That 'Four Seasons' Sound

The ‘Song’ as a Project – Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

In the recent interview with Charlie Calello by Anthony and George, Charlie said that each song and each album ‘was a project, and when completed, we moved on’.

 

As a former Project Manager I relate to seeing all of the catalogue we assembled in my big 4 year project with Snapper Records as mini projects in themselves.

 

And that has always been my approach since working with my late friend and Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt. As he taught me how to use software to eliminate imperfections in the surviving recordings, as we poured over each album and the tracks within.

 

As with all artist in the analog age, these were mini opera’s put together from multi-tracks recordings. At first from 4 track up to 16 track by 1967 and 20/24 track by the early 1970s. Ever more complex sound and quality. Listening to Charlie’s recollections in interview and studying the arranging and production skills of Bob Crewe and later Bob Gaudio we can see how arrangements went from simple manufactured ‘pop’, with few instruments, to huge mixes on 16 and 24 track with multiple guitars, strings and horns.

 

By 1966 that was beginning, and just when the sound was changing and expanding with such anthemic elements…..the Four Seasons sound became ‘lost’ as Frankie Valli focused on his solo successes. By a strange coincidence the same thing happened 10 years later.

 

The 1970s began with the awesome arrangement of ‘Love Isn’t Here[like it used to be],a superb lush and complex arrangement, and finished with ‘Soul/Heaven Above Me’. However the decades story of creative music remains incomplete with the missing tracks with many ‘projects’…….NOT available for us to analyse or understand.

 

The recent Motown Unreleased CD shows just how 16 track recording and top production, sound engineering, instrumentation and vocal backing were available at Motown. We can study each track as a project before ‘they’ moved on…….but even Andrew Lloyd Webber bemoans the way Record Companies ignored artists wishes re a project and cast them aside…...after all the artists would pick up the tab for the studio and production costs. And that was the policy at Motown.

 

Mowest and Motown in the early 1970s were a ‘mess’. In his book ‘To Be Loved’ Berry Gordy speaks of his relationship turmoil not just in his personal life but in the corporate world. He says of the period 1971 to 1975…...’what had worked for me in the past was working against me’…..’the executive chain of command was fuzzy’.” He sacked Barney Ales and had to give Stevie Wonder an ‘open book’ contract to keep him at his most creative. He literally could not cope with the film-making process [he and his people ‘had no experience’ he says] for ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ and ‘Mahogany’ plus Stevie Wonder's near fatal road accident added to his woes. His ‘intimate’ relationships with Chris Clark and Diana Ross [both before and after she married another man and had a child], make his comment that these were ‘confusing times’, very apt. What chance did MoWest Records in LA have have?. ‘Smokey [and other main artists] refused to move to California. He[Smokey] was scared stiff of earthquakes’ he says in his book. His life as he describes it was ‘emotionally hurting’ when he signed the Four Seasons in October 1971 just months after Diana Ross gave birth to a child that was his!! Diana acknowledged this and told her new husband. Their intimate relationship would resume and run through the films and the next few years.

 

And Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were in the middle of this chaotic company with Berry Gordy's 'maelstrom' throughout this period with few singles and albums but dozens of ‘canned’ recordings!!!!. Berry Gordy’s landmark mistake with the group was to choose ‘Walk On, Don’t Look Back’, instead of ‘The Night’ for US release in August 1972. His in-house team, ‘The Corporation’ were chosen to keep the writing/publishing royalties, rather than Bob Gaudio and Al Ruzika on 'The Night'. At the same time Frankie had serious hearing problems and Bob Gaudio and Brit had serious personal issues. The 4 Seasons had their own personal and group membership issues but still created great music 'projects' and by 1974 Frankie and Bob found new ‘partners’ and had assembled the best group line-up since the original group and a world wide resurgence followed by the mid decade. A lesson in resilience which shines through on CD 22 of the Snapper Box Set.

 

And so whilst we can enjoy the superb detail and constructs within the Motown Unreleased that ‘escaped’ in 2023, we can’t see the projects and understand fully the ‘experiments in artistic expression of the period because so much is still unreleased.

 

All we can do is keep a focus on the Rare and Unreleased tracks and enjoy their superb productions. Maybe someday someone will convince whoever will be the Four Seasons Partnership[or it’s successor] that a full analysis of how, despite Berry Gordy’s ‘chaos’,  Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Bob Crewe and the group were gonna come back through this period to achieve success.

 

New ‘projects’ awaited them. But not all would get finished or released.......

 

 

The Four Seasons and Copyright in 2025

Who said ‘art’ is not about ‘the money’ . See the answer at the end.

Paul McCartney was on BBC UK TV this am in an interview commenting on the dangers of AI and the need to protect artists from AI creation and exploitation for money, via subscription services. He maintains there are AI copies on the www of him singing ‘God Only Knows’ and he has never recorded it. Well that is not quite correct as he did perform it with Brian Wilson Live at Century Plaza Hotel, LA (September 18, 2002) and an audience recording is on You Tube.

 

A quick search shows that there are more than 2 companies actually selling AI voice generators of major artists including him.

They say of their services….it “provides voice transformation services to its users. Our service allows users to transform their voice into any voice of their choice, including celebrity voices, for speaking, singing and rapping purposes. You acknowledge that our voice transformation services are provided “as is” and “as available” We do not guarantee that our services will meet your requirements or that they will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free. You acknowledge that our voice transformation services are provided using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. Our AI vocals are only trained with legal material, but we do not take any liability for the produced samples. We make no warranties or representations regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of our voice transformation services.”

 

Paul justifiably complains that whoever makes money this way is stealing it from the artists. He believes the next year will see an explosion of such exploitation as such companies grow the base of creative sound engineers. That is perhaps one of the justifiable complaints re the power of AI whilst it’s benefits don’t get much clear publicity, just claims of benefits we have yet to see in healthcare and government as well as the services sector.

 

This article reviews some of the roots of copyright re the Four Seasons Music and how we as music consumers stand today and some of the issues that the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] may face now and in the future.

 

The FSP have always boasted in interviews re the fact that they own their own MASTERS, which is only partly true. They have the Vee-Jay MIXED MASTER copies from the ‘bankruptcy clause’ in their royalties case which they were handed in 1966. They fought and acquired their Philips MIXED MASTERS in 1973, but in neither case did they get the multi-track studio masters, which we believe no longer exist.

 

The subsequent MASTER SESSION and MIXED MASTER tapes at their Motown period in the 1970s are the earliest multi-track recordings of their work still in existence and as you all know many remain unreleased. Subsequent MASTERS are only known to exist in the LA Storage and these were used in the Snapper Music Box Set released in June 2023. That is fans ‘landmark’ release and in 70% of the content the reference Master location for their catalogue work. So what of the source base for AI use?

 

AI use in music has been growing for a few years now and the algorithms for extraction of vocals and instrumental music from past recordings have exponentially developed since 2020. Previously software needed skilled sound engineers to filter each element which can now be done in less than a minute. It still needs the skill of a mixing engineer to create a NEW MASTER. This particular process was used by enthusiasts to take MONO only recordings to create STEREO that could not be created to this extent with 3 and 4 track recording consoles and many mixing desks up to 1967. However whatever the result the copyright still remains with the original artist. So when is this AI process [which continues to become more advanced] become exploitation of the artists and musicians on the track.?

 

Well if as a ‘creator’ on the www, you have 1,000 subscribers. 4,000 hours of public watch time within a 12-month period or 10 million public YouTube ‘Shorts’ views within a 90-day period, on average, YouTube pays between $0.003 and $0.005 per view. For 1 million views, you can expect to earn between $3,000 and $5,000

 

As an example of how well the Beach Boys videos do this site gives a profile.

 

https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/beachboys

 

Thanks to Paul Urbahns I was able to find a similar analysis today of Frankie Valli which shows a huge difference in popularity.

https://socialblade.com/youtube/channel/UCriObxa7ZsImmXTIpTc8QxA?fbclid=IwY2xjawIEhBhleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYQNevejaSHVqIwD95KboUFxChXaXqZujPplEKvGgxR55wrl4MAPuRmO2Q_aem_TqZm3TvdWZ9g0lmwhpfM7g

Frankie Valli has his own You Tube page and his peak track has 8.8M views. By comparison the Beach Boys have a few tracks in the millions with ‘Good Vibrations’ appearing to be the peak at 12M. The effort put in to sell the Beach Boys sound to a new generation is really focused. But what we can see is the income is there. Taking such models and without analysing unofficial posts there is clearly a current earnings model in play via You Tube without considering the streaming platforms as a way to earn with little work by re-using existing MASTERS

 

So amateur sound engineers like me who post Digitally Extracted STEREO Re-Mixes of past tracks are being approved with copyright in place because the artist is getting an accumulation of views and thus earning from You Tube. That is why such posts don’t get ‘copyright strikes’. And as the FSP do not have to get[and pay] a professional engineer to correct a lot of the early to mid sixties tracks that are badly mixed[as that was just what was possible or easy back then] they are getting the new mixes for free and the collective income from the title. As a You Tube poster I have no commercial interest nor would I ever reach a level of post to monetize my YT channel.

 

BUT in the future….. will music creators use AI to imitate Frankie Valli’s voice and /or The Four Seasons?. That is a legitimate question as such creators may find a way to sell their creations. We will see whether new legislation coming in will prevent such exploitation.

 

Creating new Mixes for fun is a different matter and will continue with Frankie Valli earning from my or others efforts. I am not clear if any musicians will benefit but publishers may be already earning.?

 

The problem for music consumers [like us] is that it is only previously released music that benefits from copyrighted earnings and the cost of releasing past unreleased tracks has no incentives.

Lets look at my major area of interest and the UNRELEASED tracks at Motown Universal. Firstly the licensing from the owners of the recording will want a recovery up-front on release. Then there are the songs writers and publishing company who will need their share and we can see the approval process is so difficult. [particularly with inherited estates….e.g Bob Crewe’s] There are stories of long delays at Motown Universal re individual unreleased and even re-releases. Each release is a unique process.

 

We as fans cannot investigate it but perhaps such difficulties and legalities and costs may have limited the number of Motown Unreleased tracks included in the Snapper Music Box Set? Whilst we rightly complain that in the long-term these track will be good earners within the whole catalogue, the need for an initial payment to all involved is a consideration.

 

But perhaps I am making excuses as we had the failure to get ‘Killing Time’ included in the Box Set until the 11^th hour of our research…..and Bob Gaudio did not offer anything from his personal collection and he has admitted to songs recorded around 2000 and never released. Motown did move to get the unreleased tracks to Bob Gaudio for his ‘artist evaluation’ and Frankie Valli was involved. So I suspect [from Box Set credits] was Shannon Gaudio in the mixing which is different in some cases to the alternate mixes we found.

 

So AI is not the fans problem and we will consume and discuss whatever we hear either artificial or re-generated by AI enhancement of the original effort. Paul McCartney himself agreed that AI enabled Apple Corps to extract and enhance John Lennon’s vocal for the release last year of the nearly lost ‘Now and Then’. Julian Lennon recently commented on them revisiting ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ from the 1990s release due to the advances of technology to clean up the tracks. With their fan base a re-release is possible.

 

In the last year or two several DES Engineers have Extracted and Re-mixed all of the Beatles early albums in great NEW STEREO Mixes but there are NO PLANS from the FSP to do this and it is a big task for an amateur like me…….so I am focusing on selected tracks from 1965 and 66 which I did recently. Songs and productions that trace the ‘Changing Sound Of The Four Seasons’ like this one…

 

 

 

Casey Chameleon

 

PS…..Whether the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Catalogue contains real ‘Art’ is a whole different debate……..this man thinks…….in his case the artist needs to see beauty in their work.

https://trevoranzai.com/making-art-is-not-about-making-money/

THE PRODUCERS and Frankie Valli at Motown – Part One – Michael Masser

 

In chasing the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Motown UNRELEASED tracks for over 25 years I have realised that partly as a result of a great songwriter/producers careers we can see how other producers worked their talents with him and we can now see it through his 3 year career started with at MoWest. The real focus of this series of posts will be how they and not Berry Gordy sought to find a hit for him, as has become apparent since the release of Disc 22 in the Snapper Music Box Set released last June.

 

In late 1972 Frankie Valli was looking for a HIT song and a new producer got a chance to do some sessions with Frankie using his own or co-written songs

 

Michael Masser, was a songwriter of the highest quality, though he was not quite a household name like Burt Bacharach or Lennon and McCartney. His speciality was the romantic ballad, typically featuring lush string arrangements and epic climaxes and his creations were recorded by many popular music greats

He first came to fame with the number one smash hit "Touch Me In the Morning" that he wrote and produced for Diana Ross in 1973. He followed that with the chart topping "Theme from 'Mahogany' (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)" and along with lyricist Gerry Goffin received an Oscar nomination for best Original Song.

In a musical career stretching from the 1970s to the 1990s, Masser enjoyed his greatest period of sustained commercial success through his work with Whitney Houston. But he had originally planned a different career altogether. He was born in Chicago and, after graduating from the University of Illinois School of Law, he earned a comfortable living as a theatrical agent and stockbroker in New York, before deciding it was not the life he wanted. He later claimed: “I left an office at the top of the Pan Am building, a nine-room apartment and a farm in Vermont because I was aching inside.”

 

Masser [surprisingly like Bob Crewe] couldn’t read music but saw himself as a songwriter in the Great American Songbook tradition, and received some expert guidance from the great lyricist Johnny Mercer in the early 70s. “The biggest thing I got from Johnny was ‘don’t rush a song’,” Masser told the Desert Sun newspaper. “And the thing I ran up against was everybody wanted a song so fast. It took me two years to finish Touch Me In The Morning.”

 

What we heard in the Snapper Box Set Disc 22 are 2 amazing productions which given the above comments makes you wonder…...how did he get such lush arrangements on these songs. And to fully realise this quality I have posted and included above the instrumental version of ‘After You’ on You Tube. And the one with Frankie's vocal below. The ‘ache’ that this song deserves belongs to Frankie’s vocal. But who is responsible for this amazing lush arrangement now, as you can hear on You Tube  in this my  Immersive Mix that matches  Disc 22 ?

 

Frankie’s heart-aching vocal really makes the song his own and it seem ridiculous that this version was overlooked and an [IMHO] inferior version by Diana Ross[with a different arrangement] became the preferred release. Lee Holdridge was the credited arranger for that and Michael Masser re-wrote the lyric to fit Diana’s vocal.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iRUqQZoVhM&t=164s

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi5Eu6WpieE&list=PLq7fGH03l_vL7ffXkyCoh8nQHqh5JtHfe&index=7

 

This was an unexpected find on the Master Tapes as no P Tape was listed for it although it was always on the LIST of songs Frankie had done at Motown. Obviously when discovered by Bob Gaudio and Frankie, it had to be released. They both knew and recognised the sheer quality having seen his subsequent success.

 

Two other tracks were listed from these sessions and again ‘Minute By Minute[Day By Day]’ is in contrast a joyful and uplifting but equally lush and string driven production. This was listed but its location was unknown.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1E3tqaYOy4&list=PLq7fGH03l_vL7ffXkyCoh8nQHqh5JtHfe&index=6

 

Written by Michael Masser and Kathy Wakefield this is a Michael Masser production with [as listed] Frankie Valli as co-producer [a rare role for him] . Michael also is listed to have recorded ‘I Can Get Away From You, But I Can’t Get Over You’ with Frankie but that remains unreleased although most certainly exists and is known to Bob and Frankie. The version that was released was on VIP and by ‘Tony and Carolyn’ from 1971. You can hear it below

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMpvJInq3fc

 

Michael Masser also co-wrote with Kathy and Four Season Al Ruzika and produced 'Last Time I Saw Him' by Diana Ross around this 1972 period, [and maybe a version with Frankie? As the tapes need checking ] before going on to have a stellar career. A musical cultural definition in this song.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w

 

 

Aren’t we lucky?..... now to hear after so many decades and sadly….. Michaels passing in 2015...... such great productions. Just one of the great producers who tried to help Frankie at Motown…….for what should have been a VALLI AT MOTOWN – Solo Album.

 

Ken Charmer – Master Track Adviser and Music Historian

Tape and Hard Disc Failure - From the Analogue to Digital Era’s

The Four Seasons Partnership don’t seem to have invested consistently in their Back Catalogue and another story has come to light which may make them have ‘Second Thoughts’ about this. The question I have asked since 2006 has been ‘Are The Masters ‘preserved’?’

 

Back in 2006, my now late Friend Stefan Wriedt [highly respected German Studio Sound Engineer] discussed with me the ‘preservation’ of the Four Seasons Master tapes from the early 60s on. He was had completed the first CD release of The Night - Inside You 1972 – 1975 in 2000 and just completed the pre 1962 Bootleg releases of Frankie’s 45s and all of the Four Lovers tracks from RCA masters.

 

Firstly we were concerned re the FSP’s own stored Masters but also for the many 16 Track Session Tapes we knew existed in the Motown Vaults stored by Universal at the Iron Mountain Storage Company in Pennsylvania. The alternative, back then for ‘preservation’ was STUDIO DUBS from mint quality vinyl, which was a huge project.

 

But we started with the MONO vinyl 45 mixes and I completed the MONO ARCHIVE back in 2015 after Stefan’s untimely passing. That is all stored in Volume 2 of our DIGITAL LIBRARY. But is it going to remain intact? I loaded it to Cloud Storage for the time being after watching the videos about the industry storage and the Iron Mountain Storage.

 

This video from last year showed the size and amazing facilities which is the location of the Motown Universal Tape Storage. Thousands of analogue tapes and Hard Discs stored in climate controlled caverns.

 

 

 

It is the only source of multi-tracks of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons catalogue and doing the Snapper Music Box Set research has showed the huge limitation in the stored quality of what is an amazing back catalogue.

 

It had long been reported that at the end of the 60s, Bell Studio had dumped their multi-track master tapes in a skip when Bob Crewe failed to collect them in time. Multi track Masters [3/4/8/16 and even 24 track] were generally stored at the studio they recorded at back in those ‘analog tape’ days and from the research during the Snapper Project when all album and other tapes were salvaged from the FSP Storage in LA and again transferred to ‘digital’ storage it soon became clear that the FSP stored only ‘back-up’ Safety Copies in MONO and STEREO….throughout their recording sessions up until 1985. There have been several Tape Transfer CD projects since 1986 according to Bill Inglot.

 

The only Studio to effectively maintain storage throughout Frankie and the group’s career has been Universal Motown from their period at Motown where the Tapes are stored from ALL of their sessions with the STEREO Mix-downs for single and album release. These analogue 2 inch Tapes are stored at Iron Mountain.

 

Back in 2011 when we realised from paper records what was there, we had comcernsthat these could deteriorate with age, or simply be mislaid.

 

But the Snapper Project gave hope that these Motown 16 Track recordings have been copied and transferred to Digital Storage so are ‘preserved’. The 13 approved ‘masters’ were superb STEREO flat mixes[ready for Mastering]. We’ve got them now in the Snapper Box Set. I am still researching where the rest are….the ‘unreleased’ tracks.?

 

Then ‘post release’ we heard that Andy Skurow at Motown Vault Services had been ‘let go’….and maybe his boss too and I now wonder if Vault Services had been completely disbanded?. That wouldn’t be a surprise as Iron Mountain have all of the facilities to extract tracks in a full studio of tape players and HDD controllers as the video illustrates. But perhaps the main reason for lack of investment in such work is the collapse of physical media sales and the lack of any commitment to letting out ‘unreleased’. The lack of resources I previously reported on ‘Clearance’ of tracks by Universal Motown with Independent Record Companies has added to this story and compilers concerns.

 

But this week we read a story which makes us even doubt the integrity of any storage medium over time and wonder how music is best preserved?.

https://www.mixonline.com/business/inside-iron-mountain-its-time-to-talk-about-hard-drives

 

We know from interview with Bob Gaudio in 2002 with the late UK fan club rep Stuart Miller that Bob Gaudio had started to transfer analogue to digital on Pro-tools but with Bob Sobo’s passing the question of whether this was completed remained unanswered and there are clear questions re the integrity of what was done. Where is the digital storage if not in the LA Store that Bill Inglot accessed to transfer the original album tapes for Snapper? And who is managing it?. Bob Gaudio did not give Snapper access to any other digital storage.

 

The Snapper Music Box Set transfer is not [I believe] an adequate base for preservation. WHY?

 

Firstly ‘Source Tapes’ integrity…..whilst the VEE-Jay Delivery tapes from 1966 [when they went bankrupt] are superb - as I have reviewed 3 of the dozen tapes and they were top quality transfers - and hopefully these are safe in a digital store. The Philips album tapes were [it appears] in poor condition and several have clearly ‘degraded’ as ‘Safety Copies’. The 1990s CD past masters of the STEREO albums are clearly superior from my Snapper Box Set Sound Tests Review.

 

The other reason is that the transfer standard described in the article above for ‘preservation’ must be 24 bit 192 khz…..and Snapper and Bill Inglot used 16 bit 44 Khz. The argument that human hearing cannot hear or perceive the difference has been well publicised but the few 24/192 transfers we found in the Snapper Research have greater clarity and dynamic range…...they just sound ‘so good’ [even with the odd tape fault]. Only the late arrival masters for the Snapper Box Set done by another LA studio are at the higher definition quality as wav files. Too much of the digital transfer of FSP assets into the Box Set is not to the best standards in my opinion.

 

So as far as we know and based on 20 years of ‘music detective’ work, no-one has the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Catalogue from the ‘analogue era’ in top quality ‘preserved format’ except for maybe Motown Universal who digitised many tapes of the 1970s contract and sent them to Bob Gaudio. But what was sent and what standard?….. we don’t know.

 

SO given the work in doing the Snapper Box Set as Master Track Adviser I made a decision to salvage and preserve the BEST available MASTERS from that research and past CD issues when better digital transfers would have been done. All of the ‘important’ album CD releases Stefan and I had jointly collected [as shown on our web site CD discography] have been reviewed and the most suitable masters for preservation re-mastered with today’s software for storage on SSD. Now we have to BACK-UP and share the set and effectively act as the FSP Digital Storage [unpaid] Contractors. But as always it is a labour of love for the music and it’s production.

 

We have also collected Out-Takes that are of interest to ‘collectors’ which didn’t make the Box Set Final Playlist and the DIGITAL LIBRARY is as below in 12 Volumes. For now it enables rare and new mixes to be shared via You Tube and maybe we will donate the LIBRARY to a ‘past music’ research focused University. But the lesson to all is ‘manage the masters’ and ‘manage the storage media’. Back-up...Back-up….Back-up

 

For now, you have the Box Set and 70% of it is OK/passable for most consumers today who still collect ‘product’. The Rest of the LIBRARY as I have compiled it is as you can see below.

 

We hope that Bob Gaudio and/or Motown Universal will preserve the 70s unreleased [which is unique as 16 track Tape ‘with vocals’] and the catalogue will be available in the future, in whatever format of release survives the ‘streaming age’ we are in now. Alternatively they could claim ownership and ‘commission’ Iron Mountain to collate all of the Motown Released and Unreleased of Frankie Valli and/or The Four Seasons into DIGITAL Storage. I cannot confirm that all of the P and T tapes on the microfiche Artists Cards and the Tape Index Spreadsheet have been recovered from analogue tape and are preserved. I have not had access. So one immediate question is obvious…..WHY NOT?

 

As the article says…..”artist’s estates, with little budget for asset preservation, are generally letting drives[and tapes...ed] sit in the archive.” Well the Four Seasons Partnership has the funds, but will it allocate them to preserve the assets?

 

Ken Charmer – Sound Engineer and Music Historian

Music Ownership and Collectors - The BIG problem re UNRELEASED

It is for me the same ‘broken record’!!!!! [or in our case CD].

Do the music owners care about the fans and collectors?…….Well that is perhaps one question. The first REAL question though is who owns the music? Especially when it has lain on session tapes in an Archive Storage for over 50 years. Knowing that, then you can properly blame someone for the tracks that remain ‘unreleased’. But WHO?

 

In the case of the Motown Unreleased they were said to be owned by Universal, the problem of ownership and licensing became very complex back in 2000. But not so now, I believe [whilst not being a music industry lawyer]

 

As most readers of this know I have been writing about the release of ‘previously’ unreleased recordings on analog tapes at Motown since 2000 by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. So the questions have been ……who owns them and …...is the problem Bob Gaudio for not approving the tracks …….or Universal Motown for not clearing them for release.? For fans neither should be a problem.

 

So how are things so different today than in 2000 ….apart from the fact that those still alive are 24 years older than when I received the Motown Tape Index……. of course the truth is out!!! Well we have 13 more tracks and 8 alternative versions/’takes’ physically released by Motown via Snapper Music of London in 2023 after 20 years effort….proving my claims since then.

 

So today ...who actually has ‘ownership’ or copyright and licencing rights over the Four Seasons Motown Unreleased tracks [the latest of which was recorded 51 years ago.?] Back in the noughties, I was told that the Motown Contract with the Four Seasons Partnership ‘did not exist’ or ‘could not be found’ [by the late Peter Bennett, the FSP lawyer at the time]

 

This is where legalities get complex…….Research reveals that for 1970s recordings…..”Under most exclusive recording contracts, the artist will assign copyright in the sound recordings to the record company. An assignment is a transfer of ownership for the full life of copyright. In the case of sound recordings this will be 50 years from release.” What is clearly the case with tracks that remain unreleased during that 50 year period is that Ownership returns to the Artist after 50 years have passed with them still stored.

 

 

The MoWest/Motown record company [now Universal] would claim[if no contract can be found found] that it was a standard contract and they paid for the sessions and so have the right to recover studio costs etc via copyright and publishing rights.

 

However the Artist may claim this right has expired!!! And research supports this.

 

Finds on ‘Detroit Soul Forum’ reveal so much lack of clarity re the potential claim of Universal re ownership by them of ‘unreleased’ tracks…..Nobody seems to be definitive about a standard contract back in 1971 in a search among past experts posts

 

According to Dean Taylor, Mike” Valvano and Mrs. Edwards, the original Motown contracts were based on list price of the records and nothing was deducted except for salary money advanced to the artist and AF of M scale for the musicians. No studio time charges, no producer's royalty, no promotion, none of the common things that artists get charged for today. The percentage numbers were low but the actual cash they received was better than most labels. Of course the lawyers had a field day with the smaller than Hollywood royalty rates.” Also I read another post saying…”as a rule studio time was not charged to artists, “

 

However one expert said…..”I was told unreleased tracks were charged back to the producers.”….and some say re the group and their producers at Motown that maybe this practice of ‘Track Dumping’ [recording the same track with many artists to claim costs] was happening with Valli and the Seasons?

 

Adam Whites piece on the subject of Stevie Wonder delves into the contract procedures at Motown in 1971 and them changing…..but maybe just for Berry Gordy to retain Stevie?

 

Generally, Motown had a good reputation according to some music historians….but as JoeyD says…..”recording contracts have long been debated in the music industry. While these agreements give artists exposure and financial support at levels they wouldn’t achieve independently, some argue they can harm their artistic freedom and long-term success. Labels are after all, businesses, and businesses need to profit to survive. One of the most significant concerns surrounding recording contracts is the potential loss of artistic control. Labels may pressure artists to conform to a specific sound or image that aligns with current market trends, potentially compromising their creative vision and limiting their artistic expression.”

 

That clearly didn’t happen with Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Motown as it is now clear after the Snapper Project that the songs with multiple producers are quite superb and it was the ‘release programme’ that was the problem with so many tracks ‘unreleased’. Only 22 of a potential 68 tracks are demonstrated to have been released. The exact number in total is unclear due to lack of tape data records being checked. Celebrated saxophonist at MoWest at the time…Dave Pell..[hired by Gordy to be "in charge of all MoWest's music, production and signings]places the blame clearly at Berry Gordy’s door during that period……..when he says….."Berry was involved in everything," Pell says. "He was a strong record man and I really liked him, but I fought him every day. He hired me to change things, then stood in my way. It was like, 'What the hell did you hire me for?'"

There was, feels Pell, little impetus from above to make MoWest work. Motown's marketing men and pluggers were constantly preoccupied with Marvin Gaye, or Stevie Wonder, or extending the Jackson Five's run of hits.

That was then, but after 50+ years in the vaults how does the FSP feel about these tracks?

What has seemed apparent for some years is that the FSP perhaps cannot figure out how to make ‘enough’ money from the catalogue, [having ‘leased’ the publishing of their catalogue of owned music] Many older groups and artists including Elton John have made such a decision…. ‘get the money we can NOW’ ….and hedge funds have seen the value in back catalogues…..it became an ‘in my lifetime’ solution for them both.

For fans reading this there are mainly two types of ‘royalties’ regarding a musical track relevant to it’s release….

• Sales/Streaming: These are called “reproduction” royalties for sound recording, and “mechanical” royalties for the composition. In either case, any time a song is sold in any format, or streamed, a royalty is due.

• Licensing: Music is often licensed for placement in TV shows, films, ads, videogames, CD’s, vinyl and so on. These licenses generate Synchronization (or “synch”) royalties and are a one-time payment negotiated between the copyright holder and the company licensing the music.

So is the practice of the latter with constant re-issuing/relicensing of ‘the hits’ by the FSP the main objective, thus getting payments of royalties upon issue of the product?. The Snapper Project and the CD era licensing program show evidence of this in our CD discography. The former would be a separate royalty, based on being placed in a streaming catalogue. Then probably at a very low rate that needs volume to bring in any reasonable return…...and we are not talking Taylor Swift here or even The Beach Boys!!

 

BUT the big problem being reported by independent record companies is ‘clearance’. For the last few years the problems of the time taken by Motown Universal to ‘license’ or provide ‘clearance’ of both previously released and unreleased tracks has become longer and longer taking 3 months to sometimes 3 years to complete as reported by independent Record Company’s like ACE Records of London and Real Gone Music.

 

Today anyone could start a record company so anyone could approach the Four Seasons Partnership for a release of their songs by Frankie Valli and/or The Four Seasons…I am told this could be viable.….but they/we would need guaranteed orders[to pay royalties to composers, and maybe the recording studios-even if a ‘Not For Profit’ project]….Maybe via a new form of ‘crowd funding’…..re-titled as ‘release funding’.? We could plan the project and do the research…..BUT could we deliver the product? Clearly the answer is NO……..but whilst new bands are doing this….’our band’ are lost.

 

To today’s artist that is a clear project plan and something that could be done as they see the future. And for us fans particularly with regard to recordings they have in their LA storage or in Bob and Frankie’s personal collections it could be so…..BUT it is the problem they have with ‘Looking Back’ .

 

To be ambitious and have belief in a back catalogue you have to know your customer base. Then you need people who know how to manage via projects.

 

 

So based on the Snapper Project we cannot be sure of Bob Gaudio or Frankie’s commitment to fight [certainly not legally] to get ALL of their recordings from Universal and to mix 16 track recordings to be able to be released[or to pay for this]. We believe many 16 track session tapes were sent to Bob Gaudio, but only 13 mixes were done for release in the Snapper Box Set. It was at one stage seen by him as ‘not worth the trouble’ and was ‘financially’ challenging. I have read in the past that it is how it has always seemed from his perspective regarding the Motown Unreleased. If Bob Gaudio wanted a contractual arrangement to happen re this music then he only needs to make a call to Harry Weinger then Harry would find a way and then independent RC’s and fans would make it work financially. That is what ‘music industry’ insiders tell me.

Amid all of the confusion re such tracks, it is pretty clear that the FSP could rightly claim ownership of the UNRELEASED tracks at Universal Motown, and then they would be free to license them to a Record Company of their choosing including one set up by us or with one set up by our industry friends. That is a solution that needs ‘One Man’ to relate to fans like us. Some say he never will. I simply ask the question…..WHY?

 

Ken Charmer – Sound Engineer and Music Researcher

 

 

Footnote: If this subject is interesting to you well this ‘Sound On Sound’ article way back in 2007 may be of interest.

https://www.soundonsound.com/music-business/recording-contracts-explained

It may have been overtaken by changes in the copyright laws since then but as Universal have offices in the UK and the Gov.uk copyright site makes it clear that copyright ownership in the UK on such ‘unreleased’ recordings remains at 50 years with reversion to the artist at that point. Then the question arises…...Does the artist have the right to release such recording there?. That certainly happened in 2023 when Snapper Music [in London]released 13 approved tracks and 8 alternate versions they had in their own storage as Safety Copies. That ‘clearance’ happened smoothly…...so the question remains for both Bob and Frankie….what is the problem?…..we are here to help deliver the project. Today it appears clear from our industry feedback that they are the only problem!! ‘The Motown Project’ is clear…...and deliverable. The blame for lack of release or even a plan, appears to lie with Bob Gaudio.

How did it all begin and now - why are we still waiting for more?

It fell to Oliver Twist to say “Please, sir, I want some more.” And I have asked and asked but with no response regarding the Motown UNRELEASED tracks from Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli[The Four Seasons Partnership - FSP].

 

I have in the 4 Seasons on Saturday Podcasts told the story of the ‘path’ to the 13 Motown Unreleased Tracks[plus 8 Bonus alternative versions] in the Snapper Music Box Set of the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Anthology. However I wanted to put on written record what Paul Nixon and I had tried to do over two decades ago, particularly now after the passing of Keith Hughes who also helped so much in gathering accurate research data to locate Motown tracks and help get as many ‘unreleased’ tracks as possible found[another ‘whistleblower’]. As of today’s date we have only achieved issue of less than half of the listed ‘unreleased’ Motown songs identified in paper records, and there are many alternative versions of released session tracks we believe could also be found and shared.

 

Since the Box Set release I have been asked lots of questions re the past and why only 13 previously unreleased tracks were ‘approved’ for release?. The answer is not one that fans generally want to hear but is a ‘reality’ of the FSP for decades. I just can’t tell you ‘why’.?

 

As a sound engineer and catalogue ‘curator’ since the start of the 21^st century I have been gifted with details from anonymous sources[former company people with one being a ‘whistleblower’ in 2000] re the internal paper records at Universal which have survived since the early 1970s re Frankie and the groups recordings. For this Tape List to exist it means someone must have listened to a tape since it’s recording or pulled together data that was recorded during the decades since as the Master 16 and 24 P [Production] track tapes and/or the T [Safety/Evaluation] Tapes in storage. So any checks of those tapes should have been thorough when ‘pulled’ from the Iron Mountain Storage. I cannot say with any confidence that this was done as information re the Snapper Music Tape review at Universal Vault Services is limited to a few e-mails when Covid had delayed the research process. Many questions remain and no-one is listening or opening up on the subject. That is the reality in 2024.

 

It was back in 2002 when Paul Nixon and I first felt that there might be enough Motown tracks that survived and were listed in a TAPE INDEX of P referenced tapes which listed the songs we knew had been released between 1972 and 1975 on albums and 45s and what hadn’t. At the time we did not know the significance of the 40+ listed tracks of which we knew nothing….they were all ‘unreleased’.[and Motown interns had confirmed over 40 were ‘probably completed’….if they still existed and the tapes could be found?] Further backtracking revealed a fan Press Release TCB Motown monthly Newsletter in January 1972. As a promotional piece on the Four Seasons at Motown it stated “The group has already finished recording an album with 15 tracks in all being cut at the Mowest studios in Los Angeles. It is thought that a single will be taken from these sessions. “ It went on to list the 15 tracks of which 50% remained unreleased by the start of the Snapper Music Project and several remain unheard still. Although Peter Bennett had maintained that such vocals by Frankie Valli were either ‘scratch’ or even ‘guide’ vocals we can see that many were not. As Wikipedia says “A scratch vocal is a vocal performance that a singer records to provide a reference track that music producers and audio engineers can use as they craft other pieces of the recorded song. Most of the time, the singer of a scratch vocal ultimately re-records the vocal performance after production is complete. A ‘guide’ vocal[or ‘working vocal] is a vocal performance that a singer records to provide a reference track for another singer or singers who will be performing or recording the song”. Only by listening to the tapes can anyone decide on the original intention.

 

I have always believed in transparency re my research and no-one fully knows what went on with any unreleased tracks between 1971 and 74 on Frankie and the group at MoWest and Motown. I am also aware this was a very long time ago. However as a researcher and a writer I have for many years collated the session information into my still relevant spreadsheet and this may be of benefit to future collectors. I feel the time is appropriate to tell my story in written form and to address questions, which will focus on what I know re the roles of Universal Music and Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli, as the Four Seasons Partnership, in the Snapper Project. I am aware that the period of these recordings was a very difficult one in the personal lives of both Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli and Bob has always said “it is sometimes difficult to revisit the past”. But as the Snapper Project was such a major product and a $700,000 potential income stream so ‘everyone’ in the ‘business’ signed up to it and the Motown Unreleased were the integral part.

 

‘Openness’ we believed was simply a part of the collaboration. Bob Fisher and I with Ian Crocket at Snapper worked that way re the FSP Storage with Bill Inglot but there was no arrangement with Universal and only Ian Crocket managed those communications. That was OK with Bob and I, we assumed, that we would be involved at some stage. We were always clear that it is Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli’s right to approve music[or not] in the set. The first problem nearly ‘killed’ the project as Bob Gaudio did not want to include the Bachelors III concert from 1974[a period when they were still at Motown Records – [although in the throes of leaving! - and provided by John Paiva on a cassette done by the soundboard mixing engineer]. Bob Gaudio eventually agreed to its importance and inclusion with some ‘edits’. But it was not a promising start.

 

Paul Nixon and I recently reviewed the path[our musical research journey?] to where we are today and below is a summary of the milestone events as I experienced them so you [the fans] know the route to the project and my role and efforts. In a world of so much conflict and disharmony it is amongst the ‘least important’ things in life, but depending on your view certainly an intriguing path.

 

• Around 2000 I received a Tape Index of around 30 tapes with track listings with over 40 tracks that appeared unreleased. What we had listed also coincided with a separate track listing via Mick Wilding of a separate Motown Yahoo e-mail group from a Motown ‘insider’. In 2002 Harry Weinger[HW] managing Vault Services at the time [following an enquiry from CD compiler/producer Paul Nixon] asked internally for a check re what existed?. Harry talked about speaking to Bob Gaudio re these tapes but we heard nothing back. However Bob Gaudio in a 2002 interview with our fan club rep Stuart Miller, spoke of a telephone conversation with Harry and at the time Bob did not seem averse to a project of unreleased tracks if completed or of adequate quality….depending on the ‘state’ of what was left. Paul noted in 2003….”I have talked to HW about this and he is now happy for us to pursue a Four Seasons at Motown anthology having spoken to Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio about it. I have a proposed tracklist but the UK branch of the 4 Seasons Appreciation Society are dead keen to make this as good as we can get it. Their suggestion is that HW pulls all the material from the vaults, transfer them to CDREF even roughly so that we could make a more informed choice of what to include. This would be the way to do all these tracks but I’m not sure that HW would either agree to it or have the time or the budget to do such a thing so we may just have to continue the old route”. But nothing transpired and by 2004 the development of the Jersey Boys stage play was becoming a reality. Such an ‘alternative’ project to that with our involvement seemed too expensive perhaps, and a distraction with the ‘Jersey Boys’ stage play priorities for all parties.

• But I never gave up and with the success of the Cellarful Of Motown ‘Unreleased’ 1960s CD releases which Paul ‘produced’, by 2007, he and I researched a potential Four Seasons Motown UK release based on the tape index and listing from the 1971 Newsletter from Motown which confirmed tracks ‘completed’. Of these tracks 50% remained unheard and by then we were sure they were on the Tapes listed as P Tapes which were the actual session tapes of all of the recordings the group did at Motown in either 16 track or 24 track. But when Peter Bennett [ FS Partnership Lawyer] heard of this he stopped it dead. Even though Paul Nixon had researched the vaults list………..Bennett scotched any hope of this quoting that there were ……”various concerns Bob and Frankie had about this reported 2-CD release, including some basic problems as to whether Motown still retains the right to the previously released masters and the basis upon which they would now assert the right to what were nothing more than demo vocal tracks by Frankie on musical tracks cut for other Motown artists for which Frankie was never paid and never approved for commercial release. Many of these "works"or "demo" tracks were not even in the proper key and they were never intended for commercial re- lease and would be embarrassing and harmful to Frankie if released at this time. I know this will not make you or other members of the fan club happy…..” And he closed by saying……”These are indeed exciting times for Frankie and Bob.[re Jersey Boys ed] They appreciate all the past support of their small but vocal and effective fan clubs and hope that support will continue. But you must trust that they have a definite business plan in mind to best promote Frankie's career, both as a concert performer and recording artist.” Harry Weinger spoke to Bob Gaudio and agreed to release the Motown ‘Anthology’ [released tracks – ie 22 of 68 listed in the tape index] and an original CD release of current recordings by Frankie Valli ‘Romancing the 60s’ in 2008. Bob Gaudio stated that NO completed tracks remained in the vaults…. and.. Harry Weinger said of the release………” As for unreleased tracks, there may be some tracks which were worked up, or tracks voiced by FV for demo purposes, but in no way were they slated for, or finished for, release. I respect that.”

Harry was correct. Motown had not ‘slated’ any of the tracks for release even though some were worthy of single release. And as for them being complete, well we now know that is stretching the truth. Misinformation? BUT in May 1974 two tapes had been compiled [P5084/5] of Final MIXED STEREO tracks for a potential album release by Motown in an attempt to keep the group. Bob Gaudio and Frankie both knew this at the time but must have ‘forgotten’. Then when the INSIDE YOU album was released after they had joined both Private Stock and Warner-Curb Bob Gaudio was rightly ‘annoyed’ that some were NOT the mixes he had completed with Bob Gaudio….but Russ Terrana’s ‘overdubbed’ versions of ‘inside You’ and ‘With My Eyes Wide Open’.

Fans had to accept in 2008 the Universal/FSP ‘playbook’ at that time although some have said since that this can now be seen as ‘disingenuous’ back then and for many years since.

• In 2010 I received a tape of 4 unreleased songs from Bob Crewe acetate ‘dubs’ that showed unreleased tracks existed. I put these on You Tube. It was total proof that they were completed recordings…..but did they still exist.? As Harry Weinger has said with Motown tapes ‘you never know with Motown Tapes, what is really there, until you play them’. But what was left behind where not incomplete tracks and demos. Some maybe, but Crewe and Gaudio were perfectionists and would not have left good work incomplete. Now we can prove this and re-examine the early and late 1973 sessions. Bob Crewe was back after an album for the late great Bobby Darin. Crewe and Gaudio started to write together in the studio after a more than 2 year break while Bob was in ‘rehab’[we are told]. But they could work together again and at the start of 1973 they did, with the superb results which are now clear in the Snapper Box Set Discs 20 to 22 .Bob Crewe was writing at his best again as 'Listen To Yesterday','Inside You' and ‘With My Eyes Wide Open’ demonstrate…….and we have found ‘alternate versions/mixes’ which show how they could produce together.[not the Russ Terrana mixed ‘Inside You’ overdubbed 1975 mixes].

 

After an album release MW788 was cancelled in August 1973, the Bob Crewe sessions of tracks for a new album in late 1973 were a re-convening of the old elements from the 60s to attempt to re-create success. Nick Massi returned to add to the vocals. Charles Calello returned to write the arrangements and Crewe went further to show Motown what he could do as he pulled sessions together in November 1973. The other new ‘Four Seasons’ group members were young and accomplished performers like Gerry Polci and Lee Shapiro. Lee then a musical novice straight from college recalls the sessions….. “Yes, I was on those fall 1973 sessions and I remember the songs. Nick Massi was our vocal coach on the sessions for Hickory and Charisma. He taught us all our vocal parts. He was an amazing vocal arranger. Bob Gaudio wasn’t there. These were ‘classic’ Crewe’s sessions. They were all completed sessions and we signed contracts, so any stories that the sessions were not completed is misinformation. I was only 20 and I was stunned at Bob Crewe’s aura. He was the most animated, in control, producer I had ever seen. And being at Media Sound, where every hit I knew had been made was overpowering. Valli’s voice was amazing and he was a unique vocal talent. I'm almost sure Charlie Calello, my mentor, was the arranger. Bob Crewe actually stood on the console during the playback, jubilantly dancing to the track.(on Hickory I think) He fostered a modus operandi that every track should sound like a hit. When he was in the room, everything did seem like it was a hit. He turned the analogue knobs up and boogie’d away. These tracks you have found are all from those sessions”

'My Eyes Adored You' would be the only track which eventually emerged and with Bob Crewe with a new writing partner from 'The 11th Hour' Kenny Nolan. There were stunning lyrics emerging [that we can now enjoy] like that and the previously unheard songs 'Hymn To Her’ and ‘Lovers’. These were on the Acetates uncovered in 2011.

• I received in 2011 Artists Cards from 52 Universal microfiche records found by Keith Hughes that perfectly aligned with all of the information in the Tape Index from 10 years earlier. It indicated the P Tapes and T Tapes listed as well with ‘Stereo Mix downs’[SMX] done at the time for evaluation and the many ‘Takes’ completed on the session tapes that could accommodate up to 90 session recordings and mixes

• I wrote extensively in blogs to inform fans these tracks [probably still existed] until in 2016 I started a Facebook group…..’The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign’ in an attempt to persuade someone to ‘be honest’ re this period and correct the misinformation of the past…..Tracks were completed and not just DEMOS or left unfinished…..

  I maintained.

• In 2018 Snapper Music of London approached Lynn Boleyn and I to join a collaborative team on a 40+ CD set of the Partnership’s album catalogue with as many ‘unreleased’ tracks as we and they could find. When asked what was essential we both stated ‘The Motown Unreleased’. I was not ‘contracted’ to work on this project financially but supplied many unreleased tracks from decades of collecting from my personal ‘fan based’ collection over the decades for inclusion.

• Bob Fisher and I were to liaise and review music for inclusion as compilers.[All would be subject to approval by Bob Gaudio.]

• Universal signed up to the project and Snapper supplied the Tape Index to Andy Skurow in Vault Services. I had supplied Snapper with a Project Review Plan re the Motown Tapes and the Artists Cards. I reached out to Andy directly and via Paul Nixon and Snapper to ask him to collaborate and that I would help him but Andy did not reply. He may not have been able to due to Universal ‘protocols’ but CEO Harry Weinger could have enabled this if he had been involved at the time.

• In January 2019 we heard via Snapper that Andy had found 19 tracks with vocals on the Tape Box data listings and a potential 11 others as a ‘work in progress’, by him during Covid closures and restrictions. Universal did not share the Tape Box scans with Bob Fisher and I which we had asked to see. [ Bob Gaudio wanted STEREO Mix-downs and was reluctant to accept 16 track Masters for review and to do the work needed in mixing.] After discussions with Snapper who paid for transfers to Bob Gaudio, [it appears] we heard no more until 13 tracks were supplied to Snapper as the set of Unreleased Tracks to be included in the Box Set. I asked Snapper to enquire as to ‘why no more?’ but they were unwilling to ‘rock the boat’ with Bob Gaudio and the project proceeded with Bob Fisher and I spending some 2000 hours of combined research into the Partnership LA storage with transfers from Bill Inglot. We got no tracks for review from Universal. Paul Nixon and I both believe that the research of the multi-track tapes may have been somewhat ‘superficial’. A read of the Tape Box may indicate a vocal was laid down as well as the instrumentation. But Tape Box records at Motown are notoriously unreliable and the work in listening to hours and hours of tape will probably have been curtailed to known titles and easy mixing. And ‘alternate’ mixes were clearly not considered by Bob Gaudio, but which existed as can be heard from the many sides we found as ‘listening’ mix-downs in the FSP storage. They had been there since 1973. Only Bob Gaudio was supplied any Motown Tracks by Universal for a discussion on inclusion. So I have been unable to explain ‘why so few?’ were found and approved when I know this is less than 50% of what still exists [in many cases ‘listed’ as completed tracks with their location known]. The quality of what was approved confirms my original research and belief these tracks would be of superb quality, and you fans out there who have heard them have confirmed this too and are now asking for ‘the rest’. Unfortunately Bob Fisher is no longer with us and so it was left to me to continue to campaign for more research and feedback. I did this since 2019 including asking ‘what was found on the tapes from ‘listening tests’.’ But who listened to what and what was found?….. was not fully shared. That remains down to Universal and Bob and Frankie.

• A list of over 820 tracks had been prepared by Bob Fisher and I in 2020 for approval by Bob Gaudio and 29 tracks supplied to Bob Gaudio for listening purposes. He approved all but 4. I found 8 completed alternative ‘takes’ of the approved Motown list in the 1973 Partnership Archive tapes and these were added to CD 22 as there was no chance Bob Gaudio could be persuaded to approve more of the identified ‘unreleased’ titles?. No action was taken and at no time did I have any e-mail contact with Bob Gaudio’s PA, Bob himself or Andy Skurow. That was controlled by Snapper, Bob Gaudio and Universal and excluded Bob Fisher and I.

• Covid delayed the start of Mastering and unfortunately Bob Fisher passed away in October 2021, by which time we were very close friends, Bob was just ‘the best’. At least he got to enjoy the 13 approved tracks.

• Snapper Music basically ‘cast me adrift’ as they pulled the project back ‘in-house’ and after several delays I was contacted for comment re final drafts. In mid 2022. I identified errors and missing Masters, and as I had not been involved in the final mastering or QA process I declined to be listed as ‘Co-producer’……..and I asked to be listed as ‘Master Track Adviser’

 

The Box Set was released a year ago last June and still contained errors and with ‘missing/incorrect’ tracks. I broke off all communications with Snapper as a result but continued to ‘campaign’ for further research and future releases of unheard tracks. I do not want to be critical of anyone involved in the Snapper Project. It remains a great ‘Compilation’ and a tribute to Bob Fisher and I in our dedication. It has been a difficult experience to recount these events but necessary to share with you as my close network after so many decades. I am too old for any form of historical suppression of information. As a former project manager in my working life I know what true collaboration means and so did Bob Fisher.

 

So in social and podcast interviews I have been sharing my experiences and disappointment that things could[and should] have been better. But at the end of the day Bob Gaudio and Frankie have the final decision on any previously unreleased music[and will have in the future]. It is to them a commercial matter and not [as we as fans see it] a ‘curation’. But I have demonstrated THE TAPES EXIST AND ARE INTACT and I have now reached the last stages of my work to salvage all that I can around the Box Set ‘research’ and have completed the LIBRARY ARCHIVE of what should be preserved [Master Digital Tracks] for the pre and post ‘Sherry’ periods of Frankie Valli’s career[excluding material still held by Universal Motown and the FSP]. A ‘next generation’ set for fans[or perhaps inheritors of the FSP Estate ] who may choose to take on this LIBRARY of DIGITAL MASTERS. However they will have ‘commit to ‘collaboration’ and release and to tackle the FSP and Universal on ownership and release with more unheard music.

 

The issue of free speech re sharing my experiences as ‘Master Track Adviser’ on the Snapper Box Set can be difficult with negative voices within the music industry. I have been experiencing criticisms of my writing and of my/our analysis of the music over the decades which remains an issue. I remain the only fan involved who can speak about the process and results as I have done above.

 

Whilst I still seek to share ‘out-takes’ and ‘re-mixes’, the publication of copyright music on You Tube to share on a ‘fair use’ basis remains a real risk re what remains in the my Archive and the risk of channel ‘close-down’ is something of concern[whilst I can clearly claim compliance with the rules of ‘fair use’ explained here]

 

So as an academic study, and re-counting the misinformation and suppression documented above …..the questions remain…….Will Bob and Frankie or their successors take on this Motown research ‘in-depth’ or review the 200+ Tapes remaining in the LA Storage? Here is just one of the example ‘development tapes’ of ‘scratch vocals’ that has survived from the session tapes. Frankie actually ‘changing key’ before the result became obvious….stay in your ‘high key’ Frankie !

 

This tape is not ‘mine’ and clearly a rehearsal for the ‘Chameleon’ album [but still very interesting] The development session tracks like this may remain on the P and T tapes at Universal as described above. Are they of interest to fans and do they have a commercial value…?…..It is not like they are ‘The Beach Boys’ demos.!!!! Are they recordings [whilst effectively…..rehearsal ‘demos’] that Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli would deem below their ‘judged’ standard and may regard them as something that could tarnish their accomplishments as performer/producer. [as the late Peter Bennett maintained back in 2007] Probably based on past experience!

 

At this stage of life though, they may not even care. And who owns the copyright re unreleased tracks? They got 70 years copyright to so much previously unreleased material via our fan network for the Box Set. Is this material [or similar] in honesty ‘damaging’ to Bob and Frankie’s career and reputation?. Will anyone want to hear more?. Under UK law, copyright will run for 70 years from the date of first release/publication, (or 50 years from the year of recording if not released during the 50 years) If only we had them and could share them with you as all of the Motown unreleased are out of copyright in the UK. So what about the rest? Answers on a postcard to…….The FSP…..c/o….????

 

Do you note a sense of ‘cynicism’? Well of course …….but not anger…...just disappointment….. And other questions remain…...Does trust exist of a solution to fans requests? Are there too few fans to make a difference? Should I maintain any level of ‘Campaign’ ?. If not me who else.?……..Well I made a decision. Whilst ‘passionate’ that such music could lift your spirits, it needs 2 men(or maybe just one) to want them released….not me so I am stepping back. It is the fans fight with the FSP.

 

The ‘fair use’ You Tube outlet remains the only way to remind anyone of ….THE CASE FOR THEIR FREEDOM that I made in 2016 and that is still valid today IMHO as we move on. There is one man to blame for the failure of the Four Seasons to have the success whilst they were at MoWest and Motown and that is originally Berry Gordy. And this article demonstrates it, as does the link within the article to our Newsletter posts ‘The Four Seasons at Motown’. But since then it is down to the ‘executives’ of Motown Universal [i.e.Harry Weinger] and the FSP[Bob and Frankie]. More soon re how to bring the music to us all. It needs to be ‘freed’ from the vaults. And there is a way…..as I will show…...but illustrates just who needs to act.

 

Ken Charmer – Sound Engineer and Music Researcher

 

How We Four Seasons Fans Are Responsible For The End Of Physical Media!

So how many fans of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons have broken the law?

 

Well probably all of us and many times over in the last 50 years. From copying vinyl to cassette and sharing rare vinyl 45s and albums to ripping CD’s to mp3’s in the 1990’s and since.

 

I read the book ‘How Music Got Free!!’ and now the story of the guys who made this happen can be seen and we can see how we have reached the end of physical media [and so it is suggested is ‘collecting’ digital files of songs – whilst vinyl is a ‘fad’!!] The story of the techies behind this cultural ‘melt down, has come out in a ‘docuseries’….via Paramount.

 

The UK’s Guardian Newspaper covered this in this article a few months ago.

 

and there is a trailer…..

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYUKEiLGHpQ&t=89s

 

This quote partly sums up how the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] and the 4 Seasons as a group got no recording contract and really declined by 1982 …...”Unsurprisingly, the year dual cassette decks became available, 1982, marked a low point in sales for the music industry. The subsequent creation of digitized CD technology not only gave the industry the lifeline it needed, but it soared their profits to unimaginable new heights. Two factors played into that: the companies’ ability to persuade fans to buy their entire collections again in the new format, and the sky-high prices they set for CDs, which often cost twice as much as vinyl releases or cassettes. Making the companies even richer was the profit margins on the new discs. A CD that sold for $15 cost less than $2 to manufacture. More, the companies kept raising prices on the discs through the 90s. Such extreme greed seeded a level of resentment among fans that came back to bite them big-time with the advent of file-sharing.”

 

Well this period saw the end of analogue recording and the rise of digital mixing in the early 1980s and then the invention of the CD. The FSP got Bill Inglot to digitize the library in storage as ‘safety copies’[as no-one had acquired and stored the original multi-tracks] and licensed them to Rhino, ACE and Collectors Choice[et al] in the late 80s, 90s and noughties…As is described above, subsequently, the record companies and Bob and Frankie made ‘loads of money’ by the 2000 as we bought all of the albums again in this new convenient form…...and we got CD players in our cars!!!. .. the result a distraction from recording new material and by 2000 …...‘market saturation’ and no further music…….just 2 original albums[1985 and 1992] and many ‘hit’ re-mixes in the 2 decades after the invention of the CD. It was a dire time for ‘old groups’. What a shambles for dedicated fans?.

 

Then the mp3 ruled and music became ‘free’. Napster died as Spotify rose and You Tube became another outlet that could not be controlled so a royalties/copyright deal was stuck to provide artists with income from plays via advertising revenue.

 

Some would say that without Jersey Boys, Frankie and the group would be long forgotten by music pundits. [and maybe GenZ]

 

But it is interesting how piracy has been with us as fans for most of Frankie Valli’s career with the group and by him ‘solo’, as whilst we had been buying their vinyl through the 60s and 70s, we had been copying it onto cassette to play in the car and on Walkman’s throughout these decades.[and sharing with friends] all eventually made easier with the dual cassette decks……[but who has a dual cassette deck now?]

 

Now the FSP have found like many artists that ‘streaming’ does not provide a strong income stream of your past successes and only LIVE concerts pay big money…….but even in the 60s this was the Four Seasons best income stream. So what do they today?…..lease the publishing rights to their catalogue [which is the biggest earner] as have most ‘oldie’ artists in recent years.

 

A good move it seems as collecting digital files or buying physical product has today almost died. Money streams for record companies and artists [and publishing] have shrunk as audio streaming has boomed. People who listen on the go….[.i.e. the kids and working generations] no longer collect digital files...wav, aiff or mp3. As this book and article says...’For the consumer, on the other hand, things have never been better. “For $10 a month you can have every song recorded in history,” ‘Effectively ‘renting the tracks over and over again’…... ’when will they ever learn’ [sic] as Frankie Valli sang on ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone’.

 

Well not quite EVERY SONG…...as artist catalogues on streaming services are NOT COMPLETE.

 

One convicted music ‘pirate’ from those noughty days says ….“Rather than relying on the biggest industries to tell us the answers to those questions, we should be looking in the nooks and crannies of culture to discover the answers for ourselves.” 

 

Well I have found the ‘way to go’, and I realised that as the ‘Master Track Adviser’ on one of the most comprehensive[and possibly last] CD sets of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I contributed to the demise of physical media !!. Firstly with working on the Snapper Box Set….a gem for ‘pirates’…….and then with the ability of file sharing web sites, and You Tube. 

 

Music Collectors have found over the last decade and a half NEW ways to control ‘sharing’, with social media being the connection point as never before. Even Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli have not reacted to most of the ‘unreleased’ tracks in the Box Set being put on You Tube [not by me]. We had helped put an overpriced collection of ‘sometimes’ poorly re-mastered albums so as to share the ‘limited number’ of unreleased tracks with a fortunate 2500 collectors in a ‘physical form’.

 

Yes I contributed the unreleased and LIVE songs from cassette, vinyl, cd and acetate sources from a 25 year network ‘collectors club’ [which is an ever decreasing club over time as we lose our friends] Now the FSP have the copyright and rightly so. But there is no ‘quid pro quo’, with known ‘unreleased’ music still being held back by the FSP from fans.

 

But by us using music sharing practices and now with no money to be made from unreleased music by record companies we have ‘run out of road’…….and no-one is listening to our requests for more….…!! The last big ‘physical release’ money maker for the FSP has been sold…….by them selling it back to those who have bought it before….and have again ...just to get it in a nice big glossy BOX SET.? It really is a great Box Set though!!!!!

 

This new ‘docuseries’ will show the amazing talents of young people that helped us all share what we could find…...and it tempted a record company to license and re-sell the old and some of the unheard music by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons…….BUT will there be a ‘Last Encore’ of unreleased ?…...I very much doubt it….. let us just play what we have and turn the volume up.

 

As the late Peter Bennett said to me when I sent him a newly discovered copy Master of ‘One Man’ in 1997…..’this isn’t Frankie Valli’…...and of course….in 2007 he was clear that there were no completed tracks left behind at Motown.!!!!! what survived he said….. ‘were nothing more than demo vocal tracks’. Lies, lies and more lies. Now released from the archives as proof!!! Can ‘One Man’ change the world...haha…..We’ll maybe it did musically for the better for Four Seasons fans. And there is more to come.

 

In today’s world the ‘nooks and crannies’ for collectors and listeners exist and the main one is now a place called You Tube. Catch us there at…..

https://www.youtube.com/user/MowestChameleon/videos

 

More soon on the full story of ‘The Search for Frankie Valli at Motown’ and ‘Collecting Digital’.

 

Ken Charmer

 

 

 

 

 

Curating The Four Seasons at Motown - A sad loss, but many thanks

This week saw the sad passing of a great curator of Motown music who whilst an aficionado of 60s artists was fundamental in helping me to create the database of released and unreleased Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tracks created at Motown during their 1971 to 1974 contract. As a result we have the 13 unreleased approved in the Snapper Box Set….and in achieving that we have now the full catalogue records and curated data their career deserved. But not the whole story as I will cover in a future blog.

 

It was Keith Hughes who was going through the Motown microfiche in the NYC offices when he came across Artists Cards of both Frankie Valli solo sessions their Master Tapes[P reference] and Safety Copies[Stereo and 16 Track – T reference]

 

As he knew of my work to check the Master Tape Index I had received by 2001 he scanned and sent them to me which enabled me to verify the stored and listed Tapes were correct and confirmed MASTER numbers in the 60000 series of completed Masters stored at Iron Mountain. But whilst we do not have all of the tracks that we know were unreleased…...what has been released has confirmed the accuracy of our Excel database. It took our research to the next level and would eventually mean that by 2018 Snapper Music would persuade Bob and Frankie to accept ‘unreleased’ completed recordings did still exist in secure storage even if the hunt for these would still be ‘fraught’.

 

I will retrace our journey from 2001 to today and the status of the only remaining ‘known’ 16 track/24 track recordings of Frankie solo and the group ‘still in existence as session tapes’. This will continue to make the case for further research and the big possibility that so much more could be discovered through ‘listening tests’

 

So acetates like this one could be released ‘officially’ which we had found on cassette tape in 2010.This recording does exist as a fully completed Master but it remains unapproved for release….which remains crazy as you can all hear it on You Tube….and download it as an mp3.

 

Thanks Keith…..we know more than Andy Skurow found out as he never found the Artists Cards in his job in vault services researching the Tapes for Snapper...you did for us.

 

Ken Charmer

 

More ‘reality checks’ for 4 Seasons fans

Who wants to find this Tape.? Clearly not enough of us to justify the cost of finding it !!

Back in 2008 I was writing about the academic studies on “Fandom, Blogging and the Internet” and how Jersey Boys Stage Show was creating a myth...”The events of the last 2 years culminating in the opening of ‘Jersey Boys’ in London last month appear to have created a kind of “Four Seasons myth”. As Joe Long said to me recently…."I have been following the goings on of the various fan groups. The only problem I've been having is they now seem to be "Jersey Boys" fan clubs, rather than Four Seasons. “ We took a view at that time and re-set ourselves as a fan club [as this linked article says] and we remain alive to say that today……..just look at what we have achieved!!

 

By 2018 the JB Myth was ready to be ‘buried’ as Snapper Music persuaded the ‘Partnership’ [FSP] and Warner/Rhino/Universal Motown to commit to a career spanning album and ‘unreleased’ gems Box Set. Then the pandemic and the delays!!! We sadly lost Tommy DeVito and Joe Long….but the fan base ‘hung in’. Then the reality of the world wide internet fan base came home to roost for us all.

 

Back in May 2022 I wrote this post re the fact that Beach Boys fans and their music have far more world wide support than the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli.

 

“Stealing a March???......

The Beach Boys continual approach to milking their catalogue as we still await the Snapper Box Set could be a bit depressing for Four Seasons fans who want the 44 CD Box Set from Snapper Music. This to some will be very frustrating when we read..of SOUNDS OF SUMMER as their latest release.......”The collection boasts 24 new mixes including two first-time stereo mixes, plus 22 new-and-improved stereo mixes, which in some cases feature the latest in digital stereo extraction technology, allowing for the team to separate the original mono backing tracks for the first time.”

As I have been showing such sound 'extraction' tools have enabled me to demonstrate how the Four Seasons best songs can sound with DES Re-Mixes. Such an approach will with our backing surely happen in a follow-on project in the next year or so on the Four Seasons HITS. I am in fact working on a complete STEREO RE-MIX of the Dawn and Rag Doll albums. I am hoping to find some interest in such a project.

And the future is ATMOS as the Beach Boys release states.......”All 30 tracks on disc 1 of Sounds Of Summer have been mixed in immersive Dolby Atmos, joining the group’s Christmas Album which was mixed in spatial audio and released this past holiday season, and continuing the initiative to present the group’s catalog in the enveloping and exciting new audio format. “

And obviously the strength of the 'BRAND' and how to market and sell as the web site shows

Obviously the Beach Boys with a dedicated tape research team and engineers are ahead of Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli, as they do not have a dedicated and well managed record company team [i.e Warner/Rhino !!!] that will market and collaborate with fans. BUT this Snapper Project will show them what is possible and the size of their potential market This Snapper Music Box Set will be 'incredible' and will inspire similar follow-on projects. [We hope..ed!] The 60s STEREO versions deserve such treatment with centred vocals and a spread of instruments.......and the MOTOWN Catalogue needs a 'special' box set as I have maintained”

The facts show the strength of the ‘brand’, with’The Beach Boys’ facebook group with 1.9 million followers whilst ‘The Ultimate Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Fans Group’ has a mere 30.2 K. So is it any wonder our voices as fans are finding little success or any response some 9 months after what was for us and the FSP a landmark release…..four years in the making…….over 15 years since the concept.

 

Whilst many of the Four Seasons fans world-wide continue to celebrate and enjoy the vast variety of great music in the Snapper Music Box Set released last June, the serious ‘Collectors’ Facebook groups [like our Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign - a mere 1.1k members!!!] continue to push for much better support for fans and collectors wishes. The aim of our ‘campaign’ group [as I set it up in 2016] was to get a reaction and we got one through the pressure of a very BIG BUDGET project......however reluctantly in the final list of tracks......but eventually once we got the product, we are grateful to Bob Gaudio, Frankie Valli and Snapper Music. It took a high level of exposure on social media within that group after the lies, deceit and misinformation over many decades re the Motown Unreleased and huge work by me in particular to prove what was there.....even Universal Vault Services did not know what they had. Nor did they collaborate. In a way the project was the FSP supposedly 'working their way back to us'.....with us paying big bucks for the privilege of a catalogue spanning digital collection on CD......with limited 'unreleased' from known or owned storage. [including our archive]

 

However despite my optimism that the release and marketing would bring a response in a meaningful way re the future, from the FSP, this remains both unlikely and the underwhelming response now, [by Rhino releasing ‘GILG’ on vinyl] is somewhat depressing. There are also around the world, it seems, too few people who want the Motown Unreleased FB group to be an effective 'campaign' anymore. So the question arises…..’is it a worthwhile title for those 'completists' who want more? ‘ I did plan to move it to be a 'Rare and Unreleased' interest group eventually once we had exhausted the Archives, but that is not going to be achieved in a foreseeable future. As I have said in blog posts the prospect that anyone at the artists level will take note of social media or be encouraged by sales potential remains remote. I personally have exposed all of the prevarication and lack of collaboration I can by the FSP and Universal Motown Vault Services over the decades and there is nothing left to say re the ways they have failed us all. It seems clear there is little hope [or interest] for any fan based network getting further results. The above tape with original Masters and an unheard song by Artie Schroeck, remains ‘lost’ in the FSP storage of un-marked tapes as it was not in its correct box. So from The UK Four Seasons Appreciation Society, I will focus on the ARCHIVING of remaining 'unreleased' tracks we have and in finding ‘a future generation host’ for the Masters Library I have compiled. All tracks are high quality mastered versions and complement and extend the Snapper Music Box Set.

 

Copies of the Box Set remain available at heavily discounted prices [over 25%] on Amazon and E-Bay and there are clearly too few ‘completists’ [Snapper’s primary target in the project plan] or those with the funds to acquire this great compilation. Bob and Frankie are perhaps valid in saying anything further is ‘not worth the money….or trouble’. Frankly there are too many barriers to retrieving more and without a funding ‘champion’, any optimism at Snapper’s launch has dissipated. Streaming remains the biggest barrier to both ‘innovative’ research and physical product, and some have said in our group’s...’let’s enjoy what we have rather than chase what we haven’t’. But we have always been more than just ‘accepting that’, when there is more to be found

 

The rise of fandom through the Internet over the last 20+years has been the subject of many studies re the relationships created between artists and fans through posts and blogging, and my presence with Lynn Boleyn here since 2006 has been used by the FSP as a promotional tool for concerts, and by Snapper in the promotion of the Box Set since 2018. With ‘fan groups’ [now substantially established on Facebook(FB)], the relationship between ‘experts’ sharing in depth data re tracks and releases has now become the fundamental connection point for news and opinion and FB groups can be easily administered to avoid abusive or bogus posts by non-fan people. These are public members groups that give us as fans ‘identity’ and a sense of community. But as for ‘the stars’…...they have no involvement…..and why should they?…...they have their personal lives to live. In the case of Frankie Valli he is deep into his ‘Final Encore’ Tour as he approaches 90…..basking in the loyalty of devoted lovers of both him and his music. Bob Gaudio has his interests in production and has been invested in the Neil Diamond Stage Musical. He and Frankie gave us enough time in the Snapper Music Box Set project to make it ‘unique’…..and we did the rest with the Snapper Music team of tape researchers, engineers, designers, writers and copy administrators to produce an ‘apparent’ complete Anthology of music and illustrated back-story

 

But let us not allow the FB groups to be a trivia question post box or just repeated last decade ‘audience recorded’ live concert’ repeats. There are more unheard and unreleased masters to be found including ‘unique’ LIVE non-hit versions from the 20^th century. Can we keep a focus on the sheer quality in the original music and its production? There are a small band of interested fans who will discuss such subjects on our social media. You Tube remains the best place to enjoy the ‘rare and unreleased’. …….and our in-depth Podcasts ‘4 Seasons on Saturday’ to find a connection. These sources, in the main, are what led to the Snapper Music Box Set…only your voices can bring change……..but in reality ….is anyone listening? For now..as far as the artists are concerned……..NO!!

 

We will however continue to highlight the recent finds and share some of the still ‘vaulted’ gems that we have on You Tube. More people may find us and also want more…...….miracles can happen…….they already have!!

 

But there is a ‘cliff-edge’ of change ahead. Bob and Frankie must realise that. The ‘road’ will end and that will leave a fan base without the LIVE experience. We will adapt and write as we always have through a network of information managers and hope enough of us remain alive long enough to persuade the ‘Partnership’[FSP] to get the tape research work re-started, recover the rest of the 'unreleased and a find a way to  a marketable outlet.

We won’t become lost……!!!! We are ‘The FOUR SEASONS CULTURE’…….”you don’t have to be embarrassed about loving the 4 Seasons”…….as Bob Fisher said back in 2008…...”we have been ‘validated’”…....again…..this time by THE BOX SET.

The Reality of The Snapper Box Set and Future Physical Releases

We are in a strange age…….To STREAM…...or ……..To COLLECT? Or BOTH?

It was summer 1988 when we first got our hands on a well mastered CD set on Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons 25^th Anniversary 3 CD Box Set and how lucky we felt. 26 years ago.

2024 opened with news of ever diminishing sales of Compact Discs….just as 2400 ‘world-wide’ fans bought the highly researched and highly priced ‘Working Our Way Back To You’ Snapper Music ‘career spanning’ Box Set of 44 of these little physical music storage discs in an age were everyone in the music industry is now focusing on the income from streaming. Music listening has changed, and as a result, the owners of past music have had to think hard about how to preserve a good income stream. Most fans of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons are not optimistic about getting more from the ‘Partnership’ on CD. Sales of CD’s generally reached a peak by 2001, but now sales are a third of that peak. The music pundits however see new trends emerging. The study of ‘generations’ and their life experiences is now big business in understanding how music income will be generated in ‘Future Years’[as Frankie Valli sings]. “Generations provide the opportunity to look at Americans [does the rest of the world really exist?] both by their place in the life cycle – whether a young adult, a middle-aged parent or a retiree – and by their membership in a cohort of individuals who were born at a similar time.”

How do Frankie and Bob and their music story, help their families cope with their legacy and the past with future generations.? Will the music that related to ‘Boomers’ have any impact on future generations of fans, now that the show that captured ‘Millennials’ with Jersey Boys extended the relevance of their catchy songs.?

 

This article is I believe essential reading for us all. It is “a reminder that generations themselves are inherently diverse and complex groups, not simple caricatures.” Many of us may be ‘Boomers’ but we are not yet ‘Silent’ and we have a right to voice our wishes re past music ‘errors’ and the correction of mis-information and suppression of art during our long lives. This has been the background to our calls for more unreleased tracks from ‘the vaults’. Too many have not had the sheer joy of hearing emotional and entertaining music by our favourite vocalist and his past collaborators. Rex Woodard, Frank Rovello, Stuart Miller and Stefan Wriedt are just some no longer with us that were celebrated in the box set as contributors who never got to hear the achievement. They are the ‘Silent’ generation who we will all eventually join.

But as my great-grandson reaches his ‘first’ birthday, I wonder if he will ever understand why this music was so important to me and why I campaigned so many decades for more? Four Seasons music may in the future simply be a catchy ‘streaming’ oddity with little relevance in the music revenue expectations. Perhaps the ‘tap has almost run dry’ for Bob and Frankie?

 

The readers of this blog will be ‘cohorts’[is that the same as ‘friends’?] that shared experience of the group across several decades and probably most are ‘collectors’ with physical product like the Box Set. But we see that we are now deeply in to a new age for music as after 35 years of buying/owning and playing the humble CD we see forecasts of its demise before our own!! With Vinyl sales now peaking in the age of ‘streaming’ ……...what will the future hold for our listening as our fave artist reaches his 90^th birthday.? He will be happy that his family and his partner in music [Bob Gaudio at 81] can feel satisfaction at the major achievement of a physical product of their music that is so comprehensive in the Box Set. Well almost!!!

 

As Master Track Adviser to the Box Set, I am happy that we achieved with the Snapper Team an amazing Collectors Item. My commitment was for it to be as comprehensive as possible, and perhaps, on the face of it that was achieved. But the reality is, as I have explained in these blogs, that barely 75% of the potential work has been reviewed and there are still unheard tracks to be released. My disappointment too is that not all in the Box Set is mastered to the best sound quality.

 

So are there reasons for the deficiencies, and is there a way to approach the problems that would help us as fans and the ‘Partnership’ and their successors.? I can only analyse and advise based on my experience as a former Project Manager and on the developing technologies for music sharing. World events and major government decisions may shape an uncertain future.

 

The key success of the Snapper Box Set Project was the collaboration and teamwork that the late Bob Fisher and I generated. Bill Inglot was commissioned and contributed to this as much as the financial structure supported his research. By the end of the research it became apparent that he would have insufficient time funded to identify all stored music, as 200+ unmarked tapes remained unheard. He did what he could with the funds available from Snapper Music. The network of fan collectors contributed over 5% of the Bonus Rare or Unreleased Tracks along with many ‘released’ songs not preserved within the Partnerships own storage facility. Decades of poor tape management since the 1960s became apparent.

 

Secondly the teamwork did not extend to Snapper, the Partnership and Universal Motown in terms of research and mastering. We were shut out of quality assurance.

 

I found a quote in old posts re Motown Unreleased and the man Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons fans relied on to help achieve the release of the unheard recordings by them in the Motown Tape Archive. He got a job that led to becoming the Vault Services Manager at Universal Motown and he has been there for over 20 years. A collector said of him, “On the Motown front, you have Andy Skurow. He first got involved with Universal by sending in suggestions for a series of compilations. Somebody liked the idea and used it without giving Andy the credit. Fortunately, Andy was offered a small job in the office from where he has used his knowledge and enthusiasm to get things done.” He has done sterling main research on projects such as the Bobby Darin’s retrospective Motown CD ‘Go Ahead And Back-Up’ in conjunction with Real Gone Music assembling 24 ‘Unreleased’ tracks from the early 1970s at Motown so we anticipated a full collaboration and review based on our offer to help. Snapper supplied our Tape Index List and I attempted to ‘reach-out’ to him as he ‘pulled’ tapes from Iron Mountain Storage for research. We had 52 Artists Cards from the Motown microfiche records but he did not ask us for these or find them internally within their data files[or even reply to me]. We only received, via Snapper, news that Tape Box Notes revealed 19 unreleased tracks with vocals listed and a possible 11 more. We received only one tape box scan and awaited further involvement and listening tests or transfers but Andy Skurow was unwilling to collaborate with Bob Fisher and I. Instead it was agreed with Bob Gaudio [who also did not communicate with our research team] that Snapper would pay for ‘a number of tapes’ to be supplied to Bob Gaudio for evaluation. We never found out what was supplied [or missed?] but some we were told had tape boxes indicating NO VOCAL. But as they have always said at Motown...’You never know what is there until you play the tape!!

Amazingly Bob Gaudio must have played the tapes as tracks listed as NO VOCAL were eventually found by Bob Gaudio and ‘approved’ and supplied to Snapper for inclusion. [eg ‘What Love Has Joined Together’]. It remained unclear with 11 tapes still to be reviewed by Andy Skurow just how many vocals would turn up but we eventually got approval to 13 with 2 tracks from the Michael Masser sessions [ ‘Minute By Minute’ and ‘After You’] which did not have a confirmed Master Tape. What great finds these are. Several tape boxes listed from the original tape index were indicated as NO VOCALS by Frankie Valli in Andy Skurow’s Tape Box review and were listed as for example, ‘re-assigned to ‘The Jacksons’ or ‘Suzie Ikeda’ or ‘The Commodores’ and some were listed as ‘working vocals’ which would indicate they were incomplete. That doesn’t mean the recording by Valli doesn’t exist. Notation on Artists Cards for several were listed with Motown Master Numbers which would indicate that they were complete and some had been copied to T Tape[Safety Copies] The whole review was in my opinion incomplete and remains controversial particularly as the Artists Cards were not checked. As a result the track information in the Box Set is incomplete. I have posted some of the additional track data in a past blog-post. Such a significant library of tracks clearly deserved better research and I maintain that Universal need to do more and complete and verify the search of all of the source tapes both Multi-Track and STEREO Mix-down copies.[including T Tapes where indicated by Artists Cards]

 

And finally whilst many will be happy with the sound of the Discs in the Box Set, there are 13 Discs below an optimum Mastering standard and all are from the early 1960s. But I have already fixed that with retrieval and re-setting CD Masters from the 1990s that have preserved the ‘original STEREO’ Masters in best sound quality. They and pristine MONO Mixes from our studio are in our DIGITAL LIBRARY for ‘FutureGenz’

 

But all this aside it does not remove the problem that there are no funds to complete any further research unless Bob Gaudio or his son Shannon commit to it, [Bob’s age and interest may prevent this] and given there is no avenue to a release the material as a result of the slowing of the CD market and any simple financial model for track release. The expected return on such tracks by both Universal and the FSP is just unrealistic for 50 year plus recordings or the recovery costs are not being ‘amortised’ over their sales life income stream.Some independent Record Companies are only interested in releasing on vinyl now and there will be no output from Universal. There are still respected 60s artists that still have unreleased tracks sitting in known ‘digital recovery’ in their Vault Services team but no pathway to release. This is important to us as we are ‘collectors’ more than ‘streamers’.

 

 

Clearly things will change as ‘streaming’ is not adequate sound quality for serious listeners and their catalogues do not contain the many ‘Bonus Tracks’ that have appeared in past CD releases. This is covered up as ‘unimportant’ by the streaming services. But GenZ collectors in our fan groups are increasing and as the above listed article indicates they will want physical product…….and the major publications are recognising the loss of great artists and recognising their catalogues.[most recently The Detroit Spinners]

 

Music consumption will evolve and access to tracks will change and it is the technologies, debates and events that will shape every generations needs as more respect for lost past music is continually revealed. The Tape holders have with-held these tracks for decades with casual curation and someone needs to act on our research and accept that not enough has been done. The FSP should want more respect for the full history and push the research. They have the resources. Collaboration brings success for artists and fans. We will continue to pursue a further review of the Motown Tapes and of the ‘lost’ unmarked reels sitting in the FSP storage. CD’s remain a viable outlet as vinyl is so expensive [and difficult] to manufacture and with streaming you still have incomplete playlists of the artists which are never comprehensive. I believe a CD based Motown Label Review of Frankie and the group with fully annotated session notes and top quality mastering is still a viable commercial product.[a 5 CD Box Set] There may only be around 3000 fans worldwide willing to pay a premium price for such a release but ‘Next GEN’ people are finding out what we have maintained for decades…...The Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons catalogue at Motown is a superb set of music and needs completion.

 

Ken Charmer

 

PS Checkout [and sound sample] this recently SOLD OUT CD from Ace Records of London which shows that unreleased tracks on CD are still selling…..and these are it seems all Charlie Calello productions

 

With My Eyes 'FULLY' Open - Motown Unreleased 'Mixes'

The Motown Unreleased remain the ‘Holy Grail’ of Four Seasons Collectors like me and others and whilst recently I have very much left it to Anthony Colatrella on our Motown Unreleased Campaign Facebook Page to analyse and extol the merits of the Snapper Music Box Set DISC 22. He has captured the sheer quality of production,writing and performing in the long unheard and therefore unappreciated LOST MASTERS in his daily Facebook posts on the tracks ‘approved’…...’lost’ that is until our efforts found a ‘patron’ and Bob Gaudio relented to long term pressure and allowed their release. That in itself is worth a well voiced social media thread re ‘how and why!!!!’ Over to you Anthony…...

 

Whilst Anthony has focused on the 13 tracks approved by Bob Gaudio for this set, little attention has been paid to the additional ALTERNATIVE Versions that make the Disc up to 21 tracks. There is much to be studied in the variation of these extra tracks and their quality and differences. They are not simply underdubs. But HOW INTERESTED are Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons fans in such alternate TAKES or MIXES? At present with so much in the Box Set to absorb, many will not know that some of these are the ORIGINAL MASTER mix which were finalised and copied for release on Master Tapes for an unissued album in May and June 1974. Bill Inglot found and sent transfers of Side Two of this proposed album but never found the Tape for Side One. It remains amongst the 200+ unmarked Reels unresearched in the Four Seasons Partnership Storage in LA. The original Master Album Tapes are P5084 - Side 1 and P5085 – Side 2 in the Motown Vaults. However I can confirm that they were copied as ‘listening copies’ and sent to Bob Gaudio, as he Frankie Valli and Bob Crewe were concluding that it was better to try to negotiate the purchase of these high quality MASTERS as they sought to leave the label. We all know from Frankie Valli interviews that the Motown Executives [and maybe Berry Gordy?] were uncompromising and wanted more money than was considered reasonable by Crewe,Valli and Gaudio. But Valli knew that one track had ‘hit’ written all over it and performance in concert in summer 1974 had shown the appeal to audiences. They had copies of ‘My Eyes Adored You’ on the listening tapes to model the LIVE version and it can be heard on Disc 43 – The Bachelors III LIVE Concert from mid 1974. As we all knew since then Bob Crewe negotiated as Producer the purchase of the MASTER for circa $4,000. Amongst the Alternate Versions on Disc 22 is the NEW MIX done on 25^th June 1974….as a listening copy showing that many alternates exist on the 16 tracks MASTER SESSION TAPES that I have documented as still existing in the Motown Storage at Iron Mountain, New York.

I will write more re these ‘alternates’ in due course but wanted to emphasise WHY a full research and curation project is needed on the tapes and to let you all know that I did not include all of the known ‘versions’ we have found during our research and included in the BONUS TRACKS for Disc 22. I had hoped that Snapper would go back to Bob Gaudio in 2021and ask would he consider approving MORE unreleased tracks we knew existed?. Snapper failed to do this despite Bob Fisher and I wanting them to. They felt they had enough BONUS Tracks we had supplied or researched to make the set attractive to you fans. Since 2021 we have had confirmation that many of the tracks in my FINAL LIST [See my previous blog re this] exist and [some] have been copied to Bob Gaudio by Vault Services at Motown, but not approved for release. The question “WHY?” remains unanswered.....and did all of the tapes get fully researched with listening tests?

 

The ALTERNATE Versions [8 Tracks] as BONUS TRACKS were found by Bill Inglot as part of the storage tape research as ‘half-track’ tape copies sent to Bob Gaudio back in 1973 and 74 for his ‘listening tests’. Snapper instead of asking for more decided to include the ‘back-up’ set I had compiled. The case for a properly ‘curated’ and engineered project is illustrated by just one of the tracks found but not included in the Box Set Disc 22.

 

The amazing story behind this track can now be revealed. ‘With My Eyes Wide Open’ was an unreleased track when the ‘split’ with Motown happened and was left behind to be lifted and released on the ‘Inside You’ Album [Motown M6-852S1] in September 1975 in the USA [Nr 203 in the BB album Chart]. That ‘released’ version is included in the Box Set on Disc 21. It is a bass,strings and echo laced mix which research has show was mixed by Russ Terrana [who had worked on the 'Chameleon' mixes] on 20^th August 1975, nearly a year after they had left the label and as part of Motown's decision to cash in on the success of ‘My Eyes Adored You’ and ‘The Night’[in the UK]

 

However this is not the ‘original’ mix. The Artists Card shown below indicates that 2 other STEREO Mixes were made way back on 2^nd February 1973 and the Master Tape Box Scan we were supplied [the only one but more of that later!!] shows the MASTER MIX Tape details of the 15 multi-tracks recorded dated 9^th December 1972. A MONO MIX and the two STEREO Mixes were found on the ‘listening tape’ of 2nd February 1973. I have all of these MIXES. All of these are very different to the released MIX on the ‘INSIDE YOU’ album. The You Tube video below will reveal to you how different this track was. Bob Gaudio had complained after the release of that album that he had NO INPUT on the final mixes included and this is clearly a claim that applies to this song. Both Bob’s had contributed to the tracks and there is a reference to LIVE ‘strings’…..but when these strings were laid down is unclear. Did Russ Terrana add these in 1975? And we know although listed as a FOUR SEASONS recording it did in fact feature Motown in-house backing singers…..but saying that they are quite superb.....and well mixed in these versions.

 

 

 

I have uploaded to You Tube the ‘second’ STEREO MIX found in the research for the BOX SET and it appears to be the pre-Russ Terrana mix as shown on the Artists Card. It excludes the opening ‘fade in’ strings intro BUT is dominated by two guitars in each channel competing with each other [listed as Dean P. and Mike D.on the Tape Box scan] and the vocal harmonies are mixed ‘high’ with Frankie’s vocal. The echo too is missing. Instrumentally it is a totally different version with a different ‘feel’. Frankie is ...well just Frankie!!!

I personally prefer this mix [titled the ‘Guitar Mix’ by me] but it demonstrates to me why the ‘curation’ and sound engineering research is needed…...and there should be a further release of this period of Frankie's career as the only time that has left behind in the analogue era 'surviving ‘multi-tracks'.

 

But whether there are enough fans willing to buy a compilation/box set based on these superb studio masters remains debatable?. It is down to contributors like you as readers to confirm your wishes and maybe there will be enough momentum created on our social media MOTOWN UNRELEASED page to persuade Bob Gaudio to spend the money on the research and for a deal with Motown[Universal] to release the tracks. Whilst there may be arguments re the ‘ownership’ of the ‘unreleased’ masters as reverting to Valli after 50 years in the vaults, the best approach would be a negotiated curation. Motown Vault Services have big questions to answer re the Snapper Project and their ‘lack of disclosure’ and incomplete ‘annotation notes’ re the tracks, but that is perhaps a subject to be expanded on in our 4 Seasons On Saturday podcasts.

 

I hope you enjoy this MIX as much as I do…….

 

 

Ken Charmer- Master Track Adviser – Snapper Music Box Set 2023

PS....

 

As a ‘postscript’ to this article it is important to remember the context for both Motown and Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio at the end of 1972 and Frankie having to cope with developing hearing problems[as well as personal circumstances]. Motown backed Crewe and Gaudio as writers and producers as they embarked on new recording sessions but they saw potential problems with studio production and we see in retrospect that they did not have confidence in the vocal capability of the group at that time to deliver in the studio. We believe they appeared on ‘Star’ and perhaps some of the unreleased tracks but by December 1972 they had commissioned Motown backing singers on the sessions and it is clear from this tracks superb studio musicians and vocalists that the group at that time [which Frankie Valli would sack in the spring] could not deliver songs such as this either instrumentally or vocally. Failure was obvious given the group membership, although the anthemic ‘How Come’ [with Motown backing singers] was released but not promoted. It was not until Lee Shapiro’s and Gerry Polci’s recruitment that the group were able to demonstrate their potential via the ‘I Wonder Why’ session. But there remains questions re the promotion by Motown of the Frankie Valli SOLO tracks during 1973 and the Bob Crewe productions of the re-formed Four Seasons in 1974 leading to their departure from the label. A good decision commercially by them clearly and it is all part of a story that is slowly falling into place and our understanding as to why such great ‘productions’ remained unheard until today…..and more remains ‘unheard’. The question of ‘why it remains unheard ?’does no credit to the current FSP and their only partial response to the Snapper Music contract and to the late Bob Fisher and I as committed compilers of the set. I personally feel it was disrespectful to us and the fanbase to not even give us clarity and feedback re the research we have done since 2000. But perhaps that is down to Universal Motown in terms of how much could be released in this set? Reliable sources have confirmed up to 15 tracks could also have been added. Why they were not included remains a mystery.

 

 

The Lure Of An Era - A tribute to our past and our present

 

Ellie Greenwich remains a long lost star and was clearly a close friend of Bob Crewe. I have struggled for over a decade to get the song ‘Be My Lover, Be My Friend’ by Frankie Valli [and possibly the Four Seasons] released from the Motown Archive from a late 1972 session when I have proved it still exists on 16 track tape. It was written by Ellie with Bob and Steve Tudanger [formerly of The Four-Evers]. Bob Gaudio should have been sent the tape as part of the Snapper Music Box Set, but did not find it or approve it for some unknown reason. We continue in the meantime to Campaign for its release as well as other Bob Crewe songs like ‘Time Will Tell’….and it will….but whether anyone is still alive from when it was recorded will be down to Bob Gaudio. In the meantime my video tribute to Ellie and her backing singers Jean Thomas and Mikie Harris and some words from Ellie.

This article was written over two decades ago for some great people at WCBS-FM in New York City "Lure Of An Era" (60's Music) By: Ellie Greenwich [It remains ‘totally’ relevant today 20 more years on and post pandemic and with war in Europe and the Middle East]

“It's 1963, and wherever you were, whatever you were doing, the radio was playing this song. (Drumbeat begins to Be My Baby, and the audiences went passionately wild...every time). This line opened my show Leader Of The Pack in 1984, and when the show is performed today at High Schools, Colleges and theaters, the reaction is the same...why?

I'll be the first to admit that when I first started writing songs professionally, in the early 60's, I never...not once, wondered what would be going on twenty-five, thirty years later. Oh, sure, I wondered how my marriage would be, how many kids I would have, where I would be living, and what I would be doing...but I never considered whether or not the music that was being created during this era would have longevity and survive.

Listening to the radio today, and seeing the number of revivals and "Oldies" shows, it's obvious that the music has lived and thrived. It has done that in spite of what would seem to be cultural changes and a more complex society. If you view the survival and prospering of 60's music from a somewhat psychological reference, maybe it's survival makes a lot of sense.

Being a grown-up...I mean a true fifty-ish/sixty-ish adult...who has had many cycles of good and bad times, illnesses, death of family members, etc., coming to terms with certain realities, and realizing and accepting that while we may feel eighteen and twenty years old, we are not, and we shouldn't try to be. Life today seems more violent, more complex, more uncertain and harder to hold on to than it was back then, especially the early 60's. Life was fairly simple and straightforward. There was a large degree of innocence, and flirting, courting and naiveté was the rule, not the exception. The music of that era reflected the simple life and easy times. It was a comfortable place to be, and people knew what to expect. JFK had people feeling hopeful. My generation was just graduating High School or College or moving on to the Trades or the Service. It was an exciting time, and people had a plan...or seemed to. There was something (intangible), to anchor yourself to. One of the biggest anchors was the music which was paramount in every waking hour of their lives...our lives...

Now, thirty years older, I believe that many of my generation have reached a new plateau and it's an interesting place. You can realize the fruits of years of hard work and you can watch your grown children slipping into the roles you are now leaving, but you also are painfully aware that you don't quite fit into society any longer. It's not the same world you knew. You are facing old age (oops!...I mean the "Golden Years"), and you really don't want to. It's a frightening time for many people. We feel somewhat scattered and directionless and we wish we were back in the 60's. We need to grab that anchor of stability once again, but can't find it...until we hear a familiar tune on the radio...you know, a song we listened to while our parents nagged and complained; a song we first-kissed to; a song we listened to with our friends while hanging out, sometimes pretending to be the groups themselves. And for those precious moments we can go back where we came from - go back to where it was fun, happy, safe, simple and comfortable. Need I say more?

And let's not forget the importance of the on-air personalities, none more prominent than Cousin Brucie. He is the reassuring figure you have always been able to latch onto...the older brother, the power that bridges the gap between yesterday and today; the person who keeps the music alive on the airwaves and in our hearts.

When you can squeeze hundreds or thousands of us into a hall or theater to see an "Oldies" show, there is a tremendous sigh of relief...of going home. Whether you experience the music live or hear it on the radio, the feelings are the same. These audiences are your friends and family. They are all as unsettled as you are, going through the same confusion, changes and pain, trying not to get pushed aside. Being together makes us feel better...more secure, almost back in our mother's arms. The music is the catalyst for bringing us together...and yes we do truly love it and can get excited and sing along and scream. We can all leave the show in our mini vans, station wagons, etc., and two or three couples go to the diner for coffee afterwards. We can talk about the show, how good or bad the groups were, etc. Many of today's youth are discovering, performing and loving this music now; it's in new movies and numerous commercials; and in speaking to the kids who have performed in many different productions of Leader Of The Pack, they all had fun - a taste of the innocence that we enjoyed - and a sincere yearning to know what it was like growing up and living in the 60's. Maybe their society has gotten too complex and confusing for them too. Maybe they're searching for what we had.

In any event, It's 2001, and wherever you are, whatever you are doing, the radio is playing this song. (drumbeat begins to Be My Baby, and the audiences go passionately wild...every time)...but the real reason for the success of the music will hardly be noticed. “

Not by us Ellie, and the Snapper Box Set proves it…..so what else can we achieve?

Ken Charmer

Photo of Bob Crewe and Ellie Greenwich courtesy of Mira-sound Engineer - George Schowerer

 

 

 

The Search For The BEST Masters – The Sound Test Results January 2024 - Re-issue

In a late 2023 blog I outlined how I wanted to review the sound test results with both ‘ears’ and software for the Snapper Box Set. Here is an update to that blog on how I tested all of the CD’s for Dynamic Range[DR] and Loudness[RMS or Lufs] and for clarity and separation in mixes. Well, the good news is that all CD’s from Disc 19 on are [Dynamic Range] DR10 or higher which is spot on the mark for an Archive of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. All but one Disc in these discs had ‘Full Frequency’ sound, whilst some varied based on the source quality of the ‘Masters’. Good to excellent ‘Re-Mastering’ from the ‘variable’ source tapes as we had hoped and planned for.

 

Also we found excellent re-mastering in 99% of the ‘Bonus Tracks’ throughout the compilation that have come out really well given that most were from a wide range of sources including cassette tape and not ‘full frequency’ versions. But unfortunately poorer results were found on several of the early era discs. Back in 1988 Bill Inglot had to ‘Re-Construct’ the Sherry album from the Delivery Tapes supplied by Vee-Jay in 1966 when there were liquidated and the HQ Masters were returned to Bob Crewe[Genius Inc]. The original Safety Tape was below ‘full frequency’ for CD re-issue.

 

 

The aim therefore has been to focus in on the 1960s tracks specifically Discs 1 to 18 and to try to understand any differences that have indicated a sub optimum sounding result.? This was because in several cases there are puzzling tracks with poor Dynamic Range and EQ results [i.e.DR7 to DR9].

 

Transfers from these ‘analogue’ age tapes were done in 2019 and 20 for re-mastering with modern software tools for the Snapper Box Set. Problems appear to be with ‘Safety Copies’ around 60 years old. They have only been issued previously in STEREO format on CD [apart from a handful of independent label issues of 3 albums and some hits in MONO – e.g. Real Gone Records and the Jersey Beat Box Set]. The STEREO tapes had been previously transferred in 1988 and later in the 1990s for both Curb and ACE Records album re-issues on CD, (so multiple transfers since the start of the CD era of 1988) and the original and oldest tapes may have suffered wear and deterioration. But in this box set we have for the first time transfers and inclusion of the MONO Masters from the original tapes. In some ways, it has provided a baseline digital set [like never before] of the original albums back in the 60s and we are able to hear them on CD for the first time providing a listening experience comparable with our original vinyl MONO albums. However, as a ‘first to digital’ MONO LP set of albums, it is not possible to compare the results in the Snapper Box Set of the MONO Masters with previous CD issues in a consistent or complete way. But we know that the MONO mixes from the original 4 track session tapes involved compression during mixing so whilst a DR10 is an optimum reading some mastering from the MONO tapes will inevitably only be able to achieve a DR9/8 reading on a proportion of the MONO album tracks.

 

As purchasers and listeners to the Box Set you may not notice this or perhaps just feel that the instrumentation is louder than you remember. [burying Frankie Valli’s lead somewhat?] This is a sign of compression.[i.e less distance between the loudest and quietest sound] which changes the relationship with the vinyl masters

 

In testing the Snapper Discs we used two reference digital sets:

 

• ‘Golden Hits’ of The Four Seasons – MONO album 1963 – studio digital dub [DR10]

• 25^th Anniversary Box Set – 3 CD STEREO 1988 [DR12]

 

They represent the best levels of sound [with full frequency wav files of 18/20kHz max]

 

I outlined these standards in my last blog post and have since used ‘listening tests’ to focus on clarity and separation and the output of the DR meter readings on a range of past CD album releases in STEREO to measure differences and to grade the results. The Tests rated the original album content from….

 

• ACE Records [1990s issues]

• Curb [1990s issues]

• Collector’s Choice [2000s issues]

 

….compared to the Snapper Box Set for these 18 albums. Results were graded as follows …..

 

• Best to date

• Good and Essential for Collectors

• Some tracks only OK and with minor flaws

• Problem Discs but still listenable

• Plain Badly Mastered

 

And I reviewed Snapper Music Discs in comparison, noting those with missing or wrong tracks to the approved listing. This is of partly a subjective evaluation but based on a recognized and accurate evaluation software tool as well as the listening tests.

 

Of the first 18 Discs in the Snapper Music Box Set 8 have ‘less than optimum’ mastering with 8 of the Discs at DR9 and even some tracks as bad as DR7. Only one Disc is classified as ‘bad’ and that is ‘New Gold Hits’. But we noted the Tape Box Scan indicated the MONO tape should NOT be used for Mastering!!!

 

 

However, both the MONO and STEREO versions of ‘Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’ [GILG] proved to be the ‘Best To Date’ and set a top standard. Of the remainder only 2 surpassed the ACE albums issues. It was disappointing that there was such a lack of consistency and although all but Disc 12 are listenable in acceptable sound quality this is all a big contrast to the rest of the Box Set

 

The findings of other past masters can be summarised as follows:-

 

• ACE Records - Of 16 original albums in STEREO covered during the 1990s transfers, ALL but 3 of their issues are ‘Good and Essential Collectible’ [DR10] with 2 with minor flaws and 1 with problem tracks.

• Curb – Criticised at the time for missing some tracks from original album titles we were only able to acquire 7 of the 18 Discs in the Snapper Set. Of these we found Discs 1 Sherry and Disc 4 Ain’t That A Shame to be ‘Best To Date’ and a very desirable Collectors Items.

• Collectors Choice – We tested 8 in comparison with the Snapper Discs and found that CCM provided the ‘Best To Date’ version of ‘Live On Stage’ [Disc 9]. Of the rest 4 Discs were an acceptable DR10 with 2 below optimum with minor flaws.

 

So if you have any of these ‘Past Masters’ rated as good and collectible then hold onto them as the equivalent Snapper Discs are a not so good a match. I am personally replacing the album Masters in the UK Four Seasons Appreciation Society ARCHIVE LIBRARY [which I will cover in a future blog] and in my personal Discs and ‘playlist’ with NEW STEREO and MONO Mixes based on the BEST MIXES from the ‘past masters’ CD album releases for the following album Discs in the Snapper Music Box Set – 1/2/3/4/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/15/18. A total of 15 discs with adjusted sound to achieve the best balance of STEREO sound and new MONO mixes all in full frequency sound. This is what Bob Fisher and I set out to achieve.

Work has started to replace the Masters with BEST MIXES of the listed Discs in the Snapper Music Set during 2024 and I will publish the sources and enhancements in mastering when completed. Why do I think this is necessary, you may ask. Well because Bob Fisher and I never had the chance to complete our work and I hope to pass the FULL ARCHIVE on this year to a sound storage for future fans as I said in my end of Year Report 2023.

 

Bob’s sad passing during the project meant that we had no dialogue with the Engineer regarding the tape quality issues nor of the final approach to ‘mastering’ quality. We did provide the list of Approved Masters after submission to Bob Gaudio locating the 830 plus tracks involved. If communication had been better with the Sound Engineer post the Covid period and we had known of how many tape quality issues existed we could have supplied ‘alternative’ masters from this library and corrected the somewhat disappointing results on some of the first 18 Discs in the Box Set. There are also 10 wrong Masters in the 44 CD Box Set and one ESSENTIAL track was missed by Snapper which cannot now be put right.

 

However most purchasers will be happy that 70% of the set is as good as we set out to achieve and were Bob still here he would agree that ‘we done good’. I am personally proud that we got the Motown Unreleased CD and created THE LOST DISCO ALBUM and were able to supply and include so many unreleased demos, acetates and LIVE tracks. It was a mammoth achievement and includes superb design work. As for more ‘unreleased tracks’…..well there are more alternative versions [The ‘Out-Takes’ Archive which we have] and of course the ‘still unreleased’ Motown tracks not included as ‘not approved’ by Bob Gaudio…….and the 200+ Unmarked Tapes in the FSP LA Storage. Campaigning for more track research goes on as I complete the archive as I listed it in my report.

 

The Comparator Chart of our findings is a download attachment to this post. If we get more past Masters of albums to compare we will update our chart but we believe this is the best anyone will ever find. CD re-issues are a small market now and do not justify the high cost of research as this project provided.

 

Download Snapper Disc Comparator Sound Tests Nov 2023

 

I will be continuing discussing the process and all of the major positive achievements on the catalogue in our video podcasts 4 Seasons On Saturday with our team of collector experts over the next few months as we also consider the ‘out-takes’!!! Next time will be THE BONUS TRACKS

 

Ken Charmer – Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society – Snapper Music Box Set ‘Master Track Advisor’

The End Of Year Report - 2023

Well…..Oh...What a year!!!!!!!….for me personally a milestone, with the birth of my first great grandson [to my 25 year old grandson]…..and the release of the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Box Set exactly 25 years on since I first received an ‘unreleased’ track ‘One Man’ which set me on the search for the ‘lost’ masters wherever they may be. 25 seems to be my lucky number???

‘Working Our Way Back To You’ is an iconic release and now discounted by 24% is a bargain for any ‘true’ collector of the group and Frankie’s career. Those who have followed our ‘4 Seasons On Saturday’ at our MowestChameleon You Tube Channel will be aware of the campaign to get all of the tracks and the fraught ‘process’ with Bob Gaudio and Snapper Music. Notwithsatnding that the Box Set is loaded with ALL of their album releases and 30% of rare, LIVE, or unreleased tracks. But not everyone today appreciates or think it is good for an artists career of recording to be ‘trawled’.

In his Critic’s Notebook Jon Pareles of the New York Times ….today writes “Hey, Pop Stars: Think Twice Before Messing With the Past…….whilst, he says, there are good financial reasons to revisit old or released material [and new technology is making it easier]…...he thinks “most trips back in 2023 resulted in diminishing returns”.

Well although he uses examples….his argument is based on record company or owners choices rather than ‘fans’. He states that…..”Musicians keep getting tempted to revisit recordings they made long ago, and in 2023, flashbacks from The Beatles and Taylor Swift drew worldwide attention.” [Ed – Notably he did not notice our Box Set of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons , “Working Our Way Back To You’.]

He goes on to say…..”Some temptations are technological; others have business imperatives. Wielding the latest digital tools, some powered by artificial intelligence, musicians and labels have been busily exploring their vaults and hard drives, many of them thoroughly convinced that they now have a better idea of how their older music is supposed to sound. Do they? Recorded music is many things: an expression, a structure, a physical performance, a series of decisions large and small, an artifact of memory and emotion, a souvenir of a particular time. But all of those aspects end up as a waveform, which can then be treated like any other information. The digital era and its computer-engineering paradigms have made that information infinitely malleable: just a starting point for version 2.0, 3.0 and beyond. A.I. is only going to make things more complicated as it reconfigures all the information available online. But with music, an update isn’t necessarily an improvement. It might be an anachronism or a betrayal instead.

One of the hardest decisions for any artist is knowing when something is finished. That choice might be made after endless deliberation, on a deadline, on a whim, under the influence — who knows? In the vinyl era, that decision was usually final, give or take alternate mixes for singles, radio and clubs. Listeners reacted to, and bonded with, the music in its fixed form. Digital loosened things up — at first out of necessity, as vast analog catalogs were transferred to new formats, and then more innovatively, as musicians reveled in the possibilities of vastly expanded multitracking, sampling, editing and even glitching. Digital possibilities are only going to scramble things further, untethering artistic products from their original inspirations and proportions. Oil paintings are being remarketed as environments. Albums are getting a new round of spatialized Dolby Atmos remixes. A.I. will be generating countless variations, pastiches and fakes. But amid the flood of new versions, let’s not forget to identify, recognize and celebrate the originals.”

 

A very succinct analysis, but one that that doesn’t apply to our work and input to the Snapper Music Box Set. We related to such risks back in 2018 when we started the Master Tape research and how we selected and collected ‘originals’ and variations of them as originally ‘completed’ based on the access we had. Bob Gaudio did the same with the Motown ‘Unreleased’ but only gave us 13 of 30 completed. Artistic selection ….or a commercial decision? We may never know although we continue to ‘campaign’ on Facebook for the rest.

 

So in our forthcoming podcasts we will review the Bonus Tracks and why they were selected. But that was the past and we still want to access and research the 200+ Tapes remaining in the LA storage and the 29 Master tapes from the Motown Tape Index. We are the best at it and a ‘free resource’. BUT given our experiences, we need to preserve what we have…..and next year [2024] will be about archiving and passing on the ‘DIGITAL ARCHIVE’ we can access NOW. Our Plans for next year are equally ambitious.

We are compiling a new library of the ‘BEST MIXES’ of tracks for future generations of fans, and as no-one at the Four Seasons Partnership has made any effort to ‘engage’ with me re the work done over the last 25 years….or to accept and put resources into the preservation of their work, then we will seek a philanthropic source such as a University or a ‘NOT FOR PROFIT’ storage facility for preservation [as the FSP Tape Archive is in a ‘dire’ state and a partly ‘unresearched’ facility]. The NEW Digital Archive we have constructed is derived from Master Tapes and Original Vinyl Sources digitized to studio professional standards. Not all of the Snapper Box Set achieves the high standards I want for fans future releases [whenever] and so we have supplemented [replaced] inferior product with previous releases from the Master Tapes on previous CD releases[Re-Mastered for archiving]. Also within the Archive will be Digitally Extracted STEREO balanced Mixes of the originals of some of the 1964 Masters such that ALL of the album Masters are in BEST MIX STEREO. ‘My judgement’….accepted….but technically a best to date master of each track in TRUE modern STEREO, without damaging the ‘integrity’ of Bob Crewe’s originals.

 

The Archive Library currently includes…..[A Work In Progress]

Vol 1 Pre- Four Seasons Tracks [Original German Studio Dubbed Masters]

Vol 2 Four Seasons 45 Versions 1960s Mono Masters Archive [To be revised 2024]

Vol 3 Snapper Box Contents Essential Collectors Masters 2023 SET[as issued June 2023]

Vol 4 Edizione D'Oro - 29 Tracks Master Sets from Master Tape and 1972 Vinyl HQ Dub

Vol 5 Post Snapper Project 1960s Alternate and Out-Takes Masters [Re-Mastered]

Vol 6 Post Snapper Project 1970s Tracks Mastering [for Re-mastering 2024

Vol 7 Official FSUKAS Best Masters 2023 STEREO CDs [Snapper Replacements Discs]

Vol 8 NEW MIXES Dawn_Rag Doll Set DES 2023 - New Library MASTERS

Vol 9 - The Vee-Jay 'Delivery Tapes' [Best Masters -Part of FSP Storage Master Tapes]

Vol 10 – High Quality LIVE Shows [Board Recordings] – Ongoing

Vol 11 - The BEST of Bob Crewe Productions–The ‘Seasons Connections’ Masters- 8CDs

 

This Archive is 80% complete but could grow with more research finds

 

So HAPPY NEW YEAR to all readers and follow my blogs for updates and new finds. My thanks go out to Anthony Colatrella for his huge support during the year and for our plans for 2024 Seasons On Saturday Podcasts.

 

Ken Charmer – Master Track Adviser – The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society

Salvaging Tracks for STREAMING - The Partnership hold all the cards and have the money

STREAMING is the KING……...and before you read on click here and read this blog by SonoSuite.

 

This is a problem of our times and why there will never be another project like the Snapper Project on the Four Seasons Catalogue and their [still] ‘LOST’ tracks. Adam White featured this problem in his recent blog re Motown vaulted tracks and the ‘ticking clock’ we all face.

Paul Nixon and I have talked about this developing for nearly 20 years as at the start of the I-pod era when we first approached Harry Weinger re a Four Seasons at Motown ‘UNRELEASED’ CD issue. And finally this year after all my campaigning we got 13 tracks included in the Snapper Music 44 CD Box set released in June. Eventually Harry and Bob Gaudio had to give us something or a £750,000 project would have failed. Money talks and drives everything re our attempts to uncover the ‘art’ of others…..artists we admire. And ageism is rife…..as over 70 is not a music market to the music sellers…….so as for the rest of the 20+ tracks in the Motown vault and the 200+ unmarked tapes in the FSP…who cares…..??????? Just accept it is the Motown in-house ‘mantra’ and it seems it will be with the Four Seasons Partnership. We told them what was there and either Andy Skurow at Universal Vault Services or Bob Gaudio didn’t do enough in-depth research or think the tracks were good enough. So a question for Bob Gaudio…..’Why did you not approve tracks completed in early 1973 by Bob Crewe producing Frankie Valli of ‘Be My Lover, Be My Friend’, ‘Give Us This Day’ and ‘Turn It All Around’ which we confirmed existed to Universal Vault Services in 2019?’

 

Today every play of a track on the streaming platform earns cents, so a song is being sold again and again every time it is played. Hence physical media is less profitable. Collecting music is too unprofitable and a niche market as the Sono article shows. Streaming income is showing this and that wont change. But even the Motown ‘unreleased’ we could get would earn cents long-term

 

The fact is ‘streaming’ is convenient for most of the public and pays for every play whereas a CD release will only sell 2 to 3 thousand [at best]. It is simply ‘maths’ and the massive income from streaming has defined what is promoted and the big money. How much would it cost to search for lost Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons tracks? And how much would they pull in over time compared to their past hits. On streaming? Even if streamed who would find them or play them……..well there are over 2600 playing them since June this year…on You Tube...and that will only grow

 

There are small groups of fans on Facebook and maybe other services, but if you are a 60+ year old artist with a simple and curated catalogue [which is what the Snapper Box Set provided with our help] – then it is a steady streaming earner. Such projects to unearth lost tracks take time and expertise, research and written context, and the people who are left to do that are generally over 70. The only people who could help are Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli and it appears to quote Bob’s PA ‘not worth the trouble’!!!.

The barriers to research and access for music collectors are huge and we are ‘Crying In The Night’ to quote the song by The Monitors’ at Motown. But we will continue to make the case in our Four Seasons Motown ‘Unreleased’ Campaign Facebook group and glory in what we have achieved in the Snapper Music Box Set. But never forget You Tube and Sharing Platforms…….this is the Collectors domain now. We will be there with more collectible tracks.

 

Click Here for what we have achieved with our Campaign to date

 

Get it while you can.

 

Casey Chameleon – December 2023

The Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons ‘Legacy’ Project

Yes I know!!!…..the Snapper Music Box Set is a ‘landmark’ moment in the careers of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio [the ‘FSP’]….and it was originally labelled as the ‘Legacy’ Box Set. Well, whilst it was a privilege to compile it with Bob Fisher with Bill Inglot’s Tape search and it may be good to have all the albums and Bonus/Unreleased material included in a nice shiny Box, but unfortunately not all of the mastering has the Dynamic Range and sound quality I would like, namely some of the 1960s material [which is for us all an important personal listening choice],

So I have a NEW project which is based on the legacy left by renowned but little known Sound Engineer Stefan Wriedt. It was Stefan who conceived of a NEW set of Four Seasons and Frankie Valli Masters back in the ‘noughties’ after his ‘salvage’ work with Bear Records and other EU ‘independent’s to digitize all of Frankie Valli’s earliest records The result of his work as a professional sound engineer was the release of the earliest of Frankie Valli’s performances on CD with the RCA Four Lovers Tapes with Bear Records in 1989 and the First Fantastic Years on CD in 1995. All subsequent CD releases of pre Four Seasons tracks are taken from [or are inferior to] these German Studio ‘Masters’. He also brought us the Motown Bootleg ‘The Night- Inside You’ CD in 2000.

So my project is probably the last ‘sound quality’…... ‘Chapter’ of the recording career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. [Unless unknown Tapes surface….and they always do!] so I am starting my MEGA LIBRARY with those MASTERS salvaged from vinyl and the RCA Tapes to form my FIRST ARCHIVE Volume of the Pre-Four Seasons. But it doesn’t finish there.

"Discussing the CD Discography Ken Charmer and Stefan Wriedt at the Royal Albert Hall Concert 26^th June 2012"

The CD discography [in this link] is Stefan’s work and it takes a critical view of the releases and ‘sound quality’ of CD Mastering since the advent of CD releases of the groups work from 1988 up to 2011, on the majority of CD original album issues in the US, and then EU [which then included the UK].

Back in 2009 as Charles Alexander says in the ‘Jersey Beat’ booklet…….”Millions of people from all walks of life have bought 4 Seasons recordings and attended concerts for decades- as loyal a group of followers as any artist could ever hope to have”. I quoted this in my blog back then and said....”they deserve to know ‘what are the ‘best mixes’ 'and where to find them. Maybe someday the whole catalogue will be re-mixed to the very best sound standards?”

Well we now have the Snapper Music Box Set as an ‘anthology’ reference point for the sound of the group and Frankie as recovered from tape and re-mastered in 2023, and it has taken awhile since Paul Bigelow was quoted in our blog saying in 1997… “I have never heard anything on CD by them (The Four Seasons) that I would call superlative…..(sound quality) The ACE reissues sound OK and look good, but I think they’re working from the same tapes Rhino worked from - just mastered better.”…..and I asked …..’So who will find that ‘Definitive’ compilation of the 60s “Sound Of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons” and should it be in MONO or STEREO.?’ ….But the real question re the 1960s is…...DOES GREAT SOUND FROM THE MASTER TAPES STILL EXIST?

Well the answer is ‘NO!!!!…We have seen all of the Tape Box Scans as marked up, but there are no multi-tracks….’Superlative Master Tapes’ do not exist [apart from 2 that we found at 24 bit 192Khz] and now we have proof and know the surviving Masters both MONO and STEREO for nearly all of the 60s tracks and the rest of the ANALOGUE TAPE period up to Streetfighter are 2^nd to 5^th generation SAFETY COPIES.

STEREO MASTERS from the 1962 to 1970 for all ‘album’ CD releases since have been digitised since 1988 and derived from these analogue tape versions as copied to storage during that period. The best STEREO mixes on tape where created from 1967 when vocals were centrally placed in most cases. This was due to the earlier in the decade technical limitations of 3 and 4 track recorders whilst 8 and 16 track tape decks were used after studio equipment upgrades by 1967 and from then Bob Crewe mixed them that way[only 2 songs at Atlantic Studios had the benefit of 8 track…..but that is another story]

Balanced STEREO recordings and releases on vinyl took over gradually from 1967 and now we have a ’reference set’ by Snapper Music to enable us to understand the status of what has survived.[in MONO and STEREO]. As Sound Engineer George Showerer told me of his saved Masters at Mirasound Studio in 1967...“Bill Inglot told me that when he received tapes from all the songs [in storage], he noted that in some cases the record company had destroyed the multi-tracks, thereby causing only the famous mix heard on the radio to be the defacto recording heard by everyone.[and that was the MONO]’

So most of the STEREO versions up to 1967 do not have the ‘balanced’ sound of later in the decade. The Snapper Set has now also provided the MONO Album archive for the first time on CD. It is simply what has survived, but still it is the original Mix from radio and LP. But with no surviving multi-track the evidence of Bill and Georges comments was clear re the STEREO. So in my project I am going to examine and answer the question whether the tapes transferred and Mastered in 2023 are in the same quality NOW as was achievedback in the 1980s for the first CD releases of the albums in STEREO?. What are the best STEREO Mixes?

Although 'incomplete', the Snapper Music Box Set 'Anthology' is a box set representing 98% of surviving MASTER transfers [to CD] that still exist [plus all of the salvaged 'unreleased' and LIVE shows we could find by 2021]. Now we have them re-mastered and presented in a beautifully designed and produced package with books and notes represents the best ever ‘comprehensive’ single box set of our fave groups work since 1961 when the Four Seasons brand was created. Re-mastering has been completed 'independently' by Snapper's sound engineer Peter Reynolds and we can relax and enjoy as consistent a set as is possible. Well maybe???. …...as indications are that the previous Tape Transfers for CD release in the late 1980s and 90s may be better masters of the 1960s safety copies.?.... Tapes deteriorate and flaws and mistakes happen and no mastering is the same.! Hence the need to collate and TEST the primary album releases on CD since 1988 in STEREO

So what should we make of the this important set of music given our sound tests analyses 12+ years ago in the midst of the 'Jersey Boys' phenomena?. Stefan’s CD reviews were always focused on an optimal Dynamic Range and this enabled us to set a ‘marker’ based on Stefan’s CD Discography and tests to verify what constitutes a ‘comprehensive library of the ‘BEST MASTERS’…[well…... as good as will ever be possible]….and I will collect them together in our FOUR SEASON UK APPRECIATION SOCIETY[FSUKAS] DIGITAL ARCHIVE

So in a series of Sound Tests these NEW RE-MASTERS and ALL of the album Masters I collected on CD over the period between 1988 and 2010 are being examined and tested against my own recently researched reference points[i.e.from both the vinyl and CD as much as is practically possible.] As Stefan passed away from cancer in 2015 the legacy he left is a method of testing CD quality. I am going to use these ‘digital’ sound evaluation tools and my ageing ears. My blogs since 2008 have been about the fans needs for a comprehensive catalogue including all of the rare and ‘unreleased’ and we have a lot now whilst still hoping we get to hear the rest of the MOTOWN UNRELEASED from Bob Gaudio and Universal Motown in the near future.

The evaluation through our METER TESTS can however can be seen by some as somewhat academic as ‘hearing’ experts know.....”Whereas a person in their twenties will be able to hear up to 17,000Hz or more, by their thirties this will have declined to about 16,000Hz. By the time an individual is in their 50s, their hearing range will usually have declined to around 12,000Hz. After 70 this will inevitably drop below 10,000 Hz. None of these changes are particularly problematic and are a normal part of aging.”

Therefore the full frequency of a recording as shown below is what should exist if the recording is a ‘true master’ [the brightest being the loudest/noticeable [red]

But in some cases much less sound exists due to the source limits...or poor mastering with sound cut-off at 16kHz or 11kHz so not reaching the as shown above FULL Frequency of up to 20kHz. Whether you can hear the higher frequencies depends on age and health. So we have taken a pragmatic view that whatever 'sound content' exists/survives we must use our ears and the criteria below.

Without getting too techy…...it is worth looking at these basics of ‘sound testing’ again even though re-mastering has moved on substantially since the advent of the CD and our expectations in 2010. Looking back we have found some clear definitions as we have always been the amateurs, relying mostly on Record Companies and as I have said [with other engineers in the past] not always with good results......”Basically, mastering is balancing, equalizing, compressing, and just trying to get the most out of a musical performance,” says Steve Hall, chief mastering engineer at Future Disc “It's smoothing out all the rough edges to make a polished, finished performance.” The idea, he explains, “is to make it as musical and exciting to listen to as possible. In the course of their work, mastering engineers have to do all kinds of sonic doctoring, including matching levels from song to song; adding shimmer to the top and punch to the bottom; adjusting the levels of individual instruments by using precise EQ (remember, they're working with a mixed master); goosing up the overall loudness; and much more.”

We used Steve Hoffman’s definition of a BEST Mix from 2009 as how we wanted the Four Seasons Catalogue to sound….

“Defining a good mix is ‘subjective’?......well perhaps but we think 80% of it……..is a mixture of technical…..and ‘feel’……”

Firstly the characteristics that make it sound great are……

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. The last two can apply within both a MONO and STEREO mix

We believed back then that the definitive versions were being stored in the best digital form for future generations of collectors. Now in 2023, we know that has not been the case even though mastering has improved along with technology to process the sound. The Snapper project went back to the stored tapes in the clear hope we would be able to enjoy the Four Seasons sounding as never before? Well now we have our wish, with this reference set for Frankie and the group to compare with many ‘past masters’ that I own.

Back in 2010 we set up the CD Discography and our own SOUND TEST page on our web site. Stefan and Ihave added additional tools and tests since. The most significant achievement since the advent of CD releases in 1988, is that now we have new technology and software and both the MONO and STEREO albums from the 1960s to compare and assess the ‘BEST MIXES’. I am compiling the results of sound tests of dynamic range and loudness as was highlighted back in 2010…on everything whilst for others maybe ..”it is a case of your preference and mode of listening”. As one engineer put it….”A song that provides noticeable variations in level is almost always more engaging than one that stays pretty much the same from start to finish”.

It remains appropriate today to adhere to such standards as although technology and the change away from physical media storage continues, that is not for me and many music collectors. Streaming may be the easy and preferred mode of listening for many as listening has moved from predominantly speaker based listening to ear-pods and headphones…the resulting sound should be right for every output ...whilst for some it is back to vinyl for straight through ‘analogue’ sound. It is personal choice . Also ‘Digital Sound Processing’ [DSP] software is present in many apps today to enhance sound as individuals choose. The most significant test of all is human [your ears] and that is where you as readers can express your view via our blogs and FB discussion groups. You can share your own findings of the CDs available covering the original albums.

But MY ARCHIVE is drawn from the digital world of CD as a major ‘physical collecting method’ as we trawl the past for the BEST surviving WAV MIXES.

Bob Crewe back in the 60s had used the available compression tools to grab the listener on his 45 mixes [with big limitations as to what could be ‘squeezed’ into the grooves] on vinyl. With the advent of the CD format such limits were no longer there and as a result digital mastering by record companies [wanting 'hot' sounding discs] caused ‘abuse’ of such tools as 'compression' of Dynamic Range became prevalent. Such mixes became dominant in the 'noughties' and defined 'The Loudness Wars'.

In our search for the 'BEST' mixes of the Four Seasons we have always been looking for good 'Dynamic Range' [i.e. DR - the difference between the quietest and loudest sounds in a track]. From our sound test page we defined this using the 2009 software [Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1] which confirmed ‘a DR reading for 'pop music' of DR12 [as potentially best] down to DR9 [as adequate] with anything below DR8 too difficult to listen to for any length of time due to excessive 'compression' of the instruments and vocals. Major companies such as Yamaha have confirmed this general concept. Each track will depend on it’s style and musical content [dynamics] and the average for the 60s albums should be around DR10 or higher. Frankie Valli’s lead vocal should always be higher than the level of the instrumentation and the group. That is my reference point.

The other 'measure' essential to a CD set is the LOUDNESS [or RMS reading]. Experience shows that aconsistent level on all tracks should be peaking between -13db and -10db for easy long time listening.Similarly, sound volume [‘peaks’] must not exceed [on a minus scale] peak volume getting too close to -0.00db. Many CDs in the 90s and 00s hit this zero level which can cause distortion and/or ‘clipping’ of sound on some players.

The Peaks that the Snapper Music Box Set achieves is on average -0.75db which is a good level. Here is a link to one of Stefan’s evaluations of ‘Off-Seasons - Criminally Ignored Sides’ from 2001 which shows the problems we found and led to the Box Set we have today.

You can via our FB groups send us any comments re the past original albums[not the Hits Collections] as you wish as I continue such tests on ……

• the 25^th Anniversary Box Set Masters [which is for many fans still the definitive first CD of ‘hits’ digitized by Bill Inglot from the FSP Master Tapes] …….. and the original albums since on CD from…….

• Rhino

• Japanese releases

• ACE Records

• Warner-Curb, Rhino and

• Collectors Choice

…….along with the Snapper Box Set Masters. I will test all I have which involves different mastering and maybe different tape transfers from tape.

Listening Tests of our full library of CDs will be conducted in the foobar2000 player at 50% volume on headphones for clarity/separation and depth evaluation. It is always about what you hear and the 'feel' of the music. My personal focus will be on ‘how close to the original vinyl sound do we get on CD?’ with some level of modernity as a result of the greater frequencies we got from the CD era and digital sound. CDs are digital sound at 16bit sample rate and a frequency of 44kHz, and whilst other digital formats [24 or 32 bit 96 kHz and 24/32 bit 192kHz] have been promoted in the last 20 years, generally consumers and many engineers accept the CD format as adequate. However there are increasing numbers of sound enthusiasts who favour the latter HQ formats for clarity and separation resulting in richer sonic textures with increased clarity and enhanced dynamic range. But we only have what we have and the archive will be constructed on the basis of THE BEST ‘Mixes’ digitally. [that you can hear comfortably – as I said already] and CD quality[wav files] are the main content apart from a few High Quality Mixes from a few tapes.

The other test included in my project will be comparison with the 'approved' list of tracks back in the summer of 2021 for the Snapper Box Set as the agreed [with Bob Gaudio ] 'Master Track List'. There are I know some errors in production of the Box Set. So this analysis will identify all of the known Masters found since 1962 and with your comments will input to the structure of my FOUR SEASONS UK APPRECIATION SOCIETY[FSUKAS] DIGITAL ARCHIVE as over the next year I evaluate the ‘true story’ of the Four Seasons Partnership’s MASTERS on CD

More soon…..Casey Chameleon - October 2023

Lost Masters Searching - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

The Lost Tape still somewhere in the FSP Storage

For those who have the Snapper Music Box Set and wonder how we found material for inclusion, and the problems we faced, then you should watch the Podcast below in which legendary Sound Engineer Mark Linett and Alan Boyd with Darren Paltrowitz discuss their role as ‘Music Detectives’ as they assembled the Beach Boys ‘Catalogue’ from all sorts of sources. It is a fascinating window into historical research and finding surviving Tapes and very reminiscent of our experiences.

Both Mark and Alan led the drive to find more sources of lost tapes for the Beach Boys and it has paid off. The message is that such research projects are not necessarily profitable in the short term, but history and museums are profitable in the long term if backed by the owners. But the Beach Boys ‘owned’ and ‘preserved’ most of their Master Tapes, and whilst the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] owned most of their ‘masters’, the Snapper Music Box Set has been the first and only time a record company has committed the cost to do an in-depth research project of their catalogue. Back in 2002, Bob Gaudio indicated in interview that this was a big task…...and he has said before receiving the tape transfers of the Motown tracks ‘with no guarantee that Frankie is on them or in what condition, [he] believes this is not worth the chase.’ Well by now he knows the ‘Gold Mine’ of music he has….and he responed enough to give you 13 tracks.

He may be right regarding the rest [but I doubt it] and my aim in these blogs has been to get connections on the www to find us the tapes and videos in good condition [that fans want] and so maybe there is a way to spread the word and find the still ‘lost’ tapes. Listen to the experts here……

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlXZqM8XrCM&t=632s

Maybe this BOX SET is the best that will ever be possible as at 76, I don’t have enough ‘lifetime’ or appetite to keep pushing for the fanbase anymore without a 100% financially and emotionally committed team. My years in my chosen profession as a Project Manager have shown me this is what is needed. The achievement of the Box Set issue after over 4 years work and the many unreleased tracks included [at least 30% unreleased from fan sources] does not out-way the still missing Motown tracks. Also we experienced the decades of lack of empathy from the FSP during which time I lost several fan friends including close ones in Stefan Wriedt and Bob Fisher who missed out on this ‘overdue’ release. Decades in which millions were made by the FSP from re-releases and Jersey Boys. Universal Motown were ‘leery’ to supply us the Tape Box scans and only Bob Gaudio was supplied with tracks for review. Snapper would not even ask why we did not get more tracks when we knew they were with Bob Gaudio and complete recordings. But after 25 years of denial that they existed it was familiar treatment.

In compiling the Box Set, although the Motown ‘Unreleased’ was to be the cornerstone, Bob Fisher and I only had access to the FSP Storage in LA and we did not have the time to fully research all Tape Boxes there, as Bill Inglot had a commission to find the Album Tapes only and the potentially ‘unreleased’ tracks surviving. 98% were 2 track Safety Copies with only a few Multi-track tapes were found. As I now remain the FSP’s main ‘Archivist’…...more by accident than by intent…….I had an opportunity to gather nearly all of the released Masters as ‘Master Track Adviser’. I was able to discover and salvage and advise Snapper and now fans[via this blog and the Box Set ‘Collectors Notes’], in terms of what did and might still exist as ‘unreleased’ and where these tracks may be. There are still many good recordings which remain ‘unreleased’. Maybe a future Project Manager will believe the music is worth the trouble and be paid for the research.

Alternative versions and different ‘takes’ may not be on the FSP or many fans agenda’s now, as we follow a band that never had the surviving ‘charisma’ of the Beach Boys. I really think that without some level of support from the FSP, that seeking more is a fairly pointless ‘campaign’ now as the COST of research and engineering time is regarded by the FSP as an issue when the return on investment is mainly ‘reputational’. The research needs a tape researcher, transfer engineer, archivist/collator/historian and a re-mastering engineer and of course access to the tapes and the cost of buying or claiming ownership of the source recordings. If that sounds expensive then it would be. I did the Master Tape Research without any paid contract arrangement, but now, enough is enough, when the owners just want to secure an easy ‘copyright’ [as in ‘The River Runs Deep’]

‘Working OUR Way Back To You’ was an apt title by Snapper Music but will the FSP or anyone else in the Music Business regard the fan base as significant or the material recovered marketable? Snapper currently have to sell the rest of the 2500 limited edition sets with around 1000 sold nearly 3 months after release. But for them the hopes are it will prove a good Christmas present …...for grandparents from there grandchildren …..which it will...it remains a superb achievement!!! It was their investment and we are all grateful they gave us the opportunity to share it with you.

Recovery of the still unheard tracks for historical reasons seems unimaginable given that it has taken 20 plus years of campaigning to get what we got in the Snapper Music Box Set…...and that was short by 20 to 30 tracks available….BUT ….we couldn’t get them. We provided all tape and rare vinyl sourced and salvaged tracks that were original or unheard important recordings [including HQ LIVE only recordings] from our Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society Archive which has collected salvaged tracks since 1990 and Rex Woodard’s interviews with Tommy DeVito…...for ‘THE WORK’ [as their draft bio of the original Four Seasons biography was labelled by the Jersey Boys Court Cases]

So for those who want to know what are the remaining sources of ‘unreleased’ tracks here is what I know there could be as ‘historically important recordings’……

• The Motown Session Tapes – 16 and 24 track recordings of which at least 15 unheard and completed songs remain plus alternative versions. We still have a few that survived as ‘test’ mixes from the FSP Archive but Bob Gaudio, now, should have been supplied all of these and it remains up to him to judge if these can be heard. He already withdrew ‘I Will Love You Like A Man’ for reasons not disclosed but perhaps due to Bob being socially aware of feminism and a response to the ‘woke’ culture? None of the paper record researched unreleased tracks were shared with the Snapper Music Team during the project other than the 13 approved for release. The remaining BONUS tracks found in the FSP storage were ‘alternate’ mixes found by our team.

• Bob Gaudio’s personal ARCHIVE. This is known to exist from a 2002 interview with the late Stuart Miller re recordings transferred by Bob Sobo to digital storage, none of which was shared with the Snapper Music team.

• Frankie Valli’s Personal Studio - Recordings with Artie Schroeck and The Modern Gentlemen

• Bob Crewe’s Personal Archive. Bob Crewe did, before his accident and subsequent dementia, commission Crewe Studios team to digitize on Pro-Tools all of his remaining vinyl and acetates which may include tapes from past decades. Dan Crewe who inherited Bob’s Estate has never been prepared to discuss any access or research to this material despite requests, but he has not blocked re-release of any of Bob’s published/recorded material with royalties going to the Bob Crewe Foundation which supports young ‘local’ musician’s

• Drexel University – Sigma Studio Tapes Archive[NYC storage] This contains 2 tracks formally registered and copies of session tracks which became the LOST DISCO album. More recordings may exist including multi-tracks.

• The FSP Storage in LA – It is known that Bill Inglot could not complete any further ‘in-depth’ research of tapes which contained some 192kHz [HQ] reels and some 16 track ‘1970’ Philips reel transfers plus the 200 plus ‘unmarked’ 5 inch reels which would include the 5 lost ‘Philips registered’ titles marked on a Tape Box that contained the wrong tape.[See image above]

All of these sources would, I believe, reveal many ‘unreleased’ tracks and there are also ‘fan collectors’ out there that have never disclosed or shared tapes rumoured to have been salvaged from the 1960s and 70s. [e.g. The ‘Close-Up’ album session ‘unreleased’]. There may be tapes from the Vee-Jay and Philips sessions ‘smuggled away’ at the time but this seems unlikely to me after all of this time.

Perhaps the release of the Snapper Music Box Set will have satiated the appetite of the ‘core’ fan base for any more of this material.? If not the ‘OUT-TAKES’ collection left over from before and during the Snapper Music Project Research is over 60 titles and I feel confident this will be collated to salvage the remaining tracks of sufficient quality for ‘preservation’. If there are ‘Curators’ of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons tracks out there then they can maybe contribute to the MASTER DIGITAL ARCHIVE which is being assembled as the Fullest Preservation SET of the vinyl[and previously unreleased commercially] as a digital library of all recorded material. It will include the Snapper Music Set as DIGITALLY preserved but much more. This will be passed on to the next generation of fans…...my version of potential ‘succession planning’.

Our Facebook group as a Campaign for the release of the rest of the Motown Unreleased track will remain a research base as it has been since 2016 and you can have your voice heard there. I have completed the last 4Seasons On Saturday video podcasts and as the up to 2000 or so dedicated fans slowly absorb the reality of the Box Set, I remain satisfied we did as much as we could to bring all of the music to you. Enjoy the music folks …..wherever you are. As Frankie Villi sings ‘ come back and make the music play’. I know most will be available on ‘streaming’ some day….but as for the rest….in OUR archive…….I am passing the ‘baton’ on as the ‘relay’ teams do….but will the FSP drop it?…...or will they continue to be WORKING their way back to you all?

I will remain a rare and unreleased ‘blogger’ as information or tracks surface giving my own commentary on any NEW discoveries including a potential Northern Soul Mix previously unheard.

Ken Charmer

Iron Mountain's GOLD

For those who have covered my many ‘musings’ re the Universal Tape Storage and the Unreleased and Library of Masters of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons here is a chance to see just how they have survived for nearly 52 years to see another 13 released this year in the Snapper Music ‘Legacy’ Box Set[The ULTIMATE Collection]. Below is the link to ‘Tracking Angles’s’ visit to the facility in a unique and nearly 2 hour video tour. Here is what they say of their visit…..

“TrackingAngle's exclusive visit to Universal Music Group's Iron Mountain tape vault outside of Pittsburgh also includes a tour of Iron Mountain Entertainment Services' facilities. You'll get to go deep within the former limestone mine where Universal Music Group has one of its worldwide tape storage facilities and see how, with the help of Iron Mountain Entertainment Services, the company catalogues and keeps track of its vast audio and video tape holdings. The visit also includes a ride through other parts of the labyrinthian, underground facility where governmental agencies we can't identify also store data, safe from natural environmental damage as well as from acts of war. You'll see the process by which a licensee gets selected assets for a music album reissue, whether it's the tape for an all-analog reissue or a digital file for a digitally sourced reissue. You'll see the action from finding the tapes in the vast facility to cataloguing it and preparing it for reissue. The visit was like going onto a science fiction movie set, only this was real! For most people this will be a first and only opportunity to see this facility in this almost two hour long presentation. Watch as much or as little as you wish, but if you don't watch all of it, you'll be missing out on some amazing footage shot deep within the mine. UMG also prepared for TrackingAngle.com a series of displays showing existing master tapes that The New York Times claims were burned in the tragic 2008 fire atop Universal Mountain outside of Los Angeles including the Buddy Holly catalog, which did not burn—as anyone who's purchased Analogue Productions' AAA reissues cut from original master tapes of "Buddy Holly" and "The Chirpin' Crickets" knows still exists—I've seen pictures of the tapes used for the cut. The newspaper refuses to correct their mistakes. The visuals UMG provided will appear shortly on The TrackingAngle.com website. Watch for the story! Tracking Angle thanks Universal Music Group, Iron Mountain and Iron Mountain Entertainment Services for allowing us into the usually off-limit facility and for everyone's hospitality and cooperation. It was an experience I'll long remember! “

Some have said it is like something from the ‘Arc of the Covenant’ being stored in Indiana Jones movies (actually shown in this 36 mins in). The vault is said to house about 80% audio and 20% video with audio tapes stored upright and video flat.  There are film versions of all types, audio from cassettes to all the MANY different lengths, speed, widths, reels, no reels, reels with songs literally taken out over the years and missing from originals now. ‘The Tape Boxes as well as all of the audio AND video tapes are stored in a totally random order and can only be found by use of their computerized catalog system, which is great, but sure seems like a nonsense system to me’ says one commentator who has experienced it. “I know there are 100's of 1000's of tapes there, but just a BIT more genre organization would be great.” Early on, our host jokes of how he is seeing The O'Jays mixed in with classical tapes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZPFNpB6yY

For me the video only needs a few ‘skips’ into the experience to realise how lucky we have been to enable the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons MOTOWN Master Session Tapes to be salvaged as a result of our forensic research of the old paper records over the last 12 years, that guided the UMG Vault Services people[i.e. Andy Skurow and co.] to the material we wanted released. First we needed a project with enough money in it to fund the retrieval of the tapes. We had compiled since the noughties a list of 29 Master Session Reels with 16 track recordings and Mix-down’s to STEREO of the two ‘released’ albums from the early 1970s which along with microfiched Artists Cards provided and confirmed completed MASTERS existed of UNRELEASED TRACKS and somehow the records showed where these were as P [Production] Tapes. Andy did not seem to have this information as the Box Set annotation notes re the tracks only reflect the Tape Box info.

Although Andy was somewhat disparaging of my spreadsheet it enabled him to order the Tape Boxes [I had estimated potentially between 38 and 50 tracks remained unheard] and to have them sent to the Universal Motown NYC base from Iron Mountain for research and digitizing is an amazing achievement. Somehow the Iron Mountain TEAM found them [or most of them we hope??]. Whilst Bob Gaudio wanted mix-downs to STEREO for listening tests for him and Frankie he was initially provided with Tape Box Scans and this listed ‘vocals’ as being completed on 19 tracks with 11 still to be researched back in 2019. Snapper advised that Bob Gaudio was concerned that if there are no 2 track STEREO Mixes for him and Frankie to review, this would be a financial and time consuming problem. I had confirmation that there were 24 track titles found but with no guarantee that Frankie is on them or in what condition they were in. This was troubling Bob and at this point the whole project was in jeopardy. There were song titles that Bob vaguely remembered, with his and Crewe’s name as producers. However, these were16 track recordings and would require mixing down and studio time to listen to.

Bob proposed a way forward and whilst he wanted 2 track mix downs but I think the result was all of the recovered tapes being sent to him [ I hope so], but I have no confirmation of this. However I believe he must have had 16/24 tracks sent as that resulted in him listening to[and perhaps mixing] tracks only ‘rumoured’ to exist. Time and cost [and his involvement with the Neil Diamond Broadway Musical] may have restricted what was researched and approved as only 13 tracks of the potential 30 indicated as existing have arrived and Andy Skurow, we now know, found another 15 completed tracks still unheard and of the same quality as what has been approved. Bob however knew there was a world of fans waiting for these tracks and thanked us all for our interest and support in reviewing and approving the 13. We added alternate mixes copied into the FSP Storage in 1973 found during our tape research of their archive. We have a few more salvaged and stored for the out-takes ‘collection’.

So whilst the campaign to have all of the tapes researched remains in place, targetting to get more UNRELEASED tracks issued ……...we are all just happy that Iron Mountain….revealed GOLD…….and you will see from this video…..it is a treasure trove…...but clearly TOO EXPENSIVE to search for any more Valli/Seasons. We have what was researched and sent to Bob Gaudio……. What that is may never be revealed….but we hope he sees the value and comes through.

You can read more detail on the ‘finds’ in this link……

https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/2022/03/motown-unreleased-the-final-wordfor-now.html

And below is the latest spreadsheet data ‘edit’ re all of the tapes that we know about, for anyone’s interest…..and if you can add knowledge or information let me know.?

Download MotownTapeIndex Tapes_Credits_Locations Ver 6 Feb 2023

Ken Charmer – for The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society

The Snapper Music Box Set - Motown Annotation Corrections[ Re-post with Update April 2025]

As Master Track Adviser I supplied the additional data re the 3 Motown Discs as below but my additions were not included in the final production. They are provided here with Snapper's permission. A pdf copy is attached for easy printing. Download Motown - Annotations with UK Research Adds 7th Feb2021

Four Seasons Annotations – Additions to the research by Andy Skurrow [with additions by Ken Charmer]

[from the Motown Database and Artists Cards]

Disc 30: The Motown Years – Disc 1

Chameleon LP

A New Beginning (Prelude)

(Bob Gaudio-Bob Crewe)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable – Approximately January 1972 – Final Mix May 4^th 1972

 

Sun Country

(Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 27, 1971; lead vocals October 28, November 10, December 8 and 9, 1971; background vocals November 1 and 4, 1971

 

You're A Song (That I Can’t Sing)

(Bob Gaudio-Brit Gaudio)
Produced by Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable

 

The Night

(Bob Gaudio-Al Ruzicka)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 28, 1971; vocals cut October 28, 30, November 5, 9, 10, December 8, 1971 – Final Mix for album by Russ Terrana February 1^st 1972 from Mixes 13 and 14

[43 Mixes completed between February 1^st and 20^th August 1975]

 

A New Beginning

(Bob Gaudio-Bob Crewe)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable - Approximately January 1972 – Final Mix May 4^th 1972

 

When The Morning Comes

(Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable – Final Mix February 1^st 1972

 

Poor Fool

(Al Ruzicka)

Track cut October 26, 1971; lead and background vocals October 28, November 2, 3, and 4, 1971; and January 5 and 14, 1972 –Final Mix January 19^th 1972

 

Touch The Rainchild

(Bob Gaudio-Al Ruzicka)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 26, 1971; lead and background vocals October 28, 29, November 2, 8 and 9, 1971

 

Love Isn't Here (Like It Used To Be)

(Bob Gaudio-Brit Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 27, 1971; vocal overdubs October 27 and 28, November 2, 10, and 11, December 6, 7 and 8, 1971

 

 

Chameleon LP Credits:

MoWest 108, May 1972

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Arranged by Dave Blumberg, Charles Calello and Joe Scott

Recording Engineers: Joe Atkinson, Larry Miles and Art Stewart

Mixing Engineer: Russ Terrana

 

Singles Issued from Chameleon: USA

 

Love Isn’t Here (Like It Used To Be) b/w Poor Fool

Issued as Frankie Valli solo single, MoWest 5011F, February 1972

 

Sun Country issued as B-side of Walk On, Don’t Look Back, MoWest 5026F, 23^rd August 1972

 

The Night b/w Sun Country [acetate pressing only on Columbia Records Products, Santa Monica, California in August 1972] was scheduled as MoWest 5025F, then cancelled

 

 

Bonus Tracks:

 

Walk On, Don't Look Back

(The Corporation™️)

Produced by The Corporation

Executive Producer: B.G.

Arranged by The Corporation™️ and Gene Page

Non-LP US single, Issued as MoWest 5026F A, August 1972

First Mix by Russ Terrana August 4^th 1972

 

How Come

(Robert B. Sherman-Richard M. Sherman)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Arranged by David Blumberg

Vocal Arrangements: Bob Gaudio

Track cut April 11, 1973; lead recorded April 12 and 13, 1973; background vocals added April 18 and 28, 1973 - Final Mix – May 5^th 1973

Non-LP single, issued as Motown 1255F A, May 1973

 

 

Life And Breath

(George S. Clinton)

Produced by Hal Davis

Arranged by James Anthony Carmichael

Track cut January 31, 1972; lead February 3 and 7, 1972; background vocals April 6, 1972

First Mix February 2^nd 1973 – Mix by Russ Terrana March 26^th 1973-Further Mix 18^th August 1975

Non-LP single, issued as Motown 1255F B, May 1973

 

Hickory

(Bob Crewe-Kenny Nolan)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Arranged by Charles Calello

Recording dates - November and December 1973 – Mixed December 11^th 1973

Non-LP single, issued as Motown 1288 A, February 1974

 

Charisma (unedited version)

(Bob Crewe-Kenny Nolan)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Arranged by Charles Calello

Recording dates - November 1973 – Mixed December 11^th 1973

Unissued on vinyl and NOT INCLUDED in Box Set by Bob Gaudio

 

 

Charisma (single version)

(Bob Crewe-Kenny Nolan)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Arranged by Charles Calello

Recording dates - November 1973 – Mixed December 11^th 1973

Edited version issued as non-LP single Motown 1288F B, February 1974

Included in the U.K. version of Inside You

 

 

 

Disc 31: The Motown Years – Disc 2

 

Inside You LP

 

Just Look What You Have Done

(Frank Wilson-R. Dean Taylor)

Produced by Hal Davis

Track cut August 9, 1971; lead cut January 17 and 20, and February 7, 1972; background vocals cut January 25, 1972

First Mix for DJ promo single release August 2, 1971. Released in November 1973 Motown 124-10. Final mixes for this album February 22, and August 21, 1975

 

Love Isn't Here (Like It Used To Be)

(Bob Gaudio-Brit Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 27, 1971; vocal overdubs October 27 and 28, November 2, 10, and 11, December 6, 7 and 8, 1971

 

Baby I Need Your Loving

(Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier-Edward Holland, Jr.)

Produced by Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson

Recording dates : November 1971

 

Inside You

(Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable : First Mix February 2, 1973 [24 mixes completed by August 21, 1975]

 

Thank You

(Willie Hutch)

Produed by Willie Hutch

Track cut October 20, 1971; Lead cut October 22 and 25, 1971

Final Mix for this album : August 19, 1975

 

Hickory

(Bob Crewe-Kenny Nolan)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Arranged by Charles Calello

Recording dates : November 1973: First Mix December 11,1973

 

Life And Breath

(George S. Clinton)

Produced by Hal Davis

Arranged by James Anthony Carmichael

Track cut January 31, 1972; lead February 3 and 7, 1972; background vocals April 6, 1972

Final Mix for this album August 18,1975

 

The Night

(Bob Gaudio-Al Ruzicka)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 28, 1971; vocals cut October 28, 30, November 5, 9, 10, December 8, 1971

Final Alternate Mix for this album by Russ Terrana August 20, 1975 [Mix 43]

 

With My Eyes Wide Open

(Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Bog Crewe and Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable ; First Mix February 2,1973: Final Mix for this album August 20, 1975

 

 

Inside You LP Credits:

Motown 852, October 1975

Issued with additional tracks in the U.K. on Tamla Motown MW7007

Mixed and mastered by Russ Terrana at Motown Recording Studios, Hollywood, California

Production Coordination: Suzee Wendy Ikeda

Art Direction: Frank Mulvey

Design: Snyder & Butler Advertising

Photography: Jim Britt

 

 

Bonus Tracks:

 

You've Got Your Troubles

(Roger Greenaway-Roger Cooke)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Arranged by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe

First Mix May 5, 1973

Non-LP single, issued as Motown 1251 A, May 1973

 

 

Listen To Yesterday

(Bob Gaudio-Bob Crewe)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Arranged by David Blumberg

Track cut December 9, 1972; background vocals December 21, 1972, and March 2, 1973; lead January 11, 1973; overdubs January 12, 1973; strings January 18, 1973

Non-LP single, issued as Motown 1251F B, May 1973 and Motown 1279F B, November 1973

 

The Scalawag Song (And I Will Love You)

Working title: Silver Fishes

(John Cameron)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Arranged by David Blumberg

From the Paramount Motion Picture Scalawag

Non-LP single, issued as Motown 1279F A, October 1973

Issued in U.K. version of Inside You

First Mix August 13,1973 [16 Mixes made by August 30, 1973]

 

Listen To Yesterday

(Bob Gaudio-Bob Crewe)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Arranged by David Blumberg

Track cut December 9, 1972; background vocals December 21, 1972, and March 2, 1973; lead January 11, 1973; overdubs January 12, 1973; strings January 18, 1973

Alternative Version not released on vinyl : [22 mixes made during February and March 1973]

 

 

Disc 32: The Motown Years – Previously Unreleased

 

My Heart Cries Out For You 

(Mel Larson-Jerry Marcellino)

Produced by Lar Mar

Track cut October 1, 1971; lead October 21 and December 8, 1971; background vocals October 26, 1971; strings November 1, 1971; horns November 24, 1971

 

What Love Has Joined Together

(William “Smokey” Robinson-Robert Rogers)

Produced by Al Cleveland-Lawrence Payton

Lead cut January 26, 1972, all other dates unknown

 

Loving You, That’s My Thing

(Al Ruzicka)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 26, 1971; background vocals October 28, 30, November 2 and 3 1971; lead October 30, November 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 14, 1971

 

Never Gonna Give My Love To You

(Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Track cut October 27, 1971; background vocals November 1, 3 and 4, 1971; lead November 3, 5, 8, 9 and 10, 1971; additional instrumentation December 9, 1971

 

Stop, Look, Listen To Your Heart

(Thom Bell-Linda Creed)

Produced by Hal Davis

Arranged by Gene Page

Lead cut, February 3, 1972; background vocals April 6, 1972; all other dates unknown

Final Mix August 10, 1972

Same backing track later used for Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, issued on the album

Diana & Marvin (1973)

 

Minute By Minute, Day By Day

(Michael Masser-Kathleen Wakefield)

Produced by Frankie Valli and Michael Masser

Track cut October 8, 1972; lead October 9, 10 and November 16, 1972; strings and horns November 24, 1972

 

After You 

(Ron Miller-Michael Masser)

Produced by Frankie Valli and Michael Masser

Track cut October 8, 1972; lead October 10, 1972; strings and horns November 24, 1972

 

Star

(Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Four Seasons, Bob Gaudio, and Bob Crewe

Track cut December 9, 1972; background vocals December 21 and 22, 1972; lead vocal December 29, 1972, January 3 and 5, 1973; strings January 18, 1973

 

Hymn To Her (When My Love Touches Me)

(Bob Crewe-Kenny Nowlan)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Recording dates : November 1973 : First Mix December 12, 1973

Mixed May 1974 for album release -cancelled

 

Lovers

(Bob Crewe-Kenny Nowlan)

Produced by Bob Crewe

Recording dates : November 1973 : First Mix December 12, 1973

Mixed May 1974 for album release -cancelled

 

You Can’t Hold On

(Robert John & Michael Gately) Correction April 2025

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Sax July 25, 1973; Lead and harmony January 25, 1974; all other dates unknown

First 5 Mixes May 24 and 25, 1974 for planned 45 and album release - cancelled

 

Whatever You Want

(Bob Crewe-Bob Gaudio)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Recording dates unavailable : Mix May 5^th 1974 for album release -cancelled

 

Future Years

(Tony Martin, Jr.-Guy Finley)

Produced by Bob Gaudio

Arranged by Dave Blumberg

Track cut May 30, 1973; demo vocal June 1, 1973; additional instrumentation May 31, 1973

Copied May 1974 for album release -cancelled

 

Bonus Tracks - No annotation - See Collectors Notes in the Box Set

 

Notes re authorship: Motown Annotations courtesy of Andrew Skurow/Universal Music Group

Addditional data in RED from Artists Cards by Ken Charmer – Master Track Advisor to the Snapper Music Box Set 2018 to 2022

 

 

The Snapper Music Box Set - The Post Project Review - Part Two

Having recovered from my own ‘grand opening’ of my Box Set with my son Mark, I have started to realise the ‘enormity’ of our achievement since 2018 in this ‘work of art’ by the team I assisted as ‘Master Track Adviser’ and what we learned in the process.

Last time in my first ‘Post Project Review’ I covered the concept and research work and how Bob Fisher and I worked with Bill Inglot to get a full list of tracks approved by Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli. Ian Crocket had convinced Snapper that this concept could be a reality.

In this blog I start to cover the written work and content as was achieved in the final issue. In many ways these blogs are a continuation and are complementary to my Collectors Notes…….and this remains the Box Set that keeps ‘giving and giving’ and those who have it are finding that. To some this review process may seem an irreverent and somewhat irrelevant commentary. But in the world of Collectors and curators facts are facts [unless told by ‘four guys’!!]

Paul Sexton ‘book’ included in the box set as a history of the Four Seasons has been long overdue and a superb effort. The Graphics and Design by Rachel Gutek are wonderful throughout, as are the photos, illustrations and memorabilia, many provided by our own John Pingree, Lynn Boleyn, Ray Nichol and myself but perhaps none are better than George Schowerer’s [Bob Crewe’s Sound Engineer] studio photos in 1967 at Mirasound Studios. The photos and memorabilia used are often very rare and outstanding throughout and it was pleasing to see all the full page album illustrations. Paul Urbahns who helped superbly on the project as one of our research team commented on the Book before we move onto the other blog reviews and comments across the internet.

“Paul [Sexton] puts a positive spin on everything, not really telling it like it was in Jersey Boys….and in the process some things fans and Paul may not know have arisen and been noted by the network of Collectors.

As was the original Box Set concept Paul does focus on the original albums, some have said a little too much as ….” we all know the 4 Seasons were a singles band and their albums were not generally big sellers. As Bob Gaudio famously pointed out they were not the Beach Boys or the Beatles. The various ‘Greatest Hits’ sets (Golden Hits, Gold Vault of Hits, Edizione D Oro, Story, etc) of the 60s are given the 'short shrift’. Those were their [and Philips] biggest sellers. Paul does admit Vee-Jay's Golden Hits, "which peaked at number 15 in the US, nevertheless spent 56 weeks on the chart - far longer than any original set in the group's entire history." From Paul Urbahns library of research we are told “the album remained a standard store stock item even after Vee-Jay ceased operation. ‘One Stop's’ around the country (that was the national record distribution network) had new copies in stock for years throughout the end of the 60s. In fact, two years after Vee-Jay closed, and Gold Vault of Hits had been issued, Billboard still listed Golden Hits of the Four Seasons in their ‘Guide To Basic Inventory’ for all record stores. The other Vee-Jay album that sold well after they closed was the ‘Best of Jerry Butler’. ‘Introducing The Beatles’ also outlived the label. But it was soon bootlegged. In fact most used copies available today are bootlegs.

The ‘Live On Stage’ (Vee-Jay album) goes largely unnoticed and unmentioned, except for a brief paragraph on page 50. [It is however put in context in my ‘Collectors Notes’ ed.] It is briefly mentioned that the group owing Vee-Jay an album and two singles in 1965 ‘to be issued 90 days apart.’ As one Collector noted…..”actually Crewe only provided one single (Little Boy in Grown Up Clothes) as for the second single Vee-Jay had to issue ‘My Mother's Eyes’ …..hacked crudely from the live sound album master. The very important mention of the Copa Club engagement in 1963 is in the Collectors Notes which is where the album came from isn't there. But it is so good to see the crazy ‘ad’ on page 33 for the June 27th Copa show. It looks like a Christmas show, complete with "Season's Greetings." The zodiac symbols in the background could easily be confused with snowflakes. But now we know the popular ‘Pat Cooper’ was the stand-up comedian on the same bill. It's too bad the Partnership did not open their files to Paul as there is much backstory they could have provided. The book is largely based on recorded interviews, as I understand it.”

“One thing that may mislead fans is reference to ‘Tommy Divito in playing excellent guitar on ‘Teardrops’. Collectors know from interview with Charles Calello and his book ‘Another Saeson’ that it was session player Vincent [Vinnie] Bell who used the same watery sound to make a big hit of the ‘Airport ‘Love Theme on DECCA in 1970. So apparently, he did not know that generally the 4 Seasons did not play on their songs. We know generally Bob Crewe hired NY session players and the 4 Seasons added vocals. There are a few places where individual musicians, mostly Tommy did play small parts. Primarily overdubs. Joe Long and Bob Gaudio clearly stated on the BB Saga Radio show, that the ‘Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’ was the first album the band actually played on.”

“There is almost no mention of Nick Massi leaving except what you would read in a press release and I learned more about Charles Callello's time as a "Season" from his book. No mention of three of the Seasons landing in jail in Columbus Ohio (not Cleveland as stated in Jersey Boys). So naturally no jail mug shot of Frankie Valli. It would be interesting to fans to see the mug shots of Bob and Tommy. As we all know Nick had left the group by then and wasn't arrested.”[notwithstanding the story in ‘Jersey Boys’]

There is one other mystifying comment which may have come from some old Philips ‘press release’. It is the assumption that Philips recorded and issued the Four Seasons song ‘Girl Come Running’ in four different languages, or that Philips issued their records through their 33 worldwide affiliates.(page 50). Paul suggests the group recorded the song in French, German and Italian. In 50 years collecting no-one as we know has ever found or heard foreign language recordings by the group, though it would have been a smart move for a company like Philips. In a five volume hardbound books re discography on Mercury and related labels which lists many foreign releases of US masters, there are no [foreign] listings. “Not even the Four Seasons Greatest Hits sets received any kind of routine overseas release. It appears to be very hit and miss,” one curator tells me. Basically Philips issued ‘Four Seasons’ material in English speaking countries/territories which number about 10 at the most….and in some countries like Spain, Italy and Japan, as their English recordings. Such information may clarify the ‘foreign picture sleeves’ in the 45s pics book.

“There are a few other mistakes but basically it is a well done and much needed book on the 4 Seasons which we fans have never had. There are several new excellent books issued every year on the Beach Boys and Beatles but the Four Seasons Story doesn't generate that type of interest. Probably why Rex Woodard could not find a publisher for his book with Tommy deVito. Now that is a book I would really like to read.”

There will be an attempt on the back of this Box Set release to get that book released as well as a book tracking the rise and fall of the group during the 1970s.

But back to the ‘concept’ that Ian Crocket ‘sold’ to Snapper. When we were asked to help Snapper back in 2018 it was clear that when the first album list from Bill Inglot arrived that once a MONO ‘unissued’ version of Genuine Imitation Life Gazette’[GILG] was found in the preliminary archived album list, they wanted to make GILG a focal showcase of the set as a vinyl insert. Hence, the inclusion of the vinyl copy, but after all our work, sadly a fan found the final vinyl pressing in the Box Set has a ‘speed’ flaw in the tape mastering process, that was corrected in the CD version. Mistakes can happen!!

it was also unfortunate that there is a supposed bonus from the ‘Close-Up’ album sessions of unreleased tracks. Do they exist? We later found that the ‘tape collector’ who had these denied they existed.

Snapper have spent so much time and money on this release (and it's been delayed several times due to Covid and production issues), but I am sure they are glad it's just out of the door. I am in a ‘review’ stage with regard to conflicting listing information and discs and the way forward re customers of a ‘very expensive set, at a time of a great cost of living crisis’. We will review and hopefully agree a process regarding the discrepancies later in the year for all customers, I am informed.

The Second Disc Review by Joe Marches drilled down into the highlights and the questions. But he recognises our main aim…...as Lynn Boleyn was asked by Snapper at our first meeting in London….’What do you want included?’…...’The Motown Unreleased’……..and as Joe says….. “The crown jewel of the box is Disc 22, premiering an album's worth of "lost" studio recordings from the Seasons' Motown tenure, all hand-selected by Bob Gaudio for the box”

The REVIEW continues as an expansion of my ‘Collectors Notes’ paying some high complements to the set as we work through our and forum responses of fan expectations and observations. Future blogs will cover facts not understood during the process of compiling and researching anomalies in the ‘masters’ as well as our ‘sound quality’ tests.

https://theseconddisc.com/2023/07/10/review-frankie-valli-and-the-four-seasons-working-our-way-back-to-you-the-ultimate-collection/

But we are all happy that we achieved what we have and Snapper have advised after only six weeks since release more copies have been asked for by Bob and Frankie with 25 delivered for family and friends ……..and sets have been delivered to Kenny Nolan, Charles Calello, Lee Shapiro and John Paiva who all helped make this set happen in major yet individual ways……..with Billy Joel, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson wanting copies along with major label executives who know and respect Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons history.

[Brian Wilson about to open his copy of the Box Set]

The final word on our Part 2 review though goes to Bob Gaudio and his message to our team through Snapper…..”To anyone who made the remotest contribution to this legacy tribute that we are hopefully worthy of...I can only say “brilliance “ I will always have an undying respect for you. Thanks to all

Bob G”

The Snapper Music Box Set - The Project Review - Part One

When as as longstanding Four Seasons fan you get an invite to a Record Company in London with the offer to help with a Mega Box Set of their catalogue including any unreleased tracks you could find!!!!!…you are not going to say NO …...BUT it happened and we thought [Lynn Boleyn and I] we were in dreamland…..particularly when you have loved and collected the music for nearly 60 years.

But for us, it had been an idea back as members of the Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society [FSUKAS] in 2006 to find a way to rescue the catalogue from vinyl. The Four Seasons Partnership at the time were totally locked into the success of ‘Jersey Boys’ and unfortunately the ‘Jersey Beat’ Box Set [June 2007] was not up to the sound quality we expected. I had agreed with the late Stefan Wriedt [renowned German Mastering Engineer] that the Four Seasons Catalogue needed to be 'salvaged' from either Master Tapes, vinyl or CD. The search by 2011 resulted in a plan…...but with Stefan passing away in 2015…..it was very much a ‘lost dream’.

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

After the offer by Snapper Music in August 2018, the project plan we and they implemented (and supported by Warner-Curb, Rhino, Universal and the FSP) was to ‘interrogate’ the FSP tape storage to produce new digital transfers for Snappers UK based Sound Engineer to re-master based on selections conducted by Bob Fisher and I from transfers [analogue tape to digital] by Bill Inglot and his engineers. With John Pingree’s memorabilia, Rachel Gutek’s design and UK collaborators Ken Sharp and Paul Sexton, the aim was to get the BIG PICTURE on a big career of Frankie Valli and all of his Four Seasons since the year that name was settled upon for them[well almost!!] . They did appear again as Billy Dixon and the Topics between the release of ‘Bermuda b/w Spanish Lace’ and SHERRY.

The BIG picture regarding the compilation and sound quality involved 2 objectives for Bob Fisher and I, to assist Bill Inglot and Peter Reynolds, who has mastered the set.

1. To find and decide upon the BEST Masters to be used in the Box Set....for each of the albums. ‘Compilation’ albums were only ‘raided’ for ‘unique’ alternative mixes [except for the never before ‘properly’ released Bob Crewe Masters 2 LP set ‘Edizione D’Oro’ from 1968]. We had to check the tapes were complete with no tracks 'pulled' and not returned. Also with other non-LP tapes we had to establish if the versions were unique and alternative to the album versions

2. To find as many Unreleased Tracks as possible...from ‘sessions’, LIVE Tapes or ‘other sources’ so that the Box Set was sufficiently different to past releases....and was as comprehensive an Anthology as is possible

This was also necessary to justify the price as the aim was ‘top quality’ re both artwork and sound quality. A daunting, and some would have said impossible task given the years and sessions since 1961.

Obviously we did not completely achieve this given the fact that virtually all of the 1960s multi-tracks have been lost or destroyed. Also, of the number of tapes in the FSP Storage examined, 95% proved to be ‘Safety Copies’ at 15 ips, or lower [rather than the studio session tapes at 30 ips] and in some cases they were clearly 4th/5th Generation copies. With ‘tape baking’ necessary for many tapes it is a wonder that Analogue to Digital transfers were possible.

Then even scouring fan archives and the limited number of known 'other sources’, less unreleased tracks were found than we hoped for. No ‘studio based’ [e.g. Philips, Private Stock, Sigma Studio etc] ‘other sources’ could be researched [although we tried] and the rest of the content came from the FSUKAS Digital Archive of tracks salvaged from a network of Collectors. This included cassette tapes of former Four Seasons, now sadly no longer with us. Unfortunately, we did not get to interrogate the Motown period archive [1971 to 1973]. BUT we knew from over 10 years of searching paper records within Universal that this archive of 29 Multi-track session tapes contained potentially 30+ completed tracks and alternate mixes. These were the only ‘known’ remaining 16 track session tapes still existing from Frankie Valli’s whole career. The project involved getting copies of these to Bob and Frankie for review which we did, but they only approved 13 for release. These plus the ‘unheard’ Bob Crewe ‘LOST DISCO ALBUM’ remained our key finds for the unreleased content. Fortunately the quality of content and sound for these was the best we could have hoped for.

Adam White did a good review of the 3 Motown Discs here.

But what of the rest?

With the 60s album tapes being such a risky venture ‘sound wise’ we found that the BEST sounding quality tracks from the Vee-Jay era were on the ‘Delivery Tapes’ from the ‘Masters’ surrendered when the company went bust in 1966 and Bill Inglot had in previous work in the late 1980s created a ‘RECONSTRUCTED’ version of the ‘Sherry and 11 Others’ album in STEREO. We asked Reynolds Mastering to re-construct all of the Vee-Jay albums from these excellent Master Tape copies [both MONO and STEREO]. As for all of the Philips albums from the 1960s we discovered and also included all of these in MONO for the first time. We even replaced ‘lost’ 45 Masters from MINT collectors vinyl at high sound quality capture.

After 4 years work and 2,000 plus hours of track reviews and salvage work by Bob Fisher and I, a final list of MASTERS was approved by Bob Gaudio.

But then my good friend and co-compiler Bob Fisher suddenly passed away and with production delays, the project was at risk during Covid and pushed to its limits by the sheer size and licensing requirements. Inevitably in such circumstances some tracks were cut due to space limits and quality issues and ua handful of previously ‘unreleased’ tracks were accidentally omitted.

My ‘post project reviews’ will document these few ‘errors’ as well as final sound quality results/limits we were able to achieve as a team. And then there are the ‘Out-Takes’ DISC’s 45 and 46, which Bob Fisher and I started work on before his untimely passing. All tracks are fortunately digitally stored for the future. Whether ‘licensing’ and funding will ever see these released ‘commercially’ remains to be seen?

What we have however in the newly released BOX SET, is a massive achievement like nothing before…... celebrating a great career. Sometimes achieving 98% of your objectives in a ‘project’ has to be very satisfying given the problems the team faced. Happy listening and reading. The REAL story of the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli is here.

More soon.......Ken Charmer

 

Artificial Intelligence[AI] meets Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons!

As a music historian and researcher for a few decades now I have, with network colleagues, always looked for the next step and more stories from the past relating to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Whilst compiling the Box Set I started to explore AI. The world of sound engineering has for a few years started to experience AI tools that allow separation of music and vocals in songs and not just for the benefit of 'karaoke'.

Today there is now much 'furore' re the risks and dangers of the potential hazards whilst some praise it's ability to compile amazing text from simple questions. There is much more to it's ability to process and analyze data, but for fun I thought I would test it's ability to 'correctly' provide feedback re our favourite group. ChatGPT has recently caused a lot of reaction on the www and it has been banned in Italy. Frankie's influence....?....haha

Well we joined and asked it a couple of questions to test it out. We know it uses vast amounts of text data from internet sources and we all know that the Wikipedia data re the group and Frankie is pretty accurate. So we asked it a simple question......

“Define the core appeal of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons”

Its response was reasonable and what we would all expect.......

“Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were a popular American rock and pop band in the 1960s known for their unique vocal harmonies and catchy melodies. The core appeal of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons was their ability to blend different musical genres, including doo-wop, rock and roll, and soul, into a distinctive sound that captivated audiences of the time.

One of the main attractions of the group was the high-pitched and powerful vocals of lead singer Frankie Valli. His unique falsetto voice, which he used to great effect on many of the band's biggest hits, such as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and "Walk Like a Man," made him a standout performer in an era of memorable vocalists.

The band's signature sound was also characterized by their tight harmonies, intricate arrangements, and catchy hooks that made their songs instantly recognizable and memorable. This made them popular with a broad range of audiences, from teenagers to older adults, and helped them achieve lasting success and influence in the music industry.

Overall, the core appeal of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons was their ability to create music that was both musically sophisticated and accessible, with memorable melodies and lyrics that touched on universal themes of love, loss, and heartbreak.”

So far so good......but next we delved into the subject of our research to see what it knew about 'what we know' of the “Motown Unreleased”.........

“What is known of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Unreleased Tracks at Motown”

Its reply and the data collected was such complete 'garbage', that we can all see the weakness of this AI tool......

“Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons are a popular American rock band that rose to fame in the 1960s. While they are best known for their hits like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," they also recorded several unreleased tracks at Motown, the famous Detroit-based record label.

Some of the unreleased tracks recorded by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons at Motown include "Angel Don't Fly Away," "When the Morning Comes," "Sun Country," and "You're the One." These tracks were recorded in the mid-1960s, but for various reasons, they were not released by the record label.

In 2019, a collection of these unreleased tracks was finally released as part of a box set titled "Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons: The Motown Years." This box set contains 52 tracks, including the previously unreleased songs and a number of alternate takes and demos.

The Motown recordings showcase a different side of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, with a more soulful and R&B-influenced sound. The band's harmonies are as tight as ever, and Valli's unmistakable falsetto shines on many of the tracks.

Overall, the unreleased tracks recorded by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons at Motown offer a fascinating glimpse into the band's creative process and evolution during a pivotal period in their career.”

The para's above in 'RED' are totally incorrect and show the danger of using such tools at present and the need to focus on the facts we have researched and presented in our FB Page....'The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign' and this blog. There is still much to discover as recent blogs show and the Snapper Music Box Set will establish more of this nearly lost music, which we hope will see further research and release in 'Future Years' [one of the songs on Disc 22].

In the meantime we will continue to experiment with AI ….BUT …...in the form of the 'Moises' Digital Extraction Tool to create 'new mixes' of our favourite artists. These tools have allowed us to create TRUE STEREO versions of songs like 'Ronnie' which have only ever survived as a MONO recording with the master tapes lost back in the 1960s.

https://moises.ai

You will find our efforts over the last year or so at the MowestChameleon You Tube site.......along with our Seasons On Saturday Video Podcasts exploring the history of the Four Seaons and Frankie Valli's recordings.

Here is one of our fave creations taking the original MONO only version of 'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine' from 45 to create a new 'first time EVER version in STEREO' of the of the pre Walker Brothers recording by Frankie Valli.

The lesson of this article is as with any tool or search engine.......use human skills to test and fine tune the results so the data is accurate. But there is much more to come as we explore the DES AI tool further this year as it continues to learn and improve. ….....Never damaging or destroying any aspects of the original sound......but simply allowing it to be heard in a different 'mix'

Casey Chameleon

Lost and Not Found – Motown remains 'The Holy Grail'

It all goes back to 2011 and Bill Hollands article titled - 'Labels Strive to Rectify Past Archival Problems' in which he highlighted the problems of the Motown Archive in New York State.......but also to the shock of us finding 3 songs from a cassette tape of Bob Crewe acetates that showed that the Tape Index sent to us by an ex-Motown employee was totally correct......the tracks existed and were not all 'out of key demos' as Peter Bennett, the FSP lawyer had told us in 2008. As the Artists Card shows there are 43 SMX[Stereo Mixes.....all saved to safety T Tapes] of the Four Seasons biggest hit at the label and one of their most loved UK Hits, 'The Night'. They have certainly not been 'pulled' and supplied to Bob Gaudio as the Motown Librarian Andy Skurow hasn't found this Artists Card in Motown's Microfiche Library.

Legendary Motown Sound Engineer Russ Terrana mixed the first 14 STEREO Mixes on 1^st February 1972 and the last of those mixes was probably the one selected for the 'Chameleon' album. But as the need for a single release increased after the album release in May 1972, it was mixed 7 more times on 6^th June. Motown hesitated over a single release but did Mixes 22 to 34 on 8^th July and again Mixes 35 to 39 on 13^th and a demo/acetate was done. But MoWest chose 'Walk On, Don't Look Back' for US release and pushed the track to a UK release in October 1972. This would ultimately lead to it becoming a hit. Only 'we', can reveal this story from the above Artists Card. It's success was made as an essential playlist track at the Northern Soul Club, Wigan Casino [a former theatre] in 1974 which led to it's re-release in March 1975 and a Nr 7 UK Hit.

Motown asked Russ Terrana to revisit the Master Sessions and he found an Alternate Take featuring Frankie Valli's intro[instead of the Four Seasons] for Mixes 40 to 43 in August 1975 for their 'Inside You' album after the group had left the label. These various unreleased mixes although of interest to fans have not been recovered from Motown's vaults as I write this. Maybe it is deemed 'not worth the cost or trouble'. Just another track with alternative Masters we would like to hear.

Bill Holland captured the problem of Motown and other 'majors' back in 2011 when he said.......

“The Motown vault, now owned by Universal, is estimated to be about 30,000 tapes, and is "typical of a smaller company of that era," said one veteran whose first-hand observations were corroborated by other sources. A peek at the Motown vault serves also as a description of the holdings of other once- small labels that came to prominence in the '60s.

The good news in the case of Motown is that they have most of the masters and most of the multitrack reels, but engineers and producers taped over a lot of sessions. Tape was expensive. They'd get a master and then use the rest of the reel for the next session. So there aren't many alternate takes. There never were.”

That however isn't the case with the FV/4S tracks listed as 'unreleased' except perhaps for the ones with the same songs recorded by Michael and Jermaine Jackson or The Jackson Five. Many session mix downs from the Valli/Seasons sessions were copied to safety 'T' Tapes as was normal at the West Coast Studios......in Detroit these were DM tapes. Bill Holland again.......

"Also, there are safeties or copies of probably everything on so-called DM (lesser quality, backup) reels. They'd copy these copies off when they sent the production masters to the pressing plant. Some are on standard 1/4" tape, but 300 or so mono tracks are stripped onto three-track reels, like 36 songs, 12 squeezed on one track, end to end.

"Some of the mixed masters are missing or hard to find--I wouldn't say gone," said another source. "A lot of them have been recovered over the years, those left stored at outside mastering labs. Most acetates and metal parts (not as necessary in a tape-era vault) are long gone, though.”

“Other masters are just worn from use, so to get the best sound, you have to remix," said a source. "And the problem of remixing from the multitracks is that it's very hard to duplicate the 'Motown mix' sound-- they had their own custom EQ boards, custom reverb.

"If you look hard enough, though, you can find a substitute (of the era). Take Stevie Wonder's 'Fingertips': there might be like 20 mixes, done at five sessions, all stored in different places. They'd do a song until they got it right. The problem is finding the right version."

All the sources said that the Motown vault has many unreleased masters of both well-known and lesser- known artists, and many reels of live shows. "They used to bring a three track machine down to the Twenty Grand Club in Detroit to record on weekends for years."

Overall, the various sources said, the Motown vault is in good shape. "But trying to find the definitive master can be a problem," said a source. "Remember, the label has gone through four owners, three cities, and seven addresses, if you include Detroit."

"Other indies, especially smaller companies, had the same 'tape-over-it' policy to keep costs down," said another source. "But even RCA, Capitol, ABC, Mercury-Smash,[Vee-Jay] and Philips-Mercury had policies in place throughout the '60s and '70s of reusing, scrapping or not storing multitrack session tapes, and just keeping mixed masters.” This has been the policy for the FSP storage for all of the analogue history of recordings by 'The Four Seasons' and 'Frankie Valli' as our tape Research revealed with just Safety Copies from the Studios.

Stuff is just missing and no-one knows where it may be..but we found what we could with Bill Inglot. It is a common problem with many artists.

”Sony can't find some Bang label multitrack masters. On the other hand, somebody opened a mystery box at BMG the other day and found some unreleased 'Hot Tuna'. It happens all the time in the industry." ...said a Bill Hollands source.

There is no evidence the FV/4Seasons recordings as dentified as existing in the Tape Index were taped over but the tapes need research to find their efforts with the various producers. Also tracks not known to be completed [but were listed] have been found with producer Michael Masser. I did not get to share the extensive data I had found on Artists Cards with Andy Skurow when he ordered the tapes down for review from Iron Mountain based on the Motown Tape Index. Just some confirmation from his partial scan of tape box data of what should have been there from the index and a few surprise tracks with vocals like 'Chained' and 'Starvin For Your Love' being found[but not approved for release]. The fact is they all needed 'listening tests' …......but clearly Bob Gaudio did some as we got 13 approved although not the 30 plus we expected to be found. Such is life as a music detective!! Bob Gaudio did not share the findings of his review of the Master Tapes nor do we know if he received all we had listed.

We were however given full access to the tapes Bill Inglot was rummagind through and those he digitized for us...well almost!!!...we did not get any of the 16 track tapes that he found for listening....but in a last push he found the best of the pre-Motown 'unreleased' and sent them.

Also when searching the FSP Storage Tape Box Scans we found a 5 “reel Master can with five 'unreleased titles'.......but when we played the tape it unfortunately turned out to be a 'distorted' two track MONO version of the Studio Masters recordings of 'Timeless'.......so with one track still intact we recovered the recordings for inclusion as the only surviving 'Timeless' MONO 'LIVE' recordings....recorded before the final mix 'takes' used in past releases.

Of the original tape of 5 lost 'unreleased' tracks ????......maybe in another box or possibly 'stolen'!!!!!...and when did this loss occur....maybe back in the 1960s!!!!......we never got to search anymore. The budget for transfers 'ran out'....and there are 200+ unmarked tapes still there 'unresearched'.

So you have to find and play the tapes......Bob Gaudio said that he couldn't remember [the titles at Motown] we advised him of and he would 'go through them with Frankie at the weekend' …....Frankie of course has a great memory......as he was on all of the tracks with several different producers......some Stereo and Mono mix-down test versions made it to 'Evaluation Tapes' in 1973 and got copied to the FSP storage and we found them and they will no doubt appear in due course as alternate takes as they have slightly different orchestra and vocal...[hopefully in the Snapper Music Box Set as we asked]...but all are complete session master mixes. We even know of two whole albums mixed and assembled for release and abandoned at Motown. We know the Production Tape numbers .....Do Bob or Frankie know this ? The tapes just needed finding and none have surfaced yet.....but 'listening tests' are needed for all of the identified tapes and should be shared with the 'curation' team. We know the Tape Numbers......are they still there?

We have found 90% of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Catalogue.......but not all......and not the alternate takes and mixes..and 13 of a potential 30 unheard songs at Motown. As another collector said of the problems with finding masters: "I've found tapes in every imaginable place, not just vaults. In basements, even unheated garages. Unmarked boxes, no track sheets, the works.” There is more to be found.

Bill Holland again as he interviewed researchers......"We found the tapes for Leiber and Stoller's indie labels, Daisy, Red Bird, Tiger, Blue Cat masters, in the old Brill Building. In an unoccupied room on top of a file cabinet by an open window. Exposed to New York summers and winters since probably 1963. They were like linguini in the boxes. Believe it or not, once we re-wound them and worked on them, the tapes played fine."

The reason to act is because as Bill Holland put it.....”Most of the 65 experts interviewed for this article expressed concern about the future of archiving recorded sound. First, they were concerned that with the CD reissue boom of the late '80s and early '90s apparently leveling off, [and now receding by the 2020's as streaming and downloads grow in dominance].......funding for archiving and preservation efforts at some companies are already becoming a lesser priority.[this is now known to be the defacto situation post pandemic] And they are also worried about reliable preservation in a digital universe.”

And as was stated by 'Second Disc'....”With the end of every year comes 50th anniversary batches of classic past outtakes and ephemera surreptitiously dumped onto digital music services - all to preserve the copyright to prevent the 50 year European gray-market from taking advantage of lapsed copyrights.” Pink Floyd/The Beatles and The Beach Boys are all taking care to protect recordings with digital downloads as are many other artists from the 1970s. We have supplied many unreleased and salvaged LIVE tracks for the FSP now, in the Snapper Music Box Set from decades of collecting......and at Motown tracks like the unheard and unreleased 'Chained' and 'Save The Children' by Frankie Valli will have dropped out of copyright and more will as the year ends......but there is no movement from Universal or the FSP re more Motown so the question arises......who owns these 1971 to 73 'Unreleased' Motown vaulted tracks? The rest drop out of copyright for Universal as the original owners at the end of 2023.

We are still on course for the FSP and Snapper Music to deliver the NEW SET of the 'Whole Catalogue Masters' in April/May and for this eventually to be available also in the strengthening digital streaming/download age in time. And we look for more to be added as the 'Out-Take' CD' [Disc 46] of tracks salvaged that did not make it into the Box Set. We still have many tracks and by investing in SSD.......[Solid State Disc Storage for digital masters] ….....THE NEW LIBRARY of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons will be created from 2023 onwards by us[in the best sound quality avaialble] as we have collected since 1988 from our CD discography....

https://www.seasonally.co.uk/CDDiscog_files/Page685.htm

We are lucky to have had the opportunity to help salvage this music since 2018 for all of the fans.....it is a set curated by the fans and for the fans. We also already have THE MONO 45 Archive from 1961 to 1970 and have now recovered more MONO 1970 mixes........More Motown unreleased?????? Only Bob Gaudio can say YES!.....will he and Frankie invest in recovering the art for art's sake? The future beckons.......

Casey Chameleon

PS.....Our research enabled me to create a re-mix of an underdub recording of 'The Night' from the many mixes done. It captures more of the instrumentation and minus the 'dreaded' tambourine in the official mix. An interesting 'mix'.

Happy New Year everyone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgxYNbX7Scc

The FSUKAS End Of Year Report – 'It’s CHRISTMAS'

Well another year gone and all a bit older but after previous FINAL TOUR visits since 2017 we had the joy of another UK visit and a chance to enjoy Frankie Valli [with his music, singers and band]. A final chance to see him perhaps, but also a broadcast PBS show at Mohegan Sun [which many have seen] was also a treat for fans.

Our aim has, since 2018, been to get the 'Unreleased' tracks and the issued albums and singles out in the LIMITED EDITION Snapper Music Box Set. The delay to the issue from December to [we hope no later than] April was a big disappointment. The confirmation of the content [as finalised and approved with the late Bob Fisher and I] has not been updated on the web site either. We did it all to celebrate the work of Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio in the studio with Frankie Valli. We even found a LIVE studio recording of 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' for inclusion as the photo below illustrates them recording [Photo courtesy of George Schowerer - Sound Engineer: Mirasound Studios].

But with so much income for the labels and FSP from this £875,000 project, it makes it the biggest and clearly the best ever presentation of their career......and maybe amongst their last CD based release as the music industry boast a major growth in streaming access?. Check out some of the forecasts here.

https://victrola.com/blogs/articles/what-is-the-future-of-music-in-the-digital-age

Global News tells us........”There is something very, very wrong with today’s music. It just may not be very good.” This is NOT actually correct as there are some brilliant new voices and stylists around today, but taken generally they make a good point........“Current” music 'is becoming progressively less popular' when measured by the number of streams and sales. Whatever is being released today just isn’t resonating with the public the way it did in the past. People are showing a growing interest in listening to older music instead. And there’s still more to consider. Cast your mind back to 1962. Music that was thirty years old then 'sounded' old. Not only was modern pop music still developing, but we’d barely begun to use things like electric guitars and proper amps. Effects pedals hadn’t been invented yet nor had synthesizers. Recording studios were primitive things compared to today, capable of only producing material in mono [like 'Sherry'...ed.] But then starting sometime around 1969, the sonic quality of recordings reached new levels. A song recorded in 1972 sounds every bit as good as something recorded this year. (In fact, you can make an argument that because of over-production, digital technology, and too much compression, older records sound 'better' than what we have today.)” That is certainly true of the coming Motown Unreleased in the Snapper Music Box Set.

Though streaming may provide 82% of the Music Industry income, with the massive number of tracks needed to maintain growth, it has work to do. The Hype Magazine says that, less noticed, are .....“the shortcomings of the music streaming market. A less known effect is related to the pay for the artists. It seems that the division of the fee does not favour the artists, no matter how frequently their songs are played. The streaming channels, the major labels and the most famous artists are getting a higher percentage of the fee. Smaller and medium size artists, even though popular, come last. This is because the fans don’t have a say in the way fees get allocated.”

But CD Box Set releases are the in-style releases on line but generally because they sell between £25 and £50 for mini sets of up to 6 CDs. To those used to owning a disc or download, the forthcoming Box Set will provide the Four Seasons Partnership and the fans with a new set of masters rather than waiting for them to choose to 'stream' them sometime in the future. But whether we consume our FV/4S music as files or as streamed consumption we want it when we want it via instant access now. Our role as 'curators' of the 'Four Seasons History' has been revitalised by the research we were able to do for the Box Set and it opened up so much information to introduce new fans to the music and as a source to find out more. Although we haven't updated our web site since 2018, [www.seasonally.co.uk] it remains an essential source re discographies and reference articles....so it answers many needs and our two Facebook pages offer places to post videos and You Tube tracks as well as regular discussion, blogs and videocasts. We intend to keep this flow of information as a free resource for all fans and collectors.

In the 'Seasons On Saturday' videocasts we will continue to explore with our panel of expert collectors/fans/former Seasons the research we have done into the 'real story' of the Four Seasons MUSIC..[NOT the 'Jersey Boys' one.].. ...focussing on how it was created.....how it succeeded [or failed] in each decade of the last century since the 1950s. We as the 'curation network' are predominantly the BABY BOOMERS......and whilst we do not have an infinite 'value', we are 20% of the UK population...we are as old as we are and want the product we want......we are tech 'embracers'...so in the UK 13.6m of us love music and if only 50% know and love Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as they were 'enshrined ' as the Jersey Boys'.....then over 6m will be interested in a GOOD and INTERESTING product like the Snapper Music Box Set. Data showsthat boomers are active on social media, spending around one hour 48 minutes a day browsing Facebook and Instagram. They are 19% more likely to share content than any other generation, and 58% more likely than millennials to click through to a brand’s website from a social media post. and make up one of the wealthiest generations, with one in five classed as millionaires.[not in our network unfortunately....at the moment......well no-one is admitting to that!!!]

According to a report published in The Financial Times, it’s estimated that of every £1 of household wealth in the UK, boomers own 36 pence. Brands that offer high-quality products or services will win the hearts of baby boomers and will turn them into brand advocates. There’s already a whole host of baby boomers smashing stereotypes on Instagram, showing people they can be who they want and dress as they like at any age. Baby boomers believe their glory days are still ahead of them. Therefore, marketers must tap into these desires to effectively sell their services and products. Boomers are influencers.

BUT a 'lethargy' has developed in the Music Industry and it has stopped the Record Business!. For example majors like Universal Motown are taking several years to get projects to the Record Companies for their issue [and doing none internally] and so everything has ground to a halt. The Music Business 'Big Three'.....[Universal/Sony/Warner] only want mega video and sound projects selling millions of copies and short term revenue. The laws of the universe will change this as it is a short term fix to get annual revenues. It can't last. We see the big picture and what we have achieved in the last 12 years. Artists need to take control of their catalogue and copyrights.......and if it costs money then please invest.

We as a network of 'curators' have enabled Snapper Music to create the most in-depth representation of a 'brand' from the Four Seasons in 1962 to Frankie Valli up to 2010, in a unique and very comprehensive catalogue of music/pictures/memorabilia and stories, ..although the music will remain the same...just the original mixes [but so much more of it] will be re-mastered... in a CLASSIC ANTHOLOGY The FSUKAS world- wide network want to be 'influencers' with a knowledge base better than any through their career. We are continuing to push for more visionary 'projects' to bring what we know is unheard and unreleased music from the past into all futures. The Motown Tapes remain the biggest [and only known] set of 'session tapes' and mixes, but we know that other sources....including Bob and Frankie have unreleased music stored. Universal and the other two 'majors' are finding the costs of recovery and digitally re-mastering the stored 'unreleased' tracks even by classic established artists like Frankie Valli difficult to deliver due to the costs of extraction, mixing and re-mastering. It is unclear just how many of the Motown session tapes Bob Gaudio has been sent? We will keep asking to be told and have our research verified [as the Box Set shows] or proved wrong. We will not accept otherwise. BUT....The Snapper Music Box Set is coming out next year, after 4 years...... it is too close to GO!!! Collect your Box Set here.!!!!....the full catalogue.

With our own 're-mixing' efforts using AI we hope to deliver new ways to hear what exists on tape/disc and we will generate more Digitally Extracted Stereo [DES] mixes in the future. We don't do 'cover groups/versions' in our FB groups but are happy to hear previously unheard or live tracks including the creation of different ways to hear the original...[we hope to have the 'Dawn' and 'Rag Doll' albums in full and balanced DES next year]...... 'That Four Seasons Sound'...will live on and get stronger as more younger people want to know more re how this amazing music was made. Our focus remains on discussion/research and sharing the information and making sure all the very best 'mixes' are preserved and available. And we have the backing of one of the world’s TOP RESTORATION SOUND ENGINEERS willing to help us find ways to research and deliver new projects. It is an offer we can't refuse.

This is the essence of 'curation' in the 21^st Century, via the expert network we have developed. But as has become obvious from the Snapper Music Project, “the artists and followers will need to have a much closer and mutual interaction. They will be able to influence each other for the benefit of good quality music.”.....Hopefully Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli are listening. The days of'Alexa …..play me Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Rare and Unreleased?' are coming........!

Next year our Seasons On Saturday videocasts will cover the Motown period in the early 1970s and the second 'hit making' iteration of Frankie and the group through to 1980. How a misguided Berry Gordy lost control of his move to LA, to create the West Coast Sound of pop......or soul.....but created a 'goldmine of productions the world is demanding we should hear. We will keep 'Campaigning' for their release. Our message to Bob Gaudio is 'If you want to maximise profit?....Join the Record Companies, and wait for years”......but if you want to recognise 'art'.......join the 'Curators'. You know where we are. We can help you develop your own approach.....and maybe this is it?

So it has been a good year and hopefully next year’s release will be as 'big' as many of the long term collectors believe. A real platform for Volume 2 of the Music Detective work we want to help lead.

Our audience is growing and when they see and hear the results in the Snapper Box Set, the next phase will launch, as the fans will want more.

Here is one of our best DES mixes from 2022

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpXHrDxcpM0

And the group's accapella version from 1992

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIfif0KOe7c

And this new DES Mix works so well with centered vocals

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4QMPFAZ5-c

Join us on Facebook for news of rare recordings and the research......

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1049892628364291

and to catch recordings of LIVE concert clips from Carlos and Carmine visit the OFFICIAL 'fanzone' at.....

https://www.facebook.com/groups/frankievallifans

Happy Christmas and a Healthy New Year to all readers and contributors via our Facebook pages.....from Spain.........Ken Charmer

 

The Four Seasons at Motown – The UNRELEASED Story in 2022

As we approach Thanksgiving, which is not a ‘holiday’ we celebrate in Europe, I recognize it is a time to celebrate as a family of fans what we have achieved in researching and finding the Unreleased work by Frankie Valli….AND The Four Seasons…..either as a group or solo entity and much of that research has resulted in the transfer of many 16 track Masters to Bob Gaudio [The Four Seasons Partnership – FSP] for his evaluation and for the approval of 13 previously unreleased tracks for inclusion in the forthcoming Snapper Music Box Set coming to release in 2023.

Even allowing for the delays, it will be the biggest and best release ever of their work after revisiting their analogue tapes. But it will not be the full story as I will document re potential sources of stored masters in the future from our research. For now, here is the latest known research of the Tapes at Universal [Motown] as we advised Snapper Music and the Universal Library Manager and Bob Gaudio [via Snapper].

There seems to be little in terms of paper records re the Four Seasons with the Universal Library Manager re this peiod apart from tape Boxes wheras we have Spreadsheet Records and Database Printouts as well as Artists Cards that detail the recordings done and the registration in many cases. We know that Tape Box research was done and Tapes Ordered from the Iron Mountain Storage for checking but only one tape box scan was supplied to the UK research team which confirmed what we knew of that tape to be correct. The issue of the cost of mixing down 16 track songs was admitted to by Bob Gaudio when it was clear the limits of visual Tape Box Review showed ‘listening tests’ were necessary. The budget issue arose. The songs that 'appear' [from the partial Tape Boxes inspection by the Library Manager] to have vocals.....were listed....BUT..... 'This is not a guarantee.  They could be demos or scratch vocals, or miss-marked.  They will need to be transferred and played to see if they do. [exist] ‘.  We had a Database and Artists Cards which coincided with these titles but our records of mixes and Masters were not used in this research.

Working through the Tape Index in numeric order now, this is the latest information we have of what UNRELEASED tracks MAY exist based on paper records and demonstrates what remains to be confirmed or not.

Recordings started in October 1971 on a contract for 8 potential tracks by Frankie Valli solo with various in-house ‘producers’ and a ‘self-contained’ group effort of 12 songs as confirmed by Bob Gaudio in interview in 1971. Below are our finds from paper records gathered over the last 22 years re the 16 track session Master Tapes for tracks identified as potentially complete and ready for release[i.e.with a Motown Master Nr] either from SMX [stereo mixes done at the time] or Mix-Downs from the 16 track Master. The Motown Master Tape Database indicates that there are 32 UNRELEASED tracks given Master Nrs as completed/registered tracks in sessions.  Tapes not highlighted below remain unknown from the Librarians Tape Box review. As far as we are aware Bob Gaudio was sent copies of 16 track tapes but we have no knowledge if he or the Universal Librarian have conducted full ‘listening’ evaluation or if Bob Gaudio has received all of these tapes. As was said...'Lastly, there are songs with possible alternate vocal takes, but it depends on if Bob Gaudio wants these alternates available'........Clearly some completed tracks have been found and mixed down and approved for release which we are all happy about. This current Motown Master Tape Review is solely based on my records and reported Tape Box lists.

The big benefit of the last 12 years work was to demonstrate a ‘goldmine’ of LOST tracks by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons at Motown and now both Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli know the inherent value of these tracks. They are in my opinion exceptional and well worthy of release in what I believe will be groundbreaking Catalogue Review. Whilst they did not get any royalties from their contract at Motown they have we assume gained some agreement with Universal for the release as expected of 13 tracks in 2023 as highlighted, and we believe and have been told that over 20 tracks as highlighted should exist in some form. The remaining tracks are listed in paper records at Universal Motown but have not been revealed as existing. However as I have said we have no evidence from Snapper that full listening tests have been done by either the Motown Tape Librarian or Bob Gaudio [and possibly his son Shannon]. This is not a complaint…just what we understand at this point in time. However enough have been reviewed for Bob Gaudio to have mixed the 13 approved tracks for inclusion. The rest MAY NOT be deemed good enough for release….but what about  any of the alternative or extended versions found on acetate or in FSP storage as evaluation copies.? We know of several such versions. We have been able to ensure knowledge of some of the above as acetate dubs on You Tube…just search …. Four Season Motown Unreleased You Tube.

Any issue of such ‘unreleased’ material is, of course, the right of the FSP but it is worth considering that any unreleased tracks at Universal Motown will drop out of copyright by December 2023 [under UK Law], although these would have to be purchased for anyone to release them and extend the copyright. The UK Government website says of sound recordings that copyright exists for …”50 years from the year in which the sound recording was made. If during that period the sound recording is published or made available to the public (e.g. by being played in public or broadcast), copyright lasts for 70 years from that year.”  That means that unreleased tracks due for release in 2023 start to fall out of copyright as ‘sound recordings’ this month.

This is our final listing of the paper records at MoWest and Motown and a listing for further review of the tapes stored at Iron Mountain regarding Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and a reference point for any ‘listening tests’ to see what has survived. This is an ‘aide-memoire’ for anyone wishing to do further research in the future.

Ken Charmer – November 2022.

Music Historian – The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society

The FULL and Final list of Unreleased Tracks and the known status can be downloaded here.

Download Final List at Motown Nov 2022 as pdf

The ULTIMATE Box Set is not coming soon!

An Apology.

I wrote a post back in June this year as I completed corrections with Snapper Music to both tracks included, and Collectors Notes which had been supplied a year earlier for the Box Set and I wrote with so much optimism as Snapper/Madfish announced the release date of December 9th 2022. This week I have had to completely re-visit the blog posts as we are told, with no explanation, that the release date has moved to 14th April 2023....after an unknown number of fans have ordered and in many cases paid full price in expectations they would stand by this promise. This sad position follows over 4 years of hard work by me and a network of fans in the UK and USA providing tracks and research to Snapper Music.

Back in August 2018 we were asked by Snapper 'what do you want to have in the planned Box Set most of all?'....and before I could think?.........Lynn Boleyn said 'THE MOTOWN UNRELEASED'........!!!!!.....In retrospect this is ironic as the Motown Unreleased Campaign has been going now since 2011, due to my research, but no-one related to Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli's music has ever asked us that question before....or been prepared for the answer …... ever!. And it was maybe painful for them to revisit that period in time. It has been 51 years this month, Frankie and the group signed to Motown and began recording sessions with at least 15 tracks announced as completed in a Motown Newsletter in January 1972 as they prepared for a UK tour. It remains the only record label storage of comprehensive Master Session Tapes found to date. But ….like it did not exist until I proved it did.!! It's existence was denied in 2008 by Harry Weinger of Universal and Peter Bennett, former lawyer to the Four Seasons Partnership.

Since 2018 I worked tirelessly with Bob Fisher to research and gather tracks from the FSP storage facility in LA and after nearly 4 years and a huge review of tape transfers, the memorabilia, photos, picture sleeves and paper records regarding releases from our fan network, we have the storytelling done and some of the unheard tracks found...with superb artwork...and a good bunch of UNRELEASED and LIVE tracks....and some of the MOTOWN UNRELEASED of the 30+ we demonstrated are there and complete.

Some US music historians/sound collectors on the Steve Hoffman Forum accused me of being somewhat 'anal' re wanting these tracks from a largely non-existent period in Frankie's career whilst at Motown. One top collector believes many US fans have little interest in this or even later periods saying......”It's obvious from the Partnerships reactions or 'non action' [over the decades] that they would rather forget Motown ever …."never happened" for them”. For me that also revealed the US/UK fan 'disconnect' with regard to the UK fan groups 'holistic' view of the career of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons...THEY WANT EVERYTHING and feel they deserve it.....and Frankie himself has come to realise that in recent years with the adulation shown by UK show audiences how important we have been to his career.

We revitalised his career in 1970 taking 'You're Ready Now' into the charts for the first time as we did 5 years later with 'The Night' thanks to the Northern Soul Dance scene. We also [as did other countries around the world] gave them hits with 'Fallen Angel', 'Silver Star', and 'Down The Hall'. The US market and record companies did not see the worldwide support they deserved during this period.

Frankie and Bob Gaudio's commitment to this Box Set we believed was testimony and trust that the UK fan group.....now over 51 years old.......could tackle such a project with Snapper Music. And we worked hard to deliver after a difficult 4 years and the loss of our ex-Motown set producer Bob Fisher who sadly passed away before its completion. Unfortunately despite requests for reconsideration we could not get more of the Motown Unreleased Tracks we have researched...other than the 13 tracks Bob Gaudio chose to approve..nor could we get access to the tapes to confirm their suitability or verify our more extensive paperwork than was found by the Library Manager at Motown....or any inclusion in the tape research process. It was for Bob Gaudio and Universal Music a no-go area for the research team.

What was to be included always was and remains the choice of Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio who own the music and the rights to release it or not. The fans network knew that but contributed some 50+ tracks from decades of sources which the FSP now have copyright and total control of....as is there right. We, the fans, made that happen. The rest came from delving into the FSP archive as far as we were able to achieve within the funding of this project.

Whilst no music set can ever be truly ULTIMATE ....Certainly this is not final as to what exists [we know there are more tracks]....but this is pretty good ....but it is 'the best of its respective kind' and more comprehensive than ever before, thanks to many dedicated [and patient] 'music detectives' over the decades.....and in both the UK and US. Even Tommy DeVito's archive has been 'mined'. Classic sounds and stunning finds abound through every decade of the 'analogue' tape era from 1961 to 1986 and some we found. All of the subsequent CD era original albums and 'special' re-mixes of the CD and Dance Mixes are collected up to 2010.

In June we had a release date given of 9^th December and pre-ordering started, with the design of the package complete as far as we knew. This is now delayed to 14^th April 2023. A sad and unexplained delay.

I have been asked to show 'integrity' and not criticise anyone involved in the project. But my integrity is to the fans as they are the 'customers' but also to the quality of the 'curation' process. I personally apologise to all readers for the delays in getting our research to completion as we had planned but it is not down to the commitment and work of me or Bob Fisher and those in our 'collectors' network who helped us so much. Everyone in the Snapper production team, I believe, worked hard to achieve release including the engineer, designer, writers and admin.

I believed in the commitment of Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli in this compilation and believed and told many fans this could be the start of a series of Unreleased and LIVE concerts as has been done with the Beach Boys Catalogue and career. However the experiences over the last 4 years has left me feeling dismayed, disappointed and disenchanted by the Four Seasons Partnership and the senior management at Snapper who promised Lynn Boleyn, Bob Fisher and I so much back in 2018. This is not a criticism, just how I feel.

As a former Fellow for the Association for Project Management and having completed several multi-million pound projects during my working life, I know that of the 3 objectives of a project [TIME/COST/QUALITY] .......the one that must be maintained is QUALITY and that is is based on the record and reputation of Snapper Music. It will/has been a long wait but the quality is/will be unsurpassed if the content remains as we agreed with Snapper and Bob Gaudio in June 2021 and as the promised sound engineering standards.

We do deserve an apology for the delay and an explanation, given the love for the music we, the fans have shown.[and the pre-orders placed, many on my recommendation]. I know I have done all I can to make the project successful.

However, as our resident music historian, I will in our FB group continue to publish research of known sources of quality tapes and maybe as with the Beach Boys and Beatles, more will be funded to bring rare and unheard tracks, demos or rehearsals to the fans. [possibly in our lifetime]. I will enjoy The Beatles 'Revolver' Box Set this Christmas instead.

The Seasons On Saturday podcasts will continue the 'panels' views on the career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as we reach 1970 in the next few weeks and we will move through the 1970s over the next few months. And I am also using the research and collated information to re-write and update my former e-book, The Rise And Fall Of The NEW Four Seasons and eventually to publish this.

And as the the rest of the unheard catalogue and LIVE sound board tapes show more recordings are out there. As I have said ….the Campaign goes on.

Ken

 

The Lost 'Golden Era' of Crewe – Gaudio

Ellie Greenwich loved Bob Crewe.

George Schowerer captured the magic of their relationship in dozens of studio photographs when they worked together in 1967 at Mirasound Studios and his production of her 45 sides 'I Want You To Be My Baby b/w Goodnight, Goodnight (What's So Good About It?)' on United Artists 5015. He also wrote the latter song for her using Jean Thomas, Mikie Harris and Valerie Simpson on backing vocals in March 1967 the same month he recorded 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' with Frankie Valli. See the background video here

That relationship would strangely later spark the start of Bob Crewe's recovery to a new 'golden age' of songwriting and production and a re-union with past writing and producing colleague Bob Gaudio that would see them both achieve Number One Hits and go on to Crewe also collaborating with Jerry Corbetta and the writer, Ellie Greenwich, in producing the original cast album for Greenwich's Broadway musical, "Leader of the Pack" in the early 80s.

The contribution Ellie would make to his recovery in 1972 was after Bob Crewe had suffered a career collapse at the end of the 60s. Dan Crewe, Bob's brother had been with him in establishing Genius Inc in 1962 and they were Chairman and President respectively in the CGC Group of Record Labels that collapsed in 1970 and he does not have kind memories of his brother who overstretched himself when they were effectively partners. “He was the biggest pain in the ass I ever had to deal with in my life,” Dan Crewe recently said of his brother, whom he described as a narcissist “who did everything to excess. He was a real drunk. He could get out of hand. It’s the story of his life. It’s racing to the moon and then crashing. …” Dan was taking care of the business......“We were incredible together before the drugs and alcohol,” Dan Crewe said. “We were zooming. We had so many god-blessed hits, it was one right after the other. In the early days of the Seasons, we had three Top 10 records all the time. We were always on the charts. It was endless. We had so many different acts, all the time.” Eventually, alcohol gave way to pot, which led to cocaine. “And once cocaine came into the picture.........” Dan Crewe said, without finishing his sentence. “With my brother, you always worried what was going to happen.” But not everyone saw Bob Crewe so negatively and he consistently made good records like no other producer of the 1960s and 70s, although he had problems with Bob Gaudio and Mitch Ryder which have been anecdotally made public. Ellie Greenwich had a good relationship with Bob Crewe and commented on his ability and on how they first met in an interview before her untimely passing in 2009....."I'm not exactly sure when I met Bob Crewe, but we always saw each other around the business from the very beginning. (We) had an affinity for each other (and) still do! He was a joy to work with on all levels . . . he's a perfectionist, he's open to any outside ideas, he really knows what he wants and gets it, and most of all, he is passionate about what he does. He puts all of himself into everything he touches . . . I always loved and still do love Bob! I can go on and on about this talented gentleman, and he is just that: A 'gentle man'." But as they were siblings and Dan Crewe was jointly managing the business decisions, perspectives clearly differ, and drugs can create big issues within families.

Although he still held it together into the studio to produce great 4 Seasons songs by 1970, they became very diverse but always interesting. 'Lay Me Down, Wake Me Up' [originally titled 'Let This Time'] would be his last writing and production work in the studio with Bob Gaudio and the group in August, before his financial and addiction related break-down. His final recording at this time with Bob Gaudio will surface this year with the sublime 'I Need To Get To Know You', which they wrote and recorded together and he would co-write 'A New Beginning' with him which was done as an unreleased rock 'demo' in 1970 before it would emerge in full harmony by the Four Seasons on the 1972 'Chameleon' album with Bob Gaudio producing.

Bob Crewe would be in 'recovery' until 1972 when brother Dan helped him get back into writing and production with a contract at Motown Records whilst Frankie and the group were signed to their LA based 'MoWest' label. He quickly adapted in September 1972 with the commencement of productions with Bobby Darin. One of the key tracks was ‘Happy’ , the Smokey Robinson – Michel Legrande penned theme to Berry Gordy’s movie with Diane Ross, ‘Lady Sings The Blues’. He also created some very harmonic ‘Seasons’ styled backings on ‘Another Song on My Mind’ and ‘ I Won’t Last A Day Without You’ with Bobby Darin. [allegedly also recorded with Frankie Valli and in the Motown Archive]. Unfortunately a heart operation resulted in Bobby Darin's tragic and untimely death and the album was finished with infill songs and released in Feb 1974. ( Bobby passed away on Dec. 20, 1973)

Bob Gaudio had signed Frankie and the group to Berry Gordy's empire in October 1971 with a deal for 8 tracks with in-house producers and 12 stand-alone full group tracks with Bob producing. Only one track, from the May 1972 album release 'Chameleon', would get US single release and a 'Corporation' production of Walk On, Don't Look Back' in August 1972. Notwithstanding this lack of promotion and releases, Bob Crewe's return would change their lives and paths as they started to write and produce, together and separately in November 1972. Bob Crewe would start to write again with Alan Shatkin, and Bob Gaudio and both Bob's set aside past differences after traumatic periods in both their lives, to pen new songs.

And whether it was a favour returned or not, we don't know, but by 2^nd November 1972 Bob Crewe was back in the studio with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. We still haven't heard it as it remains 'unreleased' but Bob Crewe's first registered and completed Master Nr 61633 at Motown on 16 track [Tape 2414] was a song contributed by him writing with Ellie Greenwich and ex Four-Evers member Steve Tudanger. 'Be My Lover, Be My Friend'. It would be a magic tribute to Ellie [and Steve] to hear it released.

Very soon the sessions and tracks were rolling and over a 5 month period some of the 'Bob's' best work together and in their own right as producers since the mid 60s were emerging from the mixing booths as completed recordings. 'With My Eyes Wide Open' was amongst the first of powerful driving songs which would not appear until post departure from the label on the album 'Inside You' in 1975. That title track was strong enough to interest the Motown Management and would eventually warrant an album release but only 'Listening To Yesterday' from these sessions at this time would be selected for single release [strangely twice!]. This song would also be mixed in two entirely different versions by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio as classy examples of this period and their ability. The latter previously unreleased version did not appear until the 2008 Motown Anthology.

Another song from these collaborations which will be released in late 2022 is 'Star'. A complex and innovative arrangement combining rock and harmony in a stunning production. By May 1973 Bob Crewe had completed the song from a movie [Tom Sawyer] 'How Come' [Motown 1255F] with soaring studio session vocalists and not the Four Seasons group which had temporarily been disbanded by Frankie whilst he recruited new members. Gaudio did the vocal arrangements with Crewe producing.

The video is here

Bob Crewe also in the Spring recorded Frankie Valli solo on tracks which have not yet been released by 2022. 'Give Us This Day' and 'Turn It All Around' with arranger Dave Blumberg remain unheard which is criminal given the commitments made in preparing the Snapper Music Box Set. However Bob Gaudio's return to producing Frankie Valli in the middle of the year has produced three unheard tracks in that set as approved by Bob Gaudio. Previously 'You've Got Your Troubles' and 'The Skalawag Song (aka 'Silver Fishes') saw single release from those sessions and now we have 'Whatever You Want', a 1962 Crewe – Gaudio composition, 'You Can't Hold On' and 'Future Years' appearing this year. But for some unknown reason Bob Gaudio did not include 'Getting Over You” from the same Tape P2678?

Again lack of promotion and disarray at Motown meant the cancellation of a planned album MW788 [provisional title 'Inside Out'] and it is little wonder that all involved thought they had to find a way back to getting someone in a record company to believe in the music and promote it.!!

Motown made one final promise as a NEW Four Seasons group line up were signed up with a never before range of musicianship that would lead to two additional lead vocalists within the Four Seasons. The 'execs' at Motown committed to Bob Crewe sessions in November and December 1973 on new songs Bob Crewe had composed with '11^th Hour' group member Kenny Nolan. He used the NEW Four Seasons with Nick Massi returning and Charles Calello arranging. 'Hymn To Her', 'Lovers', 'Charisma', 'Hickory', 'My Eyes Adored You' and 'Make Your Tomorrow Tonight' were completed and two released on Motown 1288F. 'Hickory b/w Charisma' got to Nr 96 in the US chart and an album was gathered from the 1973 sessions, but all too late. Bob Gaudio had his own new compositions registered at Jobete , the publishing arm of Motown and all of their contracts were running out. Bob Crewe was rolling too as Lady Marmalade hit Nr 1 with Crewe's production of 'Voulez Vous Couchez Avec Moi Ces Soi' in November 1974 and he subsequently bought himself out of his writing contract with Motown. Bob Gaudio appears to have waited for his to lapse and so left the publishing with Jobete for 'Who Loves You' and other tracks.

Only 'My Eyes Adored You' could be bought back when they left the Motown label with Bob Gaudio's unrecorded compositions The rest is history as they set up the contracts at Warner-Curb and Private Stock. Bob Crewe's production and writing effort with Kenny Nolan achieved the long wanted Nr 1 for Frankie Valli, with the 'TAPE SOLD BACK TO PRODUCER' song as their Artist Card records. The success for Bob Gaudio, who with co-writer Judy Parker had adapted and devoted his writing and production skills to the band, recorded and produced the songs that would hit the heights with 'Who Loves You' and 'December 1963(Oh What A Night).

Bob Crewe's production and writing effort with Kenny Nolan had at last achieved the long wanted Nr 1 for Frankie Valli. 'The Night' from the 1972 'Chameleon' album would also soar into the UK Top Ten upon it's re-release in the UK. A belated Motown success.

The 'Lost Era' would conclude finally with Bob Gaudio's success with the 'Who Loves You' album. However Bob Crewe's joys at the magnificent 'Swearing To God', and 'In My Eyes' for the 'Close-Up' album was ended by a hit and run driver, who nearly killed him in 1975 leaving him in a body cast for a year, and Bob Gaudio had to finish the album. Ironically this was as Crewe walked to an AA meeting [now titled NA(Narcotics Anonymous)] There are we were told by Bill Inglot other 'out-takes' from these album sessions but so far these have not surfaced.

So ended the LOST 'second coming' of Crewe – Gaudio. They never quite re-found that magic again although the 'Heaven Above Me' album and now the salvaged LOST DISCO ALBUM with the unreleased 'Back In Action' by Crewe-Corbetta will surface this year. 'Soul/Heaven Above Me' and 'Let It Be Whatever It Is' looked like being their last collaboration as Bob Crewe substantially retired by 1981 that is until their last effort, the prophetic 'What About Tomorrow' on the 1985 album 'Streetfighter'.......but Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan take pride of place in our full restoration of those sessions with the unreleased 'Killing Time' in the Box Set. Bob Crewe however did not participate in the production of the album.

If justice could be done we would have all of the music from the 1973 Motown sessions and in particular the unheard productions by Bob Crewe [along with alternate versions and 'takes'] to demonstrate the road to what followed in terms of success in the 1970s post Motown. Bob Gaudio has the power to give us this and set the record straight. As he says....'if you believe ….you receive'. 2023 beckons and another project is 'believed in and awaited'.

Casey Chameleon – September 2022

The titles shown in RED indicate previously unreleased tracks with some available in the Snapper Music Box Set this December

The Limitations Of 'Four Seasons' Fan Club Life and the Catalogue

We only got to see this one Tape Box scan from the Universal Motown Storage but it tells us what we had told Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli and members of this group existed . Although we have researched and provided tape source information for over 10 years, we never got to see the rest of the 29+ Motown Multi-track Tape Box scans from Snapper during the project. You could ask why?....as we did. But we moved on and finished the full catalogue research based on what we had access to.

Taking a breath on a sad day and now waiting for final production and issue, some of our team members think...”This is only the beginning!.......'A NEW BEGINNING' …..in terms of the Motown Catalogue perhaps. Thanks you to all our readers for your comments and support for the Snapper Music Box Set to date, via social media and personal communication with me. It really was a labour of love from my perspective, both for the range and creativity of the music and of course Frankie Valli's awesome voice, but also for the relationships amongst fans and collectors we have developed since the 1970s and working with the late Bob Fisher, a dearly missed friend.

I was talking with an 'iconic' sound engineer recently re how he has achieved historic 'curated' projects with major artists and I was sharing with him the long and frustrating 'life' of 'Seasons' fan club members who have in the experiences of the Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society [FSUKAS]been both 'joyous' yet 'limited' and in terms of releases often left us feeling 'disappointed' and frequently 'let down'. Not however by Frankie and his commitment to tour and entertain the fans. Frankie spoke in interview about his love for sharing his music 'LIVE' but also the magic of creating in the studio and this box set will reveal that more fully than ever before. But what we have gathered is not enough, particularly in comparison with the legendary Beatles and Beach Boys. The passion and obsession of some of their fans and their large fanbase numbers has meant that their 'brand' has become a major commercial project. Feeding the fans every conceivable mix and bit of studio chatter has however been an expression of their 'art' and an important part of music history. The difference is of course that they retained their 'multitrack' session tapes. We found none in the FSP storage.......only at Motown do such 16 and 24 track masters survive.......and we scraped the barrel to find all we could of 'out-takes'

As we await the Snapper Music Box Set release it is with some frustration that after the release of the Beach Boys 'Surf's Up/Sunflower' Bonus CD Box Set and the 'Sounds Of Summer' set we are told.....”All 30 tracks on disc 1 of 'Sounds Of Summer' have been mixed in immersive Dolby Atmos, joining the group’s 'Christmas Album' which was mixed in spatial audio and released this past holiday season, and continuing the initiative to present the group’s catalog in the enveloping and exciting new audio format.“,..........we now have to see the announcement of another step in exploring the back catalogue of The Beatles with the forthcoming release of 'Revolver'......”The new special edition of 'Revolver' album from 1965, complete with tons of bonus tracks and alternate takes, comes out on October 28, 2022. The super-deluxe version will be a 5-CD set. You can pre-order that set for $139.00 at the official Beatles store.” This package [it has been revealed] will contain a 'restored' Mix of the album using AI powered digital extraction[DES] from the old four track tapes plus alternate Takes as Bonuses. This is restoration not previously possible and enabled by ever improving technology. Even I have been able to demonstrate how this type of AI software can provide enjoyable alternatives versions of the 60s Stereo Tracks on my You Tube Channel with some of Frankie and the groups classic recordings.

What these Beatles and Beach Boys releases reveal is that if you are regarded as a 'legendary' group, you develop a huge and generationally renewing collectors base. The Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Full Catalogue release was always a major way for us fans to catch up [with everything].......but even now to still be left behind by other 60s groups [unfortunately by understandable delays].

As you will all know this set has been designed and built around 'rare and unreleased' sides, both MONO and STEREO'. But as I have said from a collectors and fans perspective it is not enough and is only levelling up to some extent the catalogue of the 'mega groups'. 'Working Our Way Back To You' is a very apt title for the set. As fans, many of you have trusted my commitment with the late Bob Fisher to the content, by ordering the limited edition. We both said we would see this production through to final mastering but with his passing and other pressures that has not been possible. We always planned to check the final mastering.

I have always been open and transparent with the fan base as my allegiance is to the network that helped us so much to achieve the set we have gained approval to. That is limited in a number of ways and the content does not include as many completed and unreleased Motown [and other]Tracks as I and you would have wanted. I am not angry or negative re what we achieved [at long last] but only asking a question many have asked me......."as you have evidence that more tracks are there and completed and in good sound quality why could they not be included"?. Time and cost pressures and particularly the pandemic made the planned approach impossible. The problems of getting 2 track Stereo versions of 16 track masters from Universal Motown during lockdown made it difficult to get songs to Bob Gaudio for approval and his commitment to the Neil Diamond stage production limited the 'mixing' he could do for this set. But lack of communication at times particularly since Bob Fisher's passing has meant that I am only 'Track Advisor' although I did contribute the Collectors Notes with the help of key knowledgeable music detectives. Snapper accepted these with little edit which I guess I should be grateful for and I hope they explain the release history and meet your approval but I have had no opportunity to collaborate with the Sound Engineer or check the sound quality of the final product. Hopefully the final quality [from 'best available sources' Snapper say] will meet all our expectations and the huge investment in the research of tracks Bob Fisher and I did........ Not least helped by the 'memorabilia' and photos of John Pingree, Bob Crewe's Sound Engineer George Schowerer and the superb design work of Rachel Gutek.....and the Snapper team.

There is, we all accept, the urgent need to release this set and then to take stock re the size and spread of the fan base [the market for product beyond the 'hits']. I would like to think that 2500 copies will sell by mid 2023 and we as fans can look ahead [to more]. Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli need to decide if they want to sell further product from their past by researching tape sources and build a future as 'legendary' artists with those that got them there. What do Four Seasons fans want?.......We in the FSUKAS want to celebrate all that they have achieved with the group and their co-creators such as Bob Crewe and Charlie Calello[to name just two...et al]

There are further sources and tracks to be found by the FSP but the first step is understanding and engaging with the fan base and past collaborators. Our FB presence shows the people are out there with the interest. Finding an 'investor' Record Company and Top Engineering led team of researchers is what the other 'legendary' groups have done. Frankie and Bob could do that too.....No !!!...need to do that. You cannot achieve it by simply selling your 'publishing'. You may own [most of] your 'catalogue' but you need to 'invest' in research and 'curate' it as 'art' and as a path to a future income stream for future generations. Perhaps the forthcoming 'Jersey Boys' TV Movie will trigger the next step and we can see our Campaign for the review and release of all of the Motown material and more.......complete its mission. Your comments and expectations can be voiced in our FB groups.........Ken

The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons Fans

 

In the UK there has been no greater demonstration of the importance of what we have lived through and shared as illustrated with the recent passing away of Queen Elizabeth II. An illustration of one thing the British do well is respect history and commitment as we [in the UK] have shown for her as the world has seen this last week. In an emotional week for us in the UK, it struck me when I recalled as a 5 year old her Coronation on 2nd June 1953 and our Garden Party, it was the same year that Frankie Valli started his career recording 'My Mothers Eyes'. UK fans also showed and shared our respect and love for Frankie Valli on his visit to the UK this summer working hard to entertain us at 88.

In remembrance today of Her Majesty as Ken Charmer – Former Civil Servant with Lynn Boleyn – MBE , Dr George Ingram and Ray Nichol, The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society – Core Team.

 

 

Motown and the full Four Seasons Story - Rex Woodard:The Legacy:The Myths!

Rex Woodard – Music Detective was one of the first fans to make a difference and tell the TRUE Story of The Four Seasons and in doing so he may have created a myth. That of Jersey Boys – The Musical.

To modern day fans of the Four Seasons it may seem amazing that there was a time when we were scrambling around for news, backstories and lost tracks on cassette tape. There was no internet and a quarterly newsletter [delivered by 'snail mail'] was all we had and the group were regarded as an oldies group with no future. It's easy to forget how hard it was then to get information and even released music on vinyl or cassette..

But then in the UK came 'My Eyes Adored You', 'The Night', and 'Who Loves You' before their biggest ever success as a group 'December 1963(Oh What A Night)'. Back then during the early 1970s Rex was gathering research that would decades later lead to the record breaking show 'Jersey Boys'. Rex Woodard was a champion of today's Four Seasons 'music detectives' still gathering information and seeking out more 'lost' music by them than we could ever have imagined existed.

So it was with a degree of pride in music historians that I read of his widows success in establishing his contribution to the show 'Jersey Boys' was finally recognised. 'Then and Now' the jointly written bio by Rex and former Four Season Tommy DeVito was judged to have contributed to 10% of the shows success and for his widow a share of his royalties from the show and film. It has never been seen by the fans except in it's interpretation in the stage show. When will Rex's joint work finally go public? Possibly never as that was maybe part of the legal settlement with Tommy and his estate. And Valli and Gaudio have escaped any liability for copyright breach. Rex's widow failed to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling that the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” infringed his unpublished autobiography in 2021. Perhaps after the forthcoming TV film a published book may be possible.? The new film is probably needed to pay for all the lawyers involved.!! But it will not be the full story. The forthcoming Snapper Box Set will be a major step nearer musically.......and we battle still for the rest.

Rex's contribution was based on years of research and 'foundation' articles that resonate today When he persuaded Tommy DeVito to 'dish the dirt' back in 1989 it should have been a coup for Four Seasons fans but back then their 'brand' was low key and no publishers were interested. After Rex's premature passing in 1990 the draft understandably didn't surface. It had lost it's champion. But we are all to be grateful that Tommy DID make it available to the stage shows scriptwriters. We got 'Jersey Boys' and history made The Four Seasons 'iconic'.

But Rex also anticipated the continuing battle to recover the Motown unreleased without realising what we now know. Rex wrote in Goldmine in August 1981[A Lesson in Survival].....”The myth must die! For several years now, almost every rock and roll encyclopedic source has faithfully instructed it's readers that the legendary Four Seasons bit the dust sometime around 1969, only to be resurrected as an entirely new group in 1975. Lies!”

Well the 'myth' is dead BUT no-one [in the Four Seasons Partnership or Universal Motown] wanted us to hear the truth even as 2017 began......and since then our Four Seasons Motown 'Unreleased' Campaign Facebook Page has achieved the breakthrough of another over 25 unreleased tracks showing the brilliance of Frankie and the group's achievement between 1969 and 1974 in the forthcoming Snapper Music Box Set.

In Rex's 1980 article he documented the history of those intervening years and the groups creative work during that time. Today with the inspiration of that work and data from some anonymous Motown connections, we have, by 2022 extended his work with subsequent research, to reveal the deliberate suppression of between 30 and 40 tracks, completed and left in the Universal Motown vaults unheard by the fans since. Rex's research was at the heart of our campaign for their release.....and in the release of 13 and 8 alternative versions we have achieved partial success. And to follow that in June 1982 he published what is regarded as the definitive article detailing the history of the Four Lovers in the same magazine.

As we enter the post 'Jersey Boys' era.....now the shows in New York and London are potentially closing [leaving the national touring shows to carry 'the sound'].......we are still hoping the bio that has been the subject of so much legal time over the last 12+ years will finally be published. The recent PBS concert by an 88 year old Frankie Valli probably heralds the end of the 'LIVE' concerts, but maybe the forthcoming Snapper Music Box Set will herald a new period of documenting and restoring the history of the group and their music over the next few years.? Rex's legacy should be the cornerstone of that objective. And our battle to get the music left in the vaults will continue. He'd want us to fight for that.

Ken Charmer

 

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

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

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

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

        Lovers
        Getting Over You

        Star

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More on the Tape Research 'finds' next time

 

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

THE FRANKIE VALLI AND THE FOUR SEASONS MOTOWN UNRELEASED PROJECT PLAN – CONCLUSIONS

So in Spring 2022 as we approach the release of the Snapper Music Box Set I have shared the accumulated information from Universal Motown's paper records from the 1970s . The research from the start of the century has been a core reason for the incorporation in a 'catalogue' based box set and I have done the Research Plan blog posts and maintained the social media Facebook Page “The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign' because we and Snapper Music with Bob Gaudio have not had the disclosure of the full story of what IS in the vaults and the comprehensive feedback from Universal to the research team I was a member of. Back in 2018 when Snapper Music were in contract discussions with Gene Zacharewicz at Universal it was confirmed that there were between 38-50 tapes that needed be researched to identify the released and 'unreleased' tracks that have survived. The Vault Service Tape Manager Andy Skurow was to research the Tapes and by early 2019 he had identified 19 unreleased vocals and had a further 11 that needed to be reviewed. This was based on the Tape Boxes and internal correspondence. Bob Gaudio was concerned re the complexity and uncertainty but eventually accepted he would review 2 track Masters and then Mix from 16/32 track those he and Frankie approved. It is clear the Vault manager simply read what was on the tape boxes and he said that listening tests of the multi-tracks was needed. It was eventually agreed he was to supply Bob and Frankie with either ALL of the Multi – tracks or selected and discovered 'unreleased' vocals. I believe he supplied a restricted selection. That is my opinion, but whatever happened we [Bob Fisher and I] were left out of the 'loop'. The Four Seasons at Motown has always been maintained by a veil of secrecy particularly in the days of lawyer Peter Bennett who told me any tracks there had been wiped or were demo's.....but facts are facts and I have told Harry Weinger at Universal that 'openness and transparancy' should be the way to work with researchers like myself and former Motown people such as Bob Fisher[unfortunately Bob passed away during our project]. I have only published all we know now because Universal have always operated a 'smoke and mirrors' approach rather than collaborative re these tracks. Unfortunately this is still a failure of the Record Industry and even Bob Gaudio[and maybe Frankie] have wanted this archive hidden from research for over 43 years.

As a part of the Snapper Research team we did NOT get to see the Tape Box scans[even though these were made available to Bob Gaudio], other than one, and our Tape Index Spreadsheet was criticised as 'loaded with errors'. Given that this was a Motown Tape Index supplied back at the start of the century from their paper/computer records this was a surprise as it was a follow on to the original listing of unreleased titles supplied in the 1990s by Tom DePerrio, and was confirmed by Cary Mansfield and corroborated in many cases by Artists Cards in 2011.  The details provided by Universal Motown to Snapper and Bob Gaudio was clearly incomplete and did not target the Tapes identified fully re the location advised on Artists Cards as these Project Plan Notes show. Delays within Universal [pre-pandemic] and pressure to complete contracts on this key part of the Box set did not help. After this superficial review it is no wonder Bob Gaudio was reluctant to review the tapes due to the time and cost involved and he rightly expected more from them. T tape safety copies and P tape transfers have not been fully followed up, and this exercise does Universal no credit nor the Archive Management Team. Feedback to Snapper revealed some previously unknown recordings [like 'Chained' and 'Starvin' For Your Love'] and it did indicate that most of the tracks we had discovered as having had Motown Master Nr's were existing most likely completed tracks. Andy Skurow did not share data with us and we believe Bob Gaudio as he should. In many cases Stereo Mix Downs existed but were not supplied. We could have helped trace down more but maybe it would have added work for the Vault Issue Department.?

I do know that Bob Gaudio appreciates that there is a sizeable group of fans and collectors in the world that have worked very hard to get the material that is going into the Box Set. He trusted us to find what we could in the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] storage facility of tapes and the quality of what he has reviewed and approved for release from Universal Motown is superb. He asked back in 2019.....”Someone at Universal, if possible, could get a 2-track on the songs that Frankie put vocals on. Snapper have agreed to cover the cost, if indeed it is reasonable.  Once I can decide with Frankie, what is acceptable for release with Snapper, I would then require 16/24 or 32 tracks.  I would then mix them down for the Snapper project.  I hope this isn’t too much to deal with, because revisiting the past can sometimes be painful.  But apparently, there is a world of fans who would appreciate everyone’s efforts.  I thank you for all for your time.”......We reckon he did the best he could in in the time available for inclusion and for contracts to be set. It is just unfortunate that 'I Will Love You Like A Man' was left out after approval for perhaps LGBTQ sensitivity reasons.

From the tracks listed re vocals existing the Vault Manager made some mistakes but fortunately Bob has found vocals and mixed and approved them for the 13 tracks included. This just confirms the need for 'listening tests'. As a bonus we found alternative mixes of several tracks in the FSP archive supplied back in 1973/74 as sample mixes which we have salvaged so that they can be added to Disc 22 to show the alternative mixes considered at the time. The results overall for this CD are amazing and whilst we haven't heard the rest of the 'unreleased' that we have listed we have evidence that many other tracks with vocals have been found and survive. We believe the whole of the sessions history at Motown should be researched and  made available to fans as has the Beach Boys catalogue of session masters and alternate takes.

The problem is that Universal Motown OWN these masters and whilst in this day and age after 50 years the Masters should, in any reasonable persons eyes, revert to Bob and Frankie , Universal are NOT going to give up masters to their former artists. That is policy. They have licensed both released and some unreleased but will not give up ownership, especially for a music legend like Frankie Valli. The  multi-track tapes represent a gold-mine of the creative skills of artists and producers and they will issue tracks from them when money is to be made from them.......hence the current Stoney/Meatloaf compilation....so soon after his passing.

The notes I have compiled in the Research Plan demonstrate the sources to be checked to verify where completed tracks have survived and not just what appears on the Tape Boxes. If and when the FSP want to or feel able to challenge ownership then maybe we will hear more or maybe Universal Motown will be open to licensing with an independent Record Label in the future.......but don't hold your breath – it has taken 14 years since the first and only CD release of their Motown released tracks.  Mixing and evaluation is a cost I know Bob Gaudio questions as worthwhile spending for release, as is challenging Universal's ownership. As collectors and researchers we know that such finds will be treasures for us and future generations and a good long-term investment for the FSP and if the opportunity to preserve them exists, in the future, we are ready and willing to help and have a plan and know the sources. …....until someone listens to all of the tapes and tells all.

The Motown Master Nr list of Frankie Valli and Four Seasons tracks is given in the link below indicating probably completed tracks with the released tracks being highlighted in yellow. So there are a minimum of 32 UNRELEASED Completed Masters...we have identified locations for 90%....and this summer will see the release of another 13 as highlighted in blue. And whilst we are still alive to say it.......this is our history, and I will keep the FB Campaign Page going and we should all blame Universal Motown for what we and the FSP don't have. They have simply passed all the work to Bob Gaudio for the listening tests and may not have supplied all of the Tapes we have listed. We want more....particularly the missing Bob Crewe productions from 1973......But this Box Set is a godsend....a real treasure for all fans and collectors.....in spite of Universal.

More details on tracks found.....probably!!.......next time

The Motown Master List

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - Part 7

Session Review Notes

Period 1973[Oct- Dec]

Artist:Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons

Bob Crewe Late 1973 Sessions Frankie Valli[ Four Seasons]

[lncluding Kenny Nolan, Charlie Calello and Nick Massi and a Four Seasons including Gerry Polci and Lee Shapiro, Joe Long and Demitri Callas]

Core Tapes to be researched: P2664:

Track Title: My Eyes Adore You-Title on Artists Card!! [Alternative Mix found and proposed for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Crewe

Motown Master: 62522

First Location Tape: P2664

Second Location: T5178

Additional Location: P5085[Album]

Notes

It's very interesting studying the Artists Card for 'My Eyes Adore You' which shows the first stereo mix done on 11th December 1973 and copies done to T tape 5178 but then again some 6 months later on 4th and 10th June.(the second one being to P5085 the mysterious album tape Motown assembled that month). So then there is the note “mixes out to producer” in red and “tune sold back to producer”.

This raises the question of 'when' was it sold?. Perhaps it was as late as June 1974 and that is when Crewe/Valli/Gaudio started 'hawking it around' to other Record Companies before signing Frankie Valli up to Private Stock.? Does anyone know more?

Charles Calello told us he put added strings on the copy purchased for release in late 1974. This copy remains in Motown’s vault as the original Master and we found a Tape Box of a ‘New Mix?’ version in the FSP Archives. It has a louder guitar in the mix and a different vocal outro from Frankie which is not as effective as the version later released on Private Stock. We have proposed this version for inclusion as a Bonus Track in the Box Set ‘unreleased’ tracks Disc 22.

Track Title: Hymn To Her [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Crewe

Motown Master: 62523

First Location Tape: P2664

Second Location: T5198[78?]/T5767

Additional Location: P5085[Album]

Notes

The administrators that did the Artists Cards at Motown in 1973 didn't always get the right 'gender' message as the data for Master Nr 62523 shows.[Titled ‘Hymn To You’ !!] This magnificent Bob Crewe-Kenny Nolan song just oozes quality and the anthemic 4 Seasons which we know include Nick Massi lift it to another level. Frankie Valli may have wanted to get away from his falsetto hence the focus on 'My Eyes Adored You' rather than this but it is suggested he did try to buy 'other masters' from the label in Rex Woodard's article from Billboard in 1981. He now knows the superb master for this still exists and that fans would love it as we have put the acetate on You Tube since 2011 when we uncovered it.  Mixed as early as 11th December 1973 and subsequently copied to album Tape P5085 which we now know had tracks added in May 1974 all too late for a frustrated group and producer and never released. Bob Gaudio already had plans to take this group in a new direction and Frankie Valli wanted to re-establish himself separately as a solo performer. Did Frankie Valli's solo ambitions eventually destroy the Four Seasons sound?.....answers on a postcard to......The Four Seasons Partnership c/o...!!!........it is however ESSENTIAL FOUR SEASONS. The mix approved by Bob Gaudio for inclusion in the Snapper Box Set is different to the copy we found in the FSP Archive....it had been there since 1974??....and is the same choir fade-in start as the acetate. It has been proposed for inclusion in the Box Set as an alternative Mix.

Track Title: Lovers [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Crewe

Motown Master: 62524

First Location Tape: P2664

Second Location: T5198

Additional Location: P5085[Album]

Notes

This is one of the last unreleased recordings from the November 1973 sessions with Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan and the Four Seasons that included Lee Shapiro and Gerry Polci. Charlie Calello was the arranger and Nick Massi also arranged the vocals and contributed to the harmonies. We have salvaged an acetate copy and posted the recovered version of this on You Tube since 2011, but this card confirms all we had from the Tape Index was correct. Bob Gaudio has mixed and approved a version for inclusion on the Snapper Music Box Set. It is on P2664 but was mixed and copied to P5085 in May 1974 which was the album assembled for release as Crewe/Valli/Gaudio decided to leave the label and try to take the songs they had done. It's a pity this one couldn't be bought along with 'My Eyes Adored You' as it would probably have sold well.

The FSP Archive actually contained an alternative mix with slightly different closing which we believe was the final mix selected for copying to the cancelled album tape. It has been proposed for inclusion in the Box Set.

Track Title: You've Got To Make Your Tomorrow Tonight

Second Location: T5198

Notes

This track has been found as an acetate demo but begs the question....Why?. It is a Wonder Who styled song of ‘novelty’ quality but was completed. It can be heard on our You Tube channel ‘Mowest Chameleon’.  Maybe it is more a joke by Bob Crewe to wind-up Motown Execs.? But whilst interesting it isn't a strong addition to the groups catalogue although done at the same sessions as the above tracks and with the same personnel.

Track Title :Hickory [Extended Version]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Crewe

Motown Master: 62521

First Location Tape: P2664

Notes

Although a released 45 - Motown 1288FA we found an acetate in 2011 of the ‘Extended’ version with an extra verse and a superb Frankie Valli falsetto ending. Whether it has been found or reviewed by Bob Gaudio is unclear as he identified that he did NOT WANT the extended version of ‘Charisma’ included in the Box Set even though it was included in the 2008 Motown Anthology 2 CD Box set.!!! Obviously it should be.....but why a NO from him when I sent him the Master of ‘Charisma’ Extended?

The version we have of ‘Hickory Extended’ is on You Tube here, but there is no evidence the version has survived but if so it should be on Tape P2664.....and should be released.

There are rumoured other tracks from this session tape to be confirmed via listening tests which given the volume of Tapes involved may not have happened yet and most certainly Universal Motown are not allowing anything else to be included in the Box Set and Bob Gaudio is not approving anything else for this project

Next Time......Summary/Conclusions

Ken Charmer – Music Historian

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - Part 6

Session Review Notes

Period 1973[Mid] – Bob Gaudio sessions

Artist:Frankie Valli

Core Tapes to be researched: P2878: 2505

Track Title: Future Years [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 62216

First Location Tape: P2678

Second Location: T5232

Notes

Our final Artists Card in a set of 23 for individual recordings was not the last recording but  from the final Bob Gaudio session at Motown with Valli seeking to find a 'solo' hit.(in May 1973). 'Future Years' had no writing credits as far as we could find during our research but represents a 'telling' title to close the Motown 'unreleased' Artists Cards. With a completed Master Nr 62216 it was probably recorded before 'The Scalawag Song' (62300) although it appears on a later P tape (2678 c/f 2505). Recording dates show May/June recording and it was part of Bob Gaudio’s review of the Motown Tapes transferred to him by the Vault Issue Department at Universal Motown,. He obviously focused on his own sessions which he knew/recalled best and this track has been approved for release as part of the Snapper Music Box Set.. It is an excellent and prophetic lyric written by Tony Martin Jr and Guy Finlay who Bob Gaudio would go on to produce an album with, before leaving Motown. The track was copied to Tapes P5084/5 as part of a planned album in May 1974 as the group and Bob Crewe left the label. Gaudio would leave as a writer/producer in 1975 . It appeared to only ever be stored as a 16 track master but whilst reviewing the FSP archive we found a number of unreleased Motown Copy Tapes and one included this song but in a different ‘Take’ with slightly different closing instrumental and vocal. It has been put forward for inclusion in the Box Set as an Alternative Version.

 

Track Title: Getting Over You

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 62217

First Location Tape: P2678

Second Location: T5232

Notes

It appears that before Bob Crewe took the NEW Four Seasons into the studio with Nick Massi and Charlie Calello in November 1973 that Bob Gaudio did further summer tracks with Frankie Valli targeting a solo hit. The only Master to emerge as a Motown release from these sessions is 'The Scalawag Song' (62300). A beautiful song but another poorly promoted release by Motown. But other songs with earlier Master Nrs would indicate other unreleased but completed songs from such sessions. 'Getting Over You' (62217) is one of three other Master numbers (with 62216 and 8) that appear to come from a May 1973 session that we know very little about. What we do know is the Artists Card captures some clues as to the last solo session Valli did at Motown. Some confusion seems to have existed when the card was produced as to whether the song was being recorded by Martin and Finley as opposed to Frankie Valli. We know Bob Gaudio produced Martin and Finley's sole Motown album 'Dazzle 'Em With Footwork' – a very disappointing sounding album which appeared in 1974 before Gaudio left Motown. A later added note (in red) on the Artists Card indicates the departure of the group from Motown saying 'Out Of Spec' which appears on a few of the last Cards. Although clearly found by Bob Gaudio in his review of the tapes in 2019 it was a surprise that it was not approved for release along with others from these sessions. But it is complete and we want it!!.

Track Title: Whatever You Want [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 62218

First Location Tape: P2678

Second Location: T5232

Additional Location: T5736[30May1974] P5085[Album]

Notes

 A song which is a throwback to 1962 and Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe's developing writing partnership. The song is 'Whatever You Want' and the Artists Card and Tape Index show this was recorded by Frankie Valli at a May 1973 session with producer Bob Gaudio on P Tape 2678. It is, of course, a re-make of the classic 1962 Jerry Butler song of the same name written by Gaudio-Crewe and originally released on Vee-Jay 486(SS195 UK). Could it be as good as the superb Jerry Butler original updated by Frankie Valli?. Well Motown thought so in May 1974 as they copied it to the then planned P5085 Master tape for a NEW album which would never see release as the group left Motown. It has lush Beach Boys style backing vocals by Motown session singers and a plaintiff Frankie Valli vocal. A great sound.

Well we also found a copy of it in the FSP archive from 1974 so Frankie and Bob had always known it was complete and there. This is an underdub version with a piano only backing. But it is a superb production and vocal/backing and has been proposed by us  for release.

Track Title: You Can't Hold On [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 62299

First Location Tape: P2505

Second Location: T4389

Additional Location:  P5084[Album]

Notes

Back to the Motown Records Artist's Card that supply clues of happenings at Motown in both 1973 and 1974 we found 'You Can't Hold On' was not a song title for which we can identify writers [and Motown refer to it as COPYRIGHT CONTROL] but it was one of a handful of songs Bob Gaudio produced with Frankie Valli in May 1973 as it is on the same P track tape as 'Scalawag' (Master Nr 62300) and has the previous Master Nr 62299. The copy dates were at first misleading, but what has emerged is that Stereo Mixes of the song were made in May 1974 for possible use as the B side to a single proposed for ‘The Night’. We found a copy of both Mix 4 of this track with Mix 39 of The Night [ the Frankie Valli lead-in version of 43 mixed in total !!]. If Valli/Gaudio and Crewe hadn't confronted Motown and left with 'My Eyes Adored You' we may have heard this on a released album in late 1974 as it was also copied to Tape P5085 for that cancelled album. But researching the FSP Archive we also found 2  different versions to the one approved as a final ‘Take 6’ Mix which has alternate Valli and backing vocals and has been put forward for inclusion in the Box Set.

This may also be one of the tracks they also tried to 'buy' from Motown who wanted too much money for them . Were 'My Eyes Adored You' and the released 'Scalawag ', the best of the tracks they had in the vault from these 1973 sessions ?. Well our research and this Snapper Box set release will show there were many quality tracks still left behind [or sitting with Bob Gaudio ] as documented in this research plan.

Next Time......Part 6 – Bob Crewe’s November/December sessions 1973

 

Ken Charmer – Music Historian

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - Part 5

Session Review Notes

Period 1973[Jan] – 1973[May]

Artist:Frankie Valli

Introduction

With Bob Crewe recovered from his breakdown in 1970 and being re-signed as a writer producer with Motown[for Bobby Darin sessions in October 1972], he and Bob Gaudio patched up past differences and resumed writing together and in late 1972/ early 1973 recording sessions with Frankie Valli [with perhaps the Four Seasons and/or  Motown Session singers as the Four Seasons] took place.

The start of 1973 appears to be a low point for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons with the imminent demise of Mowest and their allocation back to Motown, when Frankie actually sacked the group and recruited new members Gerry Polci and Lee Shapiro.by the middle of the year.

The return of Bob Crewe shows that they returned to the studio [in late 1972] as at the beginning of 1973  mixing of stereo tracks and registration of Master Nrs for potential release resumed. There is no indication in the filing systems if sessions were in LA or in NYC which was the location for their later 1973 sessions with Bob Crewe. The first P tape(16 track) to be listed in a clear run of sessions involving Crewe/Gaudio were P2388 and 9 with several mixes done to stereo masters in February 1973 and there was a new sound emerging and more importantly Crewe-Gaudio were writing and producing together again. 4th Feb 1973 saw 'With My Eyes Wide Open' (Master Nr 61749) a magnificent anthemic song which should have gotten the interest of Motown Execs. But they didn't see the single potential and this would not get release until the 'retrospective' 'Inside You’ album in 1975

Core Tapes to be researched: P 2388/89: 2414: 2511: 2656

Track Title: Be My Lover Be My Friend

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Crewe – Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 61633

First Location Tape: P2414

Second Location: T3742

Notes

But  the earliest Master Nr from these sessions was we know a song Bob Crewe composed with friends Ellie Greenwich (who we saw helping Bob in the studio in George Schowerer's photos of the 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' sessions) and former Four Evers singer Steve Tudanger. The song 'Be My Lover, Be My Friend' (Master Nr 61633) is listed in Ellie's compositions on the BMI database, but we can find no record of it being recorded by anyone but the Four Seasons. It was completed and mixed and copied to T3742 as a safety copy. This would appear to be the start of plans for a new album and the start of very important sessions to revive Frankie and the group..

Track Title: Star [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Crewe – Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 61746

First Location Tape: P2389

Second Location: T3728

Notes

Researching the 'unreleased' tracks and the Artists Cards, it proved impossible to find writing credits for a song called 'Star' as there have been so many with that title on the BMI and ASCAP databases. But the rumoured version as recorded by the Four Seasons was found to definitely exist by the Artists Card which lists the Master as 61746 and is located on Tapes P2389 and T3728. Produced by Gaudio-Crewe it now turns out to have been written  by them and it's Master and Tape Numbers indicates it was recorded in December 1972 and January 1973 at the same sessions that produced 'Listen To Yesterday'(61747). But although it is listed as a Four Seasons track it may have been part of sessions involving Motown session singers as on later tracks during this period. It remains 16 track only according to the Artists Card but was confirmed as a salvaged track in the Motown internal memos of 2002 and a contender for CD release in the 2006 draft compilation. The supply to Snapper of a Tape Box scan showed it as on the same tape as 'With My Eyes Wide Open'(61749), and closely followed by  'Inside You'(61758) and 'How Come'(62130). It was the only Tape Box scan from the Motown period that we were supplied with during the box set research and it confirms so much and clearly why it was mixed and approved by Bob Gaudio. But interestingly it is the secondary location T3728 and not the original P notation session tape. That raises more questions from us?  It is a very unusual song which starts with a driving rock vocal before it drops in to a slow harmonic Seasons harmony ballad with soaring falsetto by Frankie.  It is a simply amazing song and production that will be loved by fans.

Track Title: Listen To Yesterday [Alternatives]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Crewe – Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 61747

First Location Tape: P2389

Second Location: T2389 and T3728

Alternative Locations: T4240/P4617[10 Stereo Mixes]

Notes

The reason for including this track is that although released in 2 versions, the original which had two 45 releases has never appeared in CD format. The version released on The Motown Years 2 CD set in 2008 was an alternative version with surf sound opening and Four Seasons type male backing harmonies whereas the original vinyl version [also available on the 'Inside You' 1975 album] features  female backing vocals. The tapes need research to recover the original 45 mix

Track Title: Turn It All Around

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Crewe

Motown Master: 62131

First Location Tape: P2511

Second Location: P2656

Additional Location: T4162[24 Track]

Notes

As we attempt to 'Turn It All Around' (and get this music released) we found the Artists Card for this Bob Crewe production from the very important P tape 2505. At least we know the writers for this....Bob Crewe and Bob Hardwick who would also write for the Bob Crewe Generation a few years later (the ‘Motivation’ album). We have never heard the song but the tape contains the incomparable 'How Come' so was probably from the same spring 1974 session. Recorded in stunning 24 track this was copied to 2 different tapes so should have been found and approved in the Snapper Box Set. The question remains ‘how could this not be up to standard.?’

 

Track Title: Give Us This Day

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Bob Crewe

Motown Master: 62132

First Location Tape: P2511

Second Location: T4162[24 Track]

Additional Location: P2656

Notes

This appears to be the remaining song from the 'How Come' sessions in Spring 1973 which is two Master Nrs later. This we found is a Bob Crewe-Alan Paul Shatkin composition.  Shatkin had worked with Crewe as early as 1969 ( To Give/Who Am I – Karen Wyman) and they would team up again for Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes (I See Your Name) 'Up In Lights' in 1975. 'Anything and Everything'(ain't nothing without you) was published the same month as this recording and this one appears in Crewe's BMI listing.

This Artists Card once again fails to get Crewe's name correct. It was never mixed to Stereo but was copied to 24 track tape. Another mystery track from previously unknown sessions, its completion is evidenced by the Artists Card showing it being Motown Master Nr 62132

All of these sessions were moving to a planned  August 1973 album release - Motown 788 [ titled ‘Inside Out’ – but not issued] and these titles are preceding the Bob Gaudio ‘Scalawag’ summer sessions and the Bob Crewe 'Hickory' sessions which we will come to in Parts 6 and 7.

Next Time......Part 6 – Bob Gaudio’s summer sessions

 

Ken Charmer – Music Historian

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - Part 4

Session Review Notes

Period 1972[Aug] – 1972[Dec]

Artist:Frankie Valli

Mid-Late 1972 Frankie Valli Sessions

Background

Record keeping and session information is pretty slim/erratic for this period but based on Master and Tape Index Nrs, sessions with Frankie Valli did take place. Bob Gaudio I recall in interview with Stu Miller at the time said Valli was just doing demos for other artists and it is true some titles listed are released by other artists and some may well be demos. These tracks are grouped together due to limited data with what we know until more is found but generally they cover sessions with Hal Davis, Willie Hutch and Michael Masser. No clear session dates are available for most and some may be recorded earlier in 1972. However if they were given a Motown Master Number we would expect them to be completed. Whether they remain intact requires a tape listening review.

Core Tapes: P2134: P2304: P2351: P2352: P2440

Track Title: With You

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[possibly Hal Davis]

Motown Master: 61561

First Location Tape: Not Known[Possibly P2304 or P2351]

Notes

It is believed this is the Carole Bayer Sagar – Ken Ascher song that Frankie Valli eventually released on the “Lady Put The Light Out' album on Private Stock PS 7002 in 1977. The Motown Master Nr does confirm a completed product but no Artists Card has been found and the Tape location is unknown

Track Title: Include Me In Your Life

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[probably Hal Davis]

Motown Master: Not known

First Location Tape: P2304

Notes

A song recorded in the same period by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, and released as the B' Side to "My Mistake (Was To Love You)", the writers being McLeod/Bolton and the producer was Hal Davis. The Valli version may well have been used as a demo for the release as it has no Master Nr but listed to exist on Tape P2304. Tape Box information indicates it was “Reassigned to Suzie Ikeda/Suzie vocals/Also Ross/Gaye” but on the 1990s internal Universal  list as recorded by Frankie Valli

Track Title: Point Of No Return

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not known[possibly Hal Davis]

Motown Master: Not Known

First Location Tape: P2304

Notes

Research Kev Singer identified that this title was recorded by The Stylistics on their self-named 1971 Avco album. As 'Stop, Look and Listen' is also listed as a Valli recorded song [which has been found complete and for release this year] we would suggest a Hal Davis production of this excellent Thom Bell-Linda Creed composition. On the 1990s internal Universal  list as recorded by Frankie Valli

Track Title: Where Love Ends

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[possibly Willie Hutch]

Motown Master: Not known

First Location Tape: P2134

Notes

All we have for this title is the Tape Index reference  and lists from the 1990s and 2002 [Motown internal memo] which give this track as existing. Only 2 BMI listings exist for the title and one is a Michel Legrand orchestral piece.

Track Title: I'll Make It Up To You

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[possibly Willie Hutch]

Motown Master: Not known

First Location Tape: P2134

Notes

This and the previous track are listed as on the same tape as the released Willie Hutch produced and written 'Thank You' which was recovered from P2134 and mixed for inclusion on the 1975 album 'Inside You'. Again it is listed in the 1990s and 2002 Motown lists. A review of P2134 16 track Tape is needed

Track Title: Minute By Minute – Day By Day [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[possibly Michael Masser]

Motown Master: 61587

First Location Tape: P2351[30IPS]

Second Location: T3252/3253

Notes

BMI searches reveal a song called 'Minute By Minute' written by Michael Masser and Kathy Wakefield and given the fact 'After You' see below was recorded by Valli with Masser this was our path of research. The writing duo teamed up with Al Ruzika[of The Night fame] to pen 'Last Time I Saw Him' for the same titled Diana Ross album during this period. This track appears with copies made to T tapes indicating that it was completed and that has proved to be the case and it was somewhat amazing to hear it when Bob Gaudio confirmed it was approved. It is a superb mid-tempo song which Frankie Valli sings with great skill.

Track Title: I Can Get Away From You (But I Can't Get Over You)

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[possibly Michael Masser]

Motown Master: 61588

First Location Tape: Not Known[Possibly P2351/2]

Notes

This song appears to be written by Pam Sawyer and Michael Masser and was released by Tony and Carolyn on VIP 25068F in 1971. FOUND HERE. No other background info to this track can be found apart from the fact that a Master Nr was allocated which categorises it with the previous song and given the co-writer was Michael Masser it is reasonable to think it is from his sessions with Valli and was completed. There is no Artists Card and only the title appears in the Tape Index and on a list of tracks from Motown during the 1990s and on an internal memo within Motown in 2002.

Track Title: After You [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Michael Masser

Motown Master: Not known

First Location Tape: P2352

Notes

A collectors tape box scan of a 7.5ips reel box with the instrumental track gave us the first clue to these potential Michael Masser sessions and a confirmed Tape index Nr P 2352 confirmed the session......but as the reel we had contains only the music backing and no verification of Valli's lead vocal had been found until surprisingly it was one of the 13 tracks ‘approved’ by Bob and Frankie for release.

The box indicates a November 1972 date for that copy. And with no Master Nr and no Artists Card we thought it was  incomplete. It was subsequently recorded and released by Diana Ross and Englebert Humperdink but with different orchestral arrangements. It is a 'full' musical arrangement with a heart-aching and intense vocal interpretation by Frankie Valli. This surprising find supports the need for a full listening review of all of the 16 track tapes.

The song was recorded by Diana Ross on her self-titled 1976 album. FOUND HERE  in a very different arrangement. Interestingly it is a Crewe/Corbetta/Marmelzat composition and the timing of this potential recording could coincide with Bob Crewe's signing for Motown in fall 1972 and the start of his relationship with Jerry Corbetta [ Note– Jerry Corbetta had performed with the group ‘Sugarloaf’ a Denver, Colorado based rock and roll band that performed from 1970 to 1975. Jerry teamed up with Bob Crewe in 1975 when he was the band leader of the The Jam Band on the Disco-Tex and The Sex-O-Lets first album...and became a four Season in 1979 until 1981) ]

Track Title: Sitting On The Edge Of My Mind

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer:  Probably Hal Davis

Motown Master: Not known

First Location Tape: P2440

Notes

On the same tape as 'Life and Breath' which was released, Kev Singer tells us, “Then there's the mystery of "Sitting On The Edge Of My Mind". Could this be the same song as recorded by Jermaine Jackson and issued on his "Come Into My Life" album in 1973? This song was written by Don Fletcher, Charlotte O'Hara and Nita Garfield. It was arranged by Greg Poree and produced by ..... Hal Davis. The matrix (side 1 of the LP) shows C5RS-7696-1 and cat no M775L.” The recording by Valli may simply be a demo or simply not given a final mix. 'Life And Breath' itself was only recovered and mixed from this tape in 1975 for the 'Inside You' album and it suggests the rest of the Hal Davis session contents are on this tape.

Track Title: When I Come Of Age

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Hal Davis

Motown Master: Not Known

First Location Tape:P2440

Notes

Again on the same tape as 'Life and Breath'. Researcher Kev Singer told us, “Listed as an unreleased song by Frankie Valli is "When I Come Of Age". The lyric is clearly for a child and any version, given the title alone, sounds like it would have to be a demo if a recording by Valli still exists. The track by Michael Jackson which remained in the vaults was eventually issued on his "Looking Back To Yesterday" album. This song was written by Hal Davis, Don Fletcher and Weldon Dean Parks especially for Michael.” From the Michael Jackson version on You Tube, it appears that any version sung by Frankie would be a Demo.

Next Time......Part 5 – Bob Crewe returns for 1973 sessions

 

Ken Charmer – Music Historian

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - Part 3

Session Review Notes

Period 1971[Oct] – 1972[Aug]

Artist:Frankie Valli/Four Seasons

Four Seasons - Bob Gaudio produced 'Chameleon' Sessions and other tracks

Core Tapes to be researched: P2105: 2110: 2111;2262

Unreleased Tracks

Track Title: Loving You That's My Thing [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 60752

First Location Tape: P2111

Second Location: T2062

Notes

A  discarded track from one of the 'Chameleon' tapes P2111 is 'Loving You, That's My Thing' which sounds like it should be a soul/funk track by the Temptations or Jacksons. But can you judge that on the title? It's certainly not a title we could find any other record of, but evidence was that it was recorded at the same time as 'Poor Fool' and 'You're A Song'. But not heard since. Well until recently that is. A completed version of it has surfaced from the session and the track is an up-tempo harmony laced 'sing-along' 'fun' type song completely different to the serious songs of the ‘Chameleon’ album . A completed Master Nr 60752 (on Tape P2111) exists but no evidence of a Stereo Mix for album/single assessment { Tape Box Data reveals 2 leads, 1 incomplete ] so maybe it was not considered for release although at the time it was one of the 15 completed tracks listed in the TCB Newsletter in Jan 1972 which was the first mention of it. [ A Finished Copy has also been found by fans] . Now we have it from the Master Tape and Bob Gaudio has found and approved the track for inclusion in the Snapper Music Box Set.

Track Title: Lovewell

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 60759

First Location Tape: P2111

Notes

One of the more intriguing Artists Card from Motown is a song that appears to be a 'Chameleon' album reject. It has also proved to be a title with no recognisable registered writers. 'Lovewell' was mentioned by Steve Bailey as worked upon at the 'My Heart Cries Out To You' session. But it was not mentioned again other than in the list of 15 tracks laid down in the TCB Newsletter Jan 1971 and we can't find anything on BMI/ASCAP about it. But this shows it was recorded and where it is located.

Track Title: Never Gonna Give My Love to You [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 60760

First Location Tape: P2110

Second Location:T2023

Additional Locations: T2062/T2151

Notes

In early 72 newsletters from Stu Miller's notes it was stated....”three (songs from the 15 listed back in Feb 1972)are at present being considered for a first single. They are 'Never Gonna Give My Love To You', 'The Night' or 'Time Will Tell'. .....Al Ruzicka wrote by himself 'Never Gonna Give My Love.....' and co-wrote with Bob Gaudio 'The Night'.

Finding Al's published songs has been pretty difficult at both BMI and ASCAP but we know he also wrote 'Poor Fool' , and co-wrote 'Touch The Rainchild' and it seems he co-wrote 'When Will You Come Home To Me' with Bob Gaudio and Kathy Wakefield(a Motown in-house writer) for Diana Ross and it appears on the 'Last Time I Saw Him' album. This album included two other Bob Gaudio co-written and produced songs.

But we do have the Artists Card for the Four Seasons Sessions at Mowest which shows this track as the last in a sequence of Motown Masters that run from 60752 to 60760. It follows 'When The Morning Comes' and 'Sun Country' and is probably one that didn't make the 'cut' for the ‘Chameleon’ album. This sequence of tracks indicate sessions in November/December 1971 with Stereo Mixes done in January 1972. Obviously from the TCB Newsletter listings at least 15 tracks were mixed to Stereo for potential release. Only 'Love Isn't Here/Poor Fool' made it to 45 and surprisingly the 45 scan names the album source as 'Chameleon' in Feb 1972 when the album didn't surface till May 1972. I'm asking everyone to search their notes and records from back then for any more data but it seems the concept for 'Chameleon’ was set in stone prior to this February 45 release date. Also it appears Gaudio's productions took precedence over other producers(including The Corporation) and it now seems probable that he persuaded Mowest to go with his choice of 45 and that all 8 songs for the album were recorded and mastered(along with others that remain unreleased). Evidence of the Chameleon track sessions was found on cassette tape and this track has surfaced in completed format and it is an up-tempo song with chanted backing by the Seasons. Very like the live song they did in the 1980s concerts [You're Never Too Old To Rock And Roll' ] this is a real hand-clapper and totally different to the tracks selected for ‘Chameleon’. It doesn't fit that concept at all

This track [which we have as a completed demo] was mixed to a 16 track copy tape and two Stereo mixes were made but no dates are given. However Bob Gaudio has found it and it appears ‘Re-Mixed’  from 16 track BUT with loads of reverb and echo on the Four Seasons backing vocals which in my opinion destroys the feel from the session version. It will be in the Snapper Music Box Set

 

Track Title: We Had It All (Walking In The Sunshine)

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Gaudio?

Motown Master: 60769

First Location Tape: Not known possibly P2105/10 or 11

Notes

No Artists Card or Tape Index Reference has been found for this track and a long lost demo of the Four Season backing and instrumental track has surfaced giving the perception that Valli never did a vocal lead?. It also appears in this format in the FSP Archive. However a list of Motown Masters confirms the track was [most likely] finished and resides on one of the key tapes noted. The Master Nr immediately precedes 'The Night' and so we surmise it is a Bob Gaudio production. But as a Willie Hutch Master follows 'The Night' on P2105 that is a qualified guess. The song appears in the BMI listing as a Stone Diamond published song and as these publishers did many Motown songs we think it may be a Haynes – Rhone composition or maybe Bob Gaudio could tell us?

Track Title: That's All I Want From You

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 60772

First Location Tape: P2111

Notes

When you look at the Four Seasons Motown Tape Index, 3 tapes stand out from the sessions that took place at the end of 1971 as intensive studio recording took place. Tapes P2105/2110/2111 feature predominantly Bob Gaudio produced songs and the majority were very innovative arrangements and original Gaudio or group written songs. Several saw release and I've already featured some that didn't make the 'Chameleon' album or 45 cut. But one features a song that asks the question........was it completed?..The song was recorded and given a Master Nr 60772 on Tape P2111. The Artists Card confirms it's existence although only as a 16 track recording with no final Stereo Mix done to date. But evidence has emerged of the backing track being copied to cassette  A real mystery this one. The fact that a Master Nr exists would indicate a completed session Master but only the tape research would reveal the song which may need a final mix from the 16 tracks. We have the Instrumental version from a session tape cassette but know nothing more re its completed form.

Track Title: You're A Song

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Bob Gaudio

Motown Master: 60777

First Location Tape: P2110[Slow Version] P2111[Fast Version]?

Notes

As we've seen with the most recent Artists Cards there were a number of tracks that were recorded as part of the Chameleon sessions, led by Bob Gaudio which never made the 'cut' for the album and which he had never heard since [until the Universal Digital Transfer]. His fan base can just be aghast at this and wonder whether any hidden 'gems' exist or just 'out-takes' he'd rather not have us hear.? But we know the one we have heard.....but 'which version is it?'
Motown Master Nr 60777 is a song from the 'Chameleon' album but there are it seems, a 'slow' version on Tape P2110(along with The Night, Touch The Rainchild and When The Morning Comes) and a 'fast' version on Tape P2111(along with Poor Fool , A New Beginning and a few other unreleased titles ). And a Lead vocal and Harmony vocal are confirmed as existing on that Tape. But it is hard for us to tell which one we have as the released version (probably the 'slow' one) makes it hard to believe there could be an alternative ‘fast’ arrangement - .although we do know at least 18 takes were done . Stereo and 16 track copies exist on T Tapes too. We have a version with Frankie singing it in another key which we believe is an earlier Take.

Until Bob Gaudio tells us what was on the digitized copies of the tapes sent to him by Universal, he'll probably not reveal  the 'other' version, but we'd like to hear it whether it was an out-take or not.

Ken Charmer – Music Historian

 

March 2022

 

Note; The Chameleon session out-takes listed above that we have will be featured in the Motown Unreleased Campaign Facebook Group.

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - Part 2

Session Review Notes

Period 1971[Oct] – 1972[Aug]

Artist:Four Seasons – Various Producers

Core Tapes to be researched P2060: 2082: 2093: 2105: 2113: 2134: 2205: 2206

Introduction: Early Mowest 1971/72 Session Four Seasons

Just when the various producers sessions occurred after the Four Seasons signed up to Motown in October 1971 is unclear from the Tape Index and the Artists Cards. Tape Nrs and completed Master Nrs do not necessarily run in sequence, but some dates do appear when Stereo Mixes were done from the 16 track Master Tapes that lead to possibilities that condense thinking about the style and sounds being developed. We can clearly see that the original 'Chameleon' sound was a definitive set of sessions that reside on P2110/11 and had an original and very distinctive sound for the time. There was no definitive 'hit' sound during early 1972 and probably Mowest execs were searching for a new LA sound. The country rock singer/songwriter scene was firmly established out of Laurel Canyon and the Eagles country rock style(eg Take It Easy) would emerge by mid 1972 as the Southern California sound. So at the end of 1971 producers at Mowest it appears were looking for a competing adult-contemporay 'blue-eyed' soul sound that would suit AM radio.

There are interesting notes and connections in the Artists Cards. Sometimes the Artists Cards are more a mystery than anything else. The first mystery is how 'Walk On Don't Look' back appears with 2 Master Nrs. ? It is the very first Master Nr (60516) which suggests it was their first recording at the label in November 1971 and that is the Master Number that appears on the 45 BUT this wasn't released until 8/72. It doesn't really appear to be their first recording there either and it is not listed in the 15 tracks listed in Feb 1972 in the TCB fanzine as recorded in the early sessions. It is therefore included below as 'unreleased' re the Artists Card Number.  It should be noted that master number 60516 was also used for The Blackberries track "But I Love You More". My understanding is that The Blackberries single MW5020 was a non-issue and the two tracks "Somebody Up There" and "But I Love You More" remained unreleased until The Complete Motown Singles 12A was issued more recently and MW5020 was specially pressed as the 7" fronting that set.

Why in mid 72 this was  preferred to 'The Night' for August 1972 release remains a mystery. For such a strong single on an album to be missed by Mo-West in the USA is amazing. A test promo pressing was produced and we have scans of this. Although released in the UK in Oct 72 [MW3002] lack of promotion in the UK when the Mowest label launched is also a mystery? [It would become a featured track at Mr M's, Wigan Casino Room [and across the Northern Soul scene during 1973 and 74] which would force it's re release and chart entry in 1975(Chart Nr 6 UK)] And if considered a stronger track, why wasn't this alternative 45 'Walk On Don't Look Back' heavily promoted in the USA in Aug 72 and the UK in March1973? What we have heard shows that all of these completed Masters are well worthy of release as they were at the time. moWest simply didn’t have a clue.!

Unreleased Tracks

Track Title: My Heart Cries Out To You [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Larson - Marcellino

Motown Master: 60692

First Location Tape: P2060

Second Location: P2082

Additional locations:T2043/T2134/T3984

Notes

Just the second title on the Motown Tape Index the only detail we had on this in the past comes from former Four Seasons International Fan Club President, Steve Bailey(thanks to John Hornsby research). What we can now see from research of the Artists Cards is that the still unreleased song ‘My Heart Cries Out To You’(Tapes P2060/P2082) was co-produced by Marcellino and Larson as a potential single. Steve Bailey the USA fan club President managed to get into the sessions that finished the song. He wrote on a newsletter at the time....” Frankie had already done lead vocal and musical tracks were finished. Joe(Long) and Demitri (Callas) with Mel Larsen did background tracks and then Frankie did some doubling and back- grounds. It is a fantastic song. Maybe the new single. I sure hope so."  The track was copied to two 16 track tapes and at least one Stereo Mix was done. It was the second listed Motown Master by the group at 60692 so probably recorded in November 1971. Essential listening for Four Seasons fans?  Well hearing this find now ‘approved’ for release it is obvious it should have been the first single and heavily promoted as it is a classic in the Four Seasons ‘harmony style’ mid-tempo and falsetto laced song - it is simply superb.

Track Title: Girl, Don't Take Your Love From Me

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: Willie Hutch

Motown Master: 60749

First Location Tape: P2105

Second Location: T2199

Additional locations:T2200/P6414

Notes

If confirmation were needed that Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons started recording as soon as they joined Motown then this shows it . It also shows us songs they recorded first before being released by others months later whilst this remains left in the vault.  The Tape Box to Tape P2105 shows” 2 versions: 1 Assigned to Four Seasons - 2 Vocals / Another to Michael Jackson - 2 Vocals”.

“Girl, Don't Take You're Love From Me' (Master Nr 60749) which we've heard by Michael Jackson was recorded by the Four Seasons in early November 1971(dub cut 20th November and again 20th December). One of only 2 Willie Hutch productions on them (‘Thank You' being the other).....surely there must be more as yet unresearched?.

A Stereo Mix was copied very late clearly after their departure from the label to Tape P 6414 which suggest post 1975. Songs like this add to the mystery of why MoWest didn't release more in 1972, but when you hear that before The Commodores moved to the main Motown label they had a whole album 'vaulted' at Mowest which remains unreleased to this day, you realise Motown Universal today are way behind the times and have little or no retrospective music release schedule. Perhaps they wrongly assess this period as unworthy of re-visiting or too expensive [legal and production cost] to prepare for release

Track Title: Wigs And Lashes

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: The Corporation

Motown Master: 60756

First Location Tape: P2113

Second Locations: T2350

Additional location:P7675

Notes
'Wigs and Lashes' we now know was a laid-back mid tempo song written by Larry Mizzel of The Corporation, [tasked to find a new sound for the group] and the Artists Card for Master Nr 60756 was one of a handful they tried with the group. Mixed on 14th Feb 1972 and copied to 2 T tapes it has never appeared by the group although The Miracles versions on their 1973 'Rennaisance' album gives us an indication of how the song may have been handled by Frankie and the Seasons. There appear to be at least 6 mixes done at the time of the Master recording  but one note indicates a copy to P7675 which would have been a 1980s tape after the copying of tracks to the Superstars album (P7245) in 1981.

The Master Nr 60756 only precedes 'When The Morning Comes' by 2 numbers and suggests a November 1971 recording session

Track Title: Time Will Tell

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: The Corporation

Motown Master: 60757

First Location Tape: P2113

Second Locations: T2083

Notes

Another find of a listed track in the Motown Tape Index I'd never heard......but one I have become obsessed with now thanks to Music Detective Mike 'Doo-Wop' Daddy who sent it to me. I've shared this version with you all on You Tube[Mowestchameleon]. The  version that was released was by Second Nature on Bell Records in 1973....as a Bob Crewe Production. This groups vocals are not the best and it would be interesting to hear the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons version which was being considered for 45 release in Jan 1971[ according to newsletter notes by Stu Miller]. It is Master Nr 60757 which puts it 2 after 'Poor Fool' and 1 after 'Wigs and Lashes' . The next Master Nr 60758 was 'When The Morning Comes'. Although co-written by Bob Crewe with Louis St Louis it was produced by The Corporation TM.

Track Title: Walk On Don't Look Back [Alternative Master?]

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: The Corporation

Motown Master: 60960

First Location Tape: P2205

Second Locations: T2735

Additional location: T3010/T3012

Notes

 A look at the Tape box for P2113 may reveal more about the Corporation sessions including when 'Walk On Don't Look Back' was actually recorded. There are two designated Master Nrs for this which is the only track in the index where this occurs. An alternative Master was shown on the 45 and this is the only ever occurrence of this anomally on all their Motown Index. Master Nr 60516-7B doesn't appear on a separate Artists Card. This 60960 card indicates a 'dub cut' in May 1972 post the early Seasons sessions and post the Bob Gaudio 'Chameleon' sessions. Subsequent copies to T tapes including 2 by Russ Terrana which align with the 28^th August release on Mo-West 5026F. Why a Master Nr 60516-7B appears on the 45 rather than 60960 remains a mystery. However the 'released' version HAS appeared on CD on the 2008 Anthology. The Artist Card shows the Stereo Master was copied on 22nd May and again on 7th August with 10 'takes' in total copied. Other version/takes are worthy of research.

Track Title: After I'm Gone

Artist: Four Seasons [possibly Frankie Valli]

Producer: The Corporation

Motown Master: 60961

First Location Tape: P2206

Second Location Tape: T2381

Notes

Although we have a Master Nr and a Production Tape locations for two 16 track versions nothing is known re this song except that we have an Artists Card that show it was recorded with The Corporation which dates it as amongst the early 1972 Four Seasons sessions. The fact that it was copied suggests it was completed but only tape research would reveal more. No other tracks are known from this tape but it may contain much more as it precedes the tape which contains 'Walk On Don't Look Back' which is assessed as being recorded in May 1972.The Master number follows this song and precedes 'Coming Home' and so is obviously from the same sessions

Track Title: Coming Home

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: The Corporation

Motown Master: 60962

First Location Tape: Not known but possibly P2205 or P2206

Notes

No Artists Card has surfaced for this song nor any mention in the Tape Index BUT an internal report from Motown Universal shows it as a 'completed' Master Nr. The song was subsequently recorded by Michael Jackson and surfaced on a compilation. It appears on You Tube and was produced by The Corporation too. Writing credits are to Berry Gordy-Deke Richards-Freddie Perrin-Alphonso Mizell [The Corporation]. It's Master Nr follows 'Walk On Don't Look Back' Nr 60960 and 'After I'm Gone' Nr 60961 suggesting P2206 as a possible location

Track Title: Live It Up

Artist: Four Seasons

Producer: The Corporation

Motown Master: 60997

First Location Tape: Not known but possibly P2205 or P2206 or P2225

Notes

This song was written and recorded by Jermaine Jackson and released in June 1972. The song appears on You Tube and is a perfect vehicle for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. A completed Master Nr 60997 indicates it should exist by them. But no clues exist as to which Tape it could reside on but probably the same as the other Corporation productions..

March 2022

Ken Charmer – Music Historian

Motown Unreleased - Session Review Plan Part 1

Period 1971[Oct] – 1972[Aug]

Session Tape Notes 2022

Artist:Frankie Valli

Core Tapes to be researched: P2079: 2201: 2203: 2225

Unreleased Tracks

Track Title: What Love Has Joined Together  - [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Cleveland - Payton

Motown Master: 60662

First Location Tape: P2079

Notes

Only 2 songs are listed on Tape P 2079 in November 1971 and they became Motown Masters 60662 and 65 both produced by Cleveland and Payton and both songs were previously released by Motown artists. Perhaps the producers chose 'What Love Has Joined Together' because of a Smokey Robinson and the Miracles album title side from the 1970 'concept' album of the same name. That version is a beautiful update to the same song from the 1965 Temptations on the 'Sing Smokey …..' album and a Mary Wells recording from 1964 and there is an Artists Card to prove Frankie Valli tried a cover version too. These are indicated by Artists Cards as Frankie Valli 'solo' sessions. At first thought it was  difficult to see with many of these tracks with in-house producers at Mowest what Frankie Valli could add to already issued material that wasn't hit single standard or what the producers were looking for, particularly for such an old song. But Tape P2079 almost certainly contains other songs currently 'unlisted' as the size of such tapes means several completed mixes could have been accommodated and the producers would probably have tried more than 2 songs at the session.

Although 2019 research indicated that the Tape Box listed the song as NO VOCAL by Frankie Valli as it was ‘Assigned to The Commodores’, it was a completed song.[It shows that you have to play the Tapes]

The song was found and approved for this year’s Box Set release and is a wonderful version by Frankie Valli. It is clear that a Frankie Valli does ‘Motown Classics’   was a proposed album and as Wikipedia says.....“Due to its beauty and intimately romantic style, this song has been and continues to be a popular staple at weddings. There were no singles released from this album “. A listen to Smokey's lyric...."It would be easier to take the cold from snow or the heat from fire than for anyone take my love from you..." delivered so well by Frankie with Motown male backing singers shows  it was a contender for a potential solo album track and is well worthy of release.

Track Title: Save The Children

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Cleveland - Payton

Motown Master: 60665

First Location Tape: P2079

Notes

Frankie Valli must have taken some convincing that he should record a version of Marvin Gaye's 'Save The Children' but it is evident that producers Cleveland and Payton did persuade him and the song was completed and became the second Motown Master (nr 60665) on one of the earliest Master Tapes in the Four Seasons Motown Tape archive. Al Cleveland who co-wrote it must have seen that Valli could 'add-value' to the original unless it was just 'album fodder'? The song originally recorded on Marvin's 'What's Going On' album there features Marvin recording both a spoken word recitation of the song and a vocal version then mixing the two vocals together in stereo with Marvin's soft-spoken vocals on one side and his expressive tenor on the other.

It is both unique and distinctive and it seems unlikely any other version could be as effective. Not a hit  but did get some chart action in the UK. Diana Ross did a medley version with 'Brown Baby' on the 'Touch Me In The Morning' album. Maybe Frankie would rather his effort was never heard and at present that is likely to be the case. The allocation of Frankie Valli to a series of producers for solo work at the start of their Motown contract remains one of the mysteries of this period and I recall Bob Gaudio commenting somewhat critically on Motown trying all sorts of producers to find a hit sound in interview in the mid 70s. Tape Box data indicates 1 lead + 2 [spoken]Narrations by Frankie

Track Title: I Will Love You Like A Man

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Larson - Marcellino

Motown Master: 60842

First Location Tape: P2225

Second location: T2170

Additional location: P7675?

Notes

Some tracks in the Motown Vault by The Four Seasons remain intriguing titles that make you wonder how they came to be recorded. One such track is 'I Will Love You Like A Man'. It seems an incongruous title today. And maybe given the LGBTQ following it was dropped by Bob Gaudio after being approved . Tape Box records show.... 1 Lead and a shadow lead. But the completed Master Nr 60842 sits amongst the earliest of Frankie Valli's recordings at Motown [with Mel Larson and Jerry Marcellino who were involved in producing the released Valli version of 'Baby I Need Your Loving'] and this may have come from that session even though the Master Nr is much later.  This song was mixed to Stereo Master on 12th February 1972(or maybe 17th) by Russ Terrana. We've not found any writer credits or other versions and this remains a mystery track we may never hear given Bob Gaudio’s decision not to include it in the Box Set..

Track Title: Thank You For Yesterday

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Hal Davis

Motown Master: 60918

First Location Tape: P2203

Second location: T2298

Notes

Here is a great title for a song and a message from us to Frankie Valli......'Thank You For Yesterday' and it remains a mystery who the song writers are? But this Artists Card shows that the Master Nr 60918 probably places its recording before 'Life and Breath' and 'Thank You' in February 1972. It is according to an Artists Card a Hal Davis production and was mixed to Stereo so will exist on both the original 16 track master tape (P2203) and a T2298 tape stereo master .

Track Title: Stop, Look, Listen To Your Heart Together  - [found and for release Summer 2020]

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Hal Davis

Motown Master: 60950

First Location Tape: P2201

Second location: T2230

Additional Location: P7420

Notes

The original was by The Stylistics in 1971 and we have heard the 1973 Diana Ross/Marvin Gaye version of 'Stop, Look and Listen To Your Heart'  but here is an  Artists Card that shows not only that the Mowest interns couldn't spell Frankie Valli's name but that several Stereo Mixes where done and deleted from T tapes in February 1972 before a copy was made to P7420 which must have been after the group left the label or possibly to an album tape as the number sequence indicates this. One of the several Hal Davis productions done with Frankie Valli it is on the same original tape (P2201) as 'Life and Breath' and was (we understand) found in the 2008 Motown Years CD project research. We believed it was complete, mixed and ready for release, and has been found and approved in the Box Set. A superb vocal version by Frankie Valli it matches the Stylistics version in terms of quality and far surpasses the Gaye/Ross version. It is believed to pre-date that version and that Gaye/Ross used the same backing track. This is real treasure for Collectors.

Track Title: Torn Between Two Lovers

Artist: Frankie Valli

Producer: Not Known[Possibly Hal Davis]

Motown Master: Not Known

First Location Tape: P2203

Notes

The title strikes a chord as Wikipedia tells us...... “"Torn Between Two Lovers" is a song written by Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) and Phillip Jarrell. As the writing date is unclear.....is it possibly the song done by Frankie Valli? The location on P Tape indicates an early 1972 recording session. There is no other evidence to show the song was written this early but it was performed by Yarrow before its 1976 recording. It may be a different song altogether.?

This recording is on the same tape as 'Thank You For Yesterday' which was  a Hal Davis production. But no  Artists Card or Motown Master Nr have been found. Apparantly the Master Tape Box says of this song ......’ Assigned to G.C. Cameron’ . No lead’ by Frankie Valli... but has the tape been played?

Track Title: Chained

Producer: J. Marcellino - M.Larson

Motown Master: Not Known

First Location Tape: P2060

Notes

The title is almost certainly the Marvin Gaye Northern Soul Classic penned and produced in 1968 by Frank Wilson. Evidence from partial tape box research shows that although not registered anywhere in Paper Records at Motown, it is on Tape P2060 which is the first of the Master Tapes after they signed to Motown in October 1971. The Motown Tape Librarian confirmed a lead vocal by Frankie exists on this tape

Next Time The Four Seasons session tracks 1971-72

Ken Charmer - Music Historian

'Motown Unreleased' Project Research Plan - All we know in 2022

Introduction

This project has its roots in the 1975 release of the album 'Inside You' which featured 'previously unreleased' tracks from Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons contract at MoWest/Motown from 1971 to 1974. Released without Frankie Valli’s or Bob Gaudio’s permission, this caused them to distance themselves from their years at Motown, particularly as they had two new recording contracts at Warner-Curb and Private Sock to manage and promote. They had moved on with new material and a NEW sound. The NEW Four Seasons.

And as the Motown contract was an often unhappy period in their personal lives and brought them no musical success they have distanced them from it since as much as they could...it appears. We however have not, as the recordings done are amongst  the best of the 70s session work in the context of that decade.

We were told back in 1975 [and up to 2008] that anything else left would have been 'wiped' from tape or if remaining would be unfinished songs and demos. We believed this until a list of songs emerged from within Motown Universal arising from their database back in the 1990s. Subsequent, anonymous donations to us of the ‘Motown Tape Index’ and the Recording Index Cards from the 1970s, known as 'Artists Cards' confirmed our suspicions that completed Tracks still existed. At the same time we found 3 'finished' demos of completed but unreleased songs on acetate which surfaced in 2010. Our suspicions were confirmed and we have researched and campaigned for their release since.

With the start of the Snapper Music Box Set Project in August 2018 Lynn Boleyn, former Motown UK staffer Bob Fisher and I believed we had broken through and Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli would want their archive of Multi-Track [16 and 24 track] recording sessions at Motown during their contract, - recovered, preserved and released as we made clear our help and commitment to the Box Set was for this to happen. I had been researching the status of the Tapes in the Motown Tape Index for several years  and had found some verification of the status of what we had never heard of listed as P and T 16 track and Stereo Master Tapes from an 'insider' at Motown Universal. Following our research of the Four Seasons Partnership[FSP] Tape Storage it became clear that this is the only known surviving archive of Multi-Tracks in their whole career catalogue except for what is in Bob and Frankie’s personal storage. All other Studio recordings are lost, as far as we can find at this date. But the Motown Catalogue remains intact we now know.

A  Motown Vaults researcher told me.........

“Apparently T as well as P tapes still exist in the Vaults, like the Detroit DM[Duplicate Master] tapes they seem to have no common format, there are Production Masters, Original Masters, Multi-Tracks, all sorts. Also, a lot of Live tapes have T prefixes.
There are over 1000 finished master tapes from the Detroit era alone in the Vaults. Some contain up to 90 tracks (eg a three track tape with all three tracks full of mono masters). There are thousands more from the LA era, plus the multi-tracks, plus the live tapes ... more than anyone could listen to in a lifetime …
This is why the Vault in NYC is the most exciting music archive of the past that probably exists,.........”  Again the researcher continues......”It is I am told quite possible that no-one has listened to any particular tape since the last time a track was added to it. Researchers have often found tracks that no-one knew were there. One of the stock responses when someone asks, Is such-and-such in the Vaults?, is “With Motown, you never say never” , even CEO Harry Weinger has said this. Who knows? Some tracks went missing for forty years because they were filed under a different artist and a different title.”

Now the Four Seasons analogue Master Tapes were researched, at least in part, some time ago and Harry Weinger confirmed in 2002 “There is a released album, an unreleased album and a Frankie Valli album” and our research of the Artists Cards has shown this. Many tracks listed have been released by other Motown artists usually around the same time. As a result of our research and a UK plan for Unreleased Tracks via an independent label, in 2008, Harry Weinger took over and with the agreement of the Partnership, tapes were researched and this led to digitization of the previously released tracks and all were found except one and the Motown Anthology, the first CD release of their vinyl releases by Mowest and Motown back in the 1970s. However in that set the original version of 'Listen To Yesterday' was replaced by an alternative version with ‘surf sound’ overdub and a male backing vocal rather than the female vocal on the original 45 version.

So what about the unreleased ? I found evidence from more than 3 sources that the 'assets' were there, but as to what has survived in a completed form remained unknown in 2018 when the Snapper Box Set Project was implemented with Universal Motown supplying Bob Gaudio with at least 25 Tapes identified in this plan.... ‘digitized’ and sent to him for evaluation...... It appears unlikely that a full research of the tapes has been done. I doubt this given the above comments and although my research was partial, it was substantially correct and between 38 and 50 tapes were transferred from Iron Mountain [storage] for evaluation containing all of the 16/24 track and Mix-Downs done at the time... It does not however confirm completeness of recordings nor do the Tape Box covers which should record the session information. But the Tape Index we have and the Artists Cards all cross-relate and confirm the recording session work and the Master 16 [or 24 track] location of analogue tapes and songs as well as SMX’s done[i.e. Stereo Mixes].

Bob Gaudio in 2018 said he really wanted the STEREO Mix-downs and to not incur the cost and time commitment of a full research project....[.he had the Neil Diamond Broadway Musical as his priority.]........HOWEVER Bob did ask for the Tapes to be transferred and the Snapper Music Motown UNRELEASED CD took shape..The Motown Librarian found 19 ‘completed vocals’ in a partial review and 11 Tapes still to be checked in 2019. Bob Gaudio didn’t recognise many of the initial list of 19 songs identified on Tape Box Notes and was asking Frankie what he remembered.

By early 2020, Bob Gaudio made the final decision  He either found MIX-DOWN’s from 16 track versions or mixed  them himself to make up the 14 tracks [ well 13...as he withdrew ‘I Will Love You like A Man’ perhaps to avoid a LGBTQ reaction?] . We had 13 approved and mixed. Those he did approve either Frankie or he remembered. 15 Tracks with vocals were indicated by the Motown Librarian at the time of transfer and these have not been approved for release.

Several of these he should have remembered as he produced them. The results of their review were, we believe, kept a secret to only Frankie, Bob and Shannon Gaudio. It seemed incongruous too that Bob somehow had even rejected the inclusion of the EXTENDED version of ‘Charisma’ which had already been [without his knowledge]  included in the Motown  Anthology 2 CD set in 2008!!. Although we have asked Snapper Music for background and more data re the review by Universal and the FSP, we have no explanation for the whole review and selection ‘process’ nor the final result till the Box Set appears. What we know is that the Motown recording story is incomplete and we are documenting our findings and research for the future FULL  project we hope will eventually happen

We advised Snapper we wanted more as there are alternative ‘Takes’ and mixes too, confirmed as existing by the Motown library manager. All of the tapes need to be carefully played and annotated, as ALL of the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli  Motown recordings remain there as 16 track or STEREO Masters. For example there are alternative Mix-Downs [e.g there are 43 Mixes of THE NIGHT] and some tracks have been found in 2019 copied in to the FSP Tape Storage back in 1973. We have found several alternative versions supplied to the FSP by Motown as ‘sample’ Mixes which we have analyzed and put forward for inclusion and we hope these get included. Only the final Snapper Music release will confirm this.

We have been surprised and somewhat amazed that so little has been included from these unreleased tracks given that completed mixes by Bob Crewe, Hal Davis and The Corporation exist. So in our forthcoming blogs we are documenting what we know at this point in time from our paper records as a partial research of the ‘pulled’ Tapes and we will continue ‘Campaigning’ for more. It is necessary for us to be assured each tape has been reviewed in 'real time' by an engineer from the digitized copies that exist. We would have like to have been involved and escape the ‘cloak of secrecy’ re-these recordings.....but that has been Universal and FSP policy.

Our wish to tell the story of the recordings calls for ‘transparency’ of data and is the reason for this series of blogs re possible tracks and locations that may be found during such a review of the tapes and has always been our  approach. Why not be open and build desire in the market place?. The counter argument is that such disclosure can lead to future disappointment if a track cannot be found or is incomplete. But most fans want ‘openness’ as hope is better than zero information. Secrecy is the enemy of an artist’s popularity and legacy.

In our archival research we have 50 Artists Cards, which show the recording history of   songs on 16 [or 24] track Tapes. What we have data on covers 21 known released,and  29 ‘unreleased' songs.. So whilst we have 13 tracks approved and included in the Snapper Box Set, there is still a need for a FULL RESEARCH of the tapes and a dedicated Four Seasons at Motown Collectors Box set as the Snapper Box is a LIMITED EDITION set and only 3 CD’s of the Motown Years which covers 35 songs plus perhaps 9 alternative version. This is not right...... when the research in 2019 showed there is enough unreleased material to justify a dedicated Motown release of up to 60 to 70 tracks for inclusion on such a ‘Collectors’ set. The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign Facebook page will continue to push for a Project where Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli would  trust us to research and help compile. We will show in our ‘project plan’ how we would approach this and what we would search for.

This Project Plan is based on a review the Production Tapes pulled from the Motown Universal storage and our Paper Records. There is sufficient data that follows to recover what we believe are a remaining [at least] 15 to 20 extra unreleased tracks located via the  Artists Cards as well as the 13 approved in the LIMITED EDITION Snapper Set as well as the Alternative ‘Takes’ and Mix-downs. T tapes may still be the only source for some Masters and these  should be sought. Now we know there are other tracks previously only rumoured to exist or completely unknown previously [e.g. ‘Chained’....the Marvin Gaye classic song recorded in late 1971 by Frankie Valli]. Questions still remain.re the tracks on the tapes... Are there vocals?  Are they complete or just ‘demos’ ?   Who wants them to remain unreleased?  Are they financially viable?....Bob Gaudio himself posed the question in notes in 2019….. ‘Are they worth the trouble’….?...re the Snapper Box Set before being reminded that the whole concept of the Box Set back in August 2018, that got the UK Fan Club support was based on including UNRELEASED ….and particularly the MOTOWN UNRELEASED…..so it appears he just did what he felt was viable for him at the time…BUT would he do more in the future?

So.........we are realistic as we have been Campaigning for over 20 years to get the breakthrough of the Snapper Box Set. That Snapper and Bob Gaudio’s commitment proved to be limited has been very disappointing and in reality we see 4 barriers to hearing any of the rest of the tracks:-

1. Bob Gaudio needs to be willing to spend money on ‘mixing’ tracks that will not add very much to his income compared to the rest of the Masters already issued.? [ he has said he is not wanting to so far – and whether Shannon Gaudio will in the future is the big question?]
2. Harry Weinger needs to get Universal to commit to it [although they may no longer own the recordings in law] ?
3. No profitable financial model exists to make it viable [at present] as no more than 3/4,000 copies would probably be sold without major promotion worldwide. However owners of the Beatles and Beach Boys Master Tapes have and are doing just what we propose
4. The buying market will reduce progressively as older fans pass away....again without promotion.

There is a possibility that the catalogue investors Primary Wave would see the ‘light’ and someone will seek to generate income before rather than once Frankie and/or Bob have passed away. Maybe the research here will help them but at least we will have shared it. We have seen evidence that the FSP has been primarily money driven in the past and not focused on the ‘art’ and skills of the productions and past musicians, arrangers and producers ...as well as Frankie...but the money will continue to roll in from ‘Jersey Boys’.....and re-issues of ‘Beggin’ !!!

Parts 1 to 6 of our detailed Track knowledge will follow to reflect the songs and the recording session work as we see it.

The Tape Sources

The Universal Motown Tapes we have knowledge of run from P2060 to P2678 [25 in total] for the original ‘Production’ sessions with additional copies made to P and T tapes as noted on Artists Cards. In addition there are 3 Albums of completed Stereo Mixes which should be part of the initial search. These are Located on:-

P4336&7 – Chameleon - Released May 1972 - [used for MW108 CD – The Motown Years 2008]

P4645 – Unreleased Album [Aug 1973} – MW788

P5084&5 – Unreleased Album [May/June 1974]

P5536&7 – Inside You – Released Aug1975 -MWS7007[UK] - [used for MW108 CD – The Motown Years 2008]

Retrieving Tapes P4645/P5084/85 is the first vault search that should be done as this would easily locate a number of 'unreleased'' STEREO mixes completed and transferred to final tape for release. We have recovered some of these tapes from the Partnership Storage which contains an unheard copy of My Eyes Adored You – The Final[and alternative] Mix.

A full list of Master Nrs from an 'internal' Motown Universal spreadsheet is available to complement this list for both released and unreleased. All previously released tracks are NOT included in these lists [bar 2 – 'Walk On Don't Look Back' Alternative Master] and 'Listen To Yesterday' Original 45 Master} and have been issued on CD. The Motown Years 2CD Set 2008 CD issue includes the PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED versions of 'Charisma' [Extended unedited] and 'Listen To Yesterday [Alternative Version] from Tapes P2389 and P2664 respectively.

All Tapes identified as core production tapes should be checked in 'real time' playback as they could contain many original multi-tracks and final STEREO masters. It has been claimed that Motown destroyed or wiped many. This is true and Artist Cards show this but Artists Cards also indicate transfer to alternative T tapes when this happened. Artists Cards confirm this which also indicates that all 16 tracks were completed. Sources within Motown have advised they have to be played to be checked as in the above quote.

Ken Charmer – For the Four Season UK Appreciation Society

Music Researcher

Snapper Music Box Set - Limitations and Transparancy - Pre-Launch 2022 Status

So here we are in 2022 and still no Box Set. I wrote a series of Blogs back in 2020 highlighting the limitations of the forthcoming Box Set contents and as I revisit these blogs and update them, we still await the release of the project we started work on back in 2018, and I face the sad situation that I have lost confidence in the Snapper team since my collaborator Bob Fisher’s passing after they unilaterally decided to change contents without consultation and whilst this is their choice and decision as it is their investment, I cannot confirm the final contents and Snapper have made the decision to keep this confidential and also not to commit to a release date at this point in time.

Whilst this will most likely be before the planned UK Tour by Frankie Valli, I am no longer in the loop. I have been side-lined as I see it. I told Snapper...."The work that Bob Fisher and I undertook in the research and selection of suitable and necessary Masters took 3 years and we have compiled in the order of 814 tracks in the set. I personally spent over 2,000 hours on this work with Bob’s support and help day to day and whilst the SET is based on RELEASED ALBUMS we achieved around 271 BONUS TRACKS [33.29%], of which 60 are Alternative Mixes or UNIQUE 45 Mixes [7.37%]. We found[and got approval to] 129 Unreleased Tracks in the FSP or Universal Motown Storage[15.84%] and The Four Seasons Appreciation Society contributed 82 tracks [10.07%] via our archive and network of sources and Collectors. Whilst sound quality in a few instances was limited, the historical connection of the whole set has integrity as a career spanning profile in my opinion.

A truly superb achievement and yet we could and should have had more. At least 30 more UNRELEASED Tracks from Masters and 16 Track Tapes from Philips in 1970, Universal Motown and Drexel University [Sigma Tapes] were discovered but budget limits and time prevented further research and such efforts must be left to a future project if perhaps someday someone finds this commercially or artistically worthy of ‘preservation’ for the fan base to enjoy. We also know of other potential sources.

As the UK fan group we will continue to Campaign for such further research and in the meantime will share such information we have till we are no longer able to use our Web Site and social media presence passing the baton hopefully to future generations to discover.

I feel sure everyone we know [speaking on behalf of the UK Fan Club Core Group] who love Frankie Valli and all Four Seasons music will enjoy this unique ‘preservation’ of 90+% of the Catalogue of recordings and we look forward to its launch.”....and getting all of the 60s albums in MONO.

It has been a challenging and demanding job to identify and assemble various quality sound recordings and get these published but Snapper have not had explanation from Bob Gaudio as to why the rest of the Motown UNRELEASED Catalogue is below the quality required. They did not want to 'rock the boat' or engage with him re what fans would want and our requests for more. Lack of consultation or dialogue has also been behind the decisions by Snapper to omit superb INSTRUMENTAL versions of ‘Beggin' and ‘I'm Gonna Change’. Both are superb Northern Soul tracks and not poor Masters. So as I revisit the research finds, as to what we recommended should be included.....we will let you all know what the RESEARCH revealed and what still remains and where we believe it is. In the meantime what I said re Motown Unreleased remains correct and whilst this Box Set is ESSENTIAL to Collectors I would understand other fans comments that it could and should have been better if money had been spent on further research or Bob Gaudio and Frankie pushed for more. The pandemic may have delayed this project but that is not down to the efforts of Bob Fisher and myself…..and the support of Lynn Boleyn, George Ingram, Ray Nichol and the network of Collectors that you are.

Back in 2019 we said this with Snapper of a planned 2020 release……

https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/2019/09/how-important-is-a-career-box-set-in-2020.html

and this was the Motown Unreleased status in October 2020……

https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/2020/10/the-not-so-ultimate-collection.html

and read all of our Motown Unreleased Blog Posts here…..

https://thatfourseasonssound.typepad.com/seasonally/motown-unreleased/

More soon…… .Ken Charmer

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

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

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 Lost Fans Motown Legacy

As fans anticipate the forthcoming release of 13 previously 'unreleased' tracks from the Motown period of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons career I can't help thinking of four fans who contributed so much to fandom over the last 45 years and who would have been so excited at what we are trying to achieve in the forthcoming Snapper Box Set. Whilst I can say 'I told you so!' re the titles that have turned up as superb and complete productions, these guys were out there trying to tell the story and get the music for the fans before me and I can't play the tracks coming out without wishing they were still with us to share the happiness.

Rex Woodard contributed greatly to 'The Work' which would provide the key information to allow Jersey Boys to be created and his Billboard Articles re the history of The Four Lovers and The Four Seasons up to and beyond Motown are important reference points today in their bibliography. He provided many News articles for George Ingram's bi-yearly Newsletters during the 1970s and 80s and was a sad loss in 1991.

Frank Rovello worked heroically as a USA fan club pioneer and webmaster of the GILG web site. A terrific reference source for Four Seasons fans from 1997 till his premature passing. He collated their story and documented group news since.

Stefan Wriedt in Germany collected and re-mastered all of the Frankie Valli/Four Lovers tracks for the Bear Records collection and The First Fantastic Years [1953 to 1961] CD as well as putting 21 of the 22 released Motown vinyl tracks on CD for the first time on The Night/Inside You CD.

But just as significantly for today...... Stuart Miller[Ex UK Four Seasons Fan Club President in 1971] started the search for the Motown 'Unreleased' with his 1972 Newsletter piece and his 1972 interview with Bob Gaudio. Here is an extract from a past blog post by me......re the interview.

'The most significant interview from the Motown period was by the late Stuart Miller who visited LA to interview Bob Gaudio on 14^th September 1972. At the time the UK Mowest label was soon to be launched and Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons had recorded up to 30 tracks at the label and the US release of 'Walk On, Don't Look Back' had just happened. Stuart best remembers the situation in his CD note of the interview recording.

“But I remember mentally where I was at the time and I feel my instincts were right. The group had just taken a major step in signing to a label that at first glance was not a natural home to them. Their chart success had slackened off and they had deviated away from their regular style that had been so successful for them and had been "messing" with stuff like Genuine Imitation Life. I had before me the heart and driving force of the group and I was demanding answers! "What are you doing with my 4 Seasons and when will you start making records again that the public want to buy?" seemed to be the essence of my attitude. I felt I drove Bob on to the back foot so to speak and I thought he dealt with the lobs I was chucking at him with panache and style.“

The interview covers all aspects of how Bob Gaudio took the Four Seasons sound into Motown and how 'Chameleon'written largely during the UK tour was delayed by technical issues and the start-up problems that Mowest had, which resulted in poor promotion. Bob's relationship with Bob Crewe is starkly revealed as is Bob Gaudio's writing style. The conflict of the Four Seasons past and present sound is explored.

Bob said at the time that he believes that 'if you make good product....somewhere along the line someone's gonna buy it' and this stands out as a comment. [even more so today.as the Snapper Project gathers it..ed] At no time does he criticise Mowest nor does he accept claims that the 'Chameleon' album is un-commercial (a criticism some fans made)as at the time he believed there was no 'commercial' chart formula for pop music and fans needed to move on and accept a new sounding Four Seasons. But if not and 'Walk On Don't Look Back' is the re-worked Four Seasons sound fans want and buy then Bob was happy to get someone else producing their subsequent hit records. It was fascinating perspective.....but not one that came to pass.....the next 2 years would be a roller coaster at the label.

It was a clear crossroads.......and the Motown Tape Index for this time shows this as they explored change of style and sound at Mowest up to this date. It also gives an indication of the next year's events and the further exploration of musical directions.

But what changed after this interview is significant as this Snapper release will show. Michael Masser, Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe would go on in 1973 to produce some of the most stunning tracks of their time at the label. And this year we will see that all was not confusion at Motown in 1973 in terms of recordings......but they failed to release the quality material they had then even though some Motown Exec's clearly wanted to. They lost their relationship with the Partnership and Bob Crewe and THEY moved on.....leaving what is now becoming apparent are some amazing songs that fans are now going to hear.

As Stuart recalled...”Nevertheless, I was left with this marvelous timepiece in Season's history.“ ....and it has great significance now as I continue to campaign to hear the lost recordings.

What has happened since Stuart reviewed this interview is significant....and clearly JB changed everything. But looking at what remains unheard at Motown only makes any fan want to have the gaps in this part of the story filled in and the music published. It reinforces for me the importance of maintaining this group[ie the FB Campaign group] and it's objectives to achieve that.

The interview is a good listen for group members who share my interest in the 1971/72 recordings [and there remains much to uncover here] and Frank Rovello put the Interview on the GILG web site which was handed back to Frankie Valli's management upon Frank's passing. Unfortunately the subscription lapsed and all of the site and it's data was tragically lost.

Maybe I should salvage the Interview as a podcast and put it in our Facebook Campaign group sometime.?

So with only 13 more tracks and potentially 15+ still on the multi-track tapes which are now in Bob Gaudio's possession, you can guess what we will be asking for at the Box Set launch......more please Bob? Thank you Rex, Frank, Stuart and Stefan for helping us get here. The story is still unravelling. Ken Charmer

PS. The full CD information and text is available at The Four Seasons Motown Unreleased Campaign on Facebook.

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