That 'Four Seasons' Sound

'Groups' don't last but a 'Group's Sound' does

Remembering the 60s, as I and older fans do, we saw groups come and go every month. One hit wonders in many cases......or songs that just didn't get the airplay and disappeared without trace. But distinctive group sounds did succeed and survive.......and much of it in the UK grew out of the Merseybeat era that gave us the Beatles.

Doo-Wop and Rock'n'Roll performed live in basement clubs in the UK in the early 60s eventually reached the studio and into hits along with West Coast Surf groups in the charts in the US and UK.......whilst at the same time soul, folk and a new sound from Detroit......meant that a melting pot of music emerged and eventually by 1966, group or act sounds became dominant amongst record buyers.

It was at the start of this period that The Four Seasons emerged and got a foothold with listeners, with their distinctive harmonies and a lead singer with an amazing range and falsetto, which producer Bob Crewe could focus on and songwriter Bob Gaudio could write for. But everyone [including writers, artists, arrangers and producers] knew that 2/3 years of hits was the best you could achieve. Longevity [or the coming importance of album sales] was not the thought of any of these artists and those that have survived often say that. The 7” vinyl 45 rpm 'Hits' came and went very quickly and royalties often didn't and management disputes and competition buried some groups.

But once a sound became established and adopted by fans, they stayed faithful and believed in the 'group' sound. But how long would it last and would the artists/groups stay faithful to their fans needs and wants ? Well history says MAYBE........ The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Four Tops, The Temptations are just examples of a groups sound that had a clear and distinctive element that has stood the test of time. The Four Seasons you may think had a group sound that has survived.....but if you are a longstanding fan of 'the sound' and it's development you will probably say NO. And looking at the decades of music group sounds.........only one group can claim to remain through the decades faithful to the essence of 'their sound' and that is THE TEMPTATIONS.

Spending many years collecting the recordings attributed to The Four Seasons [and the last 4 years reviewing the surviving master tapes with the late great Bob Fisher] it is clear we lost in many ways 'That 'FOUR SEASONS' Sound' many decades ago. In the forthcoming 'Seasons On Saturday' videocasts with our team I will be exploring this subject discussing the catalogue from 1965 onwards when their 'sound' was probably at it's peak.

'Who Killed The Four Seasons Sound?'.......will run through the background of these timeline related catalogue discussions as like every other successful 60s group they sought further 'fame and fortune'.[and to pay the debts Tommy left them with!!] And who are the contenders for losing the 'sound' ? Frankie Valli/Bob Gaudio/Bob Crewe/Nick Massi....or maybe Philips/Motown or Warner Curb..??.....we and this Box Set will force a re-appraisal of the group and Frankie's legacy.

For comparison and reference I look at THE TEMPTATIONS as they celebrate their 60^th Anniversary with one surviving member in Otis Williams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwfINYh1080

The early group had an amazing and distinctive sound that grew out of doo-wop soul with multiple lead vocalists[a notable element of group success that would revive The NEW Four Seasons of the 1970s pictured above] When David Ruffin wanted the group to be renamed 'David Ruffin and the Temptations'......he was to be summarily dumped and replaced so that the sound continued and developed with highly talented replacements. In 1999 their recruited line-up went 'Platinum' with their updated but related group sound on 'Phoenix Rising'. Proof [if it was needed] that preserving and developing the group sound was something worth investing in and developing through collaboration and teamwork. They also had 'family' in the way Motown worked in the early days and the longest standing artist/manager relationship in Otis Williams and Shelly Bergen......a true and trusted hand-shake arrangement also connected with the 'brand' and with the fan base........but it would seem with much greater success than that of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio in The Four Seasons Partnership. There are reasons why the sound based around Frankie Valli's unique vocal was not developed as it could and this catalogue release by Snapper shows that, but also the great solo career he was able to develop.

So we have to look at the catalogue of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with the context of the people and the investors and record companies as making music was and remains about making money....whilst making music. Whichever is dominant we will explore as fans in a critical career appraisal through our experience as fans with a creative and former musical director and member of the group, Lee Shapiro.

The Four Seasons at Motown should have been a new 'dawn' of developing sounds and hits. That is where the 60s took them by 1971.....to join groups like The Temptations and The Commodores at a classic label, but one by then flawed with distractions and mismanagement. We still seek to fully know what happened there to Frankie and the Band. That 'campaign' goes on.

We will in our next 'Seasons On Saturday' sessions pick up the history of the group and talk about 1965 and the place the Four Seasons had in pop music and how group sounds were changing and what was done …...or not done to preserve that 'longevity'. 'That 'Four Seasons' Sound' should have been 'legendary', but will this 44 CD Box Set demonstrate that or will it be a testimony to good and bad decisions and luck.? And given our experience as a 'fan group' since the 1970s it will sadly show a lack of 'connection' with the fans for decades.....only partly overcome in the last few years. The on-going popularity of Frankie Valli tour dates by this revered 88 year old lead singer this summer [and the hoped for success of the Snapper Music Box Set] would tend to prove the 'legendary' status is intact....much is owed to the team led by long-time musical director Robbie Robinson...since 1978 for the touring band....and all of the 'Four Seasons' band members through the decades.....So what of the journey from 1962 to today ? The next 'Seasons On Saturday' videocast will be coming in May. Next time 1965 to 1967......Frankie Valli's second solo career.....catch the previous episodes here.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Happy Easter everyone.

Ken Charmer – Music Historian – The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society

Lynn Boleyn MBE– Secretary and PR

Motown 'Unreleased' - The Final Word........for now!

Following my Motown ‘Unreleased’ Project Plan to research the tapes which I did back in 2019 and updated this year, it is clear that Universal Motown have not done FULL listening tests of the Tapes recovered from the Iron Mountain storage, but our hope is that the Tapes listed in my spreadsheet from a 1990s database they had compiled have ALL been found and transferred to Bob and Shannon Gaudio and they will eventually be the basis of a detailed 'listening' review for a collectors release at a future date and as a follow on to the release of the Snapper Music Box Set this summer. However we think that not all of the tapes we have identified in the Project Plan have been sent to them or recovered from the vault.

From what we knew back in early 2019 only a review of the Tape Boxes was done [and not the Artists Cards] by the Universal Motown Vault Service Department pending decision by Bob Gaudio re what he wanted. At that time the Tape Box scans revealed that there were 19 [see below] that showed with vocals indicated.  This of course was not a guarantee.  They could be demos or scratch vocals, or mismarked.  They needed to be digitally transferred and played to see if they exist. And other undocumented tracks could be found on the tapes that contain vocals as Universal have found in the past as these tracks contain all of the Production sessions and all of the TAKES and not only by Frankie in some cases depending on the producer.[e.g Hal Davis with Michael Jackson and Frankie Valli sessions?] What we can tell you is the songs that appeared to have Frankie's vocals on from Tape Boxes for the Motown Unreleased part of the Box Set in January 2019 were:

        My Heart Cries Out For You
        Chained
        Save The Children
        Girl, Don't Take Your Love From Me
        Never Gonna Give My Love To You
        You're A Song (Slow version/Fast Version?)
        Loving You, That's My Thing
        Stop, Look And Listen To Your Heart
        Thank You For Yesterday
        I Will Love You Like A Man
        When I Come Of Age
        You Can't Hold On
        Hymn To Her (When My Love Touches Me)
        (You've Gotta Make Your) Tomorrow Tonight
        Whatever You Want
        Future Years

        Lovers
        Getting Over You

        Star

* Additionally, there were another 11 songs, with indicated possible vocals:

        Starvin' For Your Love
        Time Will Tell
        Wigs And Lashes
        Where Love Ends
        I'll Make It Up To You
        After I'm Gone
        Minute By Minute - Day By Day
        After You
        Live It Up
        With You

* Lastly, there are songs with alternate vocal 'takes' of existing releases like 'Hickory' and the 45 version of 'Listening To Yesterday' which had still to be found

Some of these songs we knew of only as rumoured recordings and some that are missing from this list we know may have been completed and copied as we have detailed locations for them in the Project Research Plan [e.g Be My Lover, Be My Friend]. What has happened since early 2019 is that as a result of the tapes being sent to Bob Gaudio, as he requested, he has reviewed enough of them to give us 13 of a potential 30 unreleased tracks including songs like the rumoured 'Minute By Minute, Day By Day' and 'After You' which are simply amazing finds. Clearly with more work by the Vault Services Team at Universal Motown and investment in time and finance by them and the FSP in listening tests and mixing down, there could be much more of adequate quality for release. It needs Bob Gaudio and Frankie to believe it is 'worth the chase' [and cost!!....yes we know they can afford it] as they seemed to be unconvinced at the time and we are getting so few 'unreleased' tracks in 2022. However, what has been found confirmed what I have maintained since the start of the Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign over 4 years ago, and as has been indicated from some 12 years of detailed paper records research. Obviously resources, collaboration and co-ordination is needed to complete the story. Simply put.......do Bob and Frankie care enough about what the fans want.?

So the potential in ‘Future Years’ is for a comprehensive Box Set from the only known remaining Multi-Track Library in the group’s history to still exist. THE MOTOWN YEARS SESSIONS BOX SET...........will be the target. And those of you that purchase the forthcoming Box Set will get to sonically appreciate why the FB Motown Campaign group was necessary and its continuation. Fortunately the 'financial model'.......$1m cash flow, enabled us to get these tracks as part of the full catalogue from 1962 to 2010. But the Snapper budget could only go so far and the extended time we spent produced many late finds. We are all grateful for how Bob Gaudio, Universal and Snapper Music have responded to Snapper's great decision to embark on this project, and although it falls short of expectations there is hope for more. It is all about money and the licensing and return on investment and not always a view of strengthening the 'brand' or preserving the 'art' as we [the fans] have done with the input to the forthcoming Box Set. Snapper believe they will do that with a 'sensational' product. We will see what impact it has and how the planned Jersey Boys TV movie works in conjunction with it. Without doubt the combination will set the future perception of The Four Seasons Story. We know the customer base, for these tracks and their history, and we only have a few more pieces for the jigsaw until the catalogue is complete. Then there is the 'story' behind the tracks.....'The Work' [Rex Woodard- Tommy DeVito]and 'The Rise and Fall Of The NEW Four Seasons'[our e-book]........more on these in future blogs........ and maybe Mike Derrico's long planned book?.

I will, later this year after the Box Set release, change the FB group's name to 'THE FOUR SEASONS RARE AND UNRELEASED MUSIC' as the focus moves on to the big picture of the catalogue and we can all comment on the 'rare' finds once released and what still remains unheard or unfound. The REST of the Motown Unreleased will remain a target and I want at least a recognition that our data has identified 'un-researched sources' and maybe the prospect exists of a follow on not as a limited edition like the Snapper Music Box Set but some regular releases at a lower cost for all. For now though you have all we know re the Motown contract years and subsequent releases in these blogs.

Some other tracks didn't make the Box Set and I will seek to share these when I can and do more DES versions for the You Tube Channel.

Celebrating the catalogue and unearthing 'lost gems' is still our aim.

More on the Tape Research 'finds' next time

 

Ken Charmer - Music Historian for the UK Four Seasons Appreciation Society

New CD Release Will Please Four Seasons Collectors

I’ve been thinking for a long time how the collecting hobby of Four Seasons sounds was pretty exhausted and that with the passing of older fans that interest in their music and sound will ‘fall of the cliff’ as no-one younger seems to coming forward with interest and technical skill to carry on the research that we have been doing for the last 40 plus years. Keeping the sounds of harmony alive today and into future. How refreshing it was therefore to get the chance to speak with Kyler Schwartz in Philadelphia.

 

Kyler  is a 23 year old avid 60s vinyl collector who is part of the Teensville Records team ‘bringing 60s rarities to the world’. I was sent for review one of their latest project releases on CD…… ‘A Sound For All (Four) Seasons –A selection of Jersey Harmony Sound-Alikes 1963 – 1967’. It’s a 32 track collection of Four Seasons imitators and contains many sides not heard before by even the most avid of Four Seasons collectors.

 

And the sound quality is excellent with tracks scoring generally DR10/11 on the Dynamic Range meter with RMS at or around -11 db loudness making it the best sounding set of such tracks since the ACE Laurie Sixties Vocal Groups CDCHD 346. The re-masters of even the well known tracks is an essential listen for any collector

 

The interview runs 25 mins and features clips from some of the tracks discussed and some of the rarer sounds. I can’t speak too highly of this set , if you  like Four Seasons sounds and harmony groups generally. It’s a truly great set of rarities.

 

 You can hear our interview  here.

 

Contact Teensville Records here

 

Ken Charmer

Two Historic Performances

After the disapointment of Jersey Boys – The movie and Casey's review of the (mainly) UK press I found a big lift and reminder what being a Four Seasons fan is all about. My long-time friend from New Jersey(we became pen pals in 1976 when I joined the UK/US fan clubs) sent me this video featuring two of my favourite members of the group. It reminded me what a great 'LIVE' group they were and getting the chance to hear Gerry sing the lead on 'December 63' once again was magic.

 And then along came the 4^th of July and Frankie Valli's performance in Washington to celebrate with the nation. It is interesting to see 2 such different Four Seasons bands present the music that they have entertained us with over the years. 

Back in 1976 if someone had suggested these two alternate venue's to them or us we would probably have dismissed it as impossible.....but they remain top entertainers.

Ken Charmer

Harmony, Perfect Harmony?

Beach Boys and Four Seasons die-hard fans have one thing in common. They are distrustful of re-launches, farewell tours and new albums

We all remember Frankie Valli’s hugely disappointing (at least to this writer) ‘Romancing The 60s’ CD – his last album in 2007 – and Beach Boys Fans will remember the drum machine laced ‘Summer In Paradise’(1992) - A critical and commercial failure, the album's release reportedly caused independent distributor Navarre to become bankrupt. Both these albums relied heavily on computer aided production

So anyone can be forgiven for looking at the the Beach Boys 50^th Anniversary and Frankie Valli’s forthcoming UK Tour (celebrating 50 years since ‘Sherry’ was released) with a degree of cynicism.

Are these a last piece of money-grabbing before retirement and ‘passing’(the Beach Boys Tour is set to bring in around $45m) or a creative gesture to equally ageing and loyal fans, to say….”Thank You” – whilst being a final celebration of the 60s harmony group sound.

 

As The Guardian’s review of the Beach Boys latest studio album ‘That’s Why God Made The Radio’ says……. “It's easy to be sceptical about the Beach Boys' reunion. Indeed, if you look at the messageboards, diehard fans seem the most distrustful of the lot, which figures: for all the warmth and open-heartedness of the band's best music, if there's one thing being a Beach Boys fan teaches you, it's scepticism. There are only so many times you can be told Brian Wilson has been restored to full physical and mental health, the better to make himself and a lot of other people a great deal of money, before you develop what the Clash called a "bullshit detector", and Beach Boys fans have been told that on a regular basis – and with a great deal of evidence to the contrary – for the last 36 years”

Now why does it seem the same for Four Seasons fans? And how should we react to both these major 2012 events? After all as John Carucci says in his review, “There's a fine line between recreating your timeless signature sound and becoming a nostalgia act for your own music”

But listening to the sounds once again created like in the mid 60s it appears that the Beach Boys have a clear message with their album offering fond recollections of those halcyon days (with it seems some good reviews)

How Brian Wilson found the creativity that almost re-connects today’s production with the awesome ‘Pet Sounds’ is amazing. We hear the familiar cascading harmonies flow like the surf their vocals relate us too in a tribute that shows their creativity , experience and the quality of today’s sound  production team. The highlight is clear as the LA Times notes….” The conclusion of a theme teased at the album's start with a Wilson-penned instrumental, “Think About the Days,” the final nine minutes of “Radio,” divided into the songs “From There to Back Again,” “Pacific Coast Highway” and “Summer's Gone,” are as exquisitely rendered as anything in the group's catalog. That they also feel like a perfect career-ending benediction certainly adds to the album's weight, but even had the recordings been created at the band's 1966 prime, they would be a vital piece of the Beach Boys' legacy. “

So as we welcome Frankie Valli we will (we hope) be able to rely on his production team (led by Robbie Robinson) to allow us to celebrate his age and reflect(not sadly I must stress) on past times and sounds.

One thing diehard 60s group fans share is a compulsive identity with the groups sound – then: not now – and whether we love The Platters, The Drifters or The Tokens, we have all sought to freeze it – bottle it – and have it carry on: which is of course impossible.

Maybe what this Beach Boys album offers is the best we can expect. Somehow – almost chillingly – it captures the spiritual hook that we all have for the warm sounds of the 60s. As one reviewer says…” They may not have played their own instruments on their latest album as originally promised (except for some inspired riffage from David Marks), but they still feel like a true band. And while That’s Why God Made The Radio may not be in the same league as SMiLE or Pet Sounds, it’s an immensely satisfying and interesting outing from a group long thought to have transformed into a living jukebox”

Of course Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio can’t match this. We wouldn’t want them to try…..’Hope and Glory’ (1992) is a reminder of what can happen with too much technology. BUT they could pay respect to the harmony sound they helped pioneer in two ways.

• Review all of their and Universal Motown’s unreleased archive to recover and promote a celebration package of their past catalogue(as Wilson and the remaining Beach Boys did so brilliantly with the ‘SMILE’ sessions re-issue)
• Find young artists to promote and perform the harmony sound they ‘borrowed’ from doo-wop. This would give new life to the sounds around when they formed The Four Seasons.

Harmony shouldn’t die when we and the creators of those 60s gems pass away. This new Beach Boys album may dwell on ageing but it is about celebrating the ‘sound’ and it shows the time is right to fight to preserve it.

If Valli and Gaudio cared as passionately about the music as we do – and , it would now appear, do the Beach Boys – then they know how to convince us. After all we have had 35 years of false promises since they said they would be launching The NEW Four Seasons back in 1978. Still we do have The Hit Men . Now they do care about music and the fans.

Ken Charmer

Hear five songs from the new Beach Boys album here