Seasons Connections Vol 3

When we started researching Bob Crewe and the 4 Seasons other do is read it and get it to feel good. factured to the formula that caught the work back in 2001 we didn’t realize When you’re sitting in a studio with ears of ‘naive kids’ like us. Kids no that we would unearth so much a bunch of musicians and some- longer we still love this stuff!! that spans the sublime to the body’s saying, "OK, we need to We start with one of Bob most hard- ridiculous but with our track record this song" and they start to working solo and group artists of the research now over 120 in addition figure out what it is that they need early 60’s, Lenny O’Henry. The open- to those that have already to play, the reason why they take ing track captures the attempt to appeared on ‘The Dynavoice Story’ so long is because they have to achieve the soulful impact of Ben E and ‘The Early Fantastic Years’ find the parts. And it’s harder to King and songs like ‘Stand By Me’ CD’s we are still finding gems and find the parts if you have 5 people and ‘Oh My Love’. ‘Burning Memories’ turkeys. creating the arrangement. It (Smash 1800) is an intense ballad This article again focuses on gems, becomes a lot easier when you arranged by Sid Bass with the versa- as we have been able to do so far. have one person or two people cre- tile Lenny O’Henry singing his heart (But watch out for our collection of ating the arrangement because out. This Crewe- Bass penned song turkeys on a future Volume). then there’s continuity in it…. Well although very good, failed to make With 16 tracks arranged by top the musicians that we used had the any chart impact in 1963. arranger Charles Calello, a Valli- ability to be able to interpret the The female Four Seasons dropped Gaudio and two Nick Massi produc- music. After singling them out, their falsetto for the ‘B’ side of the tions, several Ed Rambeau co-writ- they interpreted the music….. It highly successful ‘Dusty’ in 1965. ten songs, some great Season was a very very different time in John Clemente in ‘Girl Groups’ says sound-alikes and the Seasons making records.” of this track, “The pleasant ‘B’ side , backing on , probably, 6 of the Surprisingly Charles Calello, some- ‘Hey Hoagy’(Mala 493) also received tracks, we think this captures the what disparagingly, calls this early significant attention. These produc- continuing theme of ‘Seasons 60’s material “manufactured” pop and tions where now being done under Connections’. whilst the formula he and Bob Crewe Crewe’s newly christened Genius Inc In this article and our next we will used can be seen in all volumes to production company which he shared show the importance of Charles date, there are still some astounding with his brother, Dan. Denny Randell Calello’s contribution to the sound of arrangements arising from the influ- and Sandy Linzer provided their writ- Bob Crewe and his own productions. ences of competing producers and ing skills for these productions, along In his interview with Stuart Miller in other artists of those times as the with the tried and true Charles 2003 he talked about the importance sounds of these tracks demonstrate. Calello.” This staccato style song of arranging. “. When you use an Before the emergence of the Beatles bounces along with a great vocal from arranger, an arranger works out all as the organic musical force that lead Jean Thomas. the parts prior to getting into the would create rock everything coming Crewe had had some excellent studio, so all the musicians have to out of the US producers was manu- results with girl vocalist between 63 and 65 and Diane Renay’s quality shone through on some good songs. Usually these involved the clever song writing team of Eddie Rambeau and Bud Rehak working with Crewe. ‘A Present From Eddie’ (20th Century Fox 533) captures all of Diane’s warmth and girly sound, with a great ‘seasons -like’ falsetto fade out on another Charles Calello arranged track. We featured Kevin McQuinn on our previous compilations and we found him again on a self-penned (E.J.Quinn) song ‘Every Step Of The Way’ (Diamond 101) Arranged by Charles Calello and with the Four Seasons on ‘Yea,Yea,Yea’ backing vocals, it is a catchy song recorded in 1961. The High Keyes (Keys) were a stand alone group as best we know. The members of the group were Troy Keyes, Jim Williams, Bob Haggard, and Cliff Rice. It is believed that Bob Crewe tried to make them the black 4 Seasons. On one of their best perfor- mances ‘You’re My Girl’(Atco 6276) there is an impassioned vocal with more than a hint of Frankie’s falsetto showing through on the harmonies. But we are not sure if Bob Crewe arrived in time to arrange "Walk Like cy, ‘(I Wish It Were) Summer All Year used the Seasons sound to reinforce A Man". This also explains why Sid Round’ (ABC 10231’). Seagull the sound on this Crewe -Keyes com- Bass also arranged some other tracks sounds, Valli’s falsetto and a jangling position as Bob Gaudio did with the 4- in late 1962-early 1963 for Crewe piano arrangement of a Crewe Evers on ‘Be My Girl’. This production (Matthew Reid, Lenny O'Henry on penned track. No credit to the deserved some chart success in Smash, Hedy Sontag on Vee-jay, arranger so we can’t confirm (but 1963. Tracey Dey was the other of Kevin McQuinn on Vivid, etc.). strongly believe) it is Charles Calello. Bob’s outstanding female vocalists The Victorians have appeared before Whilst Larry Santos was writing great during the early 60’s and some of her in our research and ‘C’mon Dream’ songs for The Four Seasons like songs are quite exquisite like the (Hercules 101) has an almost spoken ‘Candy Girl’ he also had a few Larry Santos song ‘Teddy’s The Boy I vocal by a lead singer we cannot attempts at success and on ‘True’ Love’ (Amy 894). Backed, we believe, identify, on the song penned by (Atlantic 2250) with the group backing by either the Rag Dolls or the Angels English singer / songwriter Chris him he performs well on a Tomerlin this Calello arranged ballad from Andrews and arranged by Calello. penned track arranged by Charles 1963 just oozes warmth and class. Backing vocals are a great copy of Calello. Another track from the myste- The Victorians who recorded intermit- the Four Seasons with an outro which rious Victorians appeared in 1965 on tently during the early 60’s had been hints of Valli’s voice. A great Seasons a single produced by Irving Spice, around from the late 1950's and were sound-alike ’Wasn’t The Summer Short’ (Bang the group that Charles Calello Back to Lenny O’Henry (aka Daniel 550). Although a sound-alike there is belonged to. He left them to work with Cannon) and ‘Mr Moonlight’ the other no Seasons presence on this Ruth Frankie and the Seasons, we under- side of his Smash 1800 single. Again Lyons song but perhaps the line-up stand. As a matter of fact, after arranged by Sid Bass and co-written includes De Cillis and Layton who had Charlie started working with The by Crewe and D.Cannon, with performed the year before on ‘Baby Seasons and Crewe in 1961, he was- unknown female vocalists and per- Toys’ (see Vol2) n't making the money he wanted and haps the Four Seasons on backing Eddie Rambeau’s attempt to follow up felt that his group needed to go on vocals, this great song was unfortu- on the success of ‘Concrete and Clay’ tour, so he left Crewe and The nately not a ‘smash’ Miss Frankie in 1965 was to stay with the bouncy Seasons for awhile to go on tour Nolan was not so involved in Bob style of that hit and to maintain the before "Sherry". That is how Sid Bass Crewe’s production schedule as other ‘earthy’ connection. (For concrete and ended up doing the arrangements on female vocalists but was famous for clay read ‘mud’). ‘My Name Is Mud’ some early Seasons tracks and the the Valli backed ‘I Still Care’ in 1961 (Dynavoice 207) is one of Eddie’s Christmas album too. Frankie and the before the Seasons became interna- best compositions (with Bud Rehak) guys thought that Sid was too old tional stars. The ‘B’ side warrants and has a terrific Charles Calello fashioned for their style so they attention as the Seasons provide arrangement. It should have been a begged Calello to come back. He strong harmonic support on the boun- hit but only achieved No112 with a 4 week showing. arrangement. Troy Keyes in 1963, trying for a hit In Volume 2 we featured 2 of Shirley Sometimes an outstanding song with ‘Don’t Leave Me Now’ ( Atco Mathews singles and another Bob never makes it no matter how many 6290). This Crewe-Calello composi- Gaudio production of hers was the artists try to make it a hit. Chollie tion was based on a classical piece driving ‘Wise Guys’ (Atlantic 2224). A Maye was a vocalist popular around as was ‘A Lovers Concerto’ a hit for Crewe –Santos composition with a Philadelphia in the mid sixties. Valli the Toys in 1965. A superb perfor- Charles Calello arrangement it and Gaudio thought they would try mance this was one of the best tracks appeared in 1964.

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