Lovers in the New Jersey area, before their eponymous 'Four Seasons Lounge' bowling alley appearance would lead to the name change as we see in the 'Jersey Boys' Show and film(s)
However Tommy DeVito's Tape Archive revealed how 4 songs preceded their ultimate ID change and led to three songs that would see release, and one that would be recorded three times but never be released at all. All three of these unreleased versions of a song called 'LIKE YOU' [in totally different arrangements] are included in the Snapper Music Box Set coming out next year, but one other song of the 4 DEMOS which was NOT APPROVED by Bob Gaudio for inclusion in the Box Set remains unheard by most fans [until now that is]. You will have to read about the other tracks in the Box Set Collectors Notes and hear the results there of the other salvaged and restored tracks that did get approval.
The four songs which survived as DEMOS on a cassette archive tape in Tommy's collection reached us via the late Rex Woodard who co-wrote the BIO that would inspire the 'Jersey Boys' script from his 1990 interviews with Tommy DeVito. 'Trance/I Am All Alone/Like You/I Still Care' were all recorded as DEMOS in the early 1961. Clearly they impressed Bob Crewe who recorded and released the first two under the Billy Dixon and The Topix 'moniker' on his Topix label 6002.
But 'I Still Care' was selected for recording by Miss Frankie Nolan with the group backing [and Frankie Valli's soaring falsetto vocal] on Paramount 10231 in April 1961 and can be heard below. It is a great 45 performance and song.
The Billy Dixon and The Topics DEMO has surprisingly been rejected by Bob Gaudio for inclusion in the Snapper Music Box Set. We sent it to him and he has heard it.....but surprisingly said NO.... We asked Snapper Music why?..... but never got an answer and they did not approach Bob Gaudio for an explanation!!!!. Maybe as the song by Miss Frankie Nolan appears in 'Jersey Boys', Bob did not want to confuse matters ?. Maybe the sound quality of the DEMO was judged too poor for Inclusion? He wrote it, so receives 'royalties' for it from 'Jersey Boys' but the version by the group that would within a year become The Four Seasons 'sensation' is a full harmony ballad treatment typical of many of their later Vee-Jay tracks. It should have been in the Box for Collectors. We think it is an amazing find.
However with the help of Casey Chameleon and DES Artificial Intelligence 'sound splitting' technology we are able to present and share this extra-ordinary performance in a Digitally Extracted STEREO Version as the only way to preserve this great DEMO. We hope you enjoy it and will form your own opinion if the Four Seasons that became the group we all love should have recorded it and released it at Vee-Jay. We think so!!!
Ken Charmer – For The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society
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