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Post by beachboystalkmatt on Mar 30, 2023 18:58:53 GMT
Hello friends! This week we discuss all things Four Seasons as we welcome Frankie Valli’s musical director Robby Robinson! Other than the BB the Four Seasons are my favorite group. I hope you’re I’ll join us at 8 EST on Facebook or YouTube. What are your thoughts on the Four Seasons?
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Post by jk on Mar 30, 2023 20:42:09 GMT
Hi Matt. Well, my first encounter with The Four Seasons was hearing "Sherry" on the radio at the tail end of *gulp* 1962. A magic moment. I love their earlier things, say up to "Rag Doll" and "Silence Is Golden". After that, I have to pick and choose... My favourite link between them and The Beach Boys is when Brian mimics to perfection the "lie" of the opening chords of “Big Girls Don't Cry"… ...in the chorus of "Finders Keepers" (first at 0:30): To say nothing of Mike doing Nick Massi's bass voice! Beyond that, I’ve always loved the creative use of the drums on Four Seasons records. I confess I don't always check in (short little span of attention) but I'll definitely be doing it this time!
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
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Post by Emdeeh on Mar 31, 2023 0:28:55 GMT
I initially got into the Four Seasons in the early '60s, and then this group from California burst on to the charts. I became a huge fan of the Beach Boys, so much that The Beatles never stood a chance when they burst on to the charts the next year. I really like the Four Seasons' early music, tho.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Mar 31, 2023 0:56:01 GMT
I'm a fan of those Four Seasons' early/mid-60's hits. Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe (among others) wrote some songs that were AM radio gold, and Frankie Valli had one of the greatest voices in popular music. In the Beach Boys' world, it's often mentioned that The Four Seasons were the top U.S. band before The Beach Boys came along, but The Four Seasons continued to have hit singles through 1967. And, of course, they had a big comeback in the mid-70s with "Who Loves You" and "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)". Frankie himself had his share of solo hits in the 70s with "My Eyes Adored You", "Swearin' To God", and "Grease".
Frankie Valli continues to perform with a version of The Four Seasons, but not without controversy. Frankie either lip synchs to a prerecorded vocal track or sings along at a much lower volume to a prerecorded vocal track. Granted, the guy will be 89 years old in May, and it's great to see him still out there. But, I've watched the live videos on YouTube, and I find it kind of sad. I see that Beach Boys Talk is featuring Frankie Valli's music director, Robby Robinson. I will be watching with interest.
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Post by lonelysummer on Mar 31, 2023 2:23:48 GMT
I'm a fan of those Four Seasons' early/mid-60's hits. Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe (among others) wrote some songs that were AM radio gold, and Frankie Valli had one of the greatest voices in popular music. In the Beach Boys' world, it's often mentioned that The Four Seasons were the top U.S. band before The Beach Boys came along, but The Four Seasons continued to have hit singles through 1967. And, of course, they had a big comeback in the mid-70s with "Who Loves You" and "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)". Frankie himself had his share of solo hits in the 70s with "My Eyes Adored You", "Swearin' To God", and "Grease".
Frankie Valli continues to perform with a version of The Four Seasons, but not without controversy. Frankie either lip synchs to a prerecorded vocal track or sings along at a much lower volume to a prerecorded vocal track. Granted, the guy will be 89 years old in May, and it's great to see him still out there. But, I've watched the live videos on YouTube, and I find it kind of sad. I see that Beach Boys Talk is featuring Frankie Valli's music director, Robby Robinson. I will be watching with interest.
I find that sad, too, and it's why I've passed on seeing the Seasons when they've come to town. Love the old records, though, my dad had "2nd Gold Vault of Hits", and later we got "Gold Vault of Hits" at a thrift store. Our local library also had - oddly enough - their attempt at a folk album, "Born to Wander".
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Post by jk on Apr 11, 2023 14:22:19 GMT
This is what I said down the road apiece and my opinion hasn't changed much since this morning. Great discussion there with Robby R. So Yogi Berra really did have a house at one end of the fork he said you had to take when you got to it, and Bob Gaudio's house was at the other end! Also loved that story about, I think, Robby's managerial predecessor Jerry Corbetta, who had a swimming pool quickly installed in his garden just so Frank Sinatra could take a dip in it on his one visit!! As for a major Beach Boys connection, Robby mentioned Frankie Valli describing the Seasons' first bass singer Nick Massi as a genius who did a lot of the stuff Brian did, teaching the other Seasons their parts and whatnot. "The Brian Wilson of The Four Seasons!" I may have missed it, not having seen much of the guys' preamble, but I believe there was no mention of the "lie" of the sung chords in the chorus of "Finders Keepers" being a faithful take on that of the sung title of "Big Girls Don't Cry". (Wonderful to learn that both bands cut their teeth on the harmonies of The Four Freshmen.) All in all, a very cool interview. I see no problem at all having contemporaries of the Boys on the show, especially if they're as warm-hearted and open as Robby. It's all part of a broader context. Anyone else here watch it?
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Post by jk on Apr 12, 2023 17:32:13 GMT
I see no problem at all having contemporaries of the Boys on the show, especially if they're as warm-hearted and open as Robby. It's all part of a broader context. Anyone else here watch it? I can't believe no one on a BB forum watched it (maybe someone on Smiley, which I don't frequent these days). Did you eventually watch it, Sheriff John Stone ? Emdeeh ? Surely the Seasons are very important in early BB history? I'm baffled.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 12, 2023 17:35:26 GMT
I've never really paid them any mind, so no, I didn't watch. I know some of those big hits, of course, but I don't have any particular affinity for them. I mean, they're fine. Just never really caught my attention as more than one of many successful groups out there through the decades.
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Post by jk on Apr 12, 2023 18:31:14 GMT
I've never really paid them any mind, so no, I didn't watch. I know some of those big hits, of course, but I don't have any particular affinity for them. I mean, they're fine. Just never really caught my attention as more than one of many successful groups out there through the decades. Surely their friendly pre-British Invasion rivalry with the Boys was reason enough to devote a BeachBoysTalk show to them? I mean, these two bands interacted on a musical level ("Surfers Rule, "Finders Keepers", "No Surfin' Today") which is pretty unique by any standards. I'd be most interested to know what beachboystalkmatt thinks about the sudden drop in enthusiasm for this episode, when it's patently clear the two bands were very important for each other in 1963-64 (and kept the US pop music flag flying post-Invasion). Luckily the video live chat was as enthusiastic as ever.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 12, 2023 18:44:44 GMT
I've never really paid them any mind, so no, I didn't watch. I know some of those big hits, of course, but I don't have any particular affinity for them. I mean, they're fine. Just never really caught my attention as more than one of many successful groups out there through the decades. Surely their friendly pre-British Invasion rivalry with the Boys was reason enough to devote a BeachBoysTalk show to them? I mean, these two bands interacted on a musical level ("Surfers Rule, "Finders Keepers", "No Surfin' Today") which is pretty unique by any standards. I'd be most interested to know what beachboystalkmatt thinks about the sudden drop in enthusiasm for this episode, when it's patently clear the two bands were very important for each other in 1963-64 (and kept the US pop music flag flying post-Invasion). Luckily the video live chat was as enthusiastic as ever. Sure, I'm not arguing that there was no reason to devote an episode to it. It's just not an episode I was as interested in, because it's not a group I am interested in. Brian also loved Rosemary Clooney, but I don't, so I wouldn't watch a show dedicated to her, either. Importance to the group doesn't necessarily translate to all fans' interest. Everyone has their different interests.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 12, 2023 20:44:33 GMT
I see no problem at all having contemporaries of the Boys on the show, especially if they're as warm-hearted and open as Robbie. It's all part of a broader context. Anyone else here watch it? I can't believe no one on a BB forum watched it (maybe someone on Smiley, which I don't frequent these days). Did you eventually watch it, Sheriff John Stone ? Emdeeh ? Surely the Seasons are very important in early BB history? I'm baffled. Yes, jk, I watched the entire interview.
I consider myself a fan of The Four Seasons, certainly not a diehard fan, but I enjoy their music. In 1964-65, I remember sitting in front of the family record player. It was one of those where you could stack the 45s, and I was stacking "She Loves You", "I Saw Her Standing There", "I Want To Hold Your Hand" - with "Rag Doll", "Silence Is Golden", and "Dawn". The Four Seasons were obviously from New Jersey, and living in Pennsylvania, they were on all of the AM radio stations. I also enjoyed their comeback in the mid-70s when I was in high school, though, honestly, I wasn't as big a fan of the disco-oriented stuff as their earlier sound. I also think the Bob Gaudio/Bob Crewe songwriting team has not gotten the credit they deserve. How many music fans even recognize those names? As I posted above, I respect Frankie Valli for still going out there and performing. At age 89, obviously he doesn't have to.
I enjoyed the interview with music director, Robby Robinson. Robby was very cordial, answered all of the questions, and was a great storyteller. I especially like to hear stories from the guests as to how they got to be where they were/are. So many times they are just like all of us, maybe living anonymously in Palookaville, USA, and they meet somebody or take a certain job and the next thing you know, they're working with some of the all-time greats in their field.
Now, I love Beach Boys Talk. I try to catch the show live or the next day or two. Matt and Greg do a great job. Their show is a hidden treasure. Really. Their guests are incomparable. I said it before and I meant it - there is historical value with their interviews. These are Beach Boys' insiders with a story to tell and not many people are interviewing them. And, sadly, as we know, they won't be around forever. I'll be honest about this past show. I have no problem with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons being incorporated into a Beach Boys-oriented format. Matt and Greg tried to include The Beach Boys in some of their questions, and Robby was forthcoming with his answers. I only had one problem. I wish they would've addressed the issue of Frankie Valli either lip-synching or singing at a low volume over a previously recorded vocal track in concert. Now, I want to make this perfectly clear. I didn't really expect Matt or Greg to address the issue and I understand why they wouldn't/didn't. If I was in their position, I would be hesitant to go down that road, too. They don't need the conflict, the controversy. They are trying to attract guests, not alienate them. They want positive feedback, not negative comments. Reputation is very important in their field. And, just from listening to Robby, I think he would've emphatically denied it anyway. He was praising Frankie Valli as this "perfectionist" performer, so he's not going to admit that Frankie isn't actually singing in concert.
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Post by jk on Apr 12, 2023 21:58:11 GMT
Thanks, Sheriff (and Cap'n for your comments). I was beginning to feel I was acting like some kind of traitor to the cause by watching it! (They've locked the equivalent thread at EH.) At least I could correct my misspelling of Robby's name on this forum. I must have been thinking of Robbie Robertson.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 13, 2023 0:09:14 GMT
Thanks, Sheriff (and Cap'n for your comments). I was beginning to feel I was acting like some kind of traitor to the cause by watching it! (They've locked the equivalent thread at EH.)There is no such thing as a traitor to the cause! We're joined by our Beach Boys fandom, but that leaves a tremendous amount of leeway in all other things. I can't even imagine the gripe--and frankly I'm not going to look into it, but will leave the controversy for those who want it. The guys w/ Beach Boys Talk do a great job, and have contributed several documentaries' worth of content from people who were there. More content than decades of message board chatter. They have every right to spread out a little to other relevant, if not immediately relevant, topics or guests.
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