That 'Four Seasons' Sound

Selling The 'Family Jewels'

So why are so many top artists selling their publishing rights to Major Investors and as we start 2022…[the latest being Bruce Springstein……..WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR FRANKIE VALLI AND THE FOUR SEASONS FANS? With the Primary Wave’s acquisition of the Publishing Rights of the group in late 2020 [for a 10 year Strategic Partnership] we awaited their approach while finalizing the WHOLE CATALOGUE Box Set with Snapper Music. Whilst we await the confirmation of a ‘release date’ for that 800+track collection in a limited edition 2500 set we know that is simply the beginning of a strategy that they should want to pursue.

Rolling Stone Magazine did an analysis of this last year and with NEWS of the sale of David Bowie catalogue it is a subject once again in the public eye.

https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/famous-musicians-selling-catalog-music-rights-1114580/

An article in the NY Times said of this trend….

“Of course, some artists want to sell their rights and receive an immediate lump-sum payment. That is where outside investors come in. The multiples that entire catalogs are being purchased for are high by any measure of an investment’s future value. That’s good for the artist. But it’s uncertain what it may mean for the investor. Mr. Ball, who competes with the funds that are buying entire catalogs, does not dismiss their strategy.

“Their goal is to grow their portfolio as large and as fast as they can, and when they get above a certain level, that value of all those catalogs is much greater than the sum of the parts,” he said. But he said he had more confidence in the funds run by people with music industry experience than those run by private equity managers. “They’re really smart people, but they don’t understand the nuances,” he said. Mr. Knowles said he considered it good to give the older artist the option of getting a lump-sum payment and be done with trying to manage different royalty streams. He also said he was confident that the music business would continue to perform in a way that justified the amounts being paid.“The growth in streaming has increased,” Mr. Knowles said. “It’s changed the dynamics of the music industry. It’s also reduced our overhead. We’re in a very good place in music.”

“Time is passing,” Neil Young explained to fans after news of his deal broke. “I want to cover my family and my art.… A good father plans on how to take care of his children.”. Many of these deals were put together after the pandemic brought the live music business to a complete stop, meaning many veteran artists were suddenly shut off from their main source of income. “Given our current inability to work live,” David Crosby said about the sales of his songs, who noted that it allowed him to pay off his house, “this deal is a blessing for me and my family.”

For  Bob and Frankie given their age as the’ Four Seasons Partnership’ it is obviously a smart move for the next 10 years to Partner with PRIMARY WAVE and their children will obviously benefit now and during those years and it appears Shannon Gaudio will be clearly taking an interest in the catalogue management following his involvement in the evaluation and approval of the MOTOWN UNRELEASED in the forthcoming Snapper Music Box Set. Equally with Reid Crewe’s involvement [Bob’s niece]  with Dan Crewe and  the Bob Crewe Foundation  it makes sense to maximize income now and promote and still achieve income in the future after their similar deal with Resevoir.

Again it is said by Forbes Magazine….”This scenario enables artists to participate in the upside growth that inevitably results from “active” management of their songs and recordings by sophisticated buyers who become real “partners” to maximize value in everything the artist does. Respected buyers carry deep expertise and sophisticated teams of specialists who actively promote the artist’s valuable songs and recordings. These are resources that most artists and songwriters simply can't match on their own. Active, significant attention generates real results. Period……So-called financial multiples on these rights and royalty streams (essentially a multiplier placed on current royalty streams) have never been higher. That means that artists can get a big cash payment right now - in one immediate lump sum - rather than wait for royalty checks arriving over many years that may never add up to the lump sum they can enjoy right now. …Buyout compensation (in the above case, the $6-$30 million number) may be treated as long-term capital gains in the U.S., whereas the feds treat continuing royalty checks as ordinary income. So, that gives artists even more money to enjoy right now. This is a significant, yet frequently not appreciated, factor to consider…

Buyers understand that musicians frequently “don’t need the money.” But getting paid top dollar right now is only one reason to sell. Perhaps even more important to many artists, “active” buyers’ deep expertise and resources grow new opportunities for songs, recordings and the artist’s overall "brand" and legacy.

These are resources that artists, bands and songwriters - no matter how “big” - can't match. Resources, that expand a song’s reach and artist’s audience (including to new generations of fans). Some buyers (those who take an “active” approach) have built significant teams of brand experts, marketing experts, digital experts - in addition to traditional synch and licensing experts - who proactively manage catalogs and create important and innovative new opportunities to maximize the artist’s “brand” and extend their legacy.

Not all buyers are massive nameless, faceless entities. Active buyers listen to the artist’s goals and give real attention and focus to the artist, songs, recordings and overall “brand.”

Sophisticated active buyers think of artists as partners in every sense of the word (and want the artist to feel the same way about them). They develop real strategies together with artists, and frequently share their vision and those strategies early in the deal process. They seek active input. They are receptive to the artist’s wishes. They crave active artist participation. That's why many of the top artists and legends of all time have entered into these kinds of deals. 

For many artists, bands and songwriters, without active management, their "brand" slowly diminishes over time and their songs and recordings lose out on the critical opportunity to be exposed to (and enjoyed by) new generations of fans….For iconic and legacy artists, active management by a dedicated and passionate team of experts is especially critical.

And, don't forget about music reversion rights under U.S. copyright law. So long as songwriters and artists give sufficient notice, ownership of post-1978 music publishing rights - and potentially even master recordings (there is some debate here) - revert back artists after 35 years (assuming the songwriter or recording artist didn't originally own them outright). That means that, in most cases, songwriters should own all of their publishing rights - and recording artists potentially their master recordings - for all works created prior to 1985 (no matter what those deals looked like back then).”

This blog will continue to promote and discuss the forthcoming Snapper Music release…..and not only the research and finds soon coming to a fortunate 2500 fan collectors, but to promote and push for future releases….LIKE…..’The Frankie Valli and The Four Season Motown BOX SET’ which should include a full 5/6 CD Box of the Released/Unreleased/Alternate Versions that we have shown exist. A full analysis of our data will appear this year from us as Bob and Shannon Gaudio now have all the Multi-track Tapes from Universal Motown and a huge claim to their ownership. We will explore the limits of the current 13 ‘approved’ tracks and the barriers to this potential project….and others.

We will continue to create NEW STEREO MASTERS with DES and share these with you via You Tube….and explore the catalogue history in our ‘Seasons on Saturday’ podcasts.

Our policy of openness and transparency will bring our views on what still exists as UNRELEASED TRACKS and where we believe these songs are, so they can be found and released further promoting the ‘brand’ with fans.

Of course all of our aims support and complement the investors and the artists achievements and ultimately their ‘brand’ and future income……but we also want this to happen for ‘surviving’ fan generations and not just ‘future’ ones so our TELL ALL policy re the music will continue. We can’t wait for action….we want it now and so the CAMPAIGN continues….with our own “dedicated and passionate team of experts”

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

Becoming The Four Seasons

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

 

Finding The Four Seasons Masters 2018 to 2021

Finding the Four Seasons Master has been a four year task to ensure the Snapper Music Box Set contains all that has survived in the FSP Archive of Tapes.

Back in the early 60s tape recorders started to appear and my father’s obsession with new technology meant we were amongst the first people in Liverpool to own a Grundig TK5 reel to reel tape recorder in 1961. The Four Seasons plus many 1960s artists were recorded from radio by a teenage music lover......ME. The Germans invented the tape recorder during the Second World War and by the late 50s and early 60s it had taken over from the acetate as the primary recording medium for popular music and the basis for most of our records. Across the Atlantic the creators of the hits where squeezing every trick out of the sound engineers to give us our MONO singles using the most advanced tape recorders available from makers like AMPEX.

As a Four Seasons Appreciation Society Music Historian my interest is based on research by the late German Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt  in to Sound Engineering Quality and our aim was always to find the original Masters and have them properly re-mastered and issued in MONO and ‘good’ Stereo. Stefan and I started to critique the poor STEREO of much of the 6os period so I am always asking if we have the best possible recordings from the studios back then when 'Sherry' and the early hits were created by Bob Crewe?.  As we have just had access to the Four Seasons Archive of Analogue Tapes with new digital transfers from 1962 to 1986 from the Partnership storage, we will soon hear what has been salvaged from those tapes for the Snapper Music Box Set for release next year. All the MONO and STEREO catalogue has been found and will be re-mastered to 2021 sound technology standards from new digital transfers by Bill Inglot's Studio with Mastering by Peter Reynolds of Reynolds Mastering on to CD.

Wikipedia tells us.....”Ideally, because of their high resolution, a CD or DVD (or other) release should come from the best source possible, with the most care taken during its transfer. This does not always happen. The earliest days of the CD era found record companies using whatever tapes they had lying around to create their CDs, with frequently underwhelming results. An nth-generation tape equalized for vinyl frequency response might be deemed perfectly acceptable by a record company, and (importantly) might be much easier to locate than the "original" source master. Additionally, the earliest days of the CD era found digital technology in its infancy, which also aided often poor sounding digital transfers marked by dropouts, under-utilization of Signal-To-Noise Ratio, etc. When the first CD re-masters turned out to bestsellers companies soon realized that new editions of bare-bones back catalogue items could compete with new releases as a source of revenue. Back catalogue values skyrocketed, and today it is not unusual to see expanded and re-mastered editions of fairly modern albums.

Theoretically, digital re-mastering should solve some of these problems. Original master tapes, or something close to them, can be used to make CD releases. Better processing choices can be used. Better prints can be utilized, with sound elements remixed to DES or 5.1 and obvious print flaws digitally corrected. The modern era gives content providers almost unlimited ways to touch up, doctor, and "improve" their creations and products, and as each release promises .......improved sound....”

In this Box Set many of those potential problems will be tackled and we will all hear 'what has survived' of those iconic vinyl releases. I wanted to ask a sound engineer from the 60s about the process and to understand why we often don’t have the quality today from the early 60s recordings that we would like on CD's in the 'digital era'.  Fortunately I got the chance to ask not just any sound engineer but one that worked with Bob Crewe and The Four Seasons. George Schowerer was a sound engineer who worked with Bob Crewe in the early sixties and, after a break in the army, again in the latter part of the decade as technology advances changed the quality of recordings.

George confirmed what Wikipaedia says and gave some reasons why we can’t always be sure that what we hear is closely related to the original recordings…….”When the old Rhino 25^th Anniversary CD box set came out, I complained bitterly about the quality of the mixes I had done. They were not equivalent to the mixes that left Mirasound. Eventually, in conversation with Bill Inglot, the engineer responsible for both the Rhino 25^th Anniversary set and the current [then 2007] ‘Jersey Beat’ box-set, he acknowledged that in some cases, the record company involved would not release the original tapes...only a copy...and depending on who made the copy, you got whatever you got at that time. Now, when I chided Rhino about the quality of some of my mixes, I quoted a CD I had (in my library) manufactured by Ace Records from England(CDCHD538) 'Solo/Timeless' by Frankie Valli in which the transfer were the best I've ever heard of my material from Mirasound... so I know that good transfers do exist! Bill Inglot indicated to me that the reason for the earlier Rhino 25^th Anniversary CD album sounds (which were distorted) were due to the quality of what the record companies supplied to him.[in the FSP archive?]. He said that in many cases, the record companies destroyed the multi-tracks to avoid misuse...remixes etc. I think that's crazy, but I haven't lived their life problems with cover records in that era. I remember that the business was ripe with copy records which cut into sales of the original discs. And then there was plain bad re-mastering. I remember  when the first CD of Bread came out, I thought it was a "cover" record! The classic "sound" wasn't there...it was replaced by a very "sterile" mix sans echo...and it was obvious that someone had gone back to the multi-track masters and started mixing them over again without ever listening to the original releases that made them hits! I don't know what I would have done, if I was responsible for master tapes... but then again, I'm one of those people who saves everything (much to my wife's distress).

Crewe indicated to me in April this year [2007] that he had lost some of the multi-tracks due to a studio going out of business (Crewe Records) and others by just being thrown out as well as some studios not doing a proper search for the parties who owned various recordings. I have heard many engineers say that when libraries were full to the brim, studios would notify the various "owners" as to the need for retrieving their tapes. When no one appeared to come for those tapes, studios would then dump them, because they needed the space. Most studios in those days didn't charge for storage and the various companies took advantage of that fact! While I don't have the reasons they sat so long in the studio libraries, I do remember many people not showing interest in picking up their stuff. I guess the original people must have felt that it was now the problem of whomever they sold the masters to. It was a case of the cost. It sure is different now that original masters are so highly valued.. But money is money...in whatever  form it is created.”  

A very true comment and perhaps saving money on storage all those decades ago means now there may be 'limits' [sound wise] to what they have on analogue tape and what can be achieved from the FSP archive. BUT 'money' is also the driver that has made this project possible as with such a high price box set, the research and HQ 2020 transfers have been possible. What we have found from this research of the FSP storage is that the tapes are ALL Safety Copies of the original albums as issued in MONO and STEREO with some copies of tracks from the Studios as DEMO mixes. So far the quality of these new transfers appears good and will be the best achievable as that is WHAT HAS SURVIVED.

 

I asked George if it was true that there was 'distortion' on some Four Seasons recordings…………” Up to and including 4 track,( to an extent) records were in essence a representation of a performance.” This approach was used by Bob Crewe at both Olmstead and Stea-Phillips in a focus totally on the MONO mix for 45 and album. George had his own approach when the group moved to Mirasound due to distortion problems [according to Charles Calello] that they were having in late 1966 at Stea Philips………. “Many of the Season's recordings that came out of Sound Centre in New York had distortion due to the many numbers of overdubs that were a trademark of Bob Crewe's work. I believe the reason for the distortion was the fact that in those days, the playback quality in the "sync" position (in order to add tracks while remaining in sync), was god-awful! So were the consoles used in many of the famous hit records. That's why I pioneered the use of normal playback during the addition of tracks. This was because of Bob's penchant for multiple tracks at any given session...the number never consistent, but could reach 20! In other words the small section strings might be overdubbed three times in the course of the session...same for the horns, etc. The only problem with that method is that all tracks would have to be overdubbed to maintain sync overall. But the quality remained first rate. The only track (or tracks not "bounced") were the final vocals, since playing back all the music tracks in sync position was only for the benefit of Frankie's headphones.” 

“Now in my earlier days with Bob Crewe(59-61) done at Allegro Studios featuring Freddie Cannon, Billie & Lillie, the Rays, and the Shepard Sisters, we had only two mono Ampex recorders which were used. You can imagine how much bouncing was done this way! Other sessions at Allegro (not for Bob),were He's so Fine (Chiffons) and Mickey and Sylvia/Kitty, The Tokens,  etc. Most of those sessions used only two Ampex four channel mixers combined to a MONO output..only by 61/62 did we get into STEREO at Allegro. Keep in mind that none of the works in the early to mid sixties had anything but a single 45 rpm record in mind. That's why the STEREO mixes coming from those days have such a 'ping-pong' stereo balance. We didn't have the availability of the equipment used today. Following that period in Jan.62, when I was drafted into the US army till Jan 64, I was not active in the studios. When Bob found that I had returned, we connected again at Mirasound in 67..the rest is history.”

For most of the STEREO mixes up to 1965 the Four Seasons appear separated from Frankie in the right channel with all of the Drums in the left channel and instrumentation split in the right channel as a result of the limits of 3 and 4 track mixing possible in the studios at that time. It was the tape technology of the day. Motown and Atlantic had 8 track recording and the group were able to take advantage of that in November 1964 when they recorded 'Dawn' and 'No Surfin' Today' with master engineer Tom Dowd at Atlantic before signing to Philips and then back to 4 track and eventually 8 track.

 So I asked George if our expectations of sound quality today from these 60s recording are too high?. Though the  process of 'bouncing' is degenerative to sound purity and clarity, Spector used it as a key element in his "Wall Of Sound". George told us…….“As for the aspect of why many of those recordings cannot produce a current expectation of today’s mixes is very simple. Take "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" for example, by the time the overdubbing was bounced so many times, the mix of strings is down to one track of a multitrack ( 8 track master in this case). Same for each section of the orchestra. So. this prevents a nice spread of the orchestra in STEREO...  The Mirasound mixing board had just twelve inputs and four output buses! That's why my  photos at Mirasound show additional mixers. During the initial session, we used all inputs, sometimes even used the outboard mixers! Then, during overdubs, I switched the use of the console, using eight of the input faders to monitor (in STEREO, since I loved STEREO ahead of its time) the eight channels of the recorder in use. I used the other four inputs on the console (and sometimes the outboard mixers as well) in order to feed the eight track Ampex with the newly overdubbed material.

When you work with Bob, there were several channels of handclaps and tambourines alone [ on many songs, like 'Beggin'], which were all mixed together and "bounced" to one channel. I have no idea what was coming next on the sessions until Bob decided on the spot what to add...so trying to keep the overall picture was quite challenging. But I know what left the studio was clean because of the use of my playback method.    

I hope this gives you some needed answers to the many questions about resurrecting the old material. The MONO stuff is set in stone, while the eight track stuff will be ‘stiff’…....and the only thing that would allow for a good STEREO mix is perhaps the 16 track stuff. I was fortunate to be the first mixer to use 16 tracks..the very first session on that machine was "With This Ring" by the Platters, produced by Luther Dixon. 

As for the method used on the Seasons Sessions, we would record the basic session onto 7 of the 8 tracks available. Then the process of clearing room would start. Multiple channels of drums, horns, or strings would be mixed together (each group separately) and "bounced" to a single track. This would free-up several channels for overdubbing. Any further additions of strings (for instance), would be mixed again to a new channel so that, once again, all strings were relegated to a single channel...and so  on! This is why the tapes of this era cannot make satisfactory updates, when the original intention did not allow for STEREO spread of any string or horn group (rhythm included). Since we only had one 8 track machine, this was the only way everything could be mixed for a mono hit record. If we had had two machines, then you could go back to earlier generations and recover material in a straight-forward manner. We didn't have those options back then. I had pretty much imagined what Bob Crewe would want as a final product, and always kept that image in my mind while overdubbing the brains out the music. In many cases, he graciously let me do the compilation at hand and I know he felt comfortable with my work. I still cringe when I hear some of the Season's stuff (which was not my work) that was turned into STEREO and the resultant selection of where they placed some tracks in the mix (when STEREO was never the intention of the original producer).” 

Many aspects of such mixing will in the near future be able to be corrected by the use of DES [Digitally Extracted Stereo] which uses advanced software to extract individual instruments and vocals into 'stems' [another name for music tracks] and then they can be remixed to create a true STEREO soundstage. BUT without the Producer alive how do you know where he would place them?. [We will return to this subject in a future blog asking.....'Is the Future 60s Sound UPMIXING?]  Bob Crewe did go back to the surviving multi-tracks in 1967 and corrected tracks re placement in the mix which was the sound he wanted with the Seasons and Frankie together with a spread of instruments across the sound stage. These mixes saw release on the ALL STEREO 'Edizione D'Oro' Double LP in 1969. George was also achieving this with the 16 track recordings from 1967.

George again commented about the frustration of Bob Crewe adding to mixes before their final pressing to vinyl.......“The fact that Mirasound only kept a Gotham/Grampian/Scully acetate cutting lathe to basically do dubs (not the most sophisticated system), it did prompt Crewe to take his final mixes to Bell Sound  for acetate cutting and that engineer at times would talk Bob into adding echo, etc. which I deplored. Bell had a particular "sound" to their chamber (live), and I certainly didn't like it at all! To this day, I can immediately identify a song mix that came out of Bell Sound.  The funny thing is that at Mirasound, I used a mix of straight and delayed echo feeds to the Emt plate...giving a sort of Columbia sound to the echo. If you listen to some of Frankie Valli's songs, you can clearly hear the two different types of echo on some of the mixes. Bell Sound had their own live chambers, and as such, I can, even today, tell that the session was done at Bell Sound..” 

So did bouncing still really reduce the quality of Frankie's and the Four Seasons recordings as this time was now 1967?...... “To help everyone understand the bouncing of tracks, let's use an example... The original session with musicians was recorded onto a maximum of six channels of an Ampex AG-300-8 recorder. The individual channels were perhaps ,1-drums, 2-bass, 3-guitar/s, 4-horns, 5-strings, 6-vocal (usually for reference, but sometimes final). Now after the musicians left...(a standard session for the union musician was four songs in three hours), the strings let's say returned a half hour later to avoid running into the union rep! Theywould  lay down another string part (to build-up the sound of the strings - don't forget, in those days we didn't have emulators and computers to multiply thesound of  four strings). So now we have strings overdubbed on track 7. We now must combine channels 5 from the original session strings and the overdub strings on 7. That combination mix will be "bounced" over to channel 8. Once the producer is happy with the "string sound" on channel 8, we canrecord over tracks 5 & 7, add perhaps more horns, or guitars, and so on...further mixing those added channels to an available track (5 or 7). This pattern continues until we have loaded 7 channels (in the case of Bob Crewe and the Season's sessions, this might have included extra overdubs of hand claps, tambourines, foot stomping, background voices, and more.... so you now have an idea of what it took to plan where you were going to place these items (and whatever else they managed to "cook up") on 8 measly tracks to make a "final" finished song. Any thoughts of STEREO were remote at best [until mid 1967]. Getting the MONO sound right was the only priority in all the bouncing. Remember that in my system of "bouncing", I couldn't use the sync position on playback because of the lack of fidelity off the Ampex unit. So each "bounce" placed the new mix, out of sync with everything else on the tape. That's why all tracks eventually had to be "bounced" and brought into syncronization with each other. For the final vocal track, there was no reason to have to "bounce" it...because all tracks (1 thru7 ),were already in sync, and at that point the vocal artist could care less about the fidelity in his headphones of those tracks, so we used the sync position of the sel-sync for playback...and the newly placed vocal would already be in sync. Understand that this way of working meant that all instrumentals portions of the tape were at least one generation away from the original session, if not more, when so much was added later. This called for meticulous levels, and absolute quality control during the many steps used, to ensure the final product was clear andwith a wide-range in fidelity. On the ACE dual album disc to which I compared the quality with the tapes that left my sessions with the CD quality, it clearly shows this was done with care.

I didn't do all the songs on that disc, however, I'm satisfied with my section of the works selected. That disc contains 6 or 7 different studios (at least), and each has a different audio character to their sound...the later material [Late 67] was recorded with higher quality consoles that featured an abundance of pan pots, and features used to record 16 or more channels, giving the engineer a wider array of channels to work with. As you could well imagine, once we got the first 16 track Ampex into the studio, we could offer even better sound by not having to "bounce" the living daylights out of the song/s. As I mentioned, the first session on the 16 track recorder was "With This Ring" by the Platters, which actually was done completely "live" with no overdubbing, a welcome change to the way we could now work. Add to that, we never had auto faders with memory for mixing. At Mira, I also used (at times on Frankie) the Columbia style of chamber, which was a mix of delay and direct echo...which helped thestrings in those days, since the strings were usually never more than 4 strings (orig session) and 4 strings (overdubbed). I was pleased to note that at least one other engineer of the later dates used the same delay on Frankie's voice, which I thought gave him a classier sound.

Working the way it did really meant that you had to always be alert and consider what the final mix will sound like because one mistake and your  screwed. Once the 16 track Ampex came into the studio, we could then take into account the idea of STEREO spread on the final mix and the sound improvement was quite obvious.” 

George would move on in late 1967 as would the group to record Genuine Imitation Life Gazette at Mercury Sound Studios, 110 W 57^th Street in NYC but this snapshot of how they recorded all of their hits [and particularly as technology changed between 1966 and 1967] is the only record we have been able to find of their recording methodology and the equipment used with Bob Crewe. The descriptions re alternative echo and instrumentation spread will be audible on Discs 11 to 14 of the new Box Set as these cover Atlantic, Stea-Philips and Mirasound Studios and the [added] overdubs Bob Crewe did at Bell Sound as these vary from the album MONO and STEREO versions but are preserved as Bonus Tracks. This Box Set will enable fans to hear the evolution of the recording approach and how good the MONO mixes really were, and also how even in the late 60s the MONO and STEREO mixes have their own distinctive character. This is one of the most outstanding aspects of this Box Set not captured before in previous issues by the group. By 1971 at MoWest Frankie and the Four Seasons were working with some of the best recording and mixing technology and the most legendary engineers [e.g. Russ Terrana] and the Motown STEREO mixes in this Box Set are 'arguably' the best in their catalogue.

 Ken Charmer 

[All photos are courtesy of George Schowerer and our thanks go to him for his feedback re the recording process and his amazing results]

The Future Of 'STEREO' Sound Is 'Upmixing'?

As our Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Project [with Snapper Music] to create a catalogue spanning box set enters 'Mastering' we are already looking around as what is needed to improve on it in future projects . As well as tape sources we know with potential unreleased tracks, there are some new approaches to the way we hear the sound of our favourite group. The technology of the first half of the 60s left the STEREO albums 'very' separate in terms of the VOCALS as Frankie became separated from the group on the STEREO versions of their albums.

But today there is a NEW approach which seeks to give us, now and in the future,  a better listening experience, particularly on headphones. They call it 'Upmixing'........Experts are using Artificial Intelligence [AI] to pick apart classic recordings from the 40s, 50s and 60s, isolate the instruments, and stitch them back together in crisp, bold ways.

Well we are not experts but we KNOW the Four Seasons SOUND and the catalogue.

WIRED Magazine covered the approach being taken by STEREO enthusiasts and Engineers with new skills earlier this year....

https://www.wired.com/story/upmixing-audio-recordings-artificial-intelligence/

Specialist work by dedicated DES Engineers on the BSN Forum has shown what can be done with The Beatles and Beach Boys Catalogue and many other classic 45 releases from the 60s. Our resident Studio Researcher Casey Chameleon has got involved and created several classic Four Seasons tracks as DEMOS until a project for a full REVISED set of STEREO versions is available. That will take much studio time and the use of a top DES Engineer and we know a few but as we can't wait for Bob and Frankie to spend the money on hiring one so we have created our own very interesting DEMOS. The aim was to emulate the single version with the Four Seasons centred vocally with Frankie, with drums to the left, and instruments to the right. This can be best  heard on headphones in the results we have created as new mixes. 

We will feature some of these on You Tube and in our FB pages over the next few months as rare and collectible versions for members. We start with a song never produced in STEREO. But here is an example of what the AI software can do to create STEREO from MONO in a way never before possible.

The magnificent single of 'Ronnie'. A nice NEW STEREO mix in the style we believe Bob Crewe would have done it if the multi-tracks had survived.

 

 And in our research we have seen who lost the multi-tracks......Frankie Valli haha.....

[Photo courtesy of George Schowerer - Mirasound Studios 1967]

A Happy Thanksgiving to all our members.

THE SNAPPER BOX SET – PART 7 : EDIZIONE D'ORO[ED]

Back is 2011 we published the research at the time re the 1969 release of the biggest and BEST EVER albums of the Four Seasons 1960s hits all in newly mastered Stereo mixes. That article can be found here

.https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/2011/06/edizione-doro-1968-ed-almost-the-ultimate-four-seasons-hits-album.html

In conducting the FSP Archive research we advised Snapper Music that the inclusion of this Double Album was essential to the Box Set, if the original Master Tapes could be found ?. We had of course preserved via vinyl dub the 1972 high quality pressing versions and held these Re-Mastered in our own archive. But we have advocated and told Snapper that we wanted the original Masters.

 

Bill Inglot advised that two sets of tapes existed. A Scotch Tape Safety Copy and the same on Ampex Tape were found and transferred to the UK Sound Engineer for evaluation and Re-Mastering. The best sound quality versions will be selected for inclusion. Why these could not be found and supplied to ACE Records back in the 1990s has never been explained ?

 

Some fans were critical at the time of the past release of this album on CD by ACE Records of London in September 1997 as that was mainly Mono versions of their hits, but that was not really their fault as at the time the FSP could not find or provide these as the ORIGINAL FULL Master Tapes . Some doubted they had survived but we were delighted that 2 safety Copies do and Snapper's Sound Engineer has them.

Chuck Walker wrote the sleeve notes for that unfortunately 'inaccurate' release of the album by ACE on CD for the first time. Chuck has revised the information on the CD release here to create an accurate summary of the original album tracks, there importance and highlights, especially those that were appearing for the first time in Stereo, and the other mixes used to create the vinyl album. The original Double Album reached # 38 on the US Billboard Album Chart. Chuck's notes.......

“The Philips Release of Edizione D’Oro in December 1968 marks the end of what some consider the Golden Era of The 4 Season hit single releases. It spans the years 1962-1968. Like many aspiring artists it took a while for the group to find their niche and unique sound which they became famous for.

'Edizione D’Oro' differs from the previous Greatest Hits Albums in both design and musical content. First pressings of the two record set came in a distinctive gold foil gatefold album cover along with a poster/calendar for the following year. This distinctive higher cost packaging was somewhat unique at the time for pop/rock albums, but became typical in later years. The album cover had their name and album title in gothic lettering which resembled a window in a cathedral. The album was released and first promoted during the 1968 Christmas season causing some consumer confusion as at first glance it appeared to be a Christmas album.

The Inner gatefold contained brief notes by Dick Clark explaining how he helped them promote “Sherry” and the group with an appearance on his nationally televised American Bandstand Show. Later pressings of the album changed the gold foil to a gold printed cover, the big 4 on the front from red to white and eliminated the poster/calendar.

The 4 Seasons, somewhat older than the typical rock record buyer, were finding it difficult to connect and having minimal commercial success in their later Philips years. They were playing concerts as the opening act for Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas. Youthful record buyers connected them more with their parent’s era than the youthful sounds of the late 60’s. This trend would continue to be apparent as radio transitioned from AM to FM Stereo stations. After the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, it was clear younger people were into different styles of music than being offered by The 4 Seasons.

Record companies also made a dramatic shift in their marketing mid-1968. Historically nearly all singles had been issued in Mono. Albums were typically released in two versions Mono and Stereo. In 1968 production of Mono albums ceased and hence forward only a Stereo album with mono compatability was produced. Existing Mono records were dumped into the cut out bins by record companies and were available at deep discounts for several years.

This transition to all stereo may have been the reason Crewe and Philips decided on a new Greatest Hits Album. There was however, a problem. Bob Crewe, like many independent producers had focused on the Mono singles market. Mixes of singles he produced until 1968 were all done in Mono, and if there was enough success for an album it may have Stereo mixes or simply re-channeled mixes to simulate stereo. Actual true stereo versions were limited [particularly pre 1967 due to 4 and 8 track Studio Tape capability] and in many cases had a tendency to mix vocals primarily on one channel and instruments on the other. [and a separation of Frankie Valli from the 4Seasons]

Ten of the tracks are from the Vee Jay era (62-64). Seven were first issued as singles, “Peanuts” on an EP and later a single rerelease. “Stay” and “Alone” were released to take advantage of the market after the Group parted company and moved to Philips. Most are reworked mixes of various Vee Jay Stereo album versions. The only one with significant differences from the Vee Jay albums is “Ain’t That A Shame” which is missing Nick Massi’s vocals, which were apparently never included in the final [STEREO] mix.

The remaining 18 songs are from the Philips era (64-68). Seven appear for the first time in true stereo.

“Dawn (Go Away)” is based on the version cut at Atlantic when they were trying to negotiate a contract in late 1963. It has a more prominent guitar riff and is missing Frankie’s vocal introduction which was later spliced to the single master by Bob Crewe.

“Big Man In Town” is a modified mix with all vocals centered for a more balanced presentation.

“Save It For Me” is clearly a different take or mix as the vocals are slightly different and the organ different than the single version.

“Girl Come Running” is an alternate edit restoring the [final mix] vocal introduction not present on the single.

Sadly “Ronnie” is only in Re-channeled form as no known Stereo master was ever produced.

“Rag Doll” finally appeared in true Stereo. All previous versions were either mono or re-channeled. Even today this version is rarely heard on CD.

“Let’s Hang On” is an alternate edit without the spoken vocal introduction heard on the hit single version.

“Silence is Golden”, the flip side of the Rag Doll single and originally heard on the “Born To Wonder” Album appears for the first time in a true Stereo mix. It is a powerful early message song and could have been a successful single on its own right. In fact it was in 1967 by the British group The Tremeloes.

Eight of the remaining ten songs are updated Stereo versions from previous album releases.

“Watch The Flowers Grow” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” make their first true Stereo appearances, having not previously appeared on any albums.”

The benefits of the latter [post 1966] versions of the tracks 'Watch The Flowers Grow', and 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' shows in their overall much superior 'soundstage' as Bob Crewe was able to benefit from the 16 track technology at Mirasound Studio [NYC] and the mixing skills of George Schowerer. We will write more re these days in a future blog post with an interview with George.

 

By 1968 Bob Crewe was able to review with the engineer at the time Ray Ciccala, six of the surviving Stereo mixes . A note found in the FSP Tape Boxes shows the Takes found and reviewed and selected as UNIQUE mixes.. Here is a tape of that search through the surviving TAKES. The sound file accompanying it lets you hear that audio review. This was uncovered as part of the FSP Archive research. The tracks found in this review of the multi-tracks and mixed to new Stereo mixes were....

• Dawn

• Silence is Golden

• Girl Come Running

• Save It For Me

• Big Man In Town

The mixes selected are different to any earlier releases and The You Tube video file of this research is below.

The result of our research will, we hope, be by far the Best Ever HITS Collection of the groups 60s successes on CD and a totally essential part of this BOX Set and something fans have been calling for for decades.

Ken Charmer and Chuck Walker – October 2021

 

 

 

 

 

THE SNAPPER MUSIC BOX SET RESEARCH – PART 6 - 1968 to 71

With the failure of the Genuine Imitation Life Gazette[GILG] album, in early 1969, the direction and recording sessions for Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons of the time were in a state of disarray. But Philips knew they had an ace up their sleeve in the form of the 'Edizione D'Oro' Gold Edition of all the 60s hits in wonderful re-mastered STEREO. I will write separately re this most important release.

But sessions would develop during late 1968 even while GILG was being mastered for January 1969 release which included the song 'Natural Morning' which was found and included on Disc 14. But other Philips session notes revealed three tracks that would gain release on 45. The Master of the superb 'A Face Without A Name' [42858] is not the same as the May 1969 released version [44773] (apparently) but our search of the storage revealed that version [we thought] as listed in the FSP Archive on a 5 inch Reel along with the 'unreleased', 'Alone Again' [42861] and 'I Was A Boy' [42863] and 'You've Got Your Troubles' [42862] and 'To My Father' [re-titled eventually as 'To Make My Father Proud'] both in early versions. All remain unheard. Bill Inglot found the Tape Box and we were so excited, but the tape inside was the damaged MONO tape of 'Timeless' album tracks and not as listed on the Tape Box!!!!!!. With over 200 such reels, many unmarked in the FSP storage facility, there was little chance of finding the tape[in a wrong box!!!]. With the budget spent there was no chance of searching for more potentially 'unreleased' or alternate takes. Time and cost means that someone sometime will have to speculate the Engineers time to review all of these. Could they include lost gems?.......No-one knows till they are played. But other discoveries were made and included both vocal and instrumental. Unheard instrumental versions of 'I'm Gonna Change' and 'C'mon Marianne' being two examples.

Sessions in 1969 would produce superb recordings [all of which were found in MONO and STEREO] of 'The Girl I'll Never Know' [44815], 'A Dream Of Kings' [46111], along with 'And That Reminds Me' and 'The Singles Game', which Bob Crewe released on his Crewe Label[Crewe 333] before Philips took an interest and agreed to an album release which would go into production in March 1970. 'Half and Half' would be an eclectic set again but this time of half Frankie Valli and half Four Seasons. Finding the MONO album mixes in our FSP tape archive search was a brilliant album version to include with details of the session dates and the different 45 versions of the released tracks.

But this albums poor performance reaching just #190 on the Billboard Album Chart was taking the group into dark times. The debt problem that surfaced from Tommy DeVito's gambling also must have had an impact as well as Bob Crewe's alcohol and drugs problems recently revealed by brother Dan. Sessions and Masters and releases were few.

By the middle of 1970 the sound of the group was becoming more progressive with 'You Can't Take It All From A Man'......a precursor to 'One Man' with a different lyric and arrangement.'One Man' was the version discovered in the Mercury Tape Storage and shared with us in 1997. That version is what started our search for unreleased tapes of this period and are examples of 'unreleased' progressive songs, possibly too far from their former traditional sound and left for that reason.

But the group would have some final sessions for an album rumoured to be titled '1970' and the releases that happened showed their quality as a group. 'Where Are My Dreams' remains an amazing song and performance, and if it was to be part of an album and fans had heard it then maybe things could have been better at Philips.? The final single, 'Lay Me Down b/w Heartaches and Raindrops' is still an superb single and we have now heard part of the idea for the planned album. Our research uncovered 3 tapes [27 tracks] from the time of 16 track recordings from the Philips reels. Only two tracks would surface as MONO mixes for this box set, [as surviving vocals] 'The Goose' [a somewhat strange 'Beatlesque' arrangement and song], and the amazing Crewe-Gaudio song 'I Need To Get To Know You' . Along with a version of 'Just How Loud' a 1966 Northern Soul song penned by Artie Schroeck and Jet Loring this Rare Tracks Collection has a quite Northern sound. All of the above tracks are in a STEREO/MONO mixed set of alternative versions and unreleased tracks and they form a cornerstone of this Box Set and of this period of non-hits and experimentation ..........taking us from 'I'm Gonna Change' in 1967 and the discovery of the original DEMO of 'Beggin'........to the rock based 'Whatever You Say b/w Sleeping Man' on their 1971 UK tour.......this period of changing sounds and styles make these Discs collectors gems.

DISC 18 FOUR SEASONS/FRANKIE VALLI – HALF AND HALF(MONO)[PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED]/STEREO)

Philips PHS600341 No. 190 [4/70]

DISC 19 – RARE AND UNRELEASED 1967 TO 1971

These discs contain 29 Bonus Tracks to the released album of which 18 are previously unreleased tracks

Ken Charmer

THE SNAPPER MUSIC BOX SET RESEARCH – PART 5 1968 and 69

Perhaps the most collectible vinyl album of this decade for Four Seasons fans is 'Genuine Imitation Life Gazette' [GILG] and definitely their 'cult' album being so different in style and sound at the time to anything heard from them before. And it included album artwork that was at that time totally original and unique.

It's concept for the group and Philips was a huge gamble but after the Beatles had turned album making on it's head with Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band, Bob Gaudio convinced the group and Philips they had to try something new. It has always been an anomaly to me that on 'Saturday's Father' the closing segment features the group in classic harmony as they had always shown since 1962, and yet apart from a Four Freshman style 'Idaho' later on the album the sound of the group is completely new. They could never escape the 'harmony' sound of Frankie's voice blended with the group. And they never truly did, notwithstanding the 1970s revival.[c/f 'Harmony' in 1976 on the 'WHO LOVES YOU album]

We tell the background to the inspiration, recording and release of the GILG album in the Box Set Collectors Notes but when the initial research of the FSP Tape storage revealed a MONO mix of the album, Snapper immediately decided to make this a vinyl insert and reproduce all of the album artwork and inserts.

Then the concept of two CD Discs for this album emerged and it meant that a number of tracks from MONO and STEREO sources from this period that we wanted to include could be accommodated. We have therefore picked up outstanding tracks from the mid to later 60s as BONUS Tracks.

As well as the MONO mix of the album which is previously unreleased we have included the two instrumentals from 1965, 'Sassy' and 'Night Hawk' plus 8 other MONO versions including the Wonder Who 45 versions and the 'non-album' versions of 'I've Got You Under My Skin' and 'Electric Stories' as the BONUS Tracks are focused on an all MONO Disc.

One other BONUS is the long known track recorded as a DEMO. 'Michael and Peter' was prepared for Frank Sinatra's 'Watertown' album sessions by Bob Gaudio. It features writer Jake Holmes on the intro then Frankie Valli's wonderful interpretation.

The second Disc features the STEREO album with 6 BONUS tracks of hard to find STEREO versions of single releases including the long lost 'Tell It To The Rain' which is the same TAKE as the 45 version. It was surprisingly found on the 25^th Anniversary Reel for the 1988 'vinyl' release. 'Raven' is also featured in STEREO and this has only ever appeared on the Rhino 1990 Rarities CD. Four Takes in STEREO were discovered from the session tapes late in April 2021 during our final search. An alternative version will also feature on a later Disc.

Overall these are two exceptional Discs in the Box Set covering an eclectic album and superb BONUS Tracks from the mid to late sixties.

Whilst a critically acclaimed album it was not accepted by fans and was a commercial failure which was a huge blow for Bob Gaudio personally and would almost destroy the group as Philips now had lost faith in them and saw a lost fan base and also the group [particularly Bob Gaudio] saw no return was possible to the old sound. 'Raven' was their last return to that formula. How to go on in 1969 with a new sound was immense as was the debt Tommy DeVito had incurred for them.?

The remaining time at Philips was virtually unknown to many fans back then as the music industry had moved on to 'rock' and 'soul' and these sounds dominated the charts and the Four Seasons would get very little promotion and would become an 'oldies' sound.

These Discs comprise.....

DISC 16 THE GENUINE IMITATION LIFE GAZETTE – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED MONO[PLUS Album tracks only VINYL INSERT]

DISC 17 THE GENUINE IMITATION LIFE GAZETTE – STEREO

Philips PHS600290 No. 85 [1/69]

The Discs include a total of 17 BONUS Tracks, one of which is 'previously unreleased' [plus the MONO mix of the album on vinyl and CD]

In our next bog we scrape the barrel of the FSP Archive for this 'end of the 60s' period finding SOME of the lost classics that Philips paper records show were completed but never released and a wonderful unheard Crewe-Gaudio song.

Ken Charmer – August 2021

THE SNAPPER MUSIC BOX SET RESEARCH– PART 4 – FRANKIE VALLI'S FIRST SOLO YEARS

From mid 1965 Frankie Valli was recording 'solo' tracks and due to a reluctance on the part of Philips to have the Four Seasons sound 'challenged', the 1965 45s appeared on the Smash Label. And whilst it would be 1966 before Philips took over such releases it would not be till mid 1967 that an album would appear with the release of the 'Solo' album in June 1967 after the huge success of 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You'.

Researching the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] archive proved to be frustrating as not all the single releases had survived on Master Tape.......and the 'Solo' album had never survived as a MONO mix.

The PolyComp Tapes contained what had survived of the MONO mixes but we had to recover from vinyl dubs....

The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (MONO 45 YW1-36622)

This Is Goodbye (MONO 45 YW1-36623)

You’re Gonna Hurt Yourself (MONO 45 YW1-37523)

The Proud One (MONO 45 1-38789)

Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (MONO 45 1-40375)

Surprisingly the last song [a #2 hit] was not found on tape but an acetate of an earlier TAKE with an alternate and very relaxed vocal by Frankie did survive and is included with the above as BONUS Tracks.

In our research of alternate versions and MIXES we did find that This Is Goodbye and Cry For Me had survived on tape ONLY as Pseudo Stereo [or Fake Stereo as marked on the tape box] and these versions are the only ones to appear in the CD era. We also found that the GOLD album on Private Stock [PVLP1006] contained UNIQUE STEREO mixes on the vinyl album from 1975 that were worthy versions as BONUS Tracks. We salvaged four very well mixed STEREO versions here.

Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (STEREO Gold 1975 Alternate Mix )

You're Ready Now (STEREO Gold 1975 Alternate Mix)

The Proud One (STEREO Gold 1975 Alternate Mix)

You’re Gonna Hurt Yourself (STEREO Gold 1975 Alternate Mix)

The following album 'Timeless' released in June 1968 attempted to establish Frankie Valli as a singer of 'standards' like his hero Frank Sinatra.

With 16 track recording Philips were moving albums to 'STEREO only' as the mixes were so good and phonographs of the day could play STEREO albums in MONO. Only ever released in STEREO we did not think it had ever been mixed to MONO. But in searching for a tape of 'unreleased' tracks from 1969,[more re these tracks on a later blog] we discovered to our disappointment that the tape was damaged ….and not the songs we had wanted. Further detailed work revealed it as two track and one was distorted and one intact. We salvaged the intact track and found it contained 9 songs in MONO from this album as studio 'out-takes' with intros and outro chat on some songs. A truly amazing and lucky find.

Adding to that we found an unreleased song from the same sessions 'Stranger in Paradise', and an unreleased song from 1968 called 'Natural Morning'. The details are revealed in our Box Set Collectors Notes.

Overall these two Discs give a wonderful snapshot of the the start of Frankie Valli's solo career.

It remains to be seen if the Tape Box scan above actually contains the tracks listed as 'pulled'. Whatever the sound engineer finds on this tape we will have all the STEREO mixes listed from other tape sources.

DISC 13 THE FOUR SEASONS PRESENT FRANKIE VALLI SOLO [STEREO ONLY]

Philips PHM200247[NOT AVAILABLE]/PHS600247 No. 34 [6/67]

DISC 14 FRANKIE VALLI – TIMELESS [STEREO ONLY]

Philips PHS600274 No. 176 [6/68]

These discs also capture an amazing 27 BONUS tracks [12 of which are previously unreleased]

Ken Charmer – August 2021

THE SNAPPER MUSIC BOX SET RESEARCH - PART THREE – PHILIPS 1966 TO 1967

1966 was a great year for music and it appeared to be for the Four Seasons as they toured continually with new member Joe Long. And they still had 45 hits with 6 Top 100 records during the year. But there was no 'original' album and Philips flooded the market with their past hits albums as a result of the return of ownership of the Masters from Vee-Jay's bankruptcy.

The Beach Boys and the Beatles were revolutionising the album market and music with their 'Pet Sounds' and 'Revolver' albums and the lack of an album by The Four Seasons till May 1967 would not help them after the loss of 4 important members of their writing and production team. Nick Massi, Charles Calello, Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell between August 1965 and early 1966 and whilst they kept the hits going this would prove a burden that was too much to maintain or develop a new sound and something would have to change as 1967 developed.

Whilst the very competent Artie Schroeck stepped in in January 1966 with his arranging skills it was still the Frankie Valli's falsetto trademark that Philips were selling and although he and the group wanted to move on they were a 'cash cow' for Philips. Despite the anthem of 'I'm Gonna Change'[which never saw an official 45 release but would become a dance floor classic by 1973 in the UK] it was a case of the more things change the more they remain the same and it would take until 1967 for Bob Gaudio to come up with a new direction which would prove to be pretty disastrous commercially for the group and their career.

The important part of the research of the Tapes for this period was to find the NEW GOLD HITS album in both MONO and STEREO which we did. For decades fans have known that the singles from this period were distinctly different mixes to the albums and the recording studios moved to 16 track from early 1967. They moved in 1966 because of distortion problems at Stea-Philips [Charlie Calello told us] and because the equipment at Mirasound Studios with Sound Engineer George Schowerer facilitated the ability to add dubs without 'bouncing' and sound loss as was necessary in the first half of the 60s and this change also led to much better STEREO mixes.

Some fans regard this album as their favourite of the group during the 60s and it certainly features a diverse set of styles and arrangements.

But the single releases were still MONO and for reasons best known to Bob Crewe and Philips at this time the 45 versions were different mixes and predominantly issued before the album in 1966 and the UNIQUE single mixes of 'Tell It To The Rain/Beggin'/Dody/C'Mon Marrianne' and 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' are featured on this Disc in these versions as BONUS Tracks. The post album 45 versions of 'Watch The Flowers Grow b/w Raven' are also preserved here and did not feature on any original albums at the time. We found all of these preserved on a set of five Mercury Compilation Master Tapes. 'Raven' would not feature ever on a vinyl album and saw it's first release [in STEREO] on the Rhino Rarities Vol 2 in 1990. That mix will feature on a later disc.

This is the MONO tape scan as it has survived.

More versions however from this period were found but space restricted this Disc and we have focused on keeping all the original MONO versions of 45s with the original [but alternate mixed versions on] MONO and STEREO albums. The other versions found will surface on later Discs in the set. The late 60s proved to be a more fertile period for our research as I will document in future blogs.

Whilst these tracks showed the variety of styles and songs the group were capable of, the same formula built around Frankie Valli's falsetto was still the dominant 'hit' sound that the record buyers wanted and moving away from this would bring a classic album but a financial disaster.

Ken Charmer – August 2021

THE SNAPPER MUSIC BOX SET RESEARCH - PART TWO – PHILIPS 1964 TO 1966

By the end of 1963 the Four Seasons were in 'breach of contract'.....but back on the charts.!!

Their dispute with Vee-Jay was in the courts and their earlier material was still being released by that label.

Their decision to record again was made in summer 1964 after over a year of conflict re royalies and ownership of masters. There was a new sound coming from the group and 'Dawn' and 'No Surfin' Today' were recorded at Atlantic Studio with now legendary Sound Engineer Tom Dowd. The story of that is told in the Box Set Collectors Notes and the location of those original 8 track Masters is not known. They may still survive in Bob Crewe's Personal Archive at Crewe Studios in Maine otherwise they are lost apart from the 'underdub' STEREO version mixed on the Edizione D'Oro album.

What our research of the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] Archive revealed is that MONO versions of these two songs as issued on 45 had made it to the relevant Master Albums and are preserved on the Safety Copy Master Tapes. This faded Tape Box shows just how long ago that was and how time and the typewriters of the times notes have almost faded with the timings and Master Matrix Nrs hand written and some titles and the album Nr. incorrect. However the ANALOGUE MASTERS are intact in both MONO and STEREO of this album and are now re-transferred to Pro-Tools in DIGITAL FORM and will be Re-Mastered for this set. This tape of their first Philips Album is Tape Box titled 'Folk-Album' and PHS200-129 [it should be marked PHM] . It would see release as 'Born To Wander' and in MONO has never before been released on CD. Dated 9^th January 1964 this is clearly a copy from the Production Master as the album came out the following month.

There has never been any evidence of other 'unreleased' songs from these sessions but an acetate of 'Millie' was found as an alternative version and the story of this is in the Collectors Notes and it appears as a Bonus Track. Also appearing as a Bonus is the earliest known LIVE Recording of the Four Seasons. Taped out of the Sound Engineers Board and in Tommy DeVito's Archive comes a set of four songs from an early 1964 show shortly after this albums issue[two songs are from this album]. It captures the amazing range of Frankie Valli's vocal falsetto at that time and remains a key find of their history as a top 60s group.

The albums that followed through 1964 and 65 were all found to exist in both MONO and STEREO Safety Copy Tapes but the singles from this period are in several cases different mixes. Also several tracks were only ever MASTERED in MONO. Such examples are 'Big Man's World', 'Only Yesterday' and 'Ronnie'.

We turned to a set of Mercury Compilation Tapes which contained many of the groups single versions preserved as Safety Copies. The clear and Full Frequency and High Dynamic Range copies included the UNIQUE 45 mixes of 'Save It For Me' and 'Silence Is Golden'. The other notable finds from 1965 included 'A Sunday Kind Of Love' in both MONO and STEREO and the distinctively different MONO version of 'Girl Come Running'[which would not surface in STEREO till 1968]

The Final album of 1965 'Working My Way Back To You' did not include the 'Let's Hang On' 45 version and no albums contain the special Mix for 45 of 'Too Many Memories' and of 'Opus 17' [for Spring 1966 release]. All of these have been preserved in this set.

The FSP Archive tapes however did not contain many of Frankie Valli single releases from this period from his first 'solo' studio sessions in mid 1965 on and finding and preserving these proved to be a more difficult task. The Frankie Valli singles that survive were preserved on Polygram Compilation Tapes, but not comprehensively. As we had believed and was proved correct, 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' and the 'B' side 'This Is Goodbye' did not survive as MONO MASTER's and are preserved in this Box Set from high quality vinyl dubs The latter track from our research only survived on the Tape Copy marked in pen as....'Fake STEREO'..[otherwise known as PSEUDO STEREO].......and a Re-Engineered attempt to replicate TRUE STEREO at the time.

All such tracks are included as dubs where they are missing or as created on the Engineer's Tape copy and are preserved as BONUS TRACKS on the albums for this period. The Frankie Valli SOLO 45 tracks appear on the SOLO Album Disc which I will cover later. Full details will be in the Collectors Notes.

The albums for this period in the Box Set are......

DISC 5 BORN TO WANDER MONO/STEREO

Philips PHM200129/PHS600129 No. 84 [2/64]

DISC 6 DAWN GO AWAY & 11 OTHERS MONO/STEREO

Philips PHM200124/PHS600124 No.6 [3/64]

DISC 7 RAG DOLL MONO/STEREO

Philips PHM200146/PHS600146 No. 7 [7/64]

DISC 8 THE FOUR SEASONS ENTERTAIN YOU [With 'Toy Soldier]MONO/STEREO

Philips PHM200164/PHS600164 No. 77 [3/65]

DISC 10 SING BIG HITS BY BACHARACH/DAVID AND DYLAN

Philips PHM200193/PHS600193 No. 106 [11/65]

DISC 11 WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU AND MORE GREAT NEW HITS MONO/STEREO Philips PHM200201/PHS600201 No.50 [1/66]

 

There are 13 BONUS TRACKS across these 5 albums

 

Ken Charmer

THE SNAPPER MUSIC BOX SET RESEARCH - PART ONE – THE VEE-JAY CONTRACT

When Snapper Music through Bob Gaudio commissioned Bill Inglot to create new DIGITAL MASTERS from the ANALOGUE TAPES back in 2018, it was at at time we had wondered if this would reveal a treasure trove of unheard material?. But label scans of Tape Boxes revealed all sorts of notes, anomalies and background questions re what were the 'original' album and source tapes and if some tracks were even there?. Even the album mix of 'Sherry' is not as the 45 issue.

The story of the groups contract at Vee-Jay as told at the beginning of our Web Site Sessionography page [HERE] showed that the contract dispute led to documentation and storage of Tapes during the 1960s being neither comprehensive or consistent re the highest quality MASTER Tapes. Past recovery of MASTERS for projects for CD issue from 1988 had achieved a SET of STEREO MASTERS......but no focus on the Original MONO Masters had been done. And what about the 'special' mixes done for 45 release which are different to the album? Did they still exist as MASTERS?

ALL the stored Tapes in the Four Seasons Partnership Archive of the early albums appeared as 15 ips Safety Copies in some form supplied by the Studios/Label and no 3 or 4 track tapes from the sessions existed. This would prove to be the case for virtually all of the Analogue Tape 'era'[ie 1962 to 1986]. For the previous issues on CD of the Vee-Jay albums full copies of the albums had been difficult to find and a UK Copy of 'Ain't That A Shame' was sourced from EMI as it remains different to the US being substantially the 'Big Girls Don't Cry and 12 Others' album. [for which no tape was found]. It was also necessary for Bill Inglot for previous STEREO issues for CD to 'Re-Construct' the 'Sherry and 11 Others' album from various Tape Sources.

In evaluating the risks to sound quality for this project, it was decided that, via listening tests, the best sounding source MASTER tapes for all the Vee-Jay albums [both MONO and STEREO] where the Tapes handed back to the Four Seasons Partnership when Vee-Jay went bust in 1966. Many of these tracks were subsequently released by Philips on vinyl albums like 'Looking Back' and '2^nd Gold Vault Of Hits' in November of that year.

For this Box Set the Masters each album track has been identified and are being sourced from these 'Delivery Tapes' as they were transferred by Ver-Jay  They remain the closest generation tapes to the 'original' studio masters and were clearly the best sound sources from listening tests. They will be NEW digital releases for every track recorded at Vee-Jay in both MONO and STEREO album sets, something 'unique' to this Box Set. So each Vee-Jay album is being re-created from the closest source to the studio session versions which [from our research] no longer exist.

Some stunning Bonus Tracks were discovered from this period including previously unreleased acetates of DEMO's, and alternative STEREO and MONO versions as well as the unheard BBC Radio broadcasts from 1963 of 'Big Girls Don't Cry' and 'Ain't That A Shame' whilst on their UK tour. A NEW first time in STEREO mix of 'I've Cried Before' [with the group backing Frankie] as well as the 'special' STEREO Mixes re-engineered for the 'Golden Hits' album of 'Sherry' and 'Peanuts' have been preserved. Perhaps the most surprising find again 'unique' to this Box Set was to discover 3 totally different versions of an 'unreleased' Bob Gaudio penned song 'Like You'. It appears as an original 1961 DEMO and then as versions first a year later with an organ backed arrangement and finally from 1963 with a trumpet backing. Frankie Valli's lead vocal on all 3 is impeccable.

The Box Set Collectors Notes will provide details of all single and album releases and sources for the 'unreleased'.

The Vee-Jay albums in their complete MONO and STEREO Versions included are.....

DISC 1 – SHERRY & 11 OTHERS MONO/STEREO

Vee-Jay VJLP 1053/SR 1053 No. 6 [10/62]

DISC 2 FOUR SEASONS GREETINGS MONO/STEREO

VJ VJLP 1055/SR 1055 No.13 on Xmas Chart in 12/63 [12/62]

DISC 3 BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY & 12 OTHERS MONO/STEREO

Vee-Jay VJLP 1056/SR 1056 No. 8 [2/63]

DISC 4 AIN’T THAT A SHAME & 11 OTHERS MONO/STEREO

Vee-Jay VJLP 1059/SR 1059 No. 47 [5/63]

DISC 9 THE FOUR SEASONS RECORDED LIVE ON-STAGE MONO/STEREO

VJ VJLP 1154/VJS 1154 [11/65]

There are 22 Bonus Tracks across these 5 CD's.

Ken Charmer July 2021

THE FOUR SEASONS 'BEST MIXES' – OUR PAST BLOG RE-VISITED

Back in 2009 Casey Chameleon and Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt wrote a blog for us re the status of the CD based Four Seasons Catalogue and the sources of some of the Mixes ….what existed still as the original vinyl?.... and what the definition was of a 'Best Mix' on CD?. That blog is still relevant [and can be found here] and as we enter the REMASTERING stage of the Snapper Music Box Set we are revisiting that in terms of what has survived and how it has been gathered from a wide range of sources and what we and Snapper are seeking to achieve in the Box Set. Much investment by Snapper Music goes into the artwork and memorabilia gathering and it's presentation which is their hallmark. But so too is the Mastering by Peter Reynolds and his very wide experience.

Our Mega CD DISCOGRAPHY on our web site[See Here].....attempted to track and assess the quality of the CD's by Frankie Valli and the group released from 1988 to 2010......including most in your collections …...and to take a view of their Collectibility[in terms of originality and sound quality]. Many of the links to purchase sites at the time still apply....some very cheap but others 'super' expensive. But with Stefan passing away and the rise of You Tube and streaming it has not been possible.......or worthwhile....... investing effort in such a difficult revision of the CD catalogue web page on our web site without his sound engineering skills. The CD has also become as rare as vinyl although still a viable music storage medium in 2021.

Our focus is MASTERING TODAY and a NEW reference point in terms of the catalogue. SO in this NEW COLLECTION from Snapper Music we have re-visited the ANALOGUE TAPES checking their 'authenticity' as the production intention of Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio and the other producers involved over the decades. This will probably be the LAST AND DEFINITIVE SET OF MASTERS on CD by Frankie and the group for future generations and for transfer to other media platforms[ie streaming etc].

The variablity of CD quality issues of FV/4S music in terms of MASTERING is so inconsistent since 1988 and of course the 1960s MONO releases have not been properly addressed as we will considered in forthcoming blogs.

Back in 2009 Casey and Stefan set a standard wanted for the catalogue as 'BEST MIXES'

“Firstly the characteristics that make it sound great……

1. Clarity – that sharp clear shape to each element in the sound

2. Content – the sound stage and it’s constituent parts

3. Separation – the difference or space within the sound between the elements

4. Depth – the position of the sounds in terms of the distance they appear from the listener and each other.

We believe the definitive versions need to be stored in the best digital form for future generations of collectors. As mastering improves and the technology to process the sound, we will be able enjoy the Four Seasons as never before. Their collection is too important to be neglected”

That has happened now thanks to Snapper Music and an 'enlightened' attitude from Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli. The process of finding and reviewing all potential sources for this project has taken 3 years and has been difficult. Over the next 6 months I will outline the search for rare and authentic tracks as recorded by the group with all of their albums and alternate surviving versions worthy of note. Duplication in the set has been avoided as much as possible with the MONO and STEREO versions recovered as they have survived. Acetates and LIVE show recordings have contributed much to the range and importance of the performances over the period and each 'decade' has it's pop/rock music context. Every track included is in the research team's opinion.....'UNIQUE' [ie being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else] The tracks that never made it to STEREO have also been researched too and the original MONO MASTER versions found, along with Pseudo STEREO versions[as produced at the time following MONO only recordings].

In the 2009 Blog Stefan analyzed how no TRUE STEREO version of 'Goodnight My Love' had ever appeared on CD and he tracked the vinyl sources. It took us, as an example,  till April 2021 for Bill Inglot to find a tape source deep in the Four Seasons Partnership Archive and allocate it for 're-mastering'. With the delay of the pandemic more time has allowed intense searches such as this to uncover more 'original' hidden gems.

I will start from the beginning in our next blog and work through the very distinctive 'decade focused' sources of the MASTERS and how they have and are stored and what has survived and been 'rescued'. My conclusion overall is that this has been a major 'rescue mission' and but for this project much would probably be lost forever. I will document what we couldn't find or include.......and the 'rescue work' still needed . And although a huge achievement the research for this set has shown there is more to be found and released......some sources we know of whilst others remain rumours.

And one mystery source remains largely unknown......the 'BOB CREWE ARCHIVE' which remains in the hands of Dan and Reid Crewe at Crewe Studios in Maine.

Ken Charmer – July 2021

Our Summer 2021 Update – The Four Seasons Catalogue and the Snapper Project

It is all about 'Looking Back'......which was the title of a 1966 album by the group. But that is what we have been doing on your behalf as part of the Snapper Music Project. For the first time it has been a case of fan involvement in asking the Four Seasons Partnership just what still exists of the Four Seasons Master tapes?

It has been a long project for us as researchers in The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society on behalf of all fans worldwide.....and recently through a long pandemic....and it is deeply sad that we lost some wonderful people due to Covid. But life and music must go on and it is good to announce that through the collaboration we have had with Snapper Music and the research of the sources we were able to make some amazing finds. The research for their planned Box Set release has now been completed. We are advised by Snapper that Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli have agreed the content they can release for the fans almost entirely as we asked for.

The final search of tapes and acetates during April 2021 added greatly to the rare and unreleased and alternative versions that have been found. Bob Gaudio personally checked out 29 of the bonus track finds for the set.

It is now for Snapper to take the project forward into the Re-Mastering and Production stage, after the research of sources for the Masters from the Partnership Tape storage, the Universal Motown Archive in New York State and Collectors Archives. Each CD features Bonus Tracks as closely related to the career timeline of Frankie and the group as was possible and the selection for inclusion has sought to include every important recording both released and unreleased in a comprehensive collection.

This has always been the aim of the UK fan group.

The identification and selection of both original and stereo versions of tracks from the 1960s in particular was considered the most intense area for research. But the inclusion of 13 Unreleased and stunning productions from their time at MoWest/Motown with alternate versions together with ALL the released tracks from that period provides a core achievement that was what we in THE FOUR SEASONS UK APPRECIATION SOCIETY signed up for with Snapper Music of London back on 20^th August 2018 . And then to our surprise the research team found the LOST DISCO ALBUM and the STREETFIGHTER album studio Tapes plus lots more. All will be revealed and put into context as the release date arrives.

Two objectives for us since 1997 have been finding the UNRELEASED tracks and getting the 1960s albums in MONO, remastered to modern mastering [now 2021] standards. We wanted confirmation of what had survived on tape and for this to be salvaged and restored. We can say that our objectives are 90% achieved [subject to re-mastering] and in our blogs I will up to its release explain what was found. [and what couldn't be found or included].

We and the Snapper Team believe this to be an awesome collection which fans will love. l will post more on our blog through the summer re the individual albums by the group and their background and will advise also as Snapper prepare their press release plans and pre-ordering arrangements. All of you will want to know the final details we know and with Snapper we will provide final details for the Box contents, price and release as soon as possible.

Ken Charmer and Lynn Boleyn

Next Time we will re-visit Casey Chameleon's search for the 'Best Mixes' in 2009 and what has been found in 2021

Essential Christmas Music for 2020

There are so many reasons to play this album in 2020 as we in the Snapper team review the Tape Transfers from the Four Seasons Partnership to Final Mastering. A No.13 hit on the Christmas Chart in December 63 it had been released a year earlier. It resonates and warms the heart and we need that in our socially distanced lives this year more than ever. Held together by friendships and social media we are determined to fight the invisible enemy and get the BEST EVER release of Frankie and the group out next year.

As we send best wishes out from the UK Fan Club to all of you, we are working hard to get you the Snapper Box Set as soon as possible next year.

The set now runs to 44 CDs. Genuine Imitation Life Gazette needed another CD to accommodate the MONO and STEREO versions[whilst the MONO version will still also be in the vinyl insert.] We have checked all the Bonus Tracks and have been able to locate and include alternative MONO 45 versions in both the 1960s and 70s like the DJ PROMO version of 'I've Got You Under My Skin' and a TRUE STEREO version of Frankie and the group on the lost 'B' side to 'Sherry'.......'I've Cried Before'.

We have located ALL the original VJ Masters in MONO and STEREO for all their albums at that label[rather than the album Safety Tapes] and Master Tapes of the Philips albums are mostly in both too. Rare versions and Unreleased gems sprinkle the CD's as Bonus Tracks to the albums and the 13 Motown Unreleased are brilliant songs and performances.

As 2021 begins we will have all tracks located and ready for re-mastering. This is the first time since 1988 that a comprehensive analogue to digital transfer has been done of the FSP vault and the whole catalogue included here will be everything that has survived.

The MONO Tracks from the 1960s are a revelation and on CD in album and single form for the first time. All the UNIQUE Bob Crewe 45 mixes appear as many are different to the album versions and whilst no STUDIO Master Tape multi-tracks have survived it was nice to discover the STEREO of the 45 version of 'Tell It To The Rain' was there all the time.....so now we have 4 versions of the song. And of course we have the specially collected Edizione D'Oro 29 Hits selection with the UNIQUE STEREO versions of 10 of their hits.

We have tried to make the set everything both fans and collectors would want and with the help of Bill Inglot and Bob and Frankie it will be. More in 2021. Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year

Ken Charmer and Lynn Boleyn for The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society – December 2020

The 'Not So Ultimate' Collection?

There comes a time when you have to ask …...'Is it enough?' A time to reflect on the process of how we got this far and how much we have missed out on.....particularly in such dreadful times when our very existence is at risk from an invisible enemy.

The excitement of the opportunity to review all of the Four Seasons Partnerships[FSP] Archive has been the driving force for the design and preparation of the forthcoming Snapper Box Set. All the released and unreleased by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons from 1962 to 2010. BUT not quite!!

A project over 3 years old but one that really started back in the 'noughties' when collectors like me and sound engineer Stefan Wriedt questioned what has been given to the fans to date as we dreamed of the ultimate collection based on access to the 'Archives' and modern technology sound engineering. Stefan himself organised the bootleg issue of 'The Night/Inside You' because neither the FSP nor Universal Motown would look back and issue on CD what had been released on vinyl by the label in the early 1970s.

I started to research the Motown vault information and the list started......and grew......

Could there be up to 30 unreleased tracks in the Motown vault? [as that was what was indicated] The evidence built and we found acetates of some of what had been done and left behind when they left the label in 1974. We put them on You Tube as proof. The case for a project of the 'Unreleased' at Motown was made. BUT that was never going to be enough. Ask Paul Nixon about getting 'approvals' for tracks known to be in the Motown Vault and he will tell you how it took 5 years after his highly successful 'Cellarfull Of Motown Series Volumes 1 to 4' and this week sees the release of Volume 5. ….....5 years on!!!!!! He found it was like trying to move mountains.....but persistence and belief prevailed.

Then with the concept of the Snapper Box set and the amazing news that Bob Gaudio would review and approve unreleased tracks from every decade ????......we believed a change of heart was happening to set down a 'library' of the career so many of us have supported since the 1970s fan clubs . Many of you have helped and searched for lost recordings and live shows. That contribution was as much part of the exercise of research that resulted in the LIST. BUT Bob Gaudio only approved 13 tracks from the 29 multi-track tapes supplied by Motown. Even though Motown's Tape Library Manager Andy Skurow admitted that at least another 15 could have been added being complete and of a similar quality. Such news is somewhat disillusioning to fans and makes us doubt the FSP commitment.

And what about Frankie and Bob's personal collection? No contributions were offered or made. And so much remains missing or not researched.

It is from the fans work over the years that I have pushed to Snapper to include unique finds.....and most of them have been accepted.......some could not be licensed but if anyone says 'This is NOT ENOUGH' I will agree. The FSP vault did not reveal the expected 'unreleased' and much of what was 'rumoured' to exist was left behind in Recording Studios. How could the music owners do this you may ask?......a good question. Take for example the superb 'Killing Time' , a superb left-over from the 'Streetfighter ' album sessions.......despite 3 years of searching the original studio tape has not surfaced......only a Larry Lingle cassette copy. And of the LIVE shows......only group members copies on cassette have survived of 3 shows.....plus a few tracks Tommy De Vito had from 1964.

Of around 818 track included around 60 could be classed as 'Unreleased' and around 40% are fan/former Four Season contributions. Why didn't Frankie's Tour Manager record more shows???

The UNIQUE Motown Vaults Mult-track Tapes could have contributed at least 20 more tacks with alternative mixes of tracks like the extended version of 'Hickory'. I have done all I can to get them but will never stop asking[Snapper, FSP, Motown Universal] for more. But as Lynn Boleyn and I have continuously supported this project we have had to be realistic!!!!!

Whilst there have previously been reasons for suppressing such releases by the FSP we had hoped this could be the ultimate collection. I started working with compiler Paul Nixon back in 2005 to try to get some of the then 1990s list of unreleased tracks at Motown released. Frankie Valli's lawyer stopped that saying any work was 'incomplete demos'. Of course at the time the build up of Jersey Boys was the main attraction.......and back in 1975 of course the Warner-Curb album 'Who Loves You' was the main focus. The FSP didn't want 'old material' competing....no matter what the quality!!!

This time with the Box Set research we had limitations to sources and time for contract approvals and Bob Gaudio assessed the Motown Tapes....NOT US!!!!! We are maybe 90% happy that the catalogue will move to its next Stage of NEW and SALVAGED Masters of great 'art' by August next year......that will make it a 4 year project due in large part to the pandemic.

Some fans have been questioning the value of this Box Set and Snapper tell me their artwork and collectible photos and picture sleeves will be superb......but it is the music that counts for most of us.......Fans will rightly ask.....'Is it all about the money the music can make? Or is there a genuine appreciation at all of the work as 'art' that should be preserved?' I can't ask Frankie or Bob but I can pass on the message that this ISN'T ENOUGH. In reality it is only us fans that care 100% about the art. But we still want this project and it will be good value for money. We will work with Snapper to bring the best sounding set of Four Seasons and Frankie Valli music to the fans.

It can't happen soon enough as we fight this pandemic and get some solace in the music we love.

We will keep pushing for more and will be calling for a Box Set based on a review of ALL the Motown Tapes.......give us the access to assess to review the material and we ask you to look in to your personal archives [Bob and Frankie]. You need to work with us to maximise your catalogue value for future generations. We are best equipped through our 'network' to achieve that....We are already planning fan based release of material not included in this package......this is how we see at present it will have to go.......Digitally Extracted Stereo[DES] is coming too and our aim is to develop NEW TRUE 21^stCentury STEREO Masters.

…........so STAY SAFE and LIVE LONG........the Box Set is coming......but it shouldn't have taken this long. However we are getting nearly as much as we wanted/hoped for in 2005, when Stefan and I said.......'it has to be preserved'. But it remains 'bittersweet'. As such close friends [like Stefan and Frank Rovello] have passed away and wont experience it. It also comes at a price that is known 'true' collectors will pay but which will unfortunately put some fans off.

Other projects will follow. There will be more..........Ken Charmer

"Life On Hold' - A Sad Loss and Box Set Update

It is a difficult time with the UK Press announcing that the Government is effectively putting 'Life On Hold' as winter approaches as we all seek to stay safe and get through these unprecedented times. The sad loss of 92 year old founder 4 Season Tommy DeVito to Covid related problems only reinforces the dangers for older people in life as many Four Seasons fans feel the strain and increasingly turn back on Facebook and You Tube  to the music for support. It is a sad time for his family and the fanbase who love the backstory. We have a separate blog re his contribution to our music and our lives.

As UK Fan Group managers Lynn Boleyn and I have been striving to give all fans the set of music that will completely 're-connect' the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons with their history and their fans and it would have been good to have done that at this time. It was just over 3 years ago we met Ian Crocket and Bob Fisher at Snapper Records in London and talked about what the fans wanted in a Mega Box Set.........we both said without hesitation......the MOTOWN UNRELEASED.....and an update from the Partnership vaults of the MONO Catalogue from the 1960s which has NEVER been released on CD. For 3 years now Ian, us and his team have been investing the time and effort to bring this to fruition.....something we see as intensely important during these pandemic times.

I spoke to Ian Crocket yesterday re progress in these challenging times and the inevitable delays to projects he is getting. Whilst we have gathered and are working on the huge artwork parts of the project, the continued closure of Curb Records and Universal Motown [until January] has put back re-mastering and quality checks so we are now looking at the set being complete and available next August. Snapper continue to invest in the project and contracts are in place. So it is a case of hanging in there and seeing the crisis through.

As all lament the sad passing of Tommy DeVito it is thanks to him that we have some awesome Unreleased Songs going into the Box Set as a result of getting hold of his 1960s Archive cassette. This has contributed 6 tracks to the compilation from the earliest days of the Four Seasons. Four are terrific good quality soundboard tracks from a Live 1964 show featuring 'Stay/Since I Don't Have You/Cry Myself To Sleep/Dawn' and two early Demos of 'I Still Care' and 'Like You' with Nick Massi's excellent vocal arrangements. Thanks Tommy!!!!

I will be featuring some other excerpts from Tommy's Archive Tape in our Facebook Group[ The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign] and some date back to the days of The Four Lovers.

So hang on in and we will keep you posted as the Re-Mastering re-commences as we start to hear the MONO albums reproduced again for the 21^st century and we continue to push this 2500 limited edition through to delivery and ordering dates. More news and rarities as and when we can.

Take Care and Stay Safe.

Ken Charmer

 

Back In Action - THE LOST DISCO ALBUM: Frankie Valli

As we enter the PRODUCTION STAGE of the Snapper box set of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Catalogue 1962 to 2010, I will be doing Blog posts relating to the highlights and this is the story of one UNIQUE CD which developed out of the Tape research. We were given unique access to the NEW transfer from the Four Seasons Partnership [FSP] Archive.

Some tapes emerged which seemed to be related to the 'Heaven Above Me' album from 1980 and several tracks were clearly Unreleased or Alternate Versions and so we tried to analyse what MAY have happened.

Whilst Frankie was at Warners for the FRANKIE VALLI IS THE WORD album Bob Crewe[ with Bob Gaudio] recorded Back In Action/Can't Be Too Much Music/ Stagger Lee according to Warner paper records of masters completed. During this period Bob Crewe wrote[ with Larry Brown] , recorded for Warner Bros [probably late 1978] and released Fancy Dancer as a 45. [Warner Curb WBS 8734] It reached Nr 77 on the Billboard Chart and Nr 36 on the Adult Contemporary Chart in the USA. In Feb 1979 'Doctor Dance' was mixed for release but would come out over a year later as a B side.

Only 'Back In Action' appears to have been copied to the Partnership Vaults from the Warner sessions . How or why we do not know.....nor does anybody know where the other two tracks are.? [In a studio archive somewhere ….we wish we had access but probably Sigma Sound New York.. If any tapes remain unclaimed they may now be held at Drexel University, Philidelphia as noted on Wikipedia.]

A number of tracks have been found in the FSP Archive as proposed versions. Most of these tracks are known but as other recordings. Those found here are UNRELEASED. A proposed album was prepared for release on 22^nd May 1979. but only one side of the album has survived on Tape.

So as a NEW Record Deal with MCA was signed it meant a Crewe and Gaudio re-recording for MCA 5134 and the result was the Heaven Above Me album in 1980. The dates for these earlier recordings are indicated as mainly in mid 1979 according to tape box dates. A number of original versions with extended mixes and alternate vocals or arrangements were laid down and remained in the Partnership vault until now. We have carefully reviewed these and although at first they just had the potential to be BONUS tracks the idea of a CLUB disco album emerged and we looked at how they might fit together as a DISCO album. HEAVEN ABOVE ME stands iconically as the last CREWE/GAUDIO masterpiece but this set stands on its own as a CLUB SET. 

The result is an album that builds slowly to the break-out in 'Let It Be Whatever It Is' and then rocks TOTAL DISCO before a gentle wind-down of ALL UNRELEASED versions.

BACK IN ACTION – THE LOST DISCO ALBUM

Track 1 – Back In Action – 4mins 53secs....with fade [Unreleased]

Track 2 – Fancy Dancer – 4mins 18 secs.....longer version than 45 with fade [Unreleased]

Track 3 – Let It Be Whatever It Is – 7mins 59 secs....longer version with extra vocals [Unreleased]

Track 4 – Dr Dance – 6mins 7secs – Extended 2^nd Mix with extra vocals [Unreleased]

Track 5 – Eat Your Heart Out - 5mins 24 secs – Extended mix [Unreleased]

Track 6 – Passion For Paris – 9mins 20secs – Extended Mix [Unreleased]

Track 7 – Soul – 11mins 19 secs – Salvaged 'Casey Chameleon'EDIT [Latin Version- Edit of damaged tape]

Track 8 – Back In Action[Reprise] TV Instrumental [Unreleased]

Wind-down Track 9 – Where Did We Go Wrong – Original Long Version Extra vocal - 3mins 58sec [Unreleased]

Wind-down Track 10 – If It Really Wasn't Love – No female backing: Valli Solo [Unreleased]

Wind-down Track 11 – Just Say That You Love Me – Valli Solo [Unreleased]

The Master Tape that contained the proposed single of 'Soul' was mixed on 19^th October 1979 with a longer version for 12”. But we found the tape damaged and so we edited what was remaining and the result was a combination of the two and it runs 11 mins 19 seconds. What is different re this version is it contains a 'Latin' background singer solo in the middle...which appears twice due to this edit......as a result it is a completely different[and unique] version to the 'Heaven Above Me' album song

We think overall this works as a totally UNIQUE album set and runs 54mins 48 secs of Dance floor music plus Wind-down. We have used up the remaining space on the CD with a set of unreleased ballads found on the tapes …....as a Wind-Down set from the DANCE SET [around 10 mins]  …....these are all extra alternative versions of tracks which are entirely 'collectable' and are forerunners to the 'Heaven Above Me' album.

But there is more.......

We also had some really good ALTERNATE VERSIONS worthy of inclusion as BONUS Tracks which will fit comfortably at the end of the Heaven Above Me album but that ORIGINAL and final set of album mixes is the 'creme de la crème'. These tracks are just some 'icing' on the cake for fans as alternate versions

Heaven Above Me - BONUS TRACKS 

Track 9 – Back in Action – 4 mins 53secs: Alternate version with New Ending[no fade]

Track 10 – Soul[Latin Version]_Heaven Above Me[Valli Solo]Joined by Partnership 15mins48secs

Track 11 – Dr Dance - 3^rd Alternate – TV instrumental Mix

We have extracted all the tracks and sent them as sets for Re-Mastering and as part of the BIG LIST they have been approved by Bob Gaudio and will be Mastered for the Box Set.

This was Bob Crewe's last major Partnership work with Bob Gaudio before his retirement from mainstream production that generated the Heaven Above Me album . These tracks show it's development......but mainly the PURE ENERGY and FUN in it's DANCE productions.

Ken Charmer

THE UNCOVERED FSP MOTOWN MASTERS – Part 3

In our final review of the Tape Archive finds in the Four Seasons Partnership vaults is perhaps the most surprising find of all our research over the years and confirmation of something we discovered in the Tape Index Paper records which are now proved.

Assessing the Artists Cards we found references to tracks being copied to two album tapes P5084 and 5085. So when the Tape box showed up with Side 2 of that album were we amazed......but not as much as when we played it.

It contains not only the Alternate Take of 'My Eyes Adored You' but 3 other previously unreleased tracks from the Bob Gaudio session during the summer of 1973.

All of the finds on these tapes prove to be different versions in some ways. Either an alternate vocal or instrumental arrangement. They differ from the tracks Bob Gaudio has provided for the BOX SET and we think they are essential inclusions as they are simply such good mixes.

Below is the detailed analysis of the Tape listening research we have been able to carry out.

BONUS ALTERNATE MASTER VERSIONS IN FSP ARCHIVE [Found in FSP Tapes as Tape Box Scans with Transfer Locations]

MY EYES ADORED YOU – Alternate closing lyric [FS Set 6 Tracks 2 _239]

This is identified on the Tape Box as a NEW MIX, and is clearly not the hit version bought for $4,600 when they left the label. The differences are the extra vocals by Frankie on the closing section. The question that comes to mind is “Does the Partnership OWN this Master as they bought it in 1974/ Did that purchase include all MASTER copies? An interesting but pretty minor matter with such and important and historic song.

WHATEVER YOU WANT - Alternate Harmony version[FS Set 6 Tracks 2 _239]

This is simply a different mix of the harmony vocals and the orchestration. It is the mix prepared for release on the album assembled in May 1974 in preparation for release.

INSIDE YOU – Alternate Version – Frankie Valli Solo – Less Harmony backing [FS Set 6 Tracks 2 _239]

This is alternate version to that included on the 'Inside You' album. It does not have the 'heavy' string overdub and has the instrumentation mixed higher/differently[guitars and drums] in the mix. It also has lower /less backing vocals. The result is a Frankie Valli 'solo' stripped back version which works very well. It runs 3:35 instead of the 4:05 on the album version.

LOVERS - Alternate Version - [FS Set 6 Tracks 2 _239]

This again is a different mix of instrumentation to accompany Frankie Valli. There is much better separation[placement] of guitars/drums and harmony backing. There is also a step in the instrumentation before the closing harmony outro which works perfectly. This is definitely the best mix I have heard, and was the mix prepared for album release in 1974

HYMN TO HER – Alternate Version -[FS Set 6 Tracks 2 _239]

Again this mix differs significantly. The opening choral harmonies 'fade-in' and the church organ section is different. Once again the separation of instruments individually and harmonies is superb with the Seasons 'backing' shining through. The overdub of horns on the closing anthemic vocals with guitar is again superb. This is definitely the best mix I have heard, and was the mix prepared for album release in 1974.

FUTURE YEARS – Alternate Version[FS Set 6 Tracks 1 _278]

This version differs from the one approved version because the lyric can be more clearly heard and once again separation of instruments is better. Also there is a step of orchestration in the closing section which works perfectly. This is IMO a better version than was approved.

WHATEVER YOU WANT - Alternate Version 2 [FS Set 6 Tracks 1_278] Piano Backing

The big difference with this version is that it is without the the 'Harmony' backing track. Whilst those backing vocals work superbly on the main version, this piano led 'stripped down' orchestra and Frankie version works equally well. A worthy Alternate Version.

YOU CAN'T HOLD ON - Alternate Version[FS Set 6 Tracks 1 _278]

This version varies from the approved version as it has no Vocal Backing track and Frankie's Vocal is different on the closing sections. It still works well because the alternate instrumental mix is excellent [particularly the sax] with a superb 'lead' vocal.

YOU CAN'T HOLD ON – TAKE 6 - Alternate 'FINAL MIX' Version[FS Set 6 Tracks 3 _215]

This version described on the Tape Box as 'FINAL MIX' appears as lined up for a 'B' side release with 'The Night' based on the Tape Box. It has different Vocal Backing track and Frankie's Vocal is different on the outro[superb falsetto chanting with the backing singers]. It works really well because of the alternate instrumental mix with a superb 'lead' and backing vocal. Definitely the 'best mix'.

So all these Alternate Mixes could and should be included for fans with the co-operation of Universal. They would elevate the Collectibility of the set, and demonstrate more of the 'goldmine' of these multi-track tapes for perhaps a future issue of more UNRELEASED and ALTERNATE TAKES by the Partnership in conjunction with Universal. The approved 13 tracks and these ALTERNATE MIXES are the find of the project to me after so many years of research. I never would have believed such quality could be 'locked away' for all these years. This CD could and should be the GOLD in the box set. If you want these versions included in the BOX SET let us, Snapper, Bob Gaudio and Universal Music know here.

We will continue campaigning for a future research project on the TAPES recovered from MOTOWN UNIVERSAL........but what a find these are

 

THE UNCOVERED FSP MOTOWN MASTERS – Part 2

Continuing our review of the Tapes found in the Four Seasons Partnership Tape Archive this access got us confirmation of our research re the early 1973 sessions as Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe started working together again in the studio. This time at Motown.

Mowest was going 'down the tubes' in early 1973 and Frankie and the group were back on Motown. But the two Bob's were busy writing and recording with Frankie Valli. But not it seems with the Four Seasons. The performing group were not considered up to the productions proposed. Work started in January 1973 with the Ellie Greewich composed 'Be My Lover, Be My Friend', but it was the songs 'With My Eyes Wide Open' and 'Listening To Yesterday' that impressed Motown Execs. Initially and probably based on these STEREO Mixes during the sessions. These appear from this FSP Archive Tape Box to have been mixed to MONO/STEREO as test mixes.....final mix demos. They are different to what would eventually surface as final releases

An album was 'slated for release' as Motown 788 titled 'Inside Out' for release in August 1973 but was never developed or finished. 'How Come' from these sessions was released in May 1973 [Motown 1255F] but did not achieve adequate sales and this was perhaps why the album was abandoned.

This Tape Box show a mixing/copying date of 2^nd February 1973 and the mixes of 'Listening To Yesterday' feature a harmony male vocal background, whereas the 45 release on Motown M1251F in May 1973 as a B side to 'You've Got Your Troubles' would feature female backing vocals. This 'harmony' version would eventually feature on the Motown Anthology 2CD set in 2008 but the 45 release has never seen CD issue to date and we have asked for it in the BOX SET. Another track from these sessions 'Star' will get release in the Box Set and is a revelation of these great songs and great sessions. We know of more songs from the sessions that remain completed but remain unreleased. But 'With My Eyes Wide Open' would eventually see release on their post contract Motown album 'Inside You' in 1975. These versions lack the 'finishing' orchestral overdub of that final and released version but feature great instrumental mixes.[and both MONO and 2 alternate STEREO Mixes]. But this song along with the stunning 'Inside You' from these sessions would again be lined up for release on album in a lost 1974 album listing and more on that in Part 3.

These mixes are clearly evaluation mixes but show the quality of production but makes it more surprising that a slow ballad and arrangement re-worked from 1969 at Philips [You've Got Your Troubles] should be preferred for release with these 'original' tracks in the 'can'.

We will also feature in Part 3 the next Motown Tape findings of 3 tracks we had claimed were part of a separate session that saw the release of 'The Scalawag Song' which was also released with little promotion or belief by Motown. Three superb songs shown as copied in January 1974 to producer Bob Gaudio.......were simply forgotten until now and destined for release in the forthcoming Box Set. However these tapes are alternate mixes destined for album transfer......but also for another Motown album that would not see release.

These tape boxes only confirm our data on the Tape Index and make the release of missing gems and alternate mixes a serious endeavour for us to continue. As well as Be My Lover, Be My Friend' we are missing 'Turn It All Around' and Give Us This Day' from the sessions. These remain in the Universal Archive now with Bob Gaudio. We await more news of these.

Next Time.....The LOST MOTOWN ALBUM – Side 2

THE RECOVERED PARTNERSHIP MOTOWN MASTERS – Part 1

The Tape Research work by the Snapper Team is now complete and all tracks selected by fans recommendations and Snapper Team evaluation of the Four Seasons Partnership [FSP] Archive Transfers by Bill Inglot have been incorporated. It is brilliant that Bob Gaudio has approved the LIST. The QUALITY CONTROL phase starts now as the Re-mastering moves on.

The Motown UNRELEASED CD results from Bob Gaudio's review of circa 29 Multi-Track tapes supplied to him by Universal. These are as the Tape Index we have been researching for over 10 years. To date all finds have matched in some way our index and the Artists Cards that have informed the research. Only 13 tracks have been approved for inclusion . The only track previously approved and later deleted was 'I Will Love You Like A Man', and we can only think this is because the title may be interpreted as having 'gender issues'?? Such are these times.! As I have advised in this blog.....all 13 approved are top quality performances and 80% match any previously released Motown issued tracks by Frankie and the group and even album tracks from the Private Stock period that followed their time at Motown and MoWest Records.

One of the biggest surprises of the FSP Tape Archive review was that several of the 13 tracks approved were already in the FSP Archive and are ALTERNATE versions. In our continuing reporting of the facts I will be advising fans of our research as always. I have already advised of our finding of a copy of The Night/You Can't Hold On as a 45 in May 1974[see our previous blog] and this is the evidence of a second but equally well known track.

It is my assessment that consideration should be given to these ALTERNATE versions for 'possible' inclusion in the BOX SET and they should be definitely heard and reviewed by Bob Gaudio.[as he has probably forgotten that he had them]. They were clearly supplied to the FSP for approval as all are FULL STEREO MIXES and most were ready for release. The fans expected more tracks from the Motown vaults in this box set and Universal sources have confirmed at least 15 further quality tracks exist in completed form that could have been included . Perhaps time pressure prevented Bob from fully assessing the tapes.

Inclusion of these ALTERNATE versions would make this UNRELEASED TRACKS CD far more appealing to fans. The difficulty of getting ISRC numbers for the tracks and inclusion in the UNIVERSAL contract remains a difficulty for Snapper to manage but as these are simply alternate versions they can possibly use the same ISRC number. I hope Bob Gaudio will realise how good these versions are and if he does I strongly believe in their inclusion and a call to Harry Weinger at Universal would enable their inclusion in the contract to be quickly done.

These finds were at the time UNRELEASED but clearly late production STEREO Mixes ready for release [in many cases] as stored back in 1973/74, but with the group leaving the label no production commitment was made. These notes have been passed back to Snapper to inform Bob Gaudio of the finds and the tracks can be shared with him[and Universal] for assessment.

BONUS ALTERNATE MASTER VERSIONS IN FSP ARCHIVE [Found in FSP Tapes as attached Tape Box Scans with Transfer Locations] Part 1

MY EYES ADORED YOU – Alternate closing lyric [FS Set 6 Tracks 2 _239]

This is identified [as you can see] on the Tape Box as a NEW MIX, and is clearly not the hit version bought for $4,600 when they left the label. The differences are in the mix of instruments and backing vocals and the guitar is much more pronounced......and the most noticeable change is the extra vocals by Frankie on the closing section. The question that comes to mind is “Does the Partnership OWN this Master as they bought it in 1974? Did that purchase include all MASTER copies?” An interesting but perhaps not so minor matter with such an important and historic song.

But the Artists Card makes it very clear that the MASTER TAPE was 'Sold back to Producer'[ie Bob Crewe]. The first STEREO MIX was done on 11^th December 1973[from the final recording sessions at the label] and it was over 6 months later that 2 other MIXES were done on 6^th June 1974 for the album Tape P5084 and 10^th June 1974[BG – low level?]. Clearly at that stage Motown intended to release an album of Frankie and the group. The Tape Box in the FSP Archive was a copy made on 25^th June 1974 and lists Bob Gaudio[incorrectly] as the producer in a (NEW MIX). It clearly is and runs 3:40 [as opposed to 3:32 of the original Private Stock Issue]…...but will fans get to hear it in this Box Set? Well clearly it is in the ownership of the FSP now, but it's inclusion should definitely be on this CD of the Motown Unreleased. We will keep you informed of developments with this one.

Next time......more Tape Boxes from Motown containing UNRELEASED Tracks.

THE LOST MOTOWN 45?

Whist working as a member of the Snapper Tape Research team I was more than interested in 7.5 inch per second Tape Box in the Four Seasons Partnership [FSP] Tape Archive which shows two tracks which appear on a Motown Tape which appear to be a proposal for a new 45 release. The Tape Box has the date 23^rd May 1974 on it and a hand written Note saying ….”FINAL MIX?”......and the tape contains MIX 39 of 'The Night' .....and Take 6 [STEREO MIX 4] of 'You Can't Hold On'.

In my blog article on The History of MIXES of THE NIGHT I highlighted that MIX 39 Master Nr 60770] was designated for the proposed album release [Tape P5084 and 5] but now it's presence here indicates it was also for a proposed single release that of course did not happen. By October 1974 the group had left the label and taken 'My Eyes Adored You' with them and it was released on Private Stock. The rest is fully known history. But the story of the time at Motown continues to unravel with finds like this.

The version of THE NIGHT sounds very like the subsequent 're-issue' in 1975 in the UK but is not the same mix as the current designated 'Official' 2007 re-master appearing on You Tube.[running time 3:24] which has a heavy tambourine in the right channel. The newly discovered LOST 45 version runs 3:17 with a different balance of instrumentation.

But the superb TAKE 6 of 'You Can't Hold On' is the third Master[Nr 62299] of this song that we have heard . There is the 'approved' MIX Bob Gaudio supplied [3:05] for the BOX SET and another MIX/version we found [2:56]. Maybe this is Mix 5 identified on the Artists Card for the album saved to Tapes P5084 and 5. This 'discovered' version varies from the approved version as it has less Vocal Backing overdub and Frankie's Vocal is different on the closing sections. It still works well because the alternate instrumental mix[particularly the sax] fits with a superb 'lead' vocal. TAKE 6 MIX 4 of this this superb song[running time [3:13]has a different Vocal Backing overdub and Frankie's Vocal 'lead' is different on the outro [falsetto chanting with the backing singers]. It works really well because of the alternate instrumental mix with another superb 'lead' and backing vocal. Definitely the 'best mix' of the three.

The Tape Index Card[Artists Card] shows the Stereo Mixes made and we have 3 to look forward to.

This research shows just how much we don't know of or have not heard from the surviving session tapes. I'd like to see these MIXES appear in the BOX SET but that depends on Snapper, Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli and Universal agreeing with my research and analysis and doing the admin between them to formalise their inclusion. The tracks are salvaged and available. Time will tell if they do issue them.........but they will definitely be heard one day. They are just too good to not be enjoyed by all.

More soon on the rest of the Motown Tapes, mysteriously turning up in the FSP Tape Archives.

Ken Charmer – MBA – Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society Music Historian.

Snapper Project Update - March 2020

For new members of the Motown Unreleased Campaign Facebook Group and blog fans generally I wanted to let everyone know our progress and status as we head towards Easter. We have just finished our research to identify all the tracks we can to complete the Snapper Box set. Some still need licensing clearance, and then it is up to Bob Gaudio to approve the list for production. We have searched out all we can and of course as I have advised we have 13 superb Unreleased Motown tracks already approved . 

The teamwork has been great. Overall we don't think we could have done much more. Several 45 tracks did not survive on tape from the 1960s but we have good quality original vinyl dubs in place to replace these. ALL the albums will be there and all the 60s albums in MONO and STEREO except for the 'Solo' and 'Timeless' albums.[which have only survived in their STEREO versions].....but the 45 released sides from them do exist in MONO. 'Genuine Imitation Life Gazette' has been found in MONO and was never released in this form, and as well as on CD it will be a 'vinyl' insert with full artwork as the original album 'gatefold'. So all NEW Digital Masters have been extracted from analogue Master Tapes and are being re-mastered to the highest standard by Reynolds Mastering. We have heard lots of the Master transfers to the sound engineer and the quality of Bill Inglot's transfers is top quality. The first sample RE-MASTERS from the Sound Engineer are better than we have ever heard and reviewed since 1988 [see our CD Discography] and [in my personal opinion – based on me digitising all the 45 MONO tracks since 2010] are the best digitally possible.

 

The Four Seasons Partnership Archives have been fully researched and along with our own discoveries from connected sources this is the best that can be done in 2020. Any other unreleased tracks that exist are in 'private' collections or Studio Libraries/Archives where tracks completed have not been sent[forwarded] to the Partnership. There could be some in the Vee-Jay[now Concord], Mercury [Philips] , Warner-Curb, Private Stock, MCA and Frankie's studio storage, but such research is beyond the scope and investment of this project and would require huge research. We do know of a few tracks that are lost there but locating them has been impossible. This is we believe as good as it can get. TV show recordings have been impossible to license within the time frame and budget and so none have been included. 3 Live shows from Sound Board recordings have however been included.

 

We are clear that ALL potential unreleased 'quality' recordings have been found and included except for the Motown Archive. As described above this is an archive owned by a major label [Universal in this case] and not by The Four Seasons Partnership. But this project was started because of the potential of this label's library and our 10 year research to identify completed work. Snapper's project investment has allowed the multi-track tapes to be supplied to Bob Gaudio for appraisal. He has approved and forwarded 13 tracks from a potential 30+ that we identified. Campaigning will continue for as long as we can to persuade Bob and Universal to eventually give us the rest.[but not in this set] But make no mistake about it , this 'album' of 'completed' Motown tracks is the 'jewel in the crown' in this set for all fans. It is fair for me to say I believe that this album of tracks is as good as the last 'Frankie Valli Unreleased ' set from 1975.....the 'Inside You' album which Motown released following the success of The Night' [in the UK] and the 'Who Loves You' album [Internationally].

 

The DANCE ERA single tracks from 1988 to 2007 are fully covered too and the 00's albums up to 2010 are included.

 

But our 'push' since 2009 has been to get a NEW set of Masters from the analogue tapes[including the MONO tracks] originally released in the 1960s on vinyl. This set achieves this and every effort has been made to ensure ALL UNIQUE 45 Mixes are included as bonus tracks to the respective albums. The total track list at the last count was around 780 and over 200 are Unique 45s, unreleased, alternative versions or live. The focus now is on getting as much approved and licensed as possible and no corners will be cut on quality. We are all committed to making this set as comprehensive as possible. This will be the NEW set of MASTERS and is as COMPLETE as possible.

 

We will advise further re the final list and production as and when we can, but patience is needed as the engineer creates 'new Masters' for the 21^st Century, and a final release date will only be known as the 'final approvals' work allows. But we have reached the end of the research stage and all tracks are gathered and with the sound engineer. Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli will see that the combined efforts of fans and the Partnership have created the BEST EVER set in what is a LEGACY Collection. Now we will support the Sound Engineer through the 'quality control' stage of Re-Mastering. And given the teamwork on this set we had to agree with Snapper's decision on the title for the Box. It will be called “WORKING 'OUR' WAY BACK TO YOU”.

More when we have it.

Ken Charmer – MBA – The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society [founded in 1971]

THE NIGHT - The History Of The Mixes

It was and remains an iconic hit and stands proud as a Northern Soul dance floor filler. It was the last track played at Mr M's [the Oldies Room] at Wigan Casino on the night it closed and as a result of it's popularity across the clubs of North-West England in 1973 and 4 became a hit upon it's re-release in 1975 reaching No 7 in the UK charts........but not a lot is known about it's origin and history at Mowest and Motown Records and the neglect of Motown Execs in 1972 to release and promote it in the US.

What we have discovered from the Artists Card for the session tape is that between 1972 and 1975 at least 43 STEREO MIXES were made from the 16 track tape [P2110]. An amazing route to find the right mix for a hit!!!!

'THE NIGHT' was a session track recorded by Bob Gaudio [producer] with the Four Season in late 1971 and January 1972. The song was written by Bob Gaudio and Four Season member Al Ruzika and scheduled for release as mixes were prepared for album release. The group's first album at the newly formed West Coast LA Record Company 'MoWest'......a division of Motown records.

The first mixes were copied to a 16 track [safety copy] and 3 STEREO Mixes [all to - 'Temporary' - T tapes] with a further STEREO Mix on 1^st February and a 'dub' cut the next day by Russ Terrana[the renowned Motown Sound Engineer] for evaluation.[Mixes 13-14] The 'Chameleon' album was assembled in the following months and released in May 1971. But on 6^th and 7^th June Russ created Mixes 15 to 21. Again on 8^th July another engineer [B.Mac?] created Mixes 22 to 34 and then on 13^th July Mixes 35 to 39. What was going on? Why did they do so many mixes when the track mix was complete and approved and had been released in May on the 'Chameleon' album?. What we do know is that the track was being considered for 45 release and a White Label acetate pressing was done as an evaluation copy Mowest 5025F[b/w Sun Country] in August but it was never released. It was probably a mix from these sessions but not deemed a 'hit sound' by Mowest executives in the USA. It was eventually released but came out only in the UK[and Europe] in October 1972 and although it never got promotion it would go on to become a much beloved dance track.

We did find that although Frankie and the group were about to leave the label [in frustration at the lack of releases and promotion] by mid 1974 an album was assembled on Tapes P5084 and 5 with final mixes for release. Mix 39 on 'The Night' Artists Card is circled as selected for that album which would never see release. What the Artists Card from Motown's paper records also show is that over a year after this prepared album, on 18^th and 20^th August 1975 Russ once again re-visited the 16 track P tape to produce Mixes 40 to 43. Of these Mixes 42 and 43 are shown as deleted or the tape destroyed. What was Russ Terrana trying to achieve.? We will probably never know.

So where can you currently find the versions available to hear from these 43 mixes today in 2020?

Well the original vinyl album version is preserved on The Night/Inside You CD. And the Anthology Box set of 2008. This features a mix of Organ Left/Tambourine Percussion Right and Frankie/Drums and Bass Centre. I’m calling this the ‘Tambourine’ Version[the original album mix]. This version has been Re-Mastered in 2007 and can be heard on You Tube. Some would say this is the definitive version and it does sound good. It is the Rhino Official version [Re-mastered in 2007] and was also included on the Rhino Rarities Vol 2 in 1992. It runs 3:26.

The OFFICIAL REMASTER 2007 

But You Tube also features an Alternate Mix with the Left and Right Channels reversed and a much stronger drumbeat . And no audible Tambourine and Frankie Valli sings the ‘Beware….etc’ opening[not The Four Seasons]. This runs 3:21 and not the 3:29 indicated but is it the European issue on Rare Earth from 1972 as the scan on the video shows.? We think not!

An ALTERNATE 'VALLI' MIX on You Tube

The 1975 UK Re-issue appears to be a NEW mix running 3:24 and the promo label shows a date of 27^th March 1975 but it maybe just the UK 45 from August 1972 re-issued. We think this may be the 'needle drop' version on You Tube and it is the 'Tambourine' Mix which is the original.

The VINYL ORIGINAL 'Tambourine' Mix on You Tube

So mix 40 or 41 and Russ Terrana’s 18^th August 1975 notes on the Artists Card may well refer to the Alternate Mix featured on the 'Inside You' Album which was released in September 1975 [a month after his session mixes]in the US. This version also has the reversed channels, lacks the overdub of The Four Seasons warning to ‘Beware…etc’ nor does it have the Tambourine Percussion overdub, and it runs only 3:21. This 'Alternate' version appears on You Tube too and on the Anthology Box set CD2.

The 1975 ALTERNATE 'VALLI' MIX on You Tube

But we have ALSO found an Alternate 3:18 version [maybe a shorter fade] with Reverb on Frankie Valli’s lead in The Four Seasons Partnership Archive which is on a STEREO MIX Master Tape. This version is undated and is also missing The Four Seasons on the intro[Frankie Valli singing 'Beware....etc]. It appears to be the same 'Alternate' Mix included on the Motown Superstars Volume 4 CD [surprisingly running at 3:14] from 1991.

What ‘takes’ and STEREO mixes have survived 'unheard' on 16 track Tape P2110 of this 'monster' hit remains to be seen but at least the 29 P tapes from 1971 to 1974 covering all their sessions are now with Bob Gaudio and so they are preserved in the Partnership's control. And Snapper will get versions for Mastering in the forthcoming Box Set for 2020 release. According to the Artist Card the last note indicates the FINAL STEREO mix of 'The Night' sits on the much later than 1972, P Tape 4336, and that remains in the Universal Motown vault.

Any 'alternate' mixes ‘stand up’ as collectible as far as fans are concerned and maybe someday someone will research whether the T tapes that Russ Terrana mixed have survived and do a ‘Beach Boys Type’ collection of ALTERNATIVE STUDIO MASTERS for us collectors. Do the T tapes still exist in the Motown vault?. Only Andy Skurow, the Motown Library Manager could find them and Universal would only allow that if someone pays for the recovery search. The track remains the most mixed of any of the group’s efforts at Mowest/Motown according to Artists Cards and we can see and hear why. We'll probably never know the full story of these MIXES but this has been a fun music detective review of many peoples favourite Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons 45.

Ken Charmer – MBA : The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society

 

 

Streaming as a Brand - The Night

Working hard at finding all the original Masters of the Four Seasons catalogue has been such fun, and not the least because I see these Masters as eventually replacing ALL the You Tube Official tracks and the future 'Streaming' playlists for the group for future generations.

If you want to understand how HITS are going to be an income stream over and over again just read this blog post about the industry leaders.

https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com

It is all about preservation for us collectors but for the industry it is about future income streams from streaming. Without doubt Frankie Valli has a few contenders to be 'streaming brands' in their own right. 'Sherry' and 'The Night' will be to us major contenders.

'The Night' remains our main contender as identified by Wikipedia here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_(Frankie_Valli_and_the_Four_Seasons_song)

The Edinburgh Gin advert over Christmas caused a sensation as seen here.......

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/people-love-new-edinburgh-gin-17403770

and here folks.....

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2019/12/19/edinburgh-gin-2019-advert-song-frankie-valli-four-seaons/

This years Box Set will see a big re-juvenation in the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Catalogue, and we are working hard with Snapper Records to ensure the content is the best ever.

We know there were 34 Master mixes of 'The Night' done at Motown over the years since 1972.

We are searching out options and alternatives for the box set.

We will review this history soon.

Casey Chameleon

The Four Seasons Story at Motown Starts To Unravel

Analyzing the full story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons catalogue is still impossible!! With only 2 Track Master Safety Copies in the Partnership vaults of their catalogue, it is apparent very little unreleased material has survived. But what has is more than we could have hoped for!!!!!. There may be multi-tracks lying discarded and forgotten in the Mercury/Warner/MCA and Curb vaults...but such is life and we can only celebrate what we have. So the Partnership Archive is our source for 2 track MONO/STEREO Masters. The only source where any Multi-Tracks appear to exist that we have been able to identify is in fact Universal Music – The Motown Tape Archive. Even though we have paper records that are accurate and comprehensive re the Multi-track Master Tapes in the Motown vault, there are still so many questions unanswered.

With only 22 tracks released following nearly 3 years at the label and paper records indicating another 30 unreleased Masters and several alternate takes and other session songs partially completed, it has been a hard task to assess the importance and quality of this period in Frankie Valli's career as well as that of the group sound.

But as another 13 Motown songs emerge as 'approved' by Bob Gaudio for the Snapper Box set it has become apparent that these 29 tapes are the only known 'treasure' of stored Multi-Track tapes that can be located of any of the groups sessions. …....ever!!!!! They represent a huge find in the history of this iconic group and a bounty for fans........if only Universal Motown and The Four Seasons Partnership would share the rest of the finds with us. Maybe if we keep asking someday we will be able too enjoy them.

We did our research this last 10 years accepting that there may only be a few songs of adequate quality to go in any CD release. As Motown themselves had 'trawled' the tapes for the 'Inside You' album in 1975 and at that time given us an exceptional addition to the their only released album whilst at the label in 'Chameleon'....that was it. Apart from the handful of non-album singles that make up the rest of the 22 released songs captured on CD for the first time in 2008 on The Motown Anthology set......what could be left?.....particularly when both Harry Weinger and Bob Gaudio said at the time that they accepted that anything left was 'unfinished demos' and Frankie Valli's lawyer said these were 'harmful to his career and out of key'. This has proved to be a total lie and the forthcoming release of the 'approved tracks' in the box set demonstrates it.

We thought we knew better given the 2 alternative tracks on the 2008 Anthology CD Set......and this has proved to be the case. Never before heard, the extended version of 'Charisma' and the alternative version of 'Listen To Yesterday' shows how 'spoilt for choice' Motown are in Frankie Valli vocal selections. His recordings are not always with the Four Seasons maybe, but many tracks were 'laid down' by him but never heard since.

Tape Research this last year has revealed that the Partnership Archive ALSO contains 'remnants' of those days at Motown in Safety Copies. But what is of most significance from these finds is the story of how the group could have stayed at the label with at least an album of completed quality material ready for release. Motown assembled an album of tracks for release in May 1974. Tapes P 5084 and 5 contain this 'un-named' album of completed songs. And 2 tracks 'The Night'[mix39 – out of 43. The rest are still there!!] and 'You Can't Hold On' were 'pulled' for potential 45 release in June 1974.

Now we have heard and know the full quality of this album we can also see how the re-union of Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio helped achieve superb material. Sessions together and as sole producers contributed to this set during sessions in 1973. And the hidden gem in this set is an alternative vocal ending version of 'My Eyes Adored You'. It is different to the one bought by Bob Crewe and subsequently released on Private Stock but in no way inferior. It is the Master lined up for release. If it had been Frankie would have been singing different lyrics since then......... But we are not getting that in the 13 approved for release with Universal Motown....... so as it was sold to The Partnership back then they can include it.........We have heard it now so it is in the box set too as a bonus track. And we won't stop asking for access to the rest of the known tapes and tracks.

We know that by 1974, the failure of promotion by Motown to push 'Hickory'[it barely broke the Billboard Top 100] had totally disenchanted Valli, Crewe and perhaps more so Gaudio who was driving towards new sounds and direction as the separate identities of The NEW Four Seasons and Frankie Valli 'solo' were beginning to emerge. Live shows and audience response was demonstrating the quality of the band. Bob Gaudio had a new writer/partner in Judy Parker. What was needed was the right material. New songs being written by Bob Gaudio with Judy and whilst registered at Berry Gordy's Jobete Music they would emerge at a new label and the well known story of them buying 'My Eyes Adored You' took Frankie Valli to a new 'Solo' career at Private Stock.

Motown were too late and had wasted several opportunities to generate hits during their contract and ignoring the output from sessions of great material remains inexcusable. They would get some financial success on the back of this 'walk-out' by Crewe and the Partnership as the re-issued 'The Night' soared into the UK chart on its re-release in 1975 [leading to the re-release of 'Chameleon' and the release of the 'Inside You' album] but as more quality tracks are now emerging the bad management at the label is ever more clear.

But as I said at the beginning we still can't capture the full story with at least 15 completed Masters of unreleased songs mainly from the MoWest period still unheard.We don't believe there is a lack of quality amongst this set.....it is just that we are unable to judge that YET? What will become apparent to fans with the forthcoming release is the superb quality of Crewe, Gaudio and Valli to deliver in the studio. 11 of the 13 approved songs are quite superb and a match for many that would follow at Private Stock with Frankie Valli. The Four Seasons feature[in various line-ups] on several tracks but the intense power of the NEW Four Seasons contribution[along with Nick Massi and Charles Calello] on the immense Crewe-Nolan songs 'Lovers' and 'Hymn to Her' [from December 1973] shows why Crewe and The Partnership wanted to buy more of the back catalogue from Motown at the end of their contract.

What we have achieved and will all get to hear is superb. The shame is that everyone involved has hidden this music from us [or even admitted it exists] for 45 years. As I said.....'it is all starting to unravel'.

Ken Charmer – The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society

Coming soon......The Story Of 'The Night' and its 43 Mixes

 

 

Seasons Greetings - 2019: Part 1

It's that time again when Lynn Boleyn and I wish our fan group friends Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year. We usually hope there will be something for fans to look forward to but this year looking forward is the most exciting since the hey-day of the fan clubs in the UK and the USA of the 1970s.

The forthcoming Box Set from Snapper Records is well into it's research and development stage as we help the team evaluate the exciting content that could be possible. Bill Inglot is steadily researching the Partnership vaults and sharing the contents with the team and we have been able to identify rare session out-takes and alternative versions. This process will develop through the New Year as we identify and propose every important Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons track that has survived from 1962 to 2010 for inclusion.

The vaults and other collectors archives will we believe ensure this is a 'Completist's Set'.

The 1960s in MONO and STEREO releases are going to be there.....and 'unreleased from every decade'.....is beginning to emerge. But our Campaign and aim was to get the Motown Unreleased from 1971 to 1974 and whilst only 13 of a potential 30 plus showing in paper records have been approved for release......this constitutes a whole album of material......and it is all worthy of release as our news over the holidays will describe.

This is definitely going to be a set for 'die-hard' collectors and we are doing all we can to make it the best set ever. What we can say is that the Re-Mastering of the 60s albums so far is superb and better than any previous CD issue to date[well all of those we've been able to check]. And the tracks WILL BE the authentic released Masters plus bonus tracks wherever we can find them. We'll keep monitoring and reporting as the project develops with the Snapper Team, who are closely liaising with Bob Gaudio, Bill Inglot and Universal Motown.

Follow our Facebook group The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign for regular updates as we dig deeper into the vaults. Classic LIVE material is also surfacing and we are hoping much of this will also gain approval.

News and articles here and on FB as we continue the research in more depth than ever before into potential content through into 2020, which is why I am saying this is the most exciting time for fans since 1975!!!!........for those who arrived on the planet after that year or who discovered the group more recently.......you are in for a treat. Enjoy the ride......and for us 'oldies'.....'Let's Ride Again'.

Casey Chameleon

 

 

The Search For The Masters – 2019 update - [8 years on]

Back in 2011 I was writing blogs about a project my late friend and sound engineer Stefan Wriedt wanted to tackle as there seemed no prospect of a comprehensive review of the Four Seasons Partnesrhips vaults/archive. And rumours had been rife for years that the tape vaults are incomplete in terms of the Master Sessions Matrix Index which we've developed on our web site. Do the MONO mixes we all know still exist as since 1988 and the advent of CD the output has been largely STEREO, and often wide or poorly mastered tracks of the analogue to digital transfers.?

Our UK Fan group web site index covers all known Matrix Numbers of Masters from 1962 to 1971 and an Excel Spreadsheet of what is stored in the Motown Universal vaults, much of it still Unreleased.

https://www.seasonally.co.uk/newmasterspage.html

Here is our blog post back then and the enthusiastic response from long term fans Colin and Zane at the time. We have in the last two years achieved an amazing break through and collaboration like never before. So revisit this and then see what we are now achieving below.

https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/2011/05/the-search-for-the-masters.html

Of course at that time 'Jersey Boys' was still in full flow and the 'Jersey Beat' Box set in 2007 had been the Rhino attempt at a collectors package. It underwhelmed most of us although many of us were able to comment on our fave tracks in the Charles Alexander inspired 'mini-book'. The Motown Anthology set in 2008 was 90% based on released material but on CD for the first time 'officially'. We know the 'unreleased' is there and have proved it since.

So our project work has progressed since and although sadly we lost Stefan[and GILG web master Frank Rovello and ex UK Fan club President Stuart Miller] with the help of Paul Urbans and Ray Nichol I completed a fully re-mastered set of 45 MONO A and B sides from 1962 to 1970. It's not perfect re every 45 side[as some MONO sides are very difficult to find in prime condition.....and it did not cover the 'Valli SOLO' 45s], but it is still a good consistent 'reference set' of the MONO vinyl released versions. That reference set we said in 2015 would have to do until someone found the money and as a result time to research the Tape Archive and re-digitise the Master Tapes with todays technology.

Well today as I write........ that is happening for the first time [thanks to Snapper Records of London] with a full set of specialists at work to create the 'Ultimate' salvage from the surviving tapes. Bob, Frankie, Snapper Records and the UK fan group have committed to aim for the best set of recovered Masters of Frankie and the group ever. Bill Inglot, so much the archive researcher for Bob and Frankie over the decades has reviewed in depth what analogue tapes exist and what we are seeing we will get will be a full review and NEW Analogue/Digital transfers. Coupled with Reynolds Mastering working on new Re-Masters and with record industry renowned compiler Bob Fisher they are a full team targeting the highest quality possible. A circa 40 CD set has been proposed and contracts progressed and research and transfer have been happening through the last few months. New transfers re-mastered as the best 2020 digital Masters ever is the aim. The work will bring some amazing finds.......some we have said should be there and some completely new to us all are surfacing.

Results so far show we can at last say a MONO Master set will be possible of all album and non-album 45 tracks released in the vinyl format [ie 1962 to 1970] and the surviving STEREO mixes are revisited and tapes checked for alternate versions. But perhaps the best news is that the magnificent STEREO hits set produced by Bob Crewe from surviving Master tapes [Edizione D'Oro] has been found and will be fully presented on CD for the first time ever. And a surviving MONO Master of Genuine Imitation Life Gazette will appear as a vinyl insert. Photos/memorabilia and an historic book will complete this de-luxe set.

This is a big achievement and what fans have been asking for for years. Alternate Takes/Live tracks and previously unreleased tracks have been found and these will be reviewed and approved by Frankie and Bob where of adequate quality[re performance and sound quality]. The fan group team are assisting as and when needed. Our reference set of the MONO sides has been provided for comparison purpose. 90% of sources are pulled from the Partnership vaults and transferred and review and re-mastering is well underway.

The one thing that qualifies ANY Frankie Valli/Four Seasons collection is that nowhere in the archives are copies of 'session work or multi-tracks'[unlike the Beach Boys recordings]. The whole library consists of completed Masters.....either from album /45 or left-overs in some rare cases. All previously known tracks follow the listing of Matrix numbers found in our Masters Sessions listings on our web site as far as the Vee-Jay and Philips period goes and MONO and STEREO versions do exist of most tracks. Of course several MONO only tracks like 'Ronnie' were never mixed to STEREO after the session and 45 release.

So apart from what is there we suspect nothing else has survived .......unless fans and former record company employees out there tell us. ? Now is the time to speak up if such gems exist in hidden archives. We have discovered one or two salvaged from cassette and acetate......but whether these make it into the set we can't say at present.

This investment by Snapper is the most in-depth investigation with Bill Inglot of surviving Master analogue tapes ever. As Stefan and I concluded in 2011 it is long overdue! The result will we believe establish the most accurate and comprehensive collection of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons work in 21^st Century sound.

A real 'collectors piece'

The tape search goes on......'Unreleased' have been found at Philips and Motown and review and quality assessment continues with Bob Gaudio, who is fully supporting these research stages and the final product. More feedback when we have it. Target release August 2020. London.

Casey Chameleon

What is the 'Best' Mix? - The Debate and Steve Hoffman

[Qualifying Note: This is an article based on discussions in the Steve Hoffmann Audio Forum and his view on his attempts at 're-mixing' Whilst his quote is obviously as he says......other comments are not accredited to members to protect their privacy. They are simply used to illustrate the alternative views.]

As I continue to sort of 'forensically'study the Four Seasons catalogue[sad music detective that I am!] and criticising how bad some of the past product has been I was struck bySteve Hoffman'spost recently regarding re-mixing. Back in 2009 I probably would have agreed with him.

“In the 1980s I was working on reissuing the third Mamas & Papas album "Deliver" and having a long distance admiration affair with Diana Reid Haig, my counterpart in Nashville. I was playing the music for her and told her in my opinion that it was about the worst stereo mix I had ever heard, ever! She agreed it was terrible. I said "What I wouldn't give to be able to remix this album so it sounded good but the multi-track tapes were destroyed by ABC so they could make room for Pat Boone tapes so it can't be done."

She said a surprising thing to me. She said, "Good, I'm glad you can't do it."

Why, I said? She stated:

"Because the original mix is the original mix, the published version, that's the only version that is legitimate. The only version that counts."

I said it was terrible! She said "That's the breaks! Anything else is just not right."

I scratched my head at this but I never forgot it. She told me that "my remixes, although sounding in better fidelity, were not real. Not authentic, not anything but an exercise in playing God. She said that if something out of the past sounds less than wonderful, then it sounds less than wonderful but the music comes through, and the vibe of the era comes through and the energy of creation and the authentic feel of the era comes through and to change that is basically to laugh in the face of all the people who worked on the music to begin with, and that includes the songwriters, musicians, producers, engineers and everyone else. You can't wipe that all away for the sake of a change in fidelity or to reveal a hidden lute or to make the Celeste louder. It's not legitimate.

Now, I didn't agree with her at the time, but her words totally stuck with me, even all these years later (obviously), and I began to change my tune (pun intended.)

Some engineers can claim "I can match the exact mix but with better fidelity or something."

They can't. I can't. I've tried for 30 years and it's not possible. It comes out as a new creation, enjoyable, but it's no longer the original album anymore and anyone who says it is, has never tried doing it.”

One of the problems with such mixes is that they have been re-issued and even streame in some cases and labelled as 'THE ORIGINAL'

Steve makes a good point here and that is why my late sound engineer friend Stefan Wriedt and I agreed back in 2009 that the Four Seasons 1960s catalogue[particularly 1962 to 1966] is largely in pretty poor to ordinary 'wide panned' STEREO fidelity. 'Authentic'….yes[but only where it matches the MONO].......but only the MONO delivers their great track with the full drive and impact as that is what was intended and what we heard on radio and our record players back then.

That was why we started the MONO Archive of every A and B side from 1962 to 1970. I completed it in 2016. It remains my fave playlist of their songs. I couldn't see anything other than the MONO Mix being 'the business'.Well it still is but there is another way of looking at it........there is a new mix full of detail to complement[not replace!] the old STEREO as I've said before.

Other forum members responded to Steve and an interesting conversation followed which again puts the Four Seasons 60s catalogue into context.

“The concept of stereo was foreign for about the first 10-12 years in pop music, at least until 1968. Even then, they made a lot of sloppy, slap-dash mixes that barely resemble what I'd call "acceptable, balanced stereo." In particular, the 2-track "vocals on one side/instruments on the other" are awful to listen to. There are actually cases where the mono mixes have a lot more power and are more enjoyable to a point.”

With no multi-tracks [which is the feed-back we have re the Four Seasons catalogue] the case for 're-mixing'the STEREO Masters was a limited argument even a couple of years ago. The MONO rules!!!!!........But there is an additional alternative as another response to Steve put it.....

“History respected, sure, but as long as you don't augment an original recording with re-recorded portions of the music, I don't see any issue with repositioning poorly done stereo mixes.  Everybody knows that back then, recording hits was purely a financial thing.  Time was spent recording the stuff and (if done on a multi track machine) the mixing to mono was more carefully paid attention to.  Often, the stereo mix was almost an afterthought.”

“Most remix producers worth their salt attempts to remix poor stereo mixes to match the mono version as closely as possible.  Most of the time, when faced with a 2-track sounding mix (vocals on one channel, etc.), the remix producer center the vocals more in tune with what most of us consider better sounding stereo mixing.”

Some respondents agreed that perhaps the best way forward is to have both....” to the point that I have been buying several Japanese reissues where they offer the mono AND stereo versions of the same album on one CD. Let's face it, back in the 1960s the majority of album (and virtually all singles) were envisioned and mixed to mono. The stereo versions where usually created by a different engineer and primarily to make an extra dollar from fans.”

“If you look at the Billboard summary of record sales in 1960 mono LPs outsold stereo 3 to 1..and remember people were in a stereo frenzy in those days wanting to count how many tweeters and bass speakers were in each enclosure. Even by 1966, Mono albums were still outselling stereo almost by 2 to 1. It was in a year or two later that Columbia eliminated mono product causing an industry wide action. So yes, I applaud anyone who reissues a mono original, especially many of the ones that have not been issued in the digital era.”

  

That is what we asked for from Snapper Records as they approached Bob Gaudio re the contents of the forthcoming BOX SET[see our previous blog posts] , covering all their albums and singles. ALL THE MONO please!

But today things have changed and I no longer fully agree with Steve Hoffman. The reason is simple.......TECHNOLOGY......well more importantly …...SOFTWARE. And I am not the only one. The latest users of Spectral Audio Extraction see it differently.

“Since I really like doing stereo conversions & remixing even more, I totally disagree with Steve Hoffman's new view of mixing. I just try to get the best possible stereo sound out of any song I work on & some may agree with this approach & some not which is fine with me. As I wrote in another post, I much prefer the lead vocals & bass always & drums usually in the center to more clearly hear the rest of the stereo image better on the sides IMO. Many stereo songs even back in the early 60s were mixed this way & I greatly enjoy those songs without any need for any remixing. However, the songs that had the vocals and/or bass on one side just sound so unbalanced to my ears & even more so as I have gotten older. Maybe this is an issue with me but I do know most older people over 60 have trouble hearing things that are not centrally located in real life which I think extends into the stereo world also. I notice a big positive change hearing vocals much clearer in the center instead of the sides just like bass & drums.”

It really isn't an age thing it is just the appreciation of a 'balanced sound-stage'

Digitally Extracted STEREO from any era MONO[or channel limited STEREO] can be brought to life in an unbelievable way as collectors of ERIC Record releases know.But you have to be careful that the engineer has produced a genuine DES mix with no 'artifacts'[eg wandering vocals between channels/ghost harmonies etc]

I've also featured some samples in earlier blog posts by a top DES engineer and the case for creation of NEW STEREO creations from MONO only releases is such a no-brainer as NO STEREO version exists. Here is one set of great sounding examples.which are perhaps 'what the producer would have done today'.

It is not a case that there is a 'Best Mix'.There is room for all three mixes in our lives[MONO/Authentic STEREO/NEW DES]. I will be tackling getting this done for us Seasons fans as we continue our research. But ultimately fans want every chance to hear the detail of the recorded mixes........in both STEREO and MONO. And with todays software they can have it. But it is simply a case of a skilled engineer spending the time and developing the detail of the recording.

Check out this current Rhino Box Set version of 'Beggar's Parade' from the STEREO Master

 

And then click this sample of the NEW proposed DES mix......

The detail and structure of the arrangement can be fully appreciated in the new version. I know which I prefer.

And Bob Gaudio's earliest efforts have now been re-mixed in DES for maximum enjoyment in this version of 'Short Short's'. A nice complement to the original MONO

 

As is this version of 'Believe Me'

 

It is an interesteing debate and we will continue to develop DES STEREO versions of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Catalogue to complement the ORIGINAL MONO and STEREO versions. All valid 'Best Mix' contenders.

Ken Charmer - September 2019

The Future Of Four Seasons STEREO Mixes

Back in 2009 German Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt and I started a discography and review of all the CD issues of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to identify the 'best mixes'. Anecdotal evidence showed that only STEREO mixes of most of the 60s material exists in WIDE STEREO– Instruments[Hard Left] : Harmonies[Hard Right] and Frankie centre.What we have is better than nothing in STEREO....and in some cases we only have the MONO. But thank God we have that......BUT this is the way it would be mixed today.

In 2009 we spent two years completing that discography[here]bemoaning the loss of multi-track Masters since the 60s and blaming bad engineers and poor re-mastering. And so we turned to the MONO mixes as obviously there we found balance in the sound and a structure that made it easy for us to say.......'this is the way producer Bob Crewe meant them to sound'. But NOT available as MONO albums and singles on CD.

It took nearly 5 years to collect and re-master all the MONO 45 mixes in our MONO Archive as we believed many may not exist as they have 'never' as a collection been released on CD. MONO has just not been the 'realm' of CD Re-issues for Frankie and the group. And we weren't alone in this as posts on The Steve Hoffman Forum' discussing all things sound and masters shows.

Yes the MONO mixes are fine with great instrumentation and harmonies gathered around Frankie's vocal......like most of the music we bought and grew up with during the 60s. Lots of great songs in punchy MONO sound.

I recently returned to that theme in a piece I wrote on this blog [post Stefan's passing] re-quoting earlier comments as we look forward to 'new transfers' from the Four Seasons Partnership to Snapper Records of London for their planned 40 album box set.

https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/2018/11/the-four-seasons-catalogue-what-will-we-get-in-2020.html

Speaking to Charlie Calello over the last two years I've been haunted by his comment that......'you are not hearing it like we heard it in the studio'. I brushed this off by saying that as Bob Crewe was 'engineering' MONO mixes then that was the way it should be....and those MONO mixes re-mastered in our MONO Archive sound great.

In the early 60s STEREO was a novelty release left to the Engineers....giving us the wide and entirely separated STEREO we've had to date.

But I met a man recently who showed me how all I've been thinking was wrong.

What we have had to date is all down to one thing......'Technology'. 1960s technology.

Bob Crewe used it like a musical instrument.....constructing instrumental and harmony backings using just 3 and 4 track recording equipment [upto 1966] and 'bouncing' tracks down to finish with the best structure for release. One track of instruments/one track of harmony/one lead vocal[sometimes double tracked]. The recording technology of the day and the 45 format and market dictated it for him as much as it did for the Beatles and every other artist of the day. The 'limits' of 'technology'! And that is what is around today and subject to some tweaking and'panning' is what we will get in this 2020 box set when it comes to STEREO. At least the plan to include the MONO mixes will give us the 'balanced' mix, which still sounds great.

But it wont be that way looking into the future. The recent Digitally Extracted STEREO[DES] creations I wrote about previously on this blog have been a revelation. Here's why DES is the future.

I realised how today's DES software with the skills of the engineer can 'uniquely' create completely NEW and aesthetically pleasing alternatives to even the best STEREO mixes from Vee-Jay and Philips STEREO Masters like not possible any other way. I realised that Bob Crewe and the group were forced to 'push'all the great instrumentation in Charlie Calello's arrangements into one channel[Left] leaving just occasional harmony backing [Right] with Frankie's vocal[Centre] so there is a lack of balance in the sound stage. The attraction of the MONO has been that at least everything is 'together'and although some would argue 'it was designed that way'…...that isn't true.......it is really just the result of the technology of the day and the constraints of the MONO 45 and it's market.

This'eureka'moment for me arrived when I realised how, in a working sample of 'Everybody Knows My Name'. the engineer was able to change the STEREO mix by placing the instruments across the sound stage so that you could hear each one. The great 'rolling' [Dylanesque?]rhythm track which was originally compressed to the left...in the DES version became a spread of the instruments across the 2 channels and brought the whole song to life like never before in any 'published' mix.

You can hear this sample here.

DES is getting an ever growing audience as others realise this is the only way to 'salvage' the sound of the 60s from the MONO or [limited]STEREO we have surviving from those days . Digital extraction of instruments individually and vocal elements generates a'multi-track'and allows engineers today to do what Bob Gaudio, Charlie Callelo and the group would do today with their mixes....create a balanced 'sound-stage'..as I said....it is all down to 'Technology'and we have come full circle.

Our next project is to select and persuade DES engineers and an enlightened Record Company to help recreate the TRUE 'studio' sound. But for us this is NOT a commercial venture someone else can use it to make money and build their record company. The engineers we know of do it mainly out of 'love' of the music and a commitment to preservation. Each track takes days of work of extraction. But the body of completed DES work is ever increasing on You Tube and at ERIC Records web-site.

Can a NEW set of Four Seasons Recordings be created like never before heard.......like...”what we heard in the studio” as Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli and Charlie Callelo would say? More re the arguments for and against soon.

Ken Charmer – August 2019

The Four Seasons MOTOWN Artists Cards

In researching Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons period at Mowest/Motown 1971/74 it might have been helpful to know sound engineers who either worked at the label or know the recording process from those times or are familiar with the tapes like Russ Terranawhose initials appear on some as the mixing engineer. One note shows up to 43 STEREO mix-downs by him of 'The Night' between 1972 and 1975.

So why are these cards so important now in 2019 and what can they tell us?

Well they reveal a raft of information re unreleased but completed tracks that indicates their existence and location.

When Motown moved to LA from Detroit in 1970 they adopted a different system for recording, storing and releasing recordings.

This was the Motown 60000 series of Master Numbers and this can be seen here.

http://www.45cat.com/45_list_view_record.php?li=3900

These Master numbers appear on the released 45 as seen in the Cat45 listing above.

As fans we have tried to analyse the approach to session and recording management and decode some of the data records from the time based on the Analogue Tape Index and the Artists Cards.

What I believe happened was that studio sessions that resulted in a completed 16 track song generated a Master Nr [for example 60516 – Walk On Don't Look Back].

An Artists Card was produced[a simple card index] which showed the Title/Artist/Producer/Master Number/ Tape Number. The Tape Number [1^stLocation] was a 4 digit code preceded by a predominantly P[Production Tape] or T[Temporary/Safety-Evaluation Copy]. Example Tape P2110 – The Night. Notes exist of mixes and dubs made and stored on many T Tapes.

The relationship with P and T Tapes has to some extent been clarified. I have a listing from the Tape Index relating to the P Tapes. These are the main Production Tapes with up to 16 tracks in sync from sessions. The big question is was a vocal lead laid down. Only playing the tapes will reveal this as tape boxes do not always reveal the accurate contents. STEREO mix-downs should also exists as these are the final Production versions for Evaluation through the Quality Assessment process meetings. There are famous stories re these reviews and evidence from Motown TCB Newsletters indicate unreleased completed tracks by the group were being assessed in January 1972 for possible single and album release. Several songs listed there appeared on the 'Chameleon'. Several have never been heard since. T tape copies existed of many tracks indicating they were completed as STEREO mix-downs. Some remain as 16 track and have never been played back since.. Research to find if these still exist but this research exercise hasn't extended to them at this point in time.

The Artists Cards were subsequently used to note transfers and copies as they are made [They are generally to T tapes but sometimes P tapes ] and this shows their locations[Master Mix/Remix] and 'Dub Cuts'.

Codes [in the Comments column] are hand written or typed and these need translation..They include.......

1. 16tRhy – which I assume is a 16 track copy

2. 02tsmx – which I assume is a stereo mix

3. SR6smx – which is a mystery but likely to be a type of stereo mix

The above Example is of an Artists Card which shows a track we found on cassette salvaged from the session, proving it existed. The track has been shared in our Facebook group.The Master Nr [not noted here] is in fact 60752 confirmed by other Motown Spreadsheets.

Sometimes there are references to the alternate 'Take' Numbers which in the case of The Night number 43.[The biggest hit.....by 1975 and the highest number of STEREO mixes made on the catalogue of the group at Motown]. Occasionally dates are shown and engineers initials. RT is probably Russ Terrana but others are a mystery. [The details behind this tracks production and surviving versions we hope to feature in the next year]

Some notes indicate that copies have been made to 'New Album' P Tapes clearly for pre-release.The Transfered/Temporay Tapes [T tapes] should be evaluated with reference to these Cards to identify copies [if necessay – should the completed tracks/mixes not appear on the Production Tapes]. Collating the Artists Cards with a Tape Index has shown over 30 tracks with Master Numbers by Frankie and the group that have never been released.Of course this analysis may be challenged by the people at Motown who know otherwise.?......but the tapes will speak for themselves!!

Will the transfer of these tapes to Bob Gaudio generate their release.? We will see, but at least the exercise has resulted in their'preservation'for posterity. Whether there is enough interest from the Partnership to invest the Sound Engineering time to mix-down to STEREO where necessary remains to be seen at the present time.? And how busy is Bob Gaudio to invest the Production time? It is perhaps also a question of what gets licensed in contract negotiations between Gene Zacharewicz at UMe and Snapper Records.

Whilst we do not expect any confirmation for release [or otherwise] for some months we will have more soon re what has been salvaged/preserved and remains unreleased.

Ken Charmer – Tape Index Researcher 2018[Updated August 2019]

The Fight For The Four Seasons Masters

Most members of this group will be aware of the amazing sets of Beach Boys 'unreleased' and session tapes that have surfaced and been released since circa 2000. Much of this has been because of the need for copyright protection but MOST of it is as a result of the amazing work of this legendary sound engineer Mark Linett. This video interview tells the amazing story of what has been found and what has been salvaged. It is a must watch for the likes of Bob Gaudio/ Frankie Vall/Bill Inglot and the folks at Snapper Records.

Unfortunately I believe we are not going to get anything like this extent of forensic work done on the Four Seasons. Well not in my lifetime or Frankie and Bob's, I would say. This goes to the root of the complaint of Four Seasons since the age of CD. No-one has respected the work as Mark has done for the Beach Boys. OK the multi-track tapes and copies stolen from now defunct studio archives have helped the process for him and them. But the very fact that Jersey Boys was such a success has impaired any attention the Four Seasons archive has had. We've done more in capturing the vinyl dubs and creating a MONO Archive of the 60s 45s than anyone over the last 10 years, and the research of the Motown vaults paper archives have been confirmed by recent tape research and transfers. But whether it is cost pressures or time/resource restrictions we are now not optimistic that the planned box set will achieve anywhere near fans expectations.

The Motown 16 track tapes need research and time to uncover the dozens of tracks and alternate takes there. And the fact that only 2 track STEREO masters exist from the 60s [as we hear about in this interview re the Capitol sessions with the Beach Boys]were thrown together back in the 60s.

But we don't see that delivering on a major scale here and it appears our high hopes and expectations will be dashed. Not something we are not used to as Four Seasons Fans.

Whatever the reasons and excuses re the Four Seasons catalogue.......it will disappoint most even though we can see from Mark's open and frank interview the problems of past digital tape preservation and digital restoration. The key is you have to care for the music....the creative process and the sound and invest in preserving it and putting it out.

This is a stunning interview and a credit to a true archivist engineer of the highest skill.

 

But the real future for the catalogue of the Four Seasons will be Digital Extraction and Mark touches upon it in this interview. The only way to salvage Bob Crewe's final mixes and alternative takes [with Charlie Calello's arrangements]and create NEW Masters for the future generation of collectors is coming.

The push to start this has started and we will be leading that in whatever way we can whether Bob Gaudio or Frankie Valli [or Snapper] choose to invest in the process. Someone will.......and we will be leading the campaign. We go again.....the way to the MASTERS is DES.

More soon

Casey Chameleon

The Scandal Of Music Preservation - Four Seasons Status Summer 2019

News broke this week that Universal Music Group had hidden the devastating losses from a fire 10 years ago. It was something most of us had heard about but the NYT disclosed the full extent and exposed it as a scandal of mismanagement. “ The severity of the fire long went undisclosed”, according to an article published by TheNewYork Times Magazine on Tuesday, despite the fact that a confidential report inIn June 2008, confirmed a fire roared through a building at Universal Studios Hollywood, destroying thousands of audio recordings by music luminaries like Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Tom Petty. The severity of the fire long went undisclosed, the loss being estimated at about 500,000 song titles.”

The full appalling story of this loss, now revealed in detail, is a must read via this link

“The vault fire was not, as UMG suggested, a minor mishap, a matter of a few tapes stuck in a musty warehouse. It was the biggest disaster in the history of the music business. UMG’s internal assessment of the event stands in contrast to its public statements. In a document prepared for a March 2009 “Vault Loss Meeting,” the company described the damage in apocalyptic terms. “The West Coast Vault perished, in its entirety,” the document read. “Lost in the fire was, undoubtedly, a huge musical heritage.”

The successful effort to play down the scope of the loss was a triumph of crisis management that involved officials working for Universal Music Group on both coasts. Those efforts were undoubtedly aimed at minimising public embarrassment, but some suggest the company was also particularly worried about a backlash from artists and artist estates whose master recordings had been destroyed.

…...”but it was only the most recent disaster to strike the masters holdings of American record labels. These disasters include not only events like fires but also instances of neglect and even wilful destruction by the labels themselves, a hair-raising history that reaches back to the beginnings of the music business.

…....UMG began Project Phoenix in October 2008. The plan was to gather duplicates of recordings whose masters were lost. Those copies would then be digitally transferred to reconstitute the lost archive — albeit in sonically inferior form, with recordings generations removed from the true masters. UMG undertook a global hunt, searching for safety copies and other duplicates at a variety of locations in the United States and abroad. The project lasted two years and, by Aronson’s estimate, recovered perhaps a fifth of what had been lost.

The subsequent largely unknown world-wide search for duplicates and sources continues and as I'll show [or should I say I remain to be convincedabout is....] no-one can trust the 'Major Record Companies' as they continue to show little action as they focus on 'streaming' profit and on the basis that 'any old master' will do and unreleased tracks are of no significance. Asset Management and Preservation the NYT claims is not on the balance sheet or in the strategic direction. The question of whether such Boards at the Majors are 'fit for purpose' needs to be asked and answered.

If nothing else this is a wake up call to UMG and the industry that such assets[ie musical art] has been mismanaged for decades, and raises the question 'Should legislation and regulation be implemented to protect such assets?'

But this blogs concerns has always been for 'long-suffering' 4 Seasons fans as their losses roll back in the 1960s when first Vee-Jay went bust.....and subsequently Philips cleared out tapes to skips. But all this is no worse than the BBC recording over classic music and TV shows during the decade. Examples of lack of foresight and horrendous strategic management are endemic in the music industry. This current expose fits very nicely with the book 'Appetite for SELF-DESTRUCTION – the spectacular crash of the record industry in the digital age – by Steve Knopper

But for readers here the only concern is THE FOUR SEASONS CATALOGUE. When Vee-Jay went bust the Four Seasons got 'access' to their masters.......well a 'copy' of their ALBUM MONO and STEREO Masters. These were the 'mix-downs' from the 3 track Masters. And what of the highly produced 45 MONO Masters?. Never available in CD or streaming format. Do they still exist? And what has survived from the Philips/Mercury vault with so many Bell Studios masters dumped in a skip in the late 60s.? We are asking Snapper and Bob Gaudio the question.?

Music historian's like me have been maintaining that CD and streaming masters are inferior to the original vinyl in many cases. Sound Engineer George Schowerer told us that the CD Masters on the 25th Anniversary 3 CD Box Set in 1988 where [in many cases] 'inferior' to the Masters that left his Mirasound Studio in 1967. So what happened and what has survived?

It is clear we have never had the MONO tracks on CD as a comprehensive set. The STEREO versions are alternative versions in many cases, so it is time we had the catalogue sorted out with what has survived from the 1960s.

We have to be aware of the background as the New York Times goes on to say....”Today industry professionals familiar with archiving practices question the big three labels’ commitment to preservation. [Ed we do to. See below] (A number of these insiders, including individuals with knowledge of the backlot fire, spoke on condition of anonymity, concerned they could face professional consequences with UMG and other labels.) One audio specialist said: “Labels need to see payoff: ‘We have a release next year from this artist.’ But as far as, ‘We have this inventory on the shelves, let’s preserve it’ — that’s not the attitude. An old recording that’s deteriorating on the shelf is not causing alarm.”

The result is a crisis, a slow-motion assault on our musical heritage that is poorly understood by many within the record industry, to say nothing of the public at large. Had a loss of comparable magnitude to the Universal fire occurred at a different cultural institution — say, the Metropolitan Museum of Art — there might have been wider awareness of the event, perhaps some form of accountability. Yet the conservation mission faced by record labels may be no less vital than those of museums and libraries. Recorded music is arguably America’s great artistic patrimony, our supreme gift to world culture. How should it be safeguarded? And by whom?”

Today several of the company’s nearly 1,500 facilities are devoted to entertainment assets. Warner Music Group stores hundreds of thousands of master recordings in Iron Mountain’s Southern California facilities, and nearly all of Sony Music Entertainment’s United States masters holdings — more than a million recordings — are reportedly kept in Iron Mountain warehouses in Rosendale, N.Y. The Boyers, Pa., facility where UMG keeps most of its United States masters is a 1.7-million-square-foot former limestone mine. The facility offers optimal archive conditions, climate control and armed guards. For labels, Iron Mountain is a one-stop shop. In addition to providing storage, it runs on-site studios, so staff members can pull tapes and send digital transfers to labels online, avoiding any need for recordings to leave the premises. Yet some music-business insiders regard this arrangement as a mixed bargain. When masters arrive at Iron Mountain, they say, institutional memory — archivists’ first hand knowledge of poorly inventoried stacks — evaporates, as does the possibility of finding lost material, either by dogged digging or chance discovery. (Many treasures in tape vaults have been stumbled upon by accident.) Tapes can be retrieved only when requested by bar-code number, and labels pay fees for each request. For years, rumors have circulated among insiders about legendary albums whose masters have gone missing in Iron Mountain because labels recorded incorrect bar-code numbers. The kind of mass tape-pull that would be necessary to unearth lost recordings is both financially and logistically impractical.

“I’ve always thought of Iron Mountain as that warehouse in the last scene of ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ ” says Thane Tierney, who co-founded Universal’s now-defunct reissue label Hip-O Select. “Just endless rows of stuff. It’s perfectly safe, but there’s no access, no possibility of serendipity. Nearly all the tapes that go in will never come off the shelf. They’re lost to history.”

So this summer is a 'landmark' moment in deciding the future catalogue of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Snapper Records [with a reputation for 'ground-breaking catalogue wide sets] have challenged the Four Seasons Partnership to [GO TO THE MASTERS -BOTH RELEASED AND UNRELEASED]. A mega catalogue wide Box Set is in prospect.

The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society has been calling vociferously for catalogue preservation on it's web site blogs since 2008, when the paucity of the physical CD catalogue and the missing masters stories gained strength. Then it became apparent that between 30 to 40 unreleased recordings by the group existed on 16 track 'multi's' in Universal Motown's NYC vault. As we gathered evidence of what might exist uncovering several acetate copies we got resistance from UMe and the Partnership that these existed. [Just the same refusal to admit to the assets and the need to preserve them that has existed for decades]. It took 2 years of publishing evidence of the archive tracks on Facebook in the Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign for a forward thinking Record Company to ask the experts[THE FANS]....'What do you want?'

PRESERVATION.....RE-MASTERING.......RELEASE.

Audiophiles and audio professionals view such recordings with special regard. “A master is the truest capture of a piece of recorded music,” Adam Block, the former president of Legacy Recordings, Sony Music Entertainment’s catalogue arm, says. “Sonically, masters can be stunning in their capturing of an event in time. Every copy thereafter is a sonic step away.”

This week after months of negotiation the known archive tape masters are being transferred to Four Seasons 'Brand' owner Bob Gaudio for evaluation.

And he has said he has 'unreleased tracks from every decade' since the 60s and is committed to the project.

We've told him of the rumours of tracks and given him the salvaged acetate digitised copies we have preserved. The hope is that this first true 'collaboration' between fan/collectors[who know the whole catalogue as released and much unreleased] and the 'artists' and an innovative Independent Record Company will show the 'majors' the way to a proper catalogue management strategy.

It is time for us THE COLLECTORS to address THE OWNERS.....in Andy Zax words from the NYT article.....”The most powerful argument for preservation is simply: ‘We don’t know.’ The sounds from the past that seem vital to us in the present keep changing. Since we don’t know what’s going to be important, we have to err on the side of inclusivity and insist that the entities that own our cultural history do the same.”

But as for the Universal fire 'what's lost is lost' ….but what remains is that Universal Motown has a HUGE catalogue of tapes in NYC that needs to be SALVAGED and heard. We are on the verge of chasing down the masters of their released and unreleased this summer...for their contract with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons....on 29 Production Tapes [P Tape]and numerous Temporary Tapes [T Tapes].......and we'll keep chasing them notwithstanding we had a 'gagging order' whilst the tapes were pulled for transfer.!!!!!!! We accepted this whilst the transfers were paid for and completed.......but all bets are off......we want to know what is there and what are the best surviving MASTERS for both the released and unreleased and I for one want to hear all 34 mixes of 'The Night' by legendary sound engineer Russ Terrana and others.......what were they looking for......and have we got it?????. The wait goes on this summer for how we will be told what has survived and in what format?

Catch the UNRELEASED 'One Man' at our Facebook group.....here

And our latest list of the Four Seasons Masters Data compiled over 20 years

Ken Charmer – Four Seaons UK Appreciations Society – Main Music Historian

MBA [Project Management] – Henley Management College, Greenlands, UK 1993

The Best Four Seasons Masters on CD – Looking Back in 2019 – Part 1.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons have had many CD releases since the advent of the CD in the mid 1980s. So many licensing deals have been done that 'nobody' has a comprehensive assessment of the 'Best Masters'. Between 2007 and 2010 we started a mammoth review of what is available for 'Collectors' of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on CD, publishing our findings at the time in our CD Buyers Guide

Stefan Wriedt, a professional Sound Engineer based in German and our own Music Historian Casey Chameleon began the daunting task of compiling and reviewing as many as possible and published this listing[see link above]. In it we stated....”With so many commercial releases on CD since 1986 it is a problem finding the best quality copies and those rare versions of tracks. This listing is fairly comprehensive with over 160 CD’s listed but it is not a complete list. It is also a work in progress as we review and assess each release. With so many of these CD’s now only available on E-Bay or as ‘out of print/deleted’ copies which sometimes appear on CD supplier sites, fans need a guide.  CD’s are rated as :-

EC= Essential Collectors Item

CU = Collectible for it's unique/alternativetracks

NV=No value to collectors”

The intention at that time was to support 'collectors'in finding the best Masters until a fully comprehensive set of NEW Masters was available through a catalogue review by the Four Seasons Partnership. [That has never happened]. We did highlight a few Essential Collectors titles and these can be found coded 'green' on our CD Discography pages.

But we never got to collect and review everything as the list was ever growing and at the time had over 160 CD's listed. Obtaining all copies of albums releases is of course cost prohibitive and the assessment tools[and ears not easily available] It is impossible to estimate if this is as much as 90% of releases given the world popularity of the group. Whatever we were able to gather was to be assessed.

BUT then we got side tracked into 'preserving the MONO 45 Masters'when news filtered through that the Partnership 'may not have the 45 Masters' in every case.' And MONO on CD was not the CD concept of the re-issue of past albums at that time, even though during the groups hey-day all mixing was targetted to create the BEST MONO Master for vinyl. But by 2012 we decided that this MONO sound must 'rule'for this 'career' period as the production and engineering standards at the time focused on that output for Radio and records. STEREO remained a novelty and today we can see the weaknesses in the STEREO engineering.[As with many 'pop' artists of the day eg Beatles, Beach Boys etc]

Even with the sad loss and passing of our key engineer Stefan in 2014 we completed [with great help from US collectors] that MONO project by 2016 for ALL the MONO Vee-Jay and Philips 45s now preserved as reference copies for future access in the UK Fan club Archive.

With news in early 2019 that Snapper Records are in contract talks for a NEW catalogue spanning LUXURY Box Set in 2020 we have been asked what the fans would want? That was easy. ALL the 60s albums in original MONO and STEREO versions with alternative versions and all 45 non-album tracks plus the 70s through to the 00's STEREO albums plus as much unreleased as can be found. And all re-mastered tracks to recommended standards as established by our 'Sound Tests Page'and current engineering standards.

Lots of people have committed to this project already [including the Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society] and Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli have been confirmed as fully supportive. The Majors in the form of Warners and Universal [as the Motown arm of UMe] and Curb Records are also expected to collaborate. The Music Industry has finally realised that comprehensive 'catalogue' is the product for future customers to find their 'niche' artists.

So MAYBE next year fans will get the chance should they are able to......to invest in this set.

We will be asking for the best quality RE-MASTERS and are advising Snapper Records re this. We are encouraged that our request for the best 2020 Engineered Quality Masters to be delivered is currently accepted.

With this in mind and to set a minimal standard reference we are reviewing past issues on CD to advise here what CD's stand up as 'Quality' Re-masters.......focusing on 'Essential Collectors' physical Masters. Whilst much of the catalogue is available on You Tube or as 'downloads' or on 'streaming' services we are going to the CD source as only a quality wav file [ie CD] can create a good compressed[mp3 or AIFF]. No research is available re the availability of 'lossless' versions [FLAC]. We've judged the STEREO image on a clock face basis with 9 and 3 being the extremes of left and right channels with 12 centre vocal. Instrumental detail and vocal harmony background sounds best when spread between 9 and 11 left and 3 and 1 right. Beware that many CD's are far left/far right mixes [9-Left and 3-Right] and sound dreadful on headphones. We have reviewed Peak Volume, Loudness[RMS] and Dynamic Range[DR] as well as STEREO image. But for both MONO and Stereo it is the clarity and ambience that can only be assessed by the subjective 'ear'

It is fair to say that there are significant imperfections in ALL the album sets on CD for the 1962 to 1970 period. Inconsistencies in masters occur,[imbalance] with mistakes[dropouts – audible Tape hiss] and STEREO mixing issues [Channel crossover] in many tracks so any re-issue may not be able to address these as multi-tracks ARE NOT AVAILABLE. For that reason alone the issue of MONO Masters in 'pristine' sound is essential[More re this below]

Many collectors may dispute some of our review results but this is an honest assessment intended to be a guide to a better quality catalogue..IZOTOPE.COM says of best STEREO mixes......”The instrumental separation, definition of instruments within the stereo field, and sense of depth” should be sought. Re-mastered analogue transfers should be....”an engaging, lively sound that you can practically close your eyes and visualize where each instrumentalist is on the soundstage. The use of dynamic range is also exceedingly important in the sense of depth and clarity” so that it “ensures that the energy and vibrance of the performance shines.”

Fans should expect “a masterclass of effective panning and EQ for instrumental separation. Additionally, the availability of dynamic range (not over-compression) ensures that separation is maintained through the mastering stages. The dynamic range and smart EQ choices (along with effective use of reverb) can also result in an exceptional sense of depth within the mix.”

We do not believe these exacting standards have been fully achieved in past releases particularly of the groups 'classic' hits period as we'll comment below. But with the the restriction of STEREO only masters this limits STEREO as instruments and vocals cannot be spread across the sound stage – they are either left or right. So what can be done in Re-Mastering.? For today's market we would expect the STEREO catalogue of the Four Seasons to be Mastered with this definition in mind whilst accepting the restrictions of the discrepancies and flaws in the surviving STEREO Masters. “Think of mastering as the glue, varnish and polish that optimizes playback quality on all devices — from tiny iPhone speakers to massive dance club sound systems. Mastering bridges the gap between artist and consumer. The term itself comes from the idea of a master copy. All copies or duplications of the audio come from the master. These copies can be distributed on multiple formats like vinyl, CD’s or Tape, and streaming services like Spotify, iTunes and SoundCloud. Additionally, mastering allows for restoration of hisses, clicks or small mistakes missed in the final mix. Mastering also ensures uniformity and consistency of sound between multiple tracks on an album. Ultimately, what mastering does is create a clean and cohesive feeling across all your audio......A good mastering job makes an album consistent and balanced across all tracks....An ideal master is well-balanced and proportional. This means no specific frequency range is left sticking out. A balanced piece of audio will sound good on any playback system. ”

The CD's reviewed below, it can be argued, DO NOT fully achieve these exacting standards which is why we are doing this exercise and telling Snapper of our 'expectations/hopes'. We'll provide feedback to Snapper on what they propose.....if asked but will ultimately sit in judgement of a final product which we expect to be as good as is possible.....and certainly exceeding what we have had before on CD whilst enhancing what we have on 'vinyl'.

Part 1 – The Vee-Jay albums

The Masters used for all CD releases of the Vee-Jay recordings are based on the outcome of the Group's dispute with Genius Inc[who contracted their work to Vee-Jay]. A fuller explanation of the story and data re these is contained in our Masters sessionography[here].

So the CD re-issues are from the recovered tracks from the bakruptcy of Vee-Jay. The Partnership received MONO/STEREO album Masters supplied to Philips in 1964. No review of surviving Multi-tracks in the Vee-Jay Archive [now owned by Concord Music Group[should they still exist] has been attempted or appears likely given the Four Seasons Partnership Ownership rights.

All CD issues to date are, we believe, based on Analogue/Digital transfers done in 1986/87.[No evidence exists of any A/D transfers since as far as we know.] It is believed that for the Snapper project NEW A/D transfers have been done.

Early CD re-issues in the late 1980's where on compilations and although Rhino , Br music(Netherlands)[and Curb – in Japan]issued album re-masters on CD these are very rare and have been unobtainable except for Curb BVCP-2050 [Sherry & 11 Others].

This was a very wide[9-3] STEREO mix with little to commend it based on the above. As a result we did not obtain/review the rest of the Japanese releases from this early CD period.

We moved on and focused on the Curb releases Volumes 1,2 and 3 of 1995 [Curb D2-77695 to 7] and compared them with the ACE 2fer releases of the same period.

Without doubt the ACE CD's [507,615 and 596] offer the best collections and sound [in the main – for these catalogue albums].This is primarily because of the benefit of their 2fer format and the bonus non-LP sides. Sherry/Big Girls Don't Cry[plus bonus sides]507although not stated we assume was mastered by Bill Inglot....as the subsequent CD's were. It has a good STEREO image[Left 9/11: Right 3/1] and good Loudness [Range -11db to -16] as does the Christmas Album/Born To Wander CD 615, but something slips on Ain't That A Shame/ Live On Stage [plus bonus sides]596.

The clarity and ambience is somehow lost, and comparison with Curb CD D2 – 77967[Ain't That A Shame +11 Others]shows this. This Curb CD offers an impressive STEREO image [Left 9/11 : Right 3/1] but with great clarity and ambience [Loudness -12 to -16] making it by far the best set of Vee-Jay album Masters on CD we have found.The backing vocals and instruments are still split left and right but these mixes have clear separation, depth and warmth. They hang together around the centre vocal. They are not the TRUE STEREO we can get with multi-track tapes or with DES [Digitally Extracted STEREO] but they are the best you are going to find until another source is created. For more reading re creating a good mix try this link.

The MONO and MONO only at Vee-Jay

Three years of studio work in dubbing vinyl MONO and re-mastering for our reference set of 45s/MONO album Masters gave us a good reference set and generally all the MONO sides included on the CD's reviewed fall short of the standards defined above regarding clarity and ambience in Mastering. We can only put this down to poor transfer quality or poor re-mastering of MONO at that time. 24 bit 96 khz dubs from vinyl enabled us to get sparkling clarity and ambience capturing the original 'sound' much better than the 'dull' MONO re-masters found on many CD issues and we expect equivalent 'good' results in the Snapper Box Set. Whilst the 2 Real Gone releases from 2016 of Sherry and Big Girls Don't Cry albums appear to be re-mastered from the MONO album Masters [they say] we still believe these lack 'punch' and ambience on the vocals compared to the vinyl dubbed re-masters in our own MONO archive.This is an EQ problem.

The release and re-mastering of the MONO Master Tapes is a crucial part of this Box Sets market potential, With the inconsistencies of the STEREO Masters these will become the groups reference tracks and possibly a preferred play for future fans via all formats.

So to summarise there are currently many STEREO tracks from the Vee-Jay period in good/fair sound quality if you carefully search them out on 'out of print' CD's. But there are few MONO versions in adequate sound quality

In Part 2 we will look at the early Philips Masters in STEREO on CD and the inconsistencies and flaws that [surprisingly] became much worse at Philips when sound recording equipment and engineering was improving in most studios.

Footnote

Fans may consider a luxury BOX SET unnecessary as currently available are two Box Sets on Amazon covering 'most' of the 'Group'and 'Solo'albums but these are far from comprehensive.

These box sets have been criticised for content and quality with comments that show the lack of the Majors respect for the fans perspective...as these example quotes from reviews show...”What a lot of people fail to realize is that Rhino stopped being Rhino when it was sold to Warner Brothers in 1998, and the original Rhino guys left in 2003. The label became "Warner Strategic Marketing" and reverted back to their "special products" mentality of the 70s and early 80s - that is, that any "masters" will do, and the public will eat it up no matter what we do with it. This attitude is especially prevalent on stuff that's been placed with WEA rather than with their homegrown artists.”.....and“the Press release from Rhino/Warner stated"Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - The Classic Albums Box is an 18-disc set that includes the vast majority of the group's albums in mini jackets with original artwork”. So they acknowledged the missing ones up front. But using old Curb 1990s CD sets that are not the original albums was a big and careless mistake....also...”there are still 7 CD's missing from this package”.....”Rhino should have just reissued them like the ACE series, where you would have have had every track from the Vee-Jay, Phillips & Warner labels....maybe even had the MoWest stuff thrown in and make it a true set. It's overall shoddy work from a Label that I used to admire, it's like no one cares anymore.”… One reviewer commented “ The sound quality (on my copy) is identical to the ACE label releases which were issued in the UK and Germany between 1994 and 1996...and copies were produced in the EU. “

The 'Solo' Work set was described as....”This is NOT an anthology, best of, greatest hits, or even, as titled "Selected Solo Works". What this is, plain and simple, are eight (8) complete LPs recorded by Frankie Valli between 1967 and 1980. Each album is presented in its entirety exactly as originally released - no remastering of the original recordings.[or non-LP sides]”

 We haven't obtained or 'forensically' reviewed these 2 sets for sound quality but have tracked back through album 'styled' releases [Rhino/Warner/Curb] during the 90s and some appear to be identical to CD albums released at that time and 'casually' reproduced and included in these sets. More re this in our next part. Ken Charmer June 2019

DES[Digitally Extracted STEREO] – The Four Seasons STEREO Re-creations?

When the the Partnership/Snapper Tape Archive review is complete it seems inevitable that the tracks THAT NEVER DID APPEAR IN STEREO during the 1960s will still be MONO only.

So fans are stuck with those versions……you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!! Or can you.?

These are the tracks from the early 1960s known to have only ever been issued in MONO

• I’ve Cried Before

• Soon

• Ain’t That A Shame[45 version with Nick Massi overdub]

• New Mexican Rose

• Little Boy In Grown Up Clothes[45 mix without audience overdub added for ‘Live On Stage' album]

• Dawn [45 version]

• No Surfin’ Today

• Big Man's World

• Huggin’ My Pillow

There are also some very poor STEREO Mixes of some tracks[ like 'Beggar's Parade'] which can't be repaired or re-mixed to a balanced STEREO.

But there are a group of enthusiasts interested in sound technology and the ability of modern tools to ‘Re-Create’ TRUE STEREO from classic MONO recordings of the 1960s[or earlier]. The process is Digitally Extracted STEREO[DES]and it is increasingly being seen as a new way to enjoy the producers and the artists skills as they would use them with today’s technology.

One of the member of this group of engineers told us….’The only true stereo from MONO using modern software is DES. 'Digitally Extracted Stereo'. Anything else is not true stereo. DCS 'Digitally Constructed Stereo' can sound really good, & I used to do that before I started doing DES, some still do it. Stereo synch can sound very good, it is close to real stereo but is not the original single in stereo, it is usually an overdub or underdub placed alongside the mono record. ……only DES is true stereo.’

Christopher Kissel promotes the technique on a dedicated web site and states..’This website will focus on audio spectral editing, sound source separation, and other related tools and processes used specifically for the purpose of upmixing mono source material to stereo, with the goal of creating stereo mixes that are virtually indistinguishable from stereo mixes created using multi-track session tapes, had they existed.’

The results are amazing as a visit to the engineers group web sites media pages demonstrates.

Most of such STEREO re-creations appear on a Record Label called ERIC RECORDSThe tracks take several days for re-construction but this work is not commercially driven.

Some have simply been shared on You Tube.

Published versions by our engineer friend on other artists include the following...

The Dave Clark Five – Everybody Knows

Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas

We asked the question….’Could this technique produce good results on the Four Seasons tracks only in MONO?’

Our engineer friend has updated us on work on-going on some of the Four Seasons MONO only tracks with these samples.

No Surfing Today.

Our engineer friend said….’This is how the parts are placed on the mix. Firstly this song seems to feature the group more than Frankie in places, & the normal place for the group is on one side of Frankie, therefore they are on the left & middle most of the way through.

So the Layout is. Group Left & Center. Drum rim tap on Left. Effects on left.. Guitar 1 on left. Falsetto group backing ('Don't Go' ….Don’t Go]on Left. Piano where featured on right, Harp? on right, clapping on right, Guitar 2/3? on right. Frankie, Drums, Bass etc in center.   

'No Surfin' Today' does make a good DES, but it is also a hard one, [challenging]& a lot of work had to go into it, & a little more has to be done. I have made one or two very good DES records, in two or three days. That was because everything just fell into place, but most (probably 150 that I have done) take one to two weeks to do.’

Here is a sample of the track so far….

New Mexican Rose...Left. ‘Squishy’ thing. Group. Shaker. Right. Guitars, Piano, Xylophone? Center Frankie.

Here is a sample of thetrack so far....

Big Mans World........Left. Drums, Clapping. Organ in break. Right. Guitar, Bass pluck Guitar, Group. Center Frankie.

Here is a sample from the completed track....

To fans ears these are tremendous achievements and highly in demand if available.

The question to Snapper and Bob Gaudio is...'Is there any interest of including such NEW mixes in this box set?' It is the equivalent of adding 'unreleased ' tracks and would add attraction to this proposed Box Set in terms of quality and marketing and adding uniqueness to a quality catalogue spanning set of music.

If final versions are commissioned they would of course become a NEW copyrighted track for the Partnership

We will continue to pursue these UNIQUE MIXES either for this project...or for a future 'Four Seasons in TRUE STEREO' CD project if necessary.

Casey Chameleon

The 'Box Set' WANTS LIST'- Part 1

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.

The Philips Mono Archive

Salvaging the Sound of The Four Seasons – Part 2

Looking back at 5 decades of your musical creations must be both 'uplifting' and 'painful' at the same time for Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli and their families. Fans can appreciate that.

Not many artists in 'pop' music have as much music to put into context with their personal life experiences, the changing times lived through, friends and family lost and the huge change in musical influences over that period. We know that this will be difficult for Bob and Frankie and we want them to know the fans appreciate this.

When Snapper Records proposal for a circa 40 album CD box set got a positive response from the Major Record Companies and The Four Seasons Partnership last summer it was a huge surprise for fans but one we have totally embraced. Mainly because Snapper asked us what WE, the fans wanted and said they would do all they could to persuade and help Bob and Frankie to include that.

For the fan groups it is perhaps easier 'looking back' because, for us, it is easy celebrating the 'music of our lives'. Whilst we all have those we have loved and lost over the decades....it is the music of Frankie and the Seasons that has carried us through the good and bad times and it still rings 'warmly' in our heads and hearts.

So whilst compiling the 'Track List' of our lives was easy for the fan group, it was an opportunity to research and find the 'Unreleased' tracks sitting in the Motown Vaults that 'added icing to the cake'. Sceptics still doubt that delivering the Box Set will be close to these expectations.

Today over 6 months after the proposal was enthusiastically received by the 'majors' and the previously reluctant Bob Gaudio ….......we hear contracts are reaching completion and Tape Archive Research is showing exciting potential. But much work is needed to achieve what we want as the volume of tracks needing 'salvage'[either in terms of re-mastering to modern standards and checking of 'unreleased' multi-tracks and mixing to final STEREO ] is huge.

We will expand on this in subsequent blogs as the process unfolds. But there remains great potential.

Back in 2009 German Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt and I commenced what has become a 'forensic' review of the status of the CD released Masters and the prospect of 'unreleased' tracks. For ten years [5 without my late friend Stefan] my research and blog writing with collectors and fans has uncovered the huge potential for such a set. Only now[post Jersey Boys] has a commercial 'model' for its delivery in the form of a luxury Box Set emerged as viable..

Now we anxiously await feedback from Tape Research and hope for the best.

In the next few weeks I'll document what we have asked Bob and Frankie for [through Snapper] and what is emerging. Getting our 'wants list' may not be possible in every respect but it remains in Bob and Frankie's control what we get to hear. With so many 'unreleased' and completed tracks having emerged in our research we remain confident much 'collectible' work will make it into the final set.

Snapper know that to succeed the product must be 'quality' as we have defined with them. Frankly the message to Bob and Frankie is 'listen to us'. We will be the ultimate critics and Facebook remains the voices of you the fans. Speak up!

@

The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign

Casey Chameleon

PS.........To come in future blogs....

• The 'Wants' List – Snappers concept and our response

• DES -True STEREO? - the latest amazing creations of STEREO from MONO ONLY Four Seasons Tracks

• The Motown Master Tape Archive Finds- the [P] Production Tape Finds[so far]

• The Dance Mixes Era 1988 to 2007

• The Salvaged 'Live' Shows 1973 and 1974

Plus much more........

 

Salvaging the Sound of The Four Seasons – Part 1

Today on a morning debate TV show they asked.....'Will you live long enough to see Brexit?'

Well with an extension to the 'Brexit' leaving process looming......most UK people have lost any interest and are simply focusing on keeping 'body and soul' together. Well Four Seasons fans had better do the same!

Everything is running slow and for Four Seasons fans I'm afraid the story is the same. After the great enthusiasm of Snapper Records concept of a mega/luxury BOX SET of 40 albums spanning the career of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and the news of Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli's enthusiasm, it is becoming ever more apparent that 'delivery' is the problem. So we can ask the question.....'Will we live long enough to see Snapper's and our concept?' Bob and Frankie may also be asking that question.

The problem is, 'The Majors'...ie Rhino/Warners and more importantly Universal Motown.

Licensing and legal delays have prevented the completion of contracts....and although we had been promised a high proportion of 'unreleased'....'from every decade'......no news has surfaced on the Tape Archive review at the Partnership or from the Motown Archive research.

In many ways this is not a surprise. Whilst Rhino and the Partnership have regularly licensed tracks in their ownership, and were positive when the concept was launched....and Universal Motown saw the potential of the 'unreleased' track they were able for the first time to put before Bob Gaudio.......the administrative problems of licensing when you do not have a definitive 'final list' of tracks to be included appears to becoming problematic. Firstly this is the first time since 1988 that NEW transfers from the analogue tapes has been a viable proposition and the identification of material for inclusion cannot be underestimated. There are so many diverse problems re the Masters to be resolved. Also anecdotal evidence shows Universal Motown are renowned for not having a 'can do' approach to licensing and many projects in recent years[and still today] have been bogged down in their 'processes'. Other licensees have been tearing their hair out and abandoning projects because Universal will simply find excuses for not licensing songs. There is too much evidence for anyone to argue that this criticism is unfair.

In the meantime Snapper and the fan group members have been positively gathering 'memorabilia' from our archives to illustrate how the groups music was presented in the media in past decades for potential inclusion in the proposed /Book'.

On the music catalogue side we have been commencing a 'forensic' review of what is important to be included and the limitations of surviving Masters. What fans want[as far as we know from vinyl and CD issues] has been documented and this has been shared with Bob Gaudio as our 'wants list'. Questions of copyright and royalties payments on 'live' recordings have arisen and at present remain unresolved and the content....remains unclear.

Snapper are not unfamiliar with such problems and have both the determination and experience to manage such issues, but how much time it will take and the compromises necessary are just emerging several months into the design development.

We continue to back the idea of a project that is based on fan input/wishes, as this would be the first time ever in the history of the group that it has happened and we have great confidence in Snapper's leadership and drive. Their track record shows this.

In our forthcoming blogs we will be tackling issues that have become an intrinsic set of problems for the sound we have and what legacy will the groups catalogue leave. The question is how much work is necessary to salvage, repair and issue a representative version of their 'body of work'. We'll be posing questions and potential solutions. But can the music industry be moved by the innovative ideas of a small independent Record Company [with the backing of the artists] and the fan group? It is a bit like the question....'Can 'democracy' survive?'.....Only time will tell......hang in there everyone. We owe it to the next generation of fans.

Casey Chameleon

Next time …..Part 2 - Repairing the 1960s Catalogue.

 

The Four Seasons Catalogue. What will we get in 2020?

I was listening to the ACE CD transfers from the 1990s on my I-pod on headphones the other day and realised they were nearly all STEREO but were making me cringe!

Why? Well..... every track in STEREO from every album from 1962 to 1970 was in wide STEREO ,,,,in many cases the instruments were across the park and the harmonies in my neighbours garden and Frankie Valli's vocal was in my head!!!! I decided.....I've moved beyond that.

Here is a retrospective re the background as to why this happened.....what the sound engineers tell of the times the first STEREO albums were created back in the 60s......”those early stereo mixes were limited by the technology of the time. The industry was still learning how to bring this newfangled thing into the world. It is really common to hear a ‘60s stereo mix where all the guitars are on one side, the vocals on the other, and the drums in the middle with absolutely no bleed-through at all. This is called “hard panning” and it can definitely make for a challenging listening session, depending on your room setup and personal preferences. It may or may not be fun with headphones too. At first, Stereo was something of a novelty. It wasn’t commonly listened to, and therefore was a bit of a gimmick. The first Stereo mixing consoles were typically 2 track or 4 track mixing desks. This meant you were limited to separating only 2 or 4 individual elements in the Stereo image. Using The Beatles as an example, the first two albums in Stereo were 2 track, so if you listen to them, you will notice all instruments are on one side, and all vocals on the other. This is what people mean when referring to ‘hard panning.’ This even continued when they started using a 4 track desk (I Want To Hold Your Hand), and even the incredibly dense sounding Sgt Pepper was made using a 4 track desk. Mixing huge instrumentation arrangements was possible on 4 track by using a technique called ‘bouncing.’ I won’t go into that here, but you can google it to find out more.

Because Stereo on commercial pop records at this point was a novelty, and a new exciting technology, and because engineers and producers of popular music were new to the idea, early 60’s music in Stereo generally sounds quite primitive. When you have only 2 track Stereo, hard panning is the only option to create a crude Stereo image, and is essentially redundant. But even with the advent of 4 track stereo, you will find that instruments were still hard panned (i.e the drums all on one side, vocals one side, guitars in the middle etc….) It is only towards the latter part of the 60’s, and with 8 track or 16 track becoming more common, that Stereo mixes started to sound like what you would hear [created] today, with instruments placed in a realistic and pleasing stereo image.One danger today is that I know that for one or two big labels, once Stereo became the standard, they thought their mono masters were now worthless, and they destroyed them (or wiped them and reused the tape.) So the mono 45's of these songs are the only way to hear the best-sounding mixes of these songs.”

[Mirasound 8 track Ampex? tape console 1966- Courtesy of George Schowerer]

The main thing is that the whole production was geared to a MONO product. All the hits were made that way and heard that way....on record players and radio....throughout the first 7 years of the decade hardly anyone[fans] had a STEREO record player.....and as stated above that was the gimmicky alternative version. BUT what was the 'Best Mix'? Well in the case of the Four Seasons Catalogue we've been asking that for a long time!!

First of all it seems [or it has been stated in several anecdotal sources] that the 2 and 4 track masters did not survive a Bell Studios clear out. BUT STEREO masters in this 'crude' wide form have survived. Some are different to the MONO that appeared on 45 and album. They don't contain late dubs by Bob Crewe added at Bell after he had taken the MONO master from Stea-Philips or Mirasound studios [according to sound engineer George Schowerer]. And Vee-Jay supplied Philips with MONO and STEREO album mixes only[according to Philips Master lists]. We wonder if that means there are missing 45 MONO Master mixes? On the evidence of post 1987 CD releases that seems to be the case[eg I've Cried Before].

So detailed research of the Tapes surviving [in all potential locations] is necessary to preserve the radio sound that really is the Sound of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. With work, the STEREO versions would be a bonus to todays and future listeners. They could in a decent sound stage reveal more detail than the MONO and be more akin to a 'live' performance. One of the reasons why MONO has some renewed interest though is exactly because STEREO replaced it. By the time CDs arrived, the stereo 'wide' mixes of most albums had become the “official”[defacto]mix.[now on CD] As vinyl records went out of print, people were left with only this STEREO option when they bought a new copy on CD. Within 15 years of the advent of CD, many MONO mixes were more or less forgotten about.

But today my argument is we need top re-mastered versions of BOTH.! So I researched back what my best friend, Stefan Wriedt, a German sound engineer had told me several years ago about STEREO mastering.

But ‘how do fans make their own assessment of what is a good stereo mix?’,.................. we asked him.

“Stereo images are best assessed on headphones. You have to listen. Wide is 120 to 180 degrees, anything between 60 and 30 degrees is small[narrow], 60 to 120 is normal (90 degrees as usual). I haven't found any meter / display that can show this.[only our ears on headphones]”

So I started doing further research on the 'best mixes' in STEREO and the groups catalogue and realised all the 'best' sounding STEREO were recorded in the 1970s and obviously on vinyl. There are some rogue STEREO mixes that surfaced on 'special' vinyl HITS albums during the 60s[eg Edizione D'Oro] that improve the mix, but every STEREO version is different as the content is more detailed than the MONO and can be panned differently.

The 60s STEREO limitations are clear . CD's with WIDE STEREO can sound good on an 'old style' listening environment when the speakers are the right distance apart and the listener is in the 'sweet spot'. This represents only about 5% of anyones listening experience today as we all listen on headphones/ear-buds/in-car or on the go Boom boxes. The STEREO becomes just like MONO. And after spending 3 years collecting and restoring MONO mixes from vinyl it has become obvious how the groups PRIMARY catalogue elements should be delivered.In MONO with 'enhanced' STEREO versions as a bonus set.

This guide from the WWW to assess STEREO supports this idea.Mixing engineers should mix tracks with a live sound stage/concert stage perspective in mind . We found an audio blog that defines this.

“'Panning' is how the instruments are arranged within the stereo image. By properly using this mixing feature you can create a very realistic sound.

Vocals are always in the centre because the band lead singer is the star of the show. At the back of the vocals is the bass player. Typically at the back of the bass player is the drummer. The band's two guitarists are on the left and the right. Although, different panning arrangement are possible for additional instruments (such a band with piano or others), this concept illustrates the basic things on how to do panning in audio mixing to create a very realistic stereo image.

Live sound monitors for vocals and bass are placed up front facing the audience, so that fans can get a great feel of the vocals and the bass groove. On the left and right loud sound monitors are the guitars.

In the best commercial audio production and using  software, panning can be controlled between -100 to +100. Where mostly -100 is the leftmost part of the stage and +100 is the rightmost part of the stage.”

Stefan agreed…..”In the case of the Four Seasons recordings that we have[on CD in STEREO]……….. listen to any track on headphones and see how much these principles are adhered to. Many of the early stereo recordings fall short of this standard (with instruments and vocals panned far left and far right with acres of space between occupied by ‘nothing’).Today the listening experience is different, Everybody who bought a Four Seasons CD already has got the wide-stereo version[except for the tracks NEVER RECORDED IN STEREO by the Engineers] which again goes to the root of the original purpose.....a RADIO 45 mix.”

["What do you think of that 'mix' Ellie?" - Bob Crewe to Ellie Greenwich late 1966 - Mirasound - Courtesy of George Schowerer]

With the ‘MONO only’ versions [that often don't exist in STEREO] we are listening to the only example of what the producers sought.....and record company put out originally on vinyl. So we might as well have that....well mastered with the punch and ambience of Bob Crewe's mixes....in the correct MONO 45 and album mixes. They sound great when mastered well. And the STEREO tracks can be the bonus if mixed perhaps to a 90 degree sound mix as identified above.?

There are 3 examples of Four Seasons tracks from the early 60s given this treatment by Bob Gaudio and that is on the 1988 CD 'HITS – Digitally Enhanced'. Bob Gaudio commissioned an engineer to prepare this type of 'modern' STEREO mix on 'Marlena', 'Sherry' , 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love' and 'Stay'...[check out the mp3 samples if you don't have the CD]......That is what the fans need by 2020...But with ALL the 60s STEREO in this enhanced form.. The technology is here in 2018 to do this for all our playing equipment and listening needs. A completely NEW set of Masters

As Stefan said and we found doing the MONO ARCHIVE......”. The fun is when you are re-mastering and you are trying different settings. Sometimes you suddenly find the groups sound just works better. That is such a ‘buzz’. ..a real adrenalin rush.”

[Bob Crewe with George Schowerer....Artie Schroeck in background - Mirasound - late 1966. Courtesy of George Schowerer]

Our research makes the case for the catalogue of the future to enable you to 'feel' the MONO original sound as intended by Bob and the Group or Frankie in his 'solo' efforts and to also create NEW 'life-like' performances from the STEREO Master[NEW STEREO MIXES - as appropriate]

This is a potential Box Set that needs doing that can be sold to the fans of yesterday and today. There is the 'traditionalist' argument to not change the 'original'....but would we buy that AGAIN? After all we have all the WIDE-STEREO already on CD.We should be able to fully appreciate the transition from MONO to STEREO and capture the punch and thrill of MONO and the 'performance simulation' of STEREO in a modern presentation of their music as it is now understood. So NO hard right/left panning STEREO for me....thank you.!

The possibility that some-one will listen to this option and take it on board is something we will consider and we'll no doubt debate. More soon.

 

Casey Chameleon

'Un-released' - Find Of The Year 2017

 

The button badge is from 1976 and the hey-day of the UK fan club when we would have raved about finding 'unreleased' Frankie Valli/4 Seasons tracks but amazingly another one has turned up from an unexpected period. The song discovered this year [2017]we now think dates back to Autumn 1961 and the sessions that resulted in 'I Am All Alone/Trance' -Topix 45 6002 released in October 1961. This is before the first appearance of the group as The Four Seasons in December 1961[Bermuda/Spanish Lace- GONE 112] More re those sessions in the future.

We believe it may be from the 'between labels' period when the group were in dispute with Vee-Jay. It appears that after their mid 1962 preparations for the Copa cabaret show they didn't go into the studio again except as back-up singers until they recorded 'Dawn' at the Atlantic Studios prior to signing with Philips in late 1963. They did work on several projects with other artists including the 4-Evers on 'Be My Girl' with Al Kasha producer and it has been suggested this may be from that period/sessions. But finding another version by the Four Lovers last week was a shock. I've asked Casey to carefully restore that version too and we'll share that in due course. This is a much more refined arrangement than the 4 Lovers version and is listed under Bob Gaudio's BMI listing as 'Like You'[Composition 100].

But to find this version after so long is truly the discovery of the year. Our 'music detectives' are always searching through old cassettes and looking for demo's and acetates and when this surfaced we wondered when it was recorded. Further research hasn't confirmed definitive information or it's source. Our continued investment in technology and sound editing software[and our buddy Casey]have enabled the recovery and sharing of this nice song and performance. He told me 'We owe much of the pre-Four Seasons history on CD to Stefan Wriedt who collected and re-mastered many of the earliest Frankie Valli recordings on The Fantastic FIRST YEARS CD on Sparkletone. He taught me how to re-master old vinyl dubbed in Wavelab and as collectors we owe him so much for preserving those early recordings from 1953 to 1961. His legacy is the on-going emergence of tracks like this we are able to restore and share”

For now let's celebrate another great find....and although it is unlikely much else survives from this period we do have some interesting acetates and 'live' material coming up to share with members of our facebook group as we assemble 'More UK 'Best' Un-released and 'Live' Tracks' by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

Ken Charmer

The 2017 'Unreleased' Sleeve Notes

This years UK Tour has provided us with an opportunity to let Frankie Valli know there are a number of unreleased songs in either acetate or 'live' show versions that are in the hands of fans. Some have been around for years and some are new discoveries. I promised to compile sleeve notes re the tracks so here goes.

Track 1 – Like You

Our latest discovery thanks to one of our longest standing 'music detectives'. Recovered from acetate this song he tells us comes from sessions Valli did at the same time as he did the 'Be My Girl' session with the 4-Evers. If so this would date the session as early 1964. Perhaps producer Al Kasha was involved but the writer was Bob Gaudio[see his BMI listing]. Perhaps Valli's earliest idea for a 'solo' career whilst with the 4 Seasons this remains our top find in recent years. A song and delivery reminiscent of solo artists of the time like Bobby Vinton. The acetate was clearly in good condition and we were able to clean and re-master to a very enjoyable version.

Track 2 – Hymn To Her

Again the same 'music detective' discovered acetates produced by Bob Crewe from the sessions in December 1973 after Bob persuaded Motown he could generate a 'hit'. Bob Gaudio was not involved and Crewe was confident that assembling past expertise would make a difference. He persuaded Nick Massi to come back to arrange vocal harmonies and Charles Calello to arrange and he had a bunch of songs he'd written with Kenny Nolan [a singer songwriter with a studio group Crewe was producing called The Eleventh Hour]. 'Hymn To Her' returns the Seasons backing sound to an anthemic harmony with Valli hitting falsetto in his traditional style. An unusual but intense lyric that hints at religious connections[“my very own Madonna'] this acetate dub was sufficient for us to recover a very listenable version. It remains in the Motown vault as a completed master Nr 62523 and although it didn't convince the Motown Execs it was slated [in mid 1974] for album release just when the group left the label.

Track 3 – You Are The Sunshine of My Life

This Stevie Wonder original was arranged as part of the NEW Four Seasons 'live' shows during 1974. Frankie Valli had promoted the young Lee Shapiro to be his musical director/arranger for live performances. It was a transitional period for Frankie and the group. He had enlisted Gerry Polci, Don Ciccone[who sings the lead in parts] and John Paiva had joined the backing band, joining Joe Long in what some rate as the best 'ever' Four Seasons. John Paiva's personal tape collection allowed us to salvage these tracks from their Bachelors III Cabaret Club show in mid 1974 at Fort Lauderdale. With many of Frankie's 'New Jersey friends' there this show contains more 'unrecorded' songs than any other we know of.

Track 4 – I Wonder Why

Mid 1974 with a new 'settled' line-up Lee Shapiro and Joe Long persuaded Frankie that they should show Motown bosses that this line-up were capable of good things and so the group whilst on the road, wrote and produced this song as a demo and presented it to Motown boss Susan De Passe. The full story is told here. This copy survived on tape which although somewhat deteriorated shows a great song and the groups ability as writers, producers and performers. We'd like to find a better copy for re-mastering and wondered if Lee Shapiro had one? But thanks to Joe Long at least we have this. I'd forgotten we had re-mixed a stereo version of this and I'll try to find it in September

Track 5 – Hickory[Alternative Extended Mix]

Whilst the shorter version of this was released in 1974, this original extended version with extra verse at the beginning and a falsetto ending comes from a Bob Crewe acetate. The Master tape we believe still contains this version from the December 1973 sessions. Motown Master Tape 2664 will reveal that.

Track 6 - Killing Time

This left-over track has been around for a while. It didn't make the 'cut' for the 1984 album 'Streetfighter'. We don't know why as it is a very strong song and performance. Perhaps it's length didn't allow it to fit the vinyl format. It's source is unknown and we have just added to the mp3 version some EQ and punch.

Track 7 – Michael and Peter

Bob Gaudio did a whole album of demos of the 'Watertown' project for Frank Sinatra and sang most of the songs himself but this track was done with Jake Holmes opening the song in spartan style before a tremendous fully arranged solo by Frankie Valli. This has been around collectors circles for many years and a cleaner version [with less clicks and pops] was not possible without a better original dub and top sound engineering skills.

Track 8 – I Got Love

This song was an fairly frequent opening 'live' show number from around 1970 till this concert in 1974. From the stage show 'Purlie' it was allegedly arranged by Charles Calello but never done as a studio recording. Always a favourite with the band members this slightly shortened version still rocks. Recovered from the Bachelors III Show tapes it has been specially cleaned and re-balanced by the late Stefan Wreidt and Ken Charmer.

Track 9 – Golden Slumbers

When the tribute movie/album to The Beatles was being done in 1977[All This And WWII] Frankie Valli appeared on TV doing 2 Beatles songs which he never did for the album. A fan at the time recorded the [to us in the UK] unknown song on we believe 'reel to reel' and it subsequently surfaced on cassette. This is the first of these. We've added EQ and Punch to improve this for CD and it once again shows Frankie Valli's vocal interpretation skills

Track 10 – If I Were A Carpenter

Another Bachelors III salvaged track done quite often in concert in 1974 this is another example of Lee Shapiro's arranging skills and the great playing skill of the NEW Four Seasons.

Track 11 – One Man

Discovered in the Mercury vault by a researcher looking for Lesley Gore tracks this was on a tape can that said, “One Man - Mono Master : The Four Seasons” it was donated to us in 1997 on the basis that we make it a free issue to fans. From the 1970 final sessions at Philips this Bob Crewe-Larry Brown song has a somewhat 'dated' lyric and unpolished production. Perhaps raw and unfinished it remains all we have of the 'several' unreleased Bill Inglot reported tracks discovered during tape research. This good tape transfer has been re-mastered from the original cassette copy for this CD.

Track 12 – Bridge Over Troubled Waters[Medley]

A big production 'live' track in shows since 1970, Joe Longs skills are all over this arrangement and although not the best group performance of this medley it is the best sound quality version we have. By combining the title track with The Long and Winding Road and McArthurs Park Valli and the group created a stunning mid-show classic.

Track 13 – We Had It All

Somehow a backing track surfaced 10/15 years ago of a song rumoured to be a Motown recording. Probably recorded to cassette at the session. Believed to be titled 'Walking In The Sunshine' for some time we had confirmation in 2016 it was completed by Valli as a Motown Master Nr exists for it. Nr 60769 means it sits between 'Touch The Rainchild' and 'The Night' in the Motown vaults. It's all we've got for now but is a demonstration of the 'treasure' still unreleased by Universal Motown.

Track 14 – All In Love Is Fair/The Way We Were [Medley]

A new arrangement in 1974 by Lee Shapiro for 'live' performances this medley survived through into the concerts of the mid to late 70s. This salvaged from tape version is from Bachelors III again and features great harmony support by The Four Seasons.

Track 15 – Close Your Eyes

During the early fan club days of the 1970s when audience recorded 'live' tapes were frequently in demand, the earliest cassette based recording of the 4 Seasons was from Clearwater in 1964. Poor sound of course but it contained this gem. When Nick Massi died and as a tribute to him this 'duet' with Frankie Valli was salvaged from tape and added to You Tube. It's amazing that we have managed to get as good a version of this from the tape as a demonstration of respect for Nick's unique contribution to the group.

Track 16 – The Fool On The Hill

The second Beatles song from circa 1977 recorded from TV by a fan. It is enhanced here for CD listening.

Track 17 – If

With 'Bread' amongst the most popular group's of the time in mid 1974 it was another chance for Lee Shapiro to show off his emerging arranging skills and for Valli to give a masterful vocal on this David Gates classic for the Bachelors III cabaret audience.

Track 18 – You're Never Too Old To Rock'n'Roll

This song was included in the early 1980s 'live' shows and was intended for album /single release. But with the record industry being in recession no company was prepared to offer Frankie and the group a recording contract and it remains unknown if a studio version of this exists. The writers are unknown but in concert Frankie Valli is said to have claimed he and Jerry Corbetta wrote it.

Track 19 – Natural Morning

I can remember the late Frank Rovello searching for this nearly 20 years ago as a relation to the writer[reputably an 11 year old?] was sure Frankie Valli had recorded it. Paper records discovered in 2015 confirmed it was recorded in 1968 with Artie Schroeck arranging but it seems it was never finished. This version is re-mixed to stereo from faded tape Mono versions and was in 2 parts....combined here. Not the best of songs but an interesting vocal and arrangement.

Track 20 – Lovers

Unfortunately this Bob Crewe acetate has been over-recorded during dubbing and the restoration of this superb Crewe – Nolan composition has been limited. It was recorded at the same session as 'My Eyes Adored You' and was slated for album release prior to the group leaving the label. Clearly a completed and superb recording it remains in the Motown vault. An alternative dub may be possible in the future but a Master Tape re-issue is our constant aim.

Track 21 – Make Your Tomorrow Tonight

The final acetate from the December 1973 Motown sessions this was clearly Bob Crewe taking a re-visit to the Wonder Who sound in 1973 as a joke for Motown execs. They were unimpressed with the result and although probably never intended for release we are unsure if a normal vocal was ever done. This did not make the 1974 proposed Motown album Master Tape.

With several of these tracks 'culled' from the Bachelors III concert in Ft. Lauderdale I thought the original article on this 'salvaged' concert would be relevant and interesting in the context of this 2017 collection. Here is the link.

Many thanks to all those who have contributed to this collection in terms of the music and the background. Anonymity is necessary for some but they know we appreciate their contribution and we are happy to have been able to share this with you to brighten your day. Casey Chameleon

PS The CD has been made available to members of our Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign Facebook Group.

The Age Of The Curators is Here!

It seems that there is no-one listening to fans of the Four Seasons asking for unreleased tracks from the past to be issued. But that is nothing unfamiliar to long-standing fans of the group. Many would claim the Four Seasons Partnership have never been tuned into what fans want nor have they or their record companies listened to them. But should that position be accepted today? Can fan influence bring change?

A recent music industry blog said.....”There is no doubt that the music industries are a complex web of inefficiencies and that if they were being redesigned tomorrow that they would be a far more streamlined, effective and transparent proposition. This on the surface makes the music business ripe for disruption. But unlike fully open markets like the smartphone business, the music industries are interwoven with complications such as de facto monopolies, statutory licensing frameworks and global networks of reciprocal agreements. All of which shelter the business from the full impact of disruption. Change happens slowly in the music business.......None of this means that change is not happening and that the rate of change will not continue to happen. But the odds are heavily stacked against a single entity aiming to unseat the marketplace”

The Four Seasons UK Appreciation still exists through the efforts of a few and the dedicated following of a few hundred fans. Whilst we have always 'championed' 'THE FOUR SEASONS' as opposed to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons this is because we see the contribution of all members of the group and the team that gave us so much good music. The problem has always been we think that way. 'Collaboration' versus 'Ego' some would say.

So with the end of the Jersey Boys 'era' how will fans be served/kept and created.?

It is becoming more and more apparent that The Four Seasons Partnership need to invest in 'curators' if they are to maintain and develop the marketing of their 'brand' through the internet world of today. A recent blog re the music industry compared the playlisting of streaming services with themed and researched CD 'playlists'........”The fact that 25% of music subscribers still buy compilation albums show that however a good job streaming playlists might be doing, there remains a big demand for compilations, even within the core of streaming music aficionados. Curated playlists will continue to gain importance but compilations are going to live alongside them for a good long time to come. And all the while the distinction between what constitutes a playlist and a compilation will continue to blur.”

With Facebook groups devoted to Four Seasons 'memoribilia', Motown's unreleased music and Charlie Calello's vast catalogue of arrangements and productions we have a place to be, to belong, to share and to collaborate all fuelled by our curation. This keeps the ID of the group, their music and their image firmly in the hands of us all. In 'From Bitcoin To Burning Man' there is a forecast that in the emerging social structures.....”The crux ….. is the insight by David Reed, formerly of the M.I.T. Media Lab, that on open networks such as the Internet, greater value is generated through groups that are progressively more coherent and collaborative – or what Reed calls “Group Forming Networks,” or GFNs.....the most valuable networks, says Reed, are those that facilitate group affiliations. “

Looking at the content of our web site and blog and the membership of our Facebook groups I realised we have have become a GFN......we have been 'curators' for The Four Seasons Partnership since the 1970s and on the internet since the 1990s and now the facebook group members have made us a GFN. Whether it be our group members, blog writers, newsprint and 'memoribilia' collectors or amateur sound engineers, 'curators' is what we have become. Wikipedia tells us that ….“Content curation is the process of gathering information relevant to a particular topic or area of interest. Services or people that implement content curation are called curators.” This 'collective' basically provides that service.

But it is alright talking about the back stories....what about the music?

The Four Seasons Partnership and their Partner Rhino no longer invest in compilations like they did. Future compilations must provide playlists akin to the Rhino Rarities CD's (Vols 1 and 2 September 1990). Curated collections with high quality digital masters.

But if not them WHO?

Well in the Facebook 'Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign' we've documented 80% of the paper records af the sessions at Motown and revealed the background to at least 30 and upto 50 unreleased tracks still lying in the vaults. A massive curation job that even UME could not have achieved with their compilers. We are just awaiting the re-mastering and release.

Back in 2012 Ray Ricci and I exchanged notes on the non-existence of a good Four Seasons Archive as a set of full STEREO mixes don't exist. Some were never mixed and some lost(thrown out by Philips) but the problem of the final 'Bob Crewe' mixes surfaced....”Four Seasons aside - there's very few Crewe productions that exist anywhere in a multi-track format as we think of it. It's not really a case of studio capabilities or number of multi-tracks available: it's how a producer worked through the bouncing and mixing and overdubbing to get an orchestra mix that works in MONO. Stereo was secondary, and could only be loosely constructed with what remained after essential mixdowns with overdubs were already in place.

What's of concern is that MONO masters are lost!”

Well with the help of German Sound Engineer Stefan Wreidt a project to preserve the MONO masters as mixed to vinyl began in 2012 with the help of several UK and US collectors with access to original vinyl. Cleaned and re-mastered to give good quality MONO masters these digital masters contain all of Bob Crewe's great final productions.

Of course I can't share these as I don't hold the copyright, but the archive is available to any national preservation body. The copyright remains with the Four Seasons Partnership but we completed the 'salvage' operation in 2015. Some may appear on You Tube for purely educational purposes!!!

Of course The Four Seasons Partnership could have done this(and could still do so) , making it commercially available but they would need to get access to good vinyl copies and spend 3 man years, collecting, sifting, dubbing and re-mastering. No? They will continue to use the mis-match of masters they have served up before. Not faithful to the original in every case...but who will know the difference.? The fact Nick Massi's bass vocal is missing on 'Ain't That A Shame' or that there is no faithful MONO master of the 'B' side of 'Sherry' ….'I've Cried Before' ….are blatantly ignored.

Unfortunately Stefan passed away from cancer before I was able to complete the archive but it is now complete and testimony to his work and those of us who have become.....'The Curators'.

Onto the compilations we need next.

Casey Chameleon

 

The Four Seasons MONO Archive Is Completed

It seems to be slowly dawning amongst collectors that ‘preservation’ is the name of the game for the Four Seasons catalogue. A US mastering engineer told us….”the Four Seasons kept the “group sound” alive into the 60s, even after the British Invasion hit American shores, so their significance in their  legacy of pop music is monumental.  Personal taste aside, some music is worth preservation if only for historical purposes and The Four Seasons’ mono single mixes are the way listeners remember them being played on the radio, not those sloppy Philips throw-togethers(STEREO or MONO Mix-downs).  Hindsight is 20/20, and had the group thought of KEEPING the multi-track session masters, we could have accurate stereo remixes that match the mono single mixes.  Alas, that is not to be, so the mono mixes rule.Another issue I have with stereo is overdubs being added during the mix to mono for the singles.”

In our last blog we promised we would finish the archive soon and the results are now being reviewed to select the best versions. These MONO mixes  have excited us enough to commit a set of 26 tracks from Volume 2 (13 of their Philips 45s) to CD which has produced a great listening experience. I asked our own sound engineer about the technical process.

“The key was the network because without that you can’t access enough pressings to find good clean copies…..and dubbing and cleaning presents issues with the sonic integrity of preserving the vinyl. What format to dub to and what bit rate? But perhaps fundamentally……What is MONO? Well when the songs where originally issued on Philips 45s and MONO albums the expectation was that they would be played with a MONO stylus on a MONO amplifier, reproducing Bob Crewe’s radio focused mix. But since then and particularly today most people playing vinyl will use a STEREO stylus and cartridge. So, two slightly different signals result. In fact, this is a form of STEREO. So unless you use a MONO cartridge and stylus,,,it’s not true MONO. Another factor is that although a digital MONO signal can be generated this will be a mix of the two channels thereby averaging the sound. And when burned to CD the process re-generates 2 channels of MONO….that is what CD’s contain…so you can argue about integrity till the cows come home. The Four Seasons first Philips MONO album PHM 200-129 contains the following comment from Philips…..”Own a stereo phonograph? You’ll find playing this Philips regular Monoaural long-playing recording on it a revelation. In fact a stereo phonograph considerably heightens the natural clarity and brilliance of any Philips long-play recording.” That is because of the effect I already mentioned of the slight differences in the left and right channels.

We decided that in the interests of consistency and ‘hi-fidelity’ we would reproduce this effect for this period of music. The results we believe have the ‘heightened clarity and brilliance’ Philips advertised.

The aim has been to capture and optimize the dynamic range(the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds) and to preserve the ‘sound of vinyl’ from the analogue age.”

And why is the first CD you’ve compiled from the Archive the first half of the Philips era? “ Simply because we have overcome our biggest hurdle with the Philips set (finding the different mixes in MONO)and these are of the group at their peak. We started at the beginning with ‘Bermuda’ the first Four Seasons record and completed the Gone/Vee-Jay set last year but we have had far more problems with the Philips set. This is because with Vee-Jay, many of the 45 mixes are the same as the albums so we had more choice and quality vinyl sources. Bob Crewe shortened the first 2 nr 1 singles by a few seconds compared to the LP (and any Stereo mixes) so we had to use the 45 versions but the rest are generally as the MONO Lp’s. He also in the Philips era took final mixes to Bell Studios and overdubbed or sweetened the tracks before the MONO mix was done to get the ‘radio’ sound he wanted….so some of the STEREO masters that are on CD today do not match the MONO hit sound. We eventually got ALL the original Philips 45 mixes.

The other key point was the people who worked on this project loved and knew the music  so much and they had the 45 sound burned into their memory banks from the 60s. As a listening and testing group they added a unique talent to the exercise. We couldn’t have done this without them

The complete archive is therefore a baseline set for anyone wanting to analyse the ‘true’ sound of the Four Seasons as experienced by record buyers during the 60s.

We’ll eventually compile the archive to  CD’s in sets of 2 each for the ‘Gone/Vee-Jay’ and the ‘Philips’ releases from 1962 (well really December 1961) to 1968.”

And anyone who is interested in these results will know someone in the ‘network’ of Four Seasons fans and can get to hear them. The preserved digital files will not be perfect as they are not from the master tapes but they are pretty clean and the challenge will be to continue to review demo’s and promo’s to get as clean and as close a sound as we can to the original master. Remember we do not believe these exist in the Four Seasons Partnership’s archive.(in such a complete set). The Archive(in our library) will remain a work in progress but we are happy that we have it, as the first step in the preservation is now complete.

We’ll follow up with notes on what are the significant facts behind the MONO mixes in due course

Here is a sample…..

Casey

chameleon@seasonally.co.uk

Download WMWBTY Mono Sample

 The Philips Archive listing

Finding the 'Masters' - The MONO Archive 1962 - 68

This last years projects have brought a new focus on the Four Seasons catalogue for me and several of my dedicated Four Seasons collectors friends. The MONO Archive project started as a result of discussion between top German sound engineer Stefan Wriedt and I, three years ago. My contention that in sound quality terms there was a lot to complain about re the Four Seasons catalogue was echoed by Stefan. And the key objective of preservation of the sounds we got to know on vinyl seems more important than ever today. It started with the question of whether we could find, clean and re-vitalise the original vinyl releases digitally and if these would prove to be a better listening base than the CD compilations we have acquired since 1988, supposedly from the original masters.

 

The last year has been has been all about re-discovering the 45 and MONO LP mix and how a good MONO mix can match or even surpass STEREO depending on it’s quality. What we grew up with has left a 'stamp mark’ in our brains of how the Four Seasons 45s used to sound on radio and record player during the 60s. This was before the time when most of us had ever heard STEREO....unless it was one of the 'train sound' novelty hi-fi stereo demonstration albums on a rich friend's Dad's radiogram. These included recordings of trains passing with the sound of the train moving across the room from right to left as the Stereo soundstage moved it. There weren’t many STEREO albums around in the UK in the early 60s or STEREO record players

Today our collections on CD and I-pad/phone are a mixture of flat sounding MONO re-masters and a set of so called  STEREO that bounces instruments and vocals between our ears in an artificial spatial wilderness that confuses the whole thing in our heads. We maybe don't realise this as we’ve grown used to it but the track can become confused with all kinds of peaks and dips coming from all directions in the stereo image. As soon as we get focused on the strings and bass on the left the harmonies are coming in from the backyard!!! It is just not right.

This is simply the result of our educated ears bringing us full circle. With the CD age we became used to listening to our hi-fi systems and good speakers. Sound  bounced around the room and reverberation softened the wideness. We had inherited what was understood as the  STEREO sound from back in the early 60s. Peter Vance of Abbey Road Studios commented on this phenomena back in 1997...”......even with the increased usage of 4-track(studio recording) in the mid-60's , the positional restriction of the stereo mixes often left a lot to be desired.  You would regularly end up with most of the rhythm on one side, guitar or percussion on the other side and perhaps the vocal in the centre.  It wasn't until the arrival of 8-track machines, towards the end of the 60s that the stereo image, on pop recordings, eventually regained respectability. As a matter of interest, this had never been the case with the 4-track "MOR" recordings (e.g., Shirley Bassey, Matt Monro, etc., etc...) where the orchestra was recorded in true stereo on two of the tracks, the vocals on a third track, with one track free for whatever.  This method ensured that the stereo 'picture' remained natural and interesting.

The somewhat simplistic approach to recording of pop back then also extended to the layout of the groups and orchestras in the studio itself.  This meant that there was only minimal screening of the individual instruments and vocalists.  Fortunately, the excellent acoustics of the studios at Abbey Road have always meant that any spill of sound from one microphone to another is always clean and only serves to produce an overall natural and pleasing sound, a situation which, by default, has always been the norm for classical recordings.  Ironically, it is these very circumstances and their effect that producers, engineers and artists are finding to their liking once again some 35 years later.  This is also true of the old valved microphones and limiters which are regularly in demand, because of the unique quality of the sound that they still produce - it's funny how things tend to go round full circle."

STEREO recording today is not like this, as we said back in 2009 in Chameleon's blog. Today's recordings have a sound stage that represents a 'live' performance with each voice and instrument in good position before the listener. Listen to good masters on good equipment and MONO can sound alot like this. That MONO sound was really all that Bob Crewe focused on....and it is what we knew. Instruments and vocals balanced in the mix separate and coming from a fictitious stage in front of us. The Four Seasons actually backing Frankie Valli.

The Four Seasons 1965 mixes suffer most from this problem whereas the 1967 tracks recorded on 16 track at Mirasound Studios have a much more balanced sound. Today we have educated our ears to want sound in headphones a lot of the time and more sophisticated sounding headphones than we ever had before. We need to have the sound-stage re-balanced. This is not so easy without multi-tracks and it appears it will be some years before the development of spectral analysis produces extracts from the STEREO mix-downs(the ‘Partnerships’ masters) that enables such balanced re-mixes to be done.

 George Schowerer and Ellie Greenwich in the Mirasound Studio 1967

So why do we accept this when we can listen to and enjoy the MONO mixes that we knew. Well maybe because there aren't any really good re-masters in MONO of the sound we used to listen to in the analogue age. To appreciate this today you have to listen to the MONO 45s or LP's on a good record player and amplifier . Trying to capture this sound from vinyl and get it into digital form has been a challenging but satisfying exercise for the fan collectors group. Listening to the 'Jersey Beat' box set may be some people’s idea of ‘connecting’ with the MONO mixes but these are NOT the vinyl sound we knew.  Re-mastering today can easily fail by adding too much EQ (equalization – a process that enhances elements of the sound.) The balance and intent of Bob Crewe's original MONO mixes can and has for some been lost. If the original MONO mixes have not been preserved then the Four Seasons Partnership have reverted to a mix-down from STEREO to MONO. The problem is that this may be an alternate mix to the MONO 45 and you can lose definition and balance on the instruments and harmony eroding the sound which was optimised by Crewe and his sound engineer in the original mix for vinyl. It is a recognised fact that the 4-track recordings from those days no longer exist so it is not possible to 'fix' any defects in the MONO or STEREO masters. Some of these occurred at the time (using techniques to mix to MONO) or are due to deterioration, lack of care or physical damage to analogue master tapes since.....which makes the vinyl the real source for 'MASTERS'. So if re-mixing from tape is not possible what is the potential of re-mastering from vinyl?.

“Mastering is the essential last step in music production. A mastering engineer takes a mix and makes it sound right for a particular purpose. Typically, the mix is equalized, so it has all the necessary frequencies. Dynamics are then adjusted, to minimize the differences between softer and stronger parts of the recording, and finally compression is added and a limiter is employed to make the overall sound louder, a method that is now very popular.” says Melda Productions. The problem is that over the last 15 years or so making the Four Seasons mixes sound louder has lost the 'feel' originally put into it by Bob Crewe and the group.

What we have done in the MONO Archive is search out the cleanest and most dynamic sounding MONO vinyl versions we can find, digitising them at a higher than CD sampling rate before cleaning to remove noise and crackle. Final versions are mastered to the recommended levels for digital sound but leave the sound essentially the same with the MONO signal optimised.

The result we have found  makes it hard to go back to the STEREO CD's to have your head messed up. It is a digital sound that works particularly well on headphones, in-car and on mobile devices. It is the consistent sound of 60s radio with just the right amount of spatial feel. But mainly it is a reference point for the groups sound. It may well be that engineers will with 'modern' digital tools re-shape and 'fix' the STEREO mixes using Spectral Editing and 'Stereo Enhancement' to create NEW mixes that Bob Crewe would have been proud off. It wouldn't be the 'original' sound.....that was MONO....but it might give us a balanced and more realistic 'soundstage'. As Stefan said back in 2009....”What you find is that the sound of a (STEREO)CD often ‘sticks to the speakers’: you’ll hear it coming from the left speaker and from the right speaker but there’s nothing in between – the proverbial ‘hole in the middle’”. But tackling the Stereo is the next step...for now we are making good progress finding the MONO from good vinyl.

Back in 2009 we asked the question as to whether there still existed good ‘Masters’ of the Four Seasons music? It seems now in 2013 we have found the answer......on vinyl. So far we have found and re-mastered/archived some 90% of the 45 catalogue from 1962 to 1968 and we will see it complete this year. More on our efforts and results from the vinyl (.......now in the ‘Archive’), very soon.

Casey Chameleon

A Forlorn "Dream' Of A Hit!

As spring of 1968 arrived the Four Seasons and Philips had realized that ‘Genuine imitation Life Gazette’ was a bit of a disaster and singles from it would dry up with Philips 40597 (Idaho/Something’s On Her Mind). They must also have been wondering if they could salvage Frankie Valli’s solo career with a hit 45? The relationship with Philips headed into decline and the prospect of any new recordings seemed dim. But side projects have littered the groups and Valli’s career and sessions in late1969 would lead to the release of Philips 40661 in April 1970. Thanks to Paul Urbahns and John Pingree who highlighted this back-story we are partly able to research and provide some feedback re this somewhat understated milestone in Frankie Valli’s solo career.

‘A Dream Of Kings’ was a novel turned into a film in 1969 starring Anthony Quinn with a music score by Alex North a well known film score orchestra leader. Released by National General Pictures(a December 1969 release date is indicated but so too is February 1970) the film was nominated for a 1970 Laurel Award)and a film score album was assembled. The film somehow seems to have inspired Bob Gaudio to write a song with Jake Holmes by the same title. (possibly through long-time contact Al Kasha who was music supervisor on the score) and this was apparently recorded and registered with Philips in December 1969. Produced by Bob Gaudio and arranged by Joe Scott (who would go on to arrange three tracks on the 1970 album ‘Half and Half’ Philips 600-341) the song features a lush but innovative arrangement.

The song did not appear in the film but versions would be release in April 1970 on the film score album (National General NG 1000)…as “a song inspired by the film”….and “featuring the voice of Frankie Valli” and as the ‘B’ side to Philips 40661 (couple with ‘You’ve Got Your Troubles’) Collectors could be excused for thinking that the version issued on ACE CD 635 in 1996(as ‘a bonus track not on the original album’) is the original master but this we found is not the case ( there are a number of discrepancies like this in the CD released tracks). The ACE version is a different mix. It runs 2:37 seconds (over 6 seconds shorter) and has the Stereo channels swapped in comparison with the score sound track LP version. The tambourine also moves from centre to far right in the sound stage and there is a more suppressed orchestral sound in the right channel content. The score sound track STEREO version also has the best soundstage by far with a better dynamic range (DR11) and runs for 2:45mins(whilst the album sleeve incorrectly shows 2:35min). Thanks to Stefan Wriedt’s singles archive we were able to re-master the original MONO 45 version and this appears to be from the original score album master just speeded up slightly to come out at 2:42 mins.

Although not considered for release on the ‘Half An Half’ album later in 1970 it remains a rare and under-appreciated Valli-Gaudio gem amongst collectors. We think it is a wish amongst most collectors to have the best versions of Frankie’s songs and in this case the film score album version and the 45 are the ones to have. The full film score album with the opening track by Frankie Valli is available here…………and the 45 version is in Stefan’s archive so contact our administrator if you want it.((chameleon@seasonally.co.uk)

Casey Chameleon

(Special thanks to Ray Nichol for the demo 45 scan including autograph)

The Updated Sessions/Masters Web Page June 2013

It was a few years ago that we received a listing in Word from Tom Cramlington that attempted to gather all of the research that had been done on The Four Seasons Partnerships records for the CD catalogue re-issues of the groups albums from the 1960s.

Appearing  pretty comprehensive we thought it would provide a good base for research and for adding the various new data that occasionally surfaced re alternative tracks and unreleased material. A sort of catch-all that listed all of the vinyl sources for the numbered Master tracks that are listed in those researched CD projects  and sometimes on the 45s. Well after 10 years it has proved robust with corrections and additions and has grown into a pretty comprehensive reference document for all of their work.

When were were anonymously donated a copy of the Motown Tape Index for their years at the label in the 1970s with comprehensive listings of the unreleased material we felt that this was an important addition and allowed us to extend the listing to 1974 albeit in a different format as the extent of the information warranted a spreadsheet.

We’ve continued to add information as it has surfaced and now we have published our updated listings to a new ‘Sessions/Masters’ Web Page. Previously this was titled as a ‘Sessionography’ page but as it does not document accurately the 4 Seasons sessions we have re-titled the listings. As far as we know there are no records of these individual sessions and the original multi-track tapes from the sessions may no longer exist according to anecdotal evidence. The listing does however list the registered Master Nrs as lodged with record companies and it does  attempt to identify the recording/session date. In the case of the Motown Tape Index it does identify the multi-track session tapes which may still exist in the Motown vaults.

There is an Introduction that explains the background to Sections and there are notes re each Section at the start. Below  is a summary of the status of each section and the latest updates.

• 1.       Early recording up to and including The Four Lovers 1958

                            This remains unchanged and documents the research done for the ‘Early Fantastic Years’ CD project and the Four Lovers ‘Bear Records’ CD issue. It is comprehensive and sourced from the CD researcher.

• 2.       The Four Seasons Recordings 1961 to 1963 (Gone and Vee Jay)

                            This remains largely unchanged with the verification of the later re-issue Master numbers on the Philips label after the Vee-Jay masters reverted to the group.

• 3.       Recordings under other names and backing work to others. 1958 to 1963

                           Researched from 45s this is largely a result of speculative detective works and anecdotal evidence of other tracks the group have or may not have appeared on. With little to confirm the details it remains an area for on-going research but the vocals are clear on many as those of the group. It also contains some projects they experimented with producing and some where Bob Crewe used them as vocalists (as evidenced in ‘Jersey Boys’).

• 4.       The Philips Era 1964 to 1970 and pre-joining Motown

                            This Section is now updated to include notes from interviews with ‘arrangers’ Artie Schroeck and Charles Calello as well as information from the Mercury/Philips Book of Masters. It includes previously unknown and in some cases unheard recordings from 1968 and alternative versions between 45 and LP issues(some MONO, some STEREO mixes)

• 5.      The Mowest/Motown Recordings 1971 to 1974 (as an excel spreadsheet due to available and complex information re the tape index and artists cards)

                            This remains unchanged from the annotation of the Motown Tape Index sent to us anonymously in 2010. The continued existence of these analogue tapes has not been verified.

Access the web page here

These lists remain a ‘Work in Progress’ but until more verifiable data surfaces it remains the summary of known and published information on the ‘timeline’ of the group’s recordings for the period. We will push the limits in terms of further research over the next year, asking questions re what remains in Master archives and where. The documentation is going hand in hand with our preservation and digital re-mastering of the MONO archive that can only be found on vinyl(apart from a handful of well produced CD sets with good MONO Mastering). We will re-visit details and implications of the latest edits over the next few months as we seek to uncover further information on the Master files and their availability….or lack of it? Both projects represent the most advanced Four Seasons research being undertaken at this time as far as we know. But we are always open to help re this, and we will collaborate with anyone in compiling ‘the body of knowledge’…..of our favourite group.

 

We believe in this work and are seeking to register the archive with The International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres and to pursue more data to verify and expand the information.

Casey Chameleon

Digital Archive

The start of 2013 has been a strange one for fans of 60s music like me. There has been a big focus by people a lot younger than me on the ‘analogue’ age and the ‘Golden Era of the Long Player’ with BBC Radio and TV nostalgically looking back on ‘records’ as some sort of antiques.

Perhaps they are but when you grew up with them and you still have a big collection they just feel gloriously ‘tangible’ in an age when we abound with hundreds and thousands of digital downloads or CD extracts on I-pods. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were ‘hunters and gatherers’ of 60s and 70s vinyl epics on album. Back then it was the only way to get to hear the music. Last week Danny Baker and Co in a series of panel interviews on TV Channel , BBC Four recalled how we used to caringly lower the needle in the groove and listen intently to 2 sides of 26 minutes or so without a break in homage to the artists and the producers.

Now it seems we are casual digital collectors of catalogues of hundreds of artists and thousands of tracks. The release this week of seven  of the Four Seasons  albums as mp3 downloads by Rhino sums up where we are today. We can pick and choose the tracks we want and random play on the I-pod now gives us a juke-box life with music something in the background whilst we do something else.

 

We have had the vinyl age and survived the CD age (buying everything again) and now we are in the middle of the download age. And everyone is in on the act of becoming an archivist. Amoeba the classic west coast collectors store (I just love their San Fransisco unit)have announced they are archiving classic albums  And today’s Sunday papers features an all singing/all dancing record/tape and CD archiver (a 4 in 1 Music Machine) to illustrate the point

But a look beyond the surface reveals that much of what we are getting released today is not original, not good sound and not properly archived. Certainly with the Four Seasons catalogue there is lots of room to complain. But it seems no one cares as much as we do. It remains a mystery why the 4 Seasons catalogue doesn’t get the respect or care in its reproduction that Jazz music gets with its specialist albums and collections of rarities, live performances and previously unreleased tracks.

Neither Rhino or The Four Seasons Partnership have shown any respect for the fans wishes in this respect and whilst the ‘Gold Vault of Hits’ CD sets last month were welcomed by some fans we continue to be ‘underwhelmed’  at the lack of inspiration in the releases. Its another tale of the continuing exploitation of the fan base with no investment in documenting and archiving the history. No re-mastering from analogue tapes, no new mixes and not stunningly good re-mastering. And if you don’t believe us just take a listen to what is possible check out the great samples from this superb box set compared to the ‘puny’ Jersey Beat selection of Four Seasons history.

So whilst some UK fans may be getting excited at the prospect of another visit of Frankie Valli and his band to their shores in the summer we will be focusing on preserving the original MONO mixes as the analogue history. We’ve completed the Vee-Jay 45s and work progresses on the Philips singles. All tracks are digitally transferred from best vinyl sources, cleaned and re-mastered in professional software. These masters match and surpass the current CD catalogue. Of course copyright rules prevent us from sharing such work with you but hopefully you’ll be happy to hear that we have them. So this year we have got possession of ‘the masters’. Bob Crewe’s beautifully crafted 45s digitally archived. Some of us do care about the music!!

 Casey Chameleon

Back To The Future? - The Return Of Vinyl

As we move into 2013 it is perhaps for many UK fans a case of saying….”let’s do it again”” as the euphoria of last years’ Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons first tour in 18 years still rolls. And whilst the excitement and anticipation of another set of concerts in summer 2013 builds, maybe that should be the focus. Well not for me on this blog. Royal Albert Hall 26^th June 2012 was a peak that could not be bettered or matched for me and a great credit to the band and the stylish show and sound they have been putting on since 2009.

Great songs: done live by the man whose soaring voice dominated the falsetto sound on radio for 5 years during the 60s. Just take stock of the reality of the group’s career and sound. The music today…whether live or in ‘Jersey Boys’ (JB) is not what it was and quite often on CD it sounds mushy and dull. So how do we move on?

Listen to vinyl or the quality CD MONO masters (there are very few good CD’s around today)from their Vee-Jay days and it hits you. Nick Massi’s vocal skills brought the best out of every group member and formed the elements of their ‘hit’ formula and Charlie Calello’s arranging coupled with such great songs from Crewe and Gaudio cemented the mix in classic analogue pop hits. As they moved onto Philips their formula created even more classic melodies and harmonies before Charlie Calello moved on and Artie Schroeck working with Bob Gaudio created a new ‘more modern’ and sophisticated harmony sound by 1967. The fact is that the group sound was good enough to continue and used to create even more classic 70s styled ‘harmonies’ with a new line-up meant their career as a hit making group lasted over 15 years. Truly legendary. But increasingly you have to go back to the vinyl to experience it.

But no matter what ‘tribute bands’ do or how Frankie tries to re-create the sound in his concerts two facts stand-out. One…..the essence of the classic studio sound of the 60s and 70s just cannot be reproduced ‘live’. It is a nearly lost ‘analogue’ sound. It is rarely re-produced well on CD and not ‘live’. We will be reminding readers of this fact and sources for the best sound during 2013. Second…..whilst JB continues to represent a great show, it doesn’t reproduce the group’s ‘true’ sound. It is actually very different, relying on different keys , arrangements and a ‘choral’ rather than ‘open’ harmony and although it makes a great night out at the theatre, it’s continuing success is perhaps damaging to the heritage, legacy and history of the group. Somehow it to me has become???….just not authentic.

The recent You Tube video of the University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Entrepreneurship covers some but misses key elements of the show JB’s success. Rick Elice and Bob Gaudio (scoring no points for fashion in a suit with trainers!!) open up a little but clearly need to hide certain facts.

“The way the ‘book’ accesses the music is perhaps one of the key factors in JB’s success”says Rick. That is the key. The ‘book’ takes advantage of the music and it transforms the story. And , not mentioning that the original source for much of the ‘book’ was the original BOOK co-written by Rex Woodard and Tommy DeVito was clearly necessary due to the current court case. Legal papers show its significance but it may be some time before it is published and we can see it for ourselves. But the reality is….the original music rules….not JB but Bob Crewe’s immaculately ‘carved’ 45s.

Yes …..many UK fans want to party ‘one more time’ with Frankie and the band and that is OK….it’s good.

But Casey and the music detectives will be re-visiting and reviving the best sounding MONO and STEREO mixes from the past. We’ve started with ‘Solo’ – Gold. Rhino this month launch a cheap re-issue of the ‘Gold Vault’ masters and our MONO 45s archive will recover all of the 1964 to 1968 Philips 45 mixes as they were from vinyl. But the STEREO masters still need researching on master tapes and re-mixing.

It is a fact that Frankie Valli can’t today sound as he did in his younger days and JB can’t be The 4 Seasons. Recovering the vinyl sound digitally is the best way to preserve and enjoy  the sound on today’s players. The technology may have moved on….but a look at Amazon is interesting. There are more record players on sale than at any time since on-line selling started and maybe since the advent of the CD. Each offers the option to record via USB to computer/I-phone………why?  So you don’t have to listen to poorly mastered CD’s….you can create your own vinyl sound. …..in the original or a more instantly accessible way. The analogue sound that really is ‘The ‘sound’ of Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons'.

Little wonder that Rhino have realized this to and issued the ‘Gold Vault’ albums on CD, vinyl and surprisingly cassette!!....: but still a mixture of MONO and STEREO versions that fail to make this set a consistent listening exercise. These sets should have had versions of both but then again this demonstrates that Rhino want to charge for 12 song  CD's ( a classic rip-off yet again) but more significantly it demonstrates that some  STEREO masters don’t exist in their archive. But, a first Four Seasons vinyl release since the 1990s - it really is a case of Back to the Future! What next? The return of Eight Track?

Ken Charmer

(Eight track label scans courtesy of Paul Urbahm)

Samples below

Gold Vault of Hits

2nd Gold Vault Of Hits

Gold Vault Re-visited

The history of mastering from analogue tape of the 4 seasons catalogue is worth checking out. Yes ….. SOME of the vinyl is quite superb and SOME of the CD releases quite poor. So the news that Rhino is going to re-issue the original hit albums ‘Gold Vault Of Hits’ and ‘2^nd Gold Vault Of Hits’ in January can either be a big deal or nothing to shout about. Some of the Philips original releases of albums in the last half of the 60s displayed the quality of mastering and pressing of stereo vinyl albums that buyers wanted back then. The best of these releases was the 'Edizione D'Oro’ 1968 double album and it sold in the bucket-loads: packed with alternative STEREO ‘takes’ it was superbly mastered and pressed in a ‘high quality’ package. However the master tapes appear to be ‘lost’ as it has never re-appeared on either vinyl or CD.This was an important set of tracks for Four Seasons fans when issued in the 60s as Paul Urbahns told us…..”The two Gold Vault of Hits albums are critical to 4 Seasons fans because they include the original Philips masters in true mono and stereo (as available), as well as stereo album versions of 9 of their Vee Jay hits (on 2nd Gold Vault). The original Philips Reel to Reel release, manufactured primarily for audiophiles, from the pre EQ'd tapes sounded fantastic for the time. These two Philips albums remained basic catalog product and remained available until the mid 70s.

 

The original Gold Vault vinyl albums, are regular sellers on eBay and unused copies of the 1997 issues are selling for as much as $30 each indicating that there is a market.”

 

But for this ‘vinyl’ and CD release it is suggested Rhino will use so called ‘flat’ recordings from the original vinyl EQ’d ‘master tapes’. Well as these where customized for vinyl they should have a good dynamic range reading. (vinyl mastering needs specific eq levels to keep the record ‘in the groove’….literally). The main reason I think many audio enthusiasts still think the ‘vinyl rules’ is that very few very good transfers to CD of the Four Seasons back catalogue exist. And many of these do not match the 45s of the day……some don’t even match the stereo LP versions.

The recent dynamic range(DR) meter (a component for Foobar 2000 music player) by the Pleasurize Music Foundation allows instant checking of CD’s and individual digital tracks and this should produce reading of 12 or 13 for good DR readings on the best mastered CD’s. The Curb series of the Four Seasons back-catalogue shows not so good readings with some tracks at 8 or 9.(whilst some are excellent) These are a bit ‘loud’ compared to vinyl, and can give a distorted and more tiring listening experience. The ACE series from 1996 shows the ‘Rag Doll’ songs at virtually the same reading as the Curb release.

The last time these ‘Gold Vault’ albums appeared on CD was in 1997 on Curb (with the 2^nd Gold Vault also appearing in Japan in 1999). These like the other Curb and ACE releases all seem to come from an analogue/digital transfer done sometime after the 1988 25^th Anniversary Box Set and these individual albums/twofer CD’s started appearing between 1994 and 1997 ( See UK Appreciation Society web site CD discography). But if these CD’s leave a lot to be desired, in terms of dynamic range then it must be down to the mastering engineer. I checked out the Dutch Disky CD DCD 5411 ‘Rag Doll and 15 Others’ from 1995 and this has DR readings generally between 10 and 12 which means they have better dynamic range.

This ‘Gold Vault’ re-issue is probably a very cheap project for Rhino but it WILL provide an alternative to previous CD releases of the hits from the 60s. With minimal work for the sound engineer, and, if the master tapes for the original albums have been used, the re-mastering work will be minimal and the sound should be superb.

It is our assessment that a serious re-mastering job is needed on the whole Valli/Seasons catalogue but it appears unlikely as Rhino(along with others) appear to be cutting back on CD production….according to some press sources…. due to poor CD/DVD sales during the last 6 months.

But this IS a step in the right direction and a clear focus on sound quality, so we expect to be recommending this release to all fans come January. What remains to be seen is how the versions compare with previous CD masters and the ‘original’ vinyl?. We still don’t have the ‘Edizione D’Oro’ versions on commercial CD (but thankfully in our ‘masters archive’) but we will hopefully be able to report back re this collection ‘from original vinyl album master tapes’ next year and how it compares. Maybe a further search in the vaults next year will reveal more goodies?

Frankie Valli - The 'Solo' Masters

This is the first in a series of articles in ‘The Legacy Series’ which will focus on the back catalogue of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. It will examine key aspects of the ‘legacy’ we have from the first 2 decades of their success including key people and elements in their achievements.

(George Schowerer's photo of Frankie Valli in the Mirasound studio in early 1967)

In an interview recently with Andrew Threlfall (Daily Mail – Weekender) Frankie Valli describes how meeting his idol Frank Sinatra in 1961 changed his life. “Becoming friends with him was a very, very special memory that changed my whole outlook” he recalls. And although he went on to create hits as a falsetto voiced lead singer with the Four Seasons, he always wanted to be a solo artist with the reputation of his biggest musical hero.

He tried to forge a ‘solo’ identity despite his stardom as a novelty falsetto voice branded as ‘The Sound Of Frankie Valli’. How much he regretted that brand label, was perhaps revealed in the documentary on UK TV this summer – IMAGINE – ‘Just One Falsetto’ where he admitted he didn’t really want to be known for his falsetto but rather as a singer in his normal voice.

But for over a decade from 1965 to 1976 he created a body of work as a ‘solo’ performer, including many ‘hit’ records, that artists with far more of a public image would envy. Originality of performance and delivery (and some quality songs) was at the core of these performances and their appearance as a collection on CD has been largely overlooked on music re-issue projects for many years. The appearance in 1975 of Frankie Valli Gold (PVLP 1006) was the first compilation assembly of this period of ‘golden’ performances. That is not to diminish his later performances on Private Stock and WEA….which are generally very good…..but this period was an extended attempt at forging a ‘solo’ career and required a good deal of self-belief and hard work. For me therefore it is his ‘golden’ decade. His individual 1960s and 70s albums appeared on the Collectors Choice CD series in 2008 but the last collection focused solely on classic performances on A and B side 45s has not been done… since 1996 and the Curb CD Curb D2-77714. However that set only contained 10 tracks. You have to go back to 1994 and a Dutch CD on the DISKY label to find a well mastered set covering this period but even then to a limited extent.

We hoped to ask Frankie on his summer visit to the UK if he would back a commercial project to issue such a collection covering 1965 to 1976 in good sound quality but unfortunately we never got the chance to discuss this with him and although ACE Records or RHINO Products might consider such a project, they would probably simply assemble a set of masters from old CD’s and push them through a set of sound compressors to generate a ‘modern’ sounding , overly loud collection like the ‘Working My Way Back To You’ CD set from spring this year. These beautifully crafted songs deserve the best mastering from analogue tapes and a preservation of their dynamic range. That might prove to be a prohibitively expensive task for the record company and Frankie Valli hardly has the time to organize such a project with his busy touring schedule. But when a Spanish sound engineer offered to review the tracks with me I thought why wait and hope, it is very easy to do what record companies can do and with modern technology assemble the best masters from existing CDs  if you have collected as much for as long as I have. And as I scan the CD discography testing the existing digital masters I can do this in comparison with some mint vinyl versions.

 Frankie Valli’s ‘solo’ career really started (ignoring his pre-Four Seasons efforts) in June 1965.

Almost apologetically the session (at either Olmstead or Atlantic Studios) was Valli without the Four Seasons at a time when Nick Massi was about to leave the group. Not recording at Stea-Philips may have been because of Philips lack of interest in a ‘solo’ venture as the results would appear on the Smash label rather than the Four Seasons Philips label but getting better sound quality was we understand a driver for this first tentative venture. And it took Bob Crewe 3 months to persuade anyone to release the first solo performances of the group’s lead singer without any falsetto. ’The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine b/w This is Good-bye’ SMASH S-1995 made little impact (Billboard #128)….but the song was a sure-fire hit….but by the Walker Bros, using the same classic arrangement from Charles Calello and Bob Gaudio it became a million seller in March 1966.

Before this would happen though Valli was back in the studio recording more ‘solo’ efforts just as the group were finishing their best Philips album to date ‘Working My Way Back To You’ in November 1965.

‘(You’re Gonna) Hurt Yourself b/w Night Hawk (Instrumental – by The Valli Boys)’ would appear by the end of the year this time with the Four Seasons on backing vocals on another Charles Calleo arranged (and co-written) song which would achieve modest success once again on SMASH ( S-2015) reaching  #39 (#38 in Record World)

Philips finally decided to support Valli’s solo excursions and through 1966 and into 1967 issued a number of singles until they struck big with ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’ reaching #2 (#1 in Cash Box for 2 weeks in a 3 wk period). At last Valli had recognition as the ‘solo’ artist he yearned to be. According to Charlie Calello, Frankie had a clear idea of the type of song he wanted. A Stan Kenton style song and arrangement and that is what he got from Gaudio, Crewe and Artie Schroeck.

The following years saw a divergent set of songs, styles and arrangements but throughout, Valli’s immense vocal talent and delivery shine through. Charles Callello in interview commented on the difference between a great singer and a great artist. The difference he believes is that the great artist makes the song his own with a definitive performance that cannot be replicated by other artists. He commented…..”one of the problems that Frankie has with even performing the songs today is that they were so dictated and manufactured that Frankie, although he had this wonderful sound, never became known as a great singer. Not with his peers who were making music at that point. Frankie was much more talented than the records. The records restricted him to a greater degree”. This collection however demonstrates that he could develop that unique identity for the song  with every track, except for the first one where the Walker Bros ‘wall of sound’ hit has left all others as lightweight.

This personal collection of Frankie Valli ‘SOLO’ GOLD for this period retrospectively focuses on the best ‘pop’ releases from these early days (with some rare ‘B’ sides) through to his hugely popular UK chart hit in 1976 ‘Fallen Angel’ (#11 in the UK) . Subjective ?  Yes! ……. but do they show his true vocal talent and his producers great skills.? Undoubtedly!…… And the performances are a captured production which sound like a ‘live’ performance as producers in the 60s tried to get the studio ‘presence’ into the final sound. This collection is I believe long overdue whether a record company chooses to do it or not. But one CD will only accommodate so much and there would be many who would argue for a second CD covering the next 5 years of his 1970s career. My argument would be that his voice was at its best over this period and the quality of songs give this set a diverse but always entertaining mood.

Finding the best masters and compiling a balanced sound from such a variety of mastering sources has not been easy but has proved to be a surprisingly fun search With the help of our sound engineering advisor we targeted the full dynamic range that would have been achieved with a vinyl project based on the ‘Pleasurize Music Foundation’ recommendations. I’ll develop a more ‘in depth’ description of these tracks as ‘gold’ performances and their best mastered sources in a future blog. But for now consider the listing. The final mixes will be something to enjoy. If a record company is prepared to commercially achieve a better result, we will let you know…….. otherwise…. watch this space.

 

Casey Chameleon.

 

Frankie Valli ‘Solo’ GOLD – The 2012 Re-Masters

 

1          1965    The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine (Anymore) #128

2                      This Is Goodbye

3                     (You’re Gonna) Hurt Yourself #39 (#38 in Record World)

4          1966    You’re Ready Now #112 (#93 in Cash Box) (#11 in Britain in 1970)

5                      Cry For Me

6                      The Proud One #68

7                      Ivy

8          1967   Can’t Take My Eyes Off You #2 (#1 in Cash Box for 2 weeks in a 3 wk period)

9                      The Trouble With Me

10                    I Make a Fool of Myself #18

11                    To Give (The Reason I Live) #29 (#17 in Cash Box)

12                    Watch Where You Walk

13        1969    A Face Without A Name

14                    The Girl I’ll Never Know (Angels Never Fly This Low) #52 (#23 in Record World)

15        1970    Dream Of Kings

16        1972    Love Isn’t Here (Like It Used To Be)

17        1973    Inside You

18                    Listen To Yesterday

19        1974    My Eyes Adored You #1 (1 week)

20        1975    Swearin’ to God #6

21                    Our Day Will Come #11

22        1976    Fallen Angel #36 (#11 in Britain)

 Casey Chameleon

Entering The End Of The CD Era

Perhaps the writing really is on the wall for the end of the CD as a commercial vehicle this week

“Billboard shook up its singles charts for country, Latin and hip-hop music on Thursday by including digital download sales and streaming data from services like Spotify, Rhapsody and others in its weekly rankings. "With digital downloads hitting record highs and streaming services such as Spotify, Muve, Slacker, Rhapsody, Rdio, MOG, Sony Music Unlimited and Xbox Music continuing to grow, the impact of digital music is growing more and more pronounced,"” Jim Donio, president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), said in a statement

This is the latest milestone in the forecast death of the CD medium as increasingly, sales of music, move to digital downloads. Even high quality downloads are increasing.

But whilst some say it was scare-mongering and not official, Side-line Music Magazine was predicting it this time last year….

“The major labels plan to abandon the CD-format by the end of 2012 (or even earlier) and replace it with download/stream only releases via iTunes and related music services. The only CD-formats that will be left over will be the limited edition ones, which will of course not be available for every artist. The distribution model for these remaining CD releases would be primarily Amazon which is already the biggest CD retailer worldwide anyhow……

We have tried getting some feedback from EMI, Universal and Sony. All declined to comment.

The news doesn't come as a surprise to those who have been working in the business. In a piece that was published in a q&a with the Alfa Matrix people back in June 2011 in the 1st issue of "Matrix Revelations", our chief editor Bernard Van Isacker said the following when asked if a CD would still exist in 5 years: "Yes, but in a different format. Normal CDs will no longer be available because they don't offer enough value, limited editions on the other hand will remain available and in demand for quite a few more years. I for one buy only limited editions because of the added value they offer: a nice design, extra bonus gadgets, etc. The album as we know it now however will be dead within 5 years, if it isn't even sooner. I predict that downloads will have replaced the CD album within the next 2 years. I don't see that as something negative, it just has run its course, let's leave the space to limited editions (including vinyl runs for bigger acts) and downloads instead."

But Gramaphone argues…..”far from the CD being a dodo within the year, it’ll still account for the majority of the market four years from now. And it’s not hard to see why: the majority of music available online, legally or otherwise, is at relatively low resolution: 320kbps MP3 is the exception rather than the rule, with most content at 192kbps or less.  Yes, there are some labels offering content at CD quality in FLAC, or even higher resolution in some cases, but heavens does it take a long time to download unless you are one of the very few lucky enough to have superfast broadband running into your home.”

Evidence of the move to Flac is increasing and of it becoming the main digital music archiving medium.

What is apparent for Four Seasons fans today is that it is past CD releases that are the baseline for collecting. A case of what you have you need to treasure.

We know  the policy of limited time licensing masters for ‘collection’ release has been the approach  of  the Four Seasons Partnership since the 1960s. Well now we have the product several times over on different media it is clear that us collectors are the new owners of the ‘masters’ and are simply taking control in response to the  re-selling of old product which has been the way of the music business for decades . As recent history shows, licensing and issuing  recordings is increasingly producing questionable product on CD ,(hence the increase in the appearance of 180 g vinyl re-issues for major artists) Recent releases like the ‘Working My Way Back To You’ CD set showed that Rhino, who control licensing of masters are simply re-cycling past masters from previous CD compilations and the result can either be a questionable product or a completely new mix not as the original in any way and really a NEW version of the track. As we found from this CD release, that can be an enjoyable listen but does it really satisfy the purists who want to collect the original vinyl version  (as the producer intended) on an easily accessible CD that can be ‘ripped’ to PC.? And the 2007 release of the Jersey Beat Box set produced such a questionable sound quality that anyone spending time listening to this set has either questionable ears or lost their point of reference.

You have to go back to pre-2000 CD releases for any real quality.

OK How can we make such a statement and where is the evidence.?

Well firstly we have the most complete list of CD releases for Frankie and the group at our web site CD discography ….and in the past few years based on research for our Sound Evaluation Guide we have been establishing the dynamic range(DR) and performance of past CD’s progressively in our listing.

We have with regard to the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli releases established that…..

• CD’s mastered above DR10 give the best sounding results on traditional sound equipment(or as a streaming digital’rip’)
• DR14 give the most vinyl like sound from CD
• Since 1988 DR levels on successive CD productions generally improved until 1996/98
• Since 2000 CD production has been generating ‘louder’ and poorer quality collections than before
• The ‘content’ and ‘stereo image’ are also important in defining  a quality master
• Digital versions are not commercially available for all of the vinyl releases

And now anyone can test this with a modern PC player that does the tests in seconds so you can compare results with what you hear. The PC based music player Foobar 2000 now comes with the Dynamic Range Meter built-in (as a loadable component). This allows any PC track or any CD added to the player to be quickly tested to show it’s dynamic range properties.

This is the DR Meter that we have been promoting on our Sound Tests web page. As well as playing the track Foobar 2000 will assesses its dynamic range and peak levels further confirming our findings.

What our latest findings show is that there are a limited number of sources  for quality masters of our favourite music. You can do these tests yourself by installing the player and its component the DR Meter.

Recent tests using this software have been showing that the 25^th Anniversary 3CD box set from 1988 remains one of the best sets available with consistently good DR reading for many tracks. As Bill Inglot worked hard to find the best master tapes for analogue/digital transfer at the time this represents a key reference set for collectors. The ACE CD twofers from 1995 to 1997 also score consistently well and better than the recent Collectors Choice twofers.

But this leaves some fans with a quandary…..

Whilst Beach Boy fans have had the albums and hits collections fully re-mastered to high standards by industry renowned mastering engineers(since 2000), Four Seasons fans face no prospect of getting such great sounding versions ….unless they are fortunate to have the earlier mentioned sets in their collection.

With audio extraction from CD now commonplace and the requirement from everyone to have their music…’on the go’ there is no demand to carry CD’s in the car or outside the home. Virtually every listener wants a digital copy on PC and/or I-pod ,pad or phone. CD’s are our back up to what is on the computer.

Record companies will find it increasingly difficult to sell the CD as a physical product as Billboard is recognizing. As download speeds increase……Digital product rules……the only question is how good is the digital product?

Well at least computer based players are maturing and Foobar not only plays all formats including the high density 24bit 96 khz files but it also has a Dolby 5.1 headphone wrapper. Download speeds are improving  and streamer technology is moving forward in leaps and bounds . Audiogate software offers an easy way to convert files between formats and Exact Audio Copy allows extraction of quality files from CD.  

It is going to be difficult for the owners of the masters to keep hiking the value of the music after withdrawing it from the market for 10 years at a time, as awareness of their strategy is countered by collectors as outlined above. Fans will use the strategies necessary to extract the maximum value out of what they have bought in the past. Our future articles will be to help them by a focus on the best CD releases and individual collectible ‘masters’(album and track). E-bay will be the best source if you don’t have the best mastered CDs….our a best Four Season friend.

Of course like vinyl,  CD will never die out. It will remain in second hand or vinyl  stores and as collectors ‘limited’ editions at on-line stores. The big questions are whether anyone will re-invest in mastering old analogue tapes into digital format and …..is there a future for professional mastering engineers?. Can there be an economic model that will mean anyone will go back and do what Bill Inglot did back in 1987 with the analogue masters?… we can’t see the financial viability particularly when the ‘live’ music of Jersey Boys is making so much money. So we know what you are going to ask as ‘hard-core’  Four Seasons fans…… will that special edition CD of the unreleased Motown tracks ever appear? Not any time soon we would conclude.

(contact us at chameleon@seasonally.co.uk for more detail re installing the listening tools mentioned above)

Casey Chameleon

Check out our updated website with picture based menu links to all our web pages and blog links at www.seasonally.co.uk

How To Make The Best Of Your Back Catalogue?

So The Beatles catalogue has finally had a real 2012 re-engineering job on it at a time when the Four Seasons ‘Jersey Beat’ re-mastered set which came out in 2007 is being dumped on the UK market at an incredible 13 pounds($21).

The big difference is that the Beatles catalogue has been lovingly restored to 180 gram vinyl and the Seasons 2007 re-master contains many poorly re-mastered tracks.

The Beatles EMI Press release tells us…”At the start of the restoration process, engineers conducted  extensive tests before copying the analog master tapes into the digital realm using 24-bit/192 kHz resolution and a Prism A-D  converter. Dust build-ups were removed from tape machine heads after the completion of each title. Artifacts such as electrical clicks, microphone vocal pops, excessive sibilance, and poor edits  were improved upon as long as it was determined that doing so didn't at all damage the integrity of the songs. Similarly, de-noising technology was applied in only a few necessary spots and on a sum total of less than five of the entire 525 minutes of *Beatles *music. *Compression was also used sparingly and only on the stereo versions to preserve the sanctity of the dynamics.*” Not all of these are from multi-track masters either as they used George Martin’s mixes from 1986 in some cases.

We know the 60s multi-track masters are lost and as Paul Urbahms commented in the valliseasons e-group….” The Four Seasons Partnership has the problem that they don't really have anything to go back to except album masters (maybe a few singles masters). These were processed years ago by Bill Inglot for the 25^th Ann collection and I am assuming (based on what I have heard) most companies just master off previously released CDs including probably the ACE album masters.”

George Schowerer and Bob Crewe at the mixing desk in 1967

We also know this was the situation on the recent Working My Way Back To You CD set (WMWBTY)on UK Rhino because the engineer told us and he spent hours correcting defects in those so called ‘Masters’.

As going back to tape and re-mastering at 24 bit 96 khz is the only way to really get the best out of analogue master tapes the BIG question for The Partnership is “is there going to be a commercial benefit?”. Even with no multi-tracks and Stereo masters, or mixed to Mono masters it is possible to do a lot with 24/96 transfers. Even with 16bit 44khz(standard CD format) the WMWBTY sound engineer showed that improvements are possible. The much denser sound files of 24/96 transfers from analogue tape will give a clarity and dynamic range not achieved since vinyl……and our amplifiers(and headphones)  are so much better now.

Unlike the Beatles the 4 Seasons “are not a social movement’ and Seasons collectors do not match the thousands they(EMI) know will want the Beatles re-masters. And how many Seasons fans would want the vinyl re-issues?. Many of us still have our carefully collected 60s and 70s vinyl albums in near mint condition. And the size of the 4 Seasons market even allowing for the success of JB it appears doesn’t warrant the work.

But historically importance is the sole reason why The Four Seasons Partnership should invest in this work. It will have to be done one day. Bill Inglot was the previous engineer with exacting standards but there are top engineers around today…like Mark Linett of Beach Boys fame. And then the Partnership would have a long-term asset in ‘fit-for-purpose’ condition to lease to record companies into the future. With short-term license prevailing record companies are not going to fund the re-mastering costs and can only make a profit on a short-term ‘individual’ project basis so re-using old CD masters is their best way. Inevitably the Partnership will have to make the investment.

And bearing in mind the lack of certain Mono and Stereo master copies it is surprising that the Partnership have not done what Paul suggests….” Back in "the day" when the 4 Seasons were popular Vee Jay and Philips would have sent tapes of their releases to English speaking foreign countries, these would have only been one step away from the original album and single masters. In the beginning of the digital age, RCA realized thatthe masters that they had been using for Elvis reissues were pretty bad, so they sent out a call to all their licensees in the world and told them to return all Elvis "tapes" to the US. As the tapes arrived they were cataloged and they went through them to check and see if they were actual masters, dubs from masters, album or singles masters, or just production masters. Production masters are the lowest grade tapes. Once they figured out what they had, they started assembling a new set of masters to transfer to digital and those are what they have been using the last few years. The quality of Elvis reissues has raised significantly since then, and RCA assured collectors that the best quality masters are being preserved and will not be thrown into a dumpster someplace in the world.”

Whilst we continue to search out different versions and the best CD based versions for our collections, members of 4 Seasons collectors groups are set to preserve vinyl masters in preference to the CD Mono Masters. We have so far heard great salvaged versions of the Vee-Jay catalogue and we hope the Philips sets will follow.

Casey Chameleon