15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended Retrospective, April 30, 2005
This review is from: Frankie Valli - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)
The Four Seasons were the fourth biggest singles group of the sixties, only the Beatles, Supremes, and Beach Boys were bigger. When Frankie Valli went solo, it must have seemed like a no-brainer that he'd be a huge star. He started releasing singles in 1966 with some success -- including the lush, string-filled smash "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (#2 in 1967). However, by 1969 his career had faded.
Fortunately, Frankie was one of a handful of sixties male acts whose careers were resurrected in the mid-seventies, along with Neil Sedaka and Paul Anka. Specifically, he hit with the gorgeous ballad "My Eyes Adored You" (#1 in 1975). He followed that hit up with several others, including the disco-fied "Swearin' to God" (#6 in 1975) and "Our Day Will Come" (#11 in 1975) a dance-tinged remake of the sixties hit by Ruby & the Romantics. In addition, he had the biggest hit of his career with the title song from the movie adaptation of "Grease" (#1 for 2 weeks in 1978).
All of these songs are on "Greatest Hits," as well as two moderate hits -- "To Give (The Reason I Live) (#29 in 1968) and "You're Gonna Hurt Yourself" (#39 in 1966). The only miss is "Soul," which sounds like an early, cheesier version of "Fame."
I love Frankie Valli's falsetto, and many of these hits use his gorgeous vocals to magical effect. However, this collection could have benefitted from being organized chronologically, as his sixties hits sound extremely different from his mid-seventies singles. Listening to the danceable seventies music and then jumping back to a melodramatic sixties hit is a bit jarring. Frankie really had two careers, and this CD should have reflected that more explicitly. Also, the liner notes are sparse, with only writing and publishing credits listed for each song. The music is great, but the collection could have been a tad better.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Overview Of Valli' Solo Hits, April 13, 2004
This review is from: Frankie Valli - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)
After a string of hits with The 4 Seasons, Frankie Valli decided it was time to try his hand at a solo career. The result was a long line of chart hits, 2 of which made the top spot, 3 additional top 10 hits and several more that made the top 30.
Beginning with the number one hit "My Eyes Adored You", "Frankie Valli: Greatest Hits" is off to a flying start. Any album that can boast "My Eyes Adored You", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", "Swearin' To God" and "Grease" as its lead - off tracks is well worth your money. But it's the remaining 5 tracks that go deeper into Valli's legacy. I especially enjoyed "Soul" and the haunting "To Give (The Reason I Live)". But my favorite was his electrifying rendition of Ruby And The Romantics' "Our Day Will Come". Also worth checking out are "Your Gonna Hurt Yourself and "You're Ready Now".
I highly recommend this cd to fans of Valli and/or The Four Seasons. While there are collections with both his solo hits and Four Seasons hits, this one is cheaper and just as enjoyable. Also recommendes: "The 20 Greatest Hits Of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Live".
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, not excellent, collection of Valli music., October 11, 2002
This review is from: Frankie Valli - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)
I am a huge fan of the 4 Seasons and Frankie Valli is definitely my favorite singer, but his solo work just can't match the band's amazing string of hits. This isn't s knock on Valli's solo work, it's just a testament to the immense quality of the band's work. This album starts off with a bang with 2 of the first 4 songs being # 1 hits "My Eyes Adored You" (1975) and "Grease" (1978) from the hit movie of the same year; and one #2 hit "Can't Take My Eyes My Off Of You" (1967). THe rest of the album is fairly good material, with "To Give:The Reason I Live" and "Our Day Will Come" standing out. This album is a must for any serious fan of Valli, and even the casual fan will enjoy it for the strong prescence of 4 chart toppers out of 10 songs and also its budget price, but for the casual fan the non-chart toppers may be more 3 star or even 2 star work.
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