Customer Reviews

Anthology

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From 1962 to 1967 the Four Seasons had eighteen Top Twenty hits (including their cover of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice" recorded as The Wonder Who). And they're all here along with their two mid-Seventies smashes "Who Loves You" and the million-selling "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." Nearly every hit was written or co-written by group member Bob Gaudio, and all featured the most recognizable falsetto voice in pop music belonging to Franki Valli.

What makes their string of hits all the more amazing is that more than half of them came in the wake of the British Invasion. In fact, "Rag Doll"--only one of two million-sellers in their career--was the only chart-topper by a male vocal group in 1964. [According to the liner notes, the song was inspired by a girl who cleaned the windows of Gaudio's car as he was stopped at a light.] And to illustrate the Four Seasons' influence on the music scene, it was that single's B-side ("Silence Is Golden") that was covered note-for-note by the Tremeloes that gave that British band the biggest hit of their career.

With Bob Crewe's Phil Spector-inspired production and Charles Callelo's arrangements, the Four Seasons hits included "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man" and "Rag Doll"--all No. 1's.

If you have the disposable income, you might want to spring for the 3-CD 25th Anniversary Collection, which features their lesser hits and most of Valli's solo singles. However, this single-disc collection has all the essentials and is the one release that all except the die-hard fans will really need. ESSENTIAL

This cd replaces my old record collection of 4 of the Four Seasons albums. It has all the hits including the "Wonder Who" cut, without all the cuts that were used as fillers for the records, which I purchased in the mid 60's. A must for individuals that want The Four Seasons best.

All the great original hits are right here in the order Frankie Valli and the gang rolled their top ten hits off the assembly line. You can almost follow the singing and the music gaining dimension as you move through those glorious, ringing harmonies. I remember the anticipation I had awaiting each new release, wondering if they could possibly beat their last great song. This album chronicles that obvious answer. Yes, the British invasion led by the Beatles and Rolling Stones would soon dethrone our local heroes and change the face of rock and roll. But I challenge you today to sit quietly and not sing when you're rolling down the highway with Sherry, Dawn, C'Mon Marianne and Bye Bye Baby reverberating on your radio or this CD.

It's not true that every Italian in Jersey is related to Frankie Valli, although the extended family of the entire group might come close.

Their beginnings as a Fifties hangover with "Sherry," a shrieky but beloved song that sounded like a one-hit-wonder, didn't predict the Seasons' subsequent, enduring success. But the group's arrangements & choice of material so improved with each release that they powered themselves like a classic Cadillac convertible right into the Beatles era, scoring their biggest New York radio hit, "Let's Hang On," at the height of the Fab Four's reign.

This collection is superior to the boxed set, unless Frankie's & the group's later hits are meaningful to you. Personally, I hated "My Eyes Adored You," but I miss Valli's funky early solo single, "(You're Gonna) Hurt Yourself," in this set. That & "The Proud One" aside, all the classics are here including "Marlena" & "Candy Girl" & "Girl Come Running" & others that are special favorites for fans of the Seasons. The hits from the mid-Sixties are pushed along by terrific Charles Calello arrangements & songs that owe something to Motown's Holland-Dozier-Holland team.

When it became clear that the Seasons couldn't let their hair grow & make nice with Flower Power, the Rascals were there with a more appropriate bouquet, but one gathered from the same garden that gave us the Four Seasons.

Bob Rixon, WFMU

This is THE collection of music by The Four (4) Seasons. If the Beach Boys were the "comedy" singing group pre-Invasion, The Four Seaons were the "tragedy" group. Bob Gaudio's great lyrics were almost always about unrequited love, driven home by Frankie Valli's falsetto and a driving beat. As with many groups, the orchestrations only got better with time. This album is particularly good because it includes many of their songs that DIDN'T make the top ten (Opus 17, Marlena, Big Man in Town, etc.) that are nevertheless outstanding.

This outstanding CD is packed with 26 of the most memorable songs of the mid 20th century rock 'n roll era, among them "Sherry," "Marlena," "Rag Doll" (my own favorite Frankie Valli and Four Seasons song,) "Let's Hang On," and "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night"). And yes, every song on this disc was indeed performed by Valli and the Four Seasons! Fans of 60s and 70s rock 'n roll will find this a genuine "blast from the past," and an essential addition to their CD collection.

But this one tops them all. All of the songs on this CD are excellent and will hold a special and dear place for you in your heart. All of the songs you've heard as a child, in films, on the oldies station, are here. It will bring back so many memories... Rag doll, dawn, walk like a man, big girls don't cry. This album will make you want to dance and sing along to the songs. You all should go out and get it!

As remarkable as this disc is, it isn't the definitive 'anthology' Rhino cracks it up to be. Yes, among the 26 tracks included are 23 Top-40 selections (16 are from the Top-10), as well as the Four Season's under the alias of 'The Wonder Who' performing Bob Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice' (in a way that is both flippant and entirely engaging at the same time), Frankie Valli's number two hit from 1967 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', and the original version of 'Silence Is Golden' from 1964, which The Tremeloes turned into a number 11 hit in 1967. Despite all that, 6 Top-40 singles from the band produced between 1962 and 1976 are omitted.

While most people credit Frankie Valli for the success of the band, it is arguable that the famed falsetto voice of Valli would not be nearly as familiar to us had it not been for the remarkable songwriting contributions of bandmember Bob Guadio and producer Bob Crewe, whose names are associated with 17 of the hit tracks on this disc, including trademark songs such as 'Sherry', 'Big Girls Don't Cry', 'Walk Like a Man', 'Dawn', 'Rag Doll', 'Let's Hang On', all the way through the bands later hits such as 'Who Loves You' from 1975, and including Valli's solo hit 'Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You'. Obviously their influence is monumental, and recognizing their contributions signifies that The Four Seasons were far from being a one-man band. They hit their peak in 1964, charting 6 Top-40 songs, including two number one hits and 4 Top-10 singles.

The quality of these compositions, and the unquestioned talent that recorded them have rendered these 'golden oldies' timeless. Despite the rise of The Beatles, The Four Seasons hardly missed a beat in creating hit after hit in the same mold as 'Sherry', which introduced the band to the world in the summer of 1962. While their star faded for the most part by 1968, the band did score a number one hit in 1976 with 'December 1963', following up on 'Who Loves You' which had climbed the charts to number three in the previous year.

Unlike many bands of this stature, the seminal work of The Four Seasons can be collected on a single disc. Not many of the omissions from this Rhino collection would be considered essential, except for their 1963 cover of 'Ain't That a Shame', and perhaps their 1962 rendition of 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. Certainly their body of work is essential to any collection of 1960's popular music, and Rhino's chronological presentation gives us a comprehensive and historic review of their achievements.

If there is a better singing group than The Four Seasons, I haven't heard them. I have given numerous copies of this CD as gifts to teens too young to remember The Four Seasons, and they love it. Although this CD doesn't have all their hit songs, there isn't a bad song on it. If you have only one CD of The Four Seasons, this is the one to get. Run, don't walk, to your nearest music store and buy it. You can thank me later. Turn up the volume and have a blast.

This CD is the ultimate collection of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Included in it are all their hits you hear on the radio, as well as some hard to find songs (like "Big Man in Town", "Girl Come Running", and "C'mon Marianne"). It spans from 1962 ("Sherry") through 1975 ("December 1963"). I was a little disappointed when I didn't see "Grease" on the album (only because the Rhino put "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" which Frankie Valli did in his solo career).

Once I saw this CD, I knew I had to buy it. I had been wracking my brains out trying to find a good Four Seasons CD with all my favorites (many discs only give you two or three songs that I like, and I would've had to gotten 2 or 3 to get them all). This CD has every Four Seasons song I have heard and liked (save for "Grease", but it doesn't matter, 'cause I own the "Grease" soundtrack). All in all, this is the perfect Four Seasons album out there,