Session Review Notes
Period 1973[Mid] – Bob Gaudio sessions
Artist:Frankie Valli
Core Tapes to be researched: P2878: 2505
Track Title: Future Years [found and for release Summer 2020]
Artist: Frankie Valli
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 62216
First Location Tape: P2678
Second Location: T5232
Notes
Our final Artists Card in a set of 23 for individual recordings was not the last recording but from the final Bob Gaudio session at Motown with Valli seeking to find a 'solo' hit.(in May 1973). 'Future Years' had no writing credits as far as we could find during our research but represents a 'telling' title to close the Motown 'unreleased' Artists Cards. With a completed Master Nr 62216 it was probably recorded before 'The Scalawag Song' (62300) although it appears on a later P tape (2678 c/f 2505). Recording dates show May/June recording and it was part of Bob Gaudio’s review of the Motown Tapes transferred to him by the Vault Issue Department at Universal Motown,. He obviously focused on his own sessions which he knew/recalled best and this track has been approved for release as part of the Snapper Music Box Set.. It is an excellent and prophetic lyric written by Tony Martin Jr and Guy Finlay who Bob Gaudio would go on to produce an album with, before leaving Motown. The track was copied to Tapes P5084/5 as part of a planned album in May 1974 as the group and Bob Crewe left the label. Gaudio would leave as a writer/producer in 1975 . It appeared to only ever be stored as a 16 track master but whilst reviewing the FSP archive we found a number of unreleased Motown Copy Tapes and one included this song but in a different ‘Take’ with slightly different closing instrumental and vocal. It has been put forward for inclusion in the Box Set as an Alternative Version.
Track Title: Getting Over You
Artist: Frankie Valli
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 62217
First Location Tape: P2678
Second Location: T5232
Notes
It appears that before Bob Crewe took the NEW Four Seasons into the studio with Nick Massi and Charlie Calello in November 1973 that Bob Gaudio did further summer tracks with Frankie Valli targeting a solo hit. The only Master to emerge as a Motown release from these sessions is 'The Scalawag Song' (62300). A beautiful song but another poorly promoted release by Motown. But other songs with earlier Master Nrs would indicate other unreleased but completed songs from such sessions. 'Getting Over You' (62217) is one of three other Master numbers (with 62216 and 8) that appear to come from a May 1973 session that we know very little about. What we do know is the Artists Card captures some clues as to the last solo session Valli did at Motown. Some confusion seems to have existed when the card was produced as to whether the song was being recorded by Martin and Finley as opposed to Frankie Valli. We know Bob Gaudio produced Martin and Finley's sole Motown album 'Dazzle 'Em With Footwork' – a very disappointing sounding album which appeared in 1974 before Gaudio left Motown. A later added note (in red) on the Artists Card indicates the departure of the group from Motown saying 'Out Of Spec' which appears on a few of the last Cards. Although clearly found by Bob Gaudio in his review of the tapes in 2019 it was a surprise that it was not approved for release along with others from these sessions. But it is complete and we want it!!.
Track Title: Whatever You Want [found and for release Summer 2020]
Artist: Frankie Valli
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 62218
First Location Tape: P2678
Second Location: T5232
Additional Location: T5736[30May1974] P5085[Album]
Notes
A song which is a throwback to 1962 and Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe's developing writing partnership. The song is 'Whatever You Want' and the Artists Card and Tape Index show this was recorded by Frankie Valli at a May 1973 session with producer Bob Gaudio on P Tape 2678. It is, of course, a re-make of the classic 1962 Jerry Butler song of the same name written by Gaudio-Crewe and originally released on Vee-Jay 486(SS195 UK). Could it be as good as the superb Jerry Butler original updated by Frankie Valli?. Well Motown thought so in May 1974 as they copied it to the then planned P5085 Master tape for a NEW album which would never see release as the group left Motown. It has lush Beach Boys style backing vocals by Motown session singers and a plaintiff Frankie Valli vocal. A great sound.
Well we also found a copy of it in the FSP archive from 1974 so Frankie and Bob had always known it was complete and there. This is an underdub version with a piano only backing. But it is a superb production and vocal/backing and has been proposed by us for release.
Track Title: You Can't Hold On [found and for release Summer 2020]
Artist: Frankie Valli
Producer: Bob Gaudio
Motown Master: 62299
First Location Tape: P2505
Second Location: T4389
Additional Location: P5084[Album]
Notes
Back to the Motown Records Artist's Card that supply clues of happenings at Motown in both 1973 and 1974 we found 'You Can't Hold On' was not a song title for which we can identify writers [and Motown refer to it as COPYRIGHT CONTROL] but it was one of a handful of songs Bob Gaudio produced with Frankie Valli in May 1973 as it is on the same P track tape as 'Scalawag' (Master Nr 62300) and has the previous Master Nr 62299. The copy dates were at first misleading, but what has emerged is that Stereo Mixes of the song were made in May 1974 for possible use as the B side to a single proposed for ‘The Night’. We found a copy of both Mix 4 of this track with Mix 39 of The Night [ the Frankie Valli lead-in version of 43 mixed in total !!]. If Valli/Gaudio and Crewe hadn't confronted Motown and left with 'My Eyes Adored You' we may have heard this on a released album in late 1974 as it was also copied to Tape P5085 for that cancelled album. But researching the FSP Archive we also found 2 different versions to the one approved as a final ‘Take 6’ Mix which has alternate Valli and backing vocals and has been put forward for inclusion in the Box Set.
This may also be one of the tracks they also tried to 'buy' from Motown who wanted too much money for them . Were 'My Eyes Adored You' and the released 'Scalawag ', the best of the tracks they had in the vault from these 1973 sessions ?. Well our research and this Snapper Box set release will show there were many quality tracks still left behind [or sitting with Bob Gaudio ] as documented in this research plan.
Next Time......Part 6 – Bob Crewe’s November/December sessions 1973
Ken Charmer – Music Historian
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