Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons: Jersey Beat: Music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Disc 1 of 3 CD Track Listing

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Frankie Valli & The 4 Seasons Jersey Beat: Music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Disc 1 of 3 (2007)
Jersey Beat: Music of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Disc 1 of 3\n2007 Rhino Entertainment Company\nFrankie Valli & The 4 Seasons\n\nOriginally Released June 4, 2007\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: In the wake of the success of Jersey Boys, the theatrical production based on the Four Seasons' lives, Rhino issued this impressive three-CD, 76-track box set, which also includes a DVD of a dozen film clips from 1962-1975. It's never been hard to find a Four Seasons best-of that includes all their big hits (which are all here as well), but for those who want a bigger collection of the group's material, this fills the bill well. The usual intelligence Rhino brings to such large career retrospectives is in force here, the songs including numerous low-charting singles that usually don't make the cut for best-of anthologies; various LP-only tracks, and B-sides; Frankie Valli solo efforts; singles they released under the pseudonym of the Wonder Who?; and much more material from their post-1967 era than is found on most compilations. In fact, most of the really popular stuff is on disc one and the first half of disc two, though the box runs all the way through their comeback hits in the mid-'70s and a few stray releases from subsequent decades.With so much more bulk on this release than you hear on standard Four Seasons collections, two things are evident: that there are quite a few interesting songs by the group that rarely get played these days, and that nonetheless most of those songs, especially the ones postdating their early- to mid-'60s prime, aren't nearly as good as the familiar classics for which the group's most famous. Still, there are plenty of worthwhile lesser hits and obscurities here, like -- to name just a few -- the mid-'60s not-quite-hits "Toy Soldier" and "Girl Come Running"; the early Valli solo 45s "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)" (covered for a hit by the Walker Brothers) and "(You're Gonna) Hurt Yourself"; the B-sides "Betrayed" and "Huggin' My Pillow," which sound like hits we all somehow missed; some erratic yet rather interesting attempts to move with the psychedelic times, like "Saturday's Father" and "Watch the Flowers Grow"; and a 1969 revival of "And That Reminds Me (My Heart Reminds Me)" that should have been a bigger single than the mild hit it was. The DVD disc is very solid, highlighted by a live 1962 performance of "Big Girls Don't Cry," a live 1964 medley of hits, and a strange 1968 clip of "Saturday's Father" mixing performance and video. The DVD, in fact, can only be criticized on the grounds that it leaves you hungry for more, particularly since there must be a lot more Four Seasons clips in existence considering the group's popularity.It's true that for all its size, some aficionados might find some of their favorite obscurities missing, like the early B-side "Connie-O" (a substantial regional hit in some areas), "No Surfin' Today," the early Phil Ochs cover "New Town," and the Wonder Who?'s version of "On the Good Ship Lollipop." It's also true that the energy flags on the final disc, which (despite the inclusion of the mid-'70s smashes "My Eyes Adored You," "Swearin' to God," and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)") might start to wear on the patience of the average fan. But then, like many box sets, this isn't geared toward the average fan. It's for the big fan, who will treasure the breadth of this collection, and the non-fanatic who takes a chance on it will be surprised by how much more diverse the group's records were than is usually realized. And the Four Seasons certainly have a lot of big fans, including numerous celebrities who contributed comments on individual tracks to the 84-page liner note booklet. -- Richie Unterberger\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nAs the music and legacies of various rock legends--Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, Dylan, the Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen--have been thoroughly celebrated, analyzed, and overanalyzed by rock critics, fans, and reissuers, the Four Seasons--New Jersey's premiere pop act before Springsteen or Bon Jovi--remained grossly overlooked and underappreciated. To the uninformed, their pre-Beatles roots--stretching back to the doo-wop era--or sure slickness might have fostered the misconception they were somehow less "hip." Musicians, however, knew better. Dylan, Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, and Brian Wilson among them thoroughly understood and appreciated the Seasons' vision, centered around their harmonies, Frankie Valli's vocal virtuosity, and the stellar work of songwriter-organist Bob Gaudio who, with producer Bob Crewe, created the now-classic Seasons sound, which withstood Beatlemania and everything afterward. The recent Tony Award-winning musical Jersey Boys helped sweep aside those decades of neglect by reintroducing the Four Seasons to a new audience. Rhino's magnificent package--four CDs on 84 tracks and a DVD of rare performances--explores the music that inspired it all, beginning with their 1962 debut hit "Sherry," through magnificent, timeless mini-dramas like "Dawn," "Rag Doll," and "C'mon Marianne" and tongue-in-cheek efforts like their version of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice (It's All Right)" by the "Wonder Who." Along with various rarities, the collection includes Valli's solo hits. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "Swearin' to God" reaffirm his stature as one of that era's great vocalists. The DVD includes performances from a 1963 Steve Allen show and a 1971 appearance on Britain's Top of the Pops. --Rich Kienzle \n\nAmazon.com Product Description\nFeaturing their biggest hits and highlighting their most interesting television performances, this compilation of Franki Valli & the Four Seasons hits is a collector's dream. The Jersey Boys were masterful musicians with unforgettable harmonies and it's all captured here. \n\nHalf.com Details \nProducer: Albhy Galuten, Barry Gibb, Bill Inglot (Compilation), Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio, Dave Appell, Hank Medress, Karl Richardson, Sandy Linzer \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nJust Spectacular , June 14, 2007 \nBy Michael A. Focarile (Elmsford, NY United States)\nThis is the best collection of this magnificient group yet. Rhino and all involved need to be commended. There are very few rock & roll groups that can even come close to the quanity and quality of songs, as represented here. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are finally getting the respect they deserve and have earned. \n\nThe packaging is top quality. The three cds, dvd and booklet are chock-full of goodies (as noted in other reviews). \n\nMy only gripe are a few missing songs. Like the hard to find "Cry For Me" which is featured in Jersey Boys, as well as "Danger" (their best non-hit) "We Can Work It Out" "Big Man's World" "Down The Hall" "An Angel Cried" "Show Girl" and "The Touble With Me." Even with these oversights, it still gets a 5-star rating from me. \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nA REAL revelation, honest to gosh...the east coast Beach Boys perhaps???, June 8, 2007 \nBy Larry Davis "powerpoplarry" (NYC/Long Island, NY)\nThis set literally blew me away...literally, like where was I??!!?? I have to be honest, I saw this set and thought, hmmmm, nice packaging, then I saw it for a great price, so I thought I'd bite. Rhino recently put out the 2CD "Definitive Pop Collection", which was decent, but I thought a better collection could be done...then I saw this set. \n\nNow, I figured, I wanted a well-done proper anthology of their work, so I can put it all into proper perspective. I knew, and loved, a bunch of their hits, and Frankie's solo hits, but not them all, so I wanted to hear them all, in chronological order. I originally thought Frankie and the Jersey boys to be prefabricated, with songs by outside songwriters, and no more than a guilty pleasure. I figured, if I didn't enjoy it, I knew I can sell it to a friend who loves their work. \n\nWell, I opened it up first and went right to the 84-page booklet, nicely put together by-the-way. Saw the main essay was written by none other than Dennis Diken from one of my fave powerpop bands, New Jersey's own Smithereens!!! It's well-written and VERY insightful. THEN, I saw all the tributes under each of the songs, by everyone cool, from Little Steven Van Zandt (from Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band, the Sopranos and his own Underground Garage radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio), UK guitarist Johnny Marr (From the Smiths, Pretenders, The The and now Modest Mouse), Brian Wilson, Cher, Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, Joe Pesce, Billy Joel, even Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, and a ton of others...so I couldn't wait to listen. \n\nOh...My...Gosh. I was floored. One thing I didn't know...pretty much ALL the songs were written by the band's keyboardist Bob Gaudio...he was the Brian Wilson of the band, him and genius producer Bob Crewe. Frankie Valli, even though he wasn't a songwriter, he had a voice like an alien, almost a freak of nature, unique and finely-tuned...one part classic crooner, one part rock & roller. Vocally, the 4 Seasons were like the Beach Boys, similar influences and the way the band evolved. The productions were very ARTFUL. Radio did this band no favours. They didn't show the band from an artistic angle, just a hitbound one, which is a bad thing. As the band evolved and became less commercial, the hits dried up, but they became better, musically. They even dabbled in psychedelia in 1968/1969, with their artistic masterpiece, the album "Genuine Imitation Life Gazette", which sold a little, not as much as their prior work, and most people don't know the genius level at work on this opus. It's their equivalent of "Sgt Pepper's", "Pet Sounds", "Smile", "Head", "Odessa", "Battle Of The Bands", etc, you get my drift. \n\nEven after the band hit a dry period and Bob became just the band's songwriter behind the scenes, and 4 new 4 Seasons were indoctrinated, the band evolved even further on the "Who Loves You" and "Helicon" albums in the mid-to-late 70s. As the 4 Seasons entered the 80s and 90s and now, they never stopped growing, but records appeared less frequently. Frankie's solo work always was of a high quality as well, but different from the band's. Now, with the Broadway show "Jersey Boys" playing to sellout crowds, the genius of their work will finally be appreciated and will garner their due...it did from me, but I don't feel guilty though, I blame radio, ESPECIALLY oldies stations, for this heinous crime against this great band. \n\nThis genius group is well-documented on this packed-to-the-gills 3CD/1DVD boxset. All 3 CDs are 79 minutes and change, so they are filled to the brim with no room for more, with 99% of their charting hits, B-sides, overlooked album tracks and rarities, all in proper perspective. The 4th disc, a DVD, is a nice 40-minute souvenir, with TV appearances, live concert clips and 3 promo vidclips from the mid-to-late 70s. What struck me was that up until 1975, the band didn't have a drummer (and no drummer appeared with them on TV either...just studio drummers on their recordings)...usually, I'd say this is a bad thing, but then again, ABBA didn't have a drummer in their lineup, just studio players. Also, Frankie was VERY low-key and modest, and in the mid-70s, he went from a Wayne Newton look (that moustache, ouch!!) to almost Eric Carmen-ish during the comeback. And, in the mid-70s lineup, their DRUMMER was their lead singer on "December, 1963"!!! Interesting. \n\nAnyhoo, one of the most revelatory boxsets I've ever heard in my life, and I now count them up there with the Beach Boys and Byrds as one of THE best, most innovative pop/even powerpop bands that ever was...AND finally, with many acts around this long, a boxset would be enough, all you would need in your collection...nope, with these fellas, I WANT THE CATALOGUE, and I saw their 24(!) studio albums (band and FV solo) were reissued on Collector's Choice as remastered 2-fers in 2006, so I will buy those, probably the first one being "Working My Way Back To You/Genuine Imitation Life Gazette". \n\nInvestigate pronto...and prepare to be floored...I was, and I thought they were cheese originally. NO WAY!!! One of America's true treasures, and NOTHING is subpar or 2nd rate, even their 80s and 90s work!!! \n\n\nAMAZON.COM CUSTOMER REVIEW\nThe Four Seasons for a new generation, June 6, 2007 \nBy M. Smith (Wichita) - See all my reviews\nI have been a Four Seasons fan from the moment I heard "Rag Doll" on the radio in 1964. With the amazing success of "Jersey Boys" on Broadway, the Season's unique music is being introduced to a new generation of fans. This collection is the most comprehensive ever released of their work. \n\nThe body of their musical work is contained on the 3 CD's. The fourth disc is a DVD with Four Seasons and Frankie Valli's televised performances, most of which I had never seen before. The set is rounded out with a book documenting the history of the Four Seasons along with information pertaining to every song on the set. \n\nThe music has been remastered and sounds better than I have heard it previously. \n\nFor anyone wanting to enjoy the work of the Four Seasons, I heartily recommend "Jersey Beat."
This rock cd contains 30 tracks and runs 79min 42sec.
Freedb: c612ac1e
Buy: from Amazon.com

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