Session Review Notes
Period 1971[Oct] – 1972[Aug]
Artist:Frankie Valli/Four Seasons
Four Seasons - Bob Gaudio produced 'Chameleon' Sessions and other tracks
Core Tapes to be researched: P2105: 2110: 2111;2262
Unreleased Tracks
Track Title: Loving You That's My Thing [found and for release Summer 2020]
Artist: Four Seasons
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 60752
First Location Tape: P2111
Second Location: T2062
Notes
A discarded track from one of the 'Chameleon' tapes P2111 is 'Loving You, That's My Thing' which sounds like it should be a soul/funk track by the Temptations or Jacksons. But can you judge that on the title? It's certainly not a title we could find any other record of, but evidence was that it was recorded at the same time as 'Poor Fool' and 'You're A Song'. But not heard since. Well until recently that is. A completed version of it has surfaced from the session and the track is an up-tempo harmony laced 'sing-along' 'fun' type song completely different to the serious songs of the ‘Chameleon’ album . A completed Master Nr 60752 (on Tape P2111) exists but no evidence of a Stereo Mix for album/single assessment { Tape Box Data reveals 2 leads, 1 incomplete ] so maybe it was not considered for release although at the time it was one of the 15 completed tracks listed in the TCB Newsletter in Jan 1972 which was the first mention of it. [ A Finished Copy has also been found by fans] . Now we have it from the Master Tape and Bob Gaudio has found and approved the track for inclusion in the Snapper Music Box Set.
Track Title: Lovewell
Artist: Four Seasons
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 60759
First Location Tape: P2111
Notes
One of the more intriguing Artists Card from Motown is a song that appears to be a 'Chameleon' album reject. It has also proved to be a title with no recognisable registered writers. 'Lovewell' was mentioned by Steve Bailey as worked upon at the 'My Heart Cries Out To You' session. But it was not mentioned again other than in the list of 15 tracks laid down in the TCB Newsletter Jan 1971 and we can't find anything on BMI/ASCAP about it. But this shows it was recorded and where it is located.
Track Title: Never Gonna Give My Love to You [found and for release Summer 2020]
Artist: Four Seasons
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 60760
First Location Tape: P2110
Second Location:T2023
Additional Locations: T2062/T2151
Notes
In early 72 newsletters from Stu Miller's notes it was stated....”three (songs from the 15 listed back in Feb 1972)are at present being considered for a first single. They are 'Never Gonna Give My Love To You', 'The Night' or 'Time Will Tell'. .....Al Ruzicka wrote by himself 'Never Gonna Give My Love.....' and co-wrote with Bob Gaudio 'The Night'.
Finding Al's published songs has been pretty difficult at both BMI and ASCAP but we know he also wrote 'Poor Fool' , and co-wrote 'Touch The Rainchild' and it seems he co-wrote 'When Will You Come Home To Me' with Bob Gaudio and Kathy Wakefield(a Motown in-house writer) for Diana Ross and it appears on the 'Last Time I Saw Him' album. This album included two other Bob Gaudio co-written and produced songs.
But we do have the Artists Card for the Four Seasons Sessions at Mowest which shows this track as the last in a sequence of Motown Masters that run from 60752 to 60760. It follows 'When The Morning Comes' and 'Sun Country' and is probably one that didn't make the 'cut' for the ‘Chameleon’ album. This sequence of tracks indicate sessions in November/December 1971 with Stereo Mixes done in January 1972. Obviously from the TCB Newsletter listings at least 15 tracks were mixed to Stereo for potential release. Only 'Love Isn't Here/Poor Fool' made it to 45 and surprisingly the 45 scan names the album source as 'Chameleon' in Feb 1972 when the album didn't surface till May 1972. I'm asking everyone to search their notes and records from back then for any more data but it seems the concept for 'Chameleon’ was set in stone prior to this February 45 release date. Also it appears Gaudio's productions took precedence over other producers(including The Corporation) and it now seems probable that he persuaded Mowest to go with his choice of 45 and that all 8 songs for the album were recorded and mastered(along with others that remain unreleased). Evidence of the Chameleon track sessions was found on cassette tape and this track has surfaced in completed format and it is an up-tempo song with chanted backing by the Seasons. Very like the live song they did in the 1980s concerts [You're Never Too Old To Rock And Roll' ] this is a real hand-clapper and totally different to the tracks selected for ‘Chameleon’. It doesn't fit that concept at all
This track [which we have as a completed demo] was mixed to a 16 track copy tape and two Stereo mixes were made but no dates are given. However Bob Gaudio has found it and it appears ‘Re-Mixed’ from 16 track BUT with loads of reverb and echo on the Four Seasons backing vocals which in my opinion destroys the feel from the session version. It will be in the Snapper Music Box Set
Track Title: We Had It All (Walking In The Sunshine)
Artist: Four Seasons
Producer: Bob Gaudio?
Motown Master: 60769
First Location Tape: Not known possibly P2105/10 or 11
Notes
No Artists Card or Tape Index Reference has been found for this track and a long lost demo of the Four Season backing and instrumental track has surfaced giving the perception that Valli never did a vocal lead?. It also appears in this format in the FSP Archive. However a list of Motown Masters confirms the track was [most likely] finished and resides on one of the key tapes noted. The Master Nr immediately precedes 'The Night' and so we surmise it is a Bob Gaudio production. But as a Willie Hutch Master follows 'The Night' on P2105 that is a qualified guess. The song appears in the BMI listing as a Stone Diamond published song and as these publishers did many Motown songs we think it may be a Haynes – Rhone composition or maybe Bob Gaudio could tell us?
Track Title: That's All I Want From You
Artist: Four Seasons
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 60772
First Location Tape: P2111
Notes
When you look at the Four Seasons Motown Tape Index, 3 tapes stand out from the sessions that took place at the end of 1971 as intensive studio recording took place. Tapes P2105/2110/2111 feature predominantly Bob Gaudio produced songs and the majority were very innovative arrangements and original Gaudio or group written songs. Several saw release and I've already featured some that didn't make the 'Chameleon' album or 45 cut. But one features a song that asks the question........was it completed?..The song was recorded and given a Master Nr 60772 on Tape P2111. The Artists Card confirms it's existence although only as a 16 track recording with no final Stereo Mix done to date. But evidence has emerged of the backing track being copied to cassette A real mystery this one. The fact that a Master Nr exists would indicate a completed session Master but only the tape research would reveal the song which may need a final mix from the 16 tracks. We have the Instrumental version from a session tape cassette but know nothing more re its completed form.
Track Title: You're A Song
Artist: Four Seasons
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 60777
First Location Tape: P2110[Slow Version] P2111[Fast Version]?
Notes
As we've seen with the most recent Artists Cards there were a number of tracks that were recorded as part of the Chameleon sessions, led by Bob Gaudio which never made the 'cut' for the album and which he had never heard since [until the Universal Digital Transfer]. His fan base can just be aghast at this and wonder whether any hidden 'gems' exist or just 'out-takes' he'd rather not have us hear.? But we know the one we have heard.....but 'which version is it?'
Motown Master Nr 60777 is a song from the 'Chameleon' album but there are it seems, a 'slow' version on Tape P2110(along with The Night, Touch The Rainchild and When The Morning Comes) and a 'fast' version on Tape P2111(along with Poor Fool , A New Beginning and a few other unreleased titles ). And a Lead vocal and Harmony vocal are confirmed as existing on that Tape. But it is hard for us to tell which one we have as the released version (probably the 'slow' one) makes it hard to believe there could be an alternative ‘fast’ arrangement - .although we do know at least 18 takes were done . Stereo and 16 track copies exist on T Tapes too. We have a version with Frankie singing it in another key which we believe is an earlier Take.
Until Bob Gaudio tells us what was on the digitized copies of the tapes sent to him by Universal, he'll probably not reveal the 'other' version, but we'd like to hear it whether it was an out-take or not.
Ken Charmer – Music Historian
March 2022
Note; The Chameleon session out-takes listed above that we have will be featured in the Motown Unreleased Campaign Facebook Group.
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