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The Four Seasons……... Roll of Honour —The great line-ups |
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When Charles Calello who briefly replaced Nick Massi in 1965 moved into producing, Joe Long joined the group to replace him and enhanced the sound that was really taking off with the addition of new writers like Linzer and Randell. Joe would over the years become the key co-ordinator for the live shows and provide a major input to the GILG and Chameleon albums. He was the MC for all the shows and held the group together with Frankie once Bob Gaudio and Tommy Devito left. |
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We had to include this line-up because it was crucial to the establishment of this group of fans. The 1971 visit to the UK by Bob Grimm as a Four Season will always be remembered. Link to his site here |
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Although
the Motown days would descend into chaos and several members would come
and go before a settled line-up was found, the music of this period
remains superb. The Chameleon and the Inside You albums are definitely
examples of innovative and developing styles. Demetri Callas (back) and
Clay Jordan (right) gave us some of these sounds. |
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The ‘Original’ Jersey Boys 1962 to 1965 |
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The Late Philips Four Seasons 1970/71 |
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Motown Days 1972 |
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The NEW Four Seasons due for launch 1978 |
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The Second Great Team 1965 to 70 |
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For over 50 years the Four Seasons songs have been the music of our lives and with ‘Jersey Boys’ capturing the story of the ‘founding’ group members there is a bio no-one needs to emulate on the Internet. But the story, within the hit stage musical play ‘Jersey Boys’, is not the full story nor is the timeline correct and many songs used in the show were successful after the ’original’ line-up had changed. As long-term collectors of their music we are very much aware of the ‘true identity’ of the various contributors in their history.
Jersey Boys focuses rightly on the early years and how the original ‘Four Seasons’ became a top 60s group. These are the ‘owners’ of the group before Tommy De Vito and Nick Massi left and Bob Gaudio and Frankie Valli formed the “Partnership”. After that members were ‘employees’ of ‘The Partnership’.
The play’s story very cleverly incorporates the best, and biggest of their 70s hits by bending the ‘timeline’ and incorporating them seamlessly into the show. The play also flexes the truth about the contribution of others (ie Charles Calello and Joe Long) but it makes the show work whilst wrapping up 20 years of changing line-ups before the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Re-Union of the original members in 1988.
A
great piece of theatre but as ‘Four Seasons’ fans during this period
our allegiance and appreciation has always been directed to the group
as a whole. Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio we recognize as the key
talents behind the group and ‘Jersey Boys’ captures this. Over the last
few years in the articles in our Newsletter we have focused on and
researched not only the obvious and incredible talents of Frankie
Valli, and Bob Gaudio, but also Charles Calello and Bob Crewe.
Here we focus on all the “team members” in the group that have
contributed the great sounds of the various ‘Four Seasons’ from the 60s
to the 90s. We remain amongst the ‘groups’ biggest supporters,
The music they helped create was a credit to them and there are 3 line-ups that, we believe, deserve a clear and distinct identity and recognition as contributing to the history of the Four Seasons and their music in addition to the original members.
First there was the line-up after Nick Massi left to be replaced by Joe Long. Joe’s 10 year tenure with the group is legendary. As well as contributing to a substantial number of their hits with a major contribution to the Genuine Imitation Life Gazette and Chameleon albums…..he was the consummate showman and the group’s performance co-ordinator through the late 60s and early 70s. He even interviewed and recommended his eventual replacement John Paiva. He saw a number of members join and leave the line-up during the early 70s until his almost unforgivable departure from the group in 1975 right after the recording of ‘Who Loves You’.
But he had helped establish a stable and very competent band with the required ‘young’ image and line-up for the charts and they delivered the biggest hit ever for the ‘Four Seasons’ brand….a fact lost in the ‘euphoria’ of Jersey Boys. The resultant line-up would go on to achieve a worldwide number 1 with ‘December 63 (Oh What A Night)’. Don Ciccone, Lee Shapiro, John Paiva, Gerry Polci and Frankie Valli achieved something special which we will never forget.
The loss of this group, when Frankie Valli left to go solo and the Partnership no longer supported them was a disaster for the fans …and the band members, and although a re-union group line-up with Jerry Corbetta would briefly re-ignite our interest, it was not until 1983 that a new and settled line-up embarked on their first album with Frankie Valli, ‘Streetfighter’.
That great line-up of Tim Stone, Larry Lingle, Robbie Robinson, Rex Robinson and Chuck Wilson would support Frankie Valli as his touring and recording band for nearly 10 years till after the next album in 1992 ‘Hope and Glory’. Their UK concert tours of 1992 and 1994 were classic. Publicity shots of this line-up are hard to find but the group are eternally captured on the classic 20th and 25th anniversary live concert DVDs. They too were ‘lost’ as the Four Seasons became a series of line-ups including 'The Modern Gentlemen'in a Jersey Boys style 'updated' show culminating in the final Seasons’ performing in the 2018 Farewell Tour prior to Frankie Valli's retirement. And listening to these line-ups it can be said without doubt Frankie’s voice always sounded best when blended with others in ‘open harmony’
The work of all these ‘journeymen’ is remembered and celebrated in our Newsletter issues. Their memorable music, and their contribution to ‘The Four Seasons’ will be remembered, and we will help to keep the record straight!
So guys your performances on record and stage for us are not forgotten and as a bunch of ‘former employees’ we are heartily glad to have helped pay your wages.!
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A hand picked band assembled during the later half of the period at Motown, this line-up was considered so good by Bob Gaudio he was able to negotiate a record deal with Warner-Curb . The result was two classic albums, Who Loves You and Helicon. A world-wide hit with December 63 (Oh, What A Night) would give the group their biggest ever hit…...but at the cost of the ‘retirement’ of Joe Long. See the promos at the time about this line-up. |
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The Four Seasons 1974 to 1977 |
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In 1977 we were promised a NEW Four Seasons that would take the modern sound on whilst Frankie Valli went solo. Bob Gaudio’s idea and at the time a surprise to us all but as a band they were talented enough if the production, management and song writing had been there to support them. Alas they were ‘out of contract’ by the end of 1977. |
