- Included among the Record Descriptions of Favorite Albums (Part 1).
- The Four Seasons was one of the leading vocal groups of the early 1960’s, with a sound that could be described as “post–doo-wop”.
The Four Seasons – “Dawn (Go Away)” and 11 Other Great Songs (1964): The Four Seasons was one of the leading vocal groups of the early 1960’s, with a sound that could be described as “post–doo-wop”. Lead vocalist Frankie Valli, who also had a productive solo career in later years, has a singular falsetto voice that fits these hits perfectly. Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio, the only two constant members of the group, co-wrote many of the band’s songs. Among American groups, only the Beach Boys had a comparable level of success on the record charts as the Four Seasons enjoyed during the British Invasion years.
In 2014, Clint Eastwood produced and directed a film about the Four Seasons called Jersey Boys that is based on the Broadway musical of the same name, Jersey Boys that came out in 2005. Eastwood has been involved in several musically oriented films over the years and often writes and records the score for his movies. The title makes this album seem like a “greatest hits” collection, but actually, the title track “Dawn (Go Away)” was the Four Seasons’ first hit song for their new label, Philips Records. Although many of the other songs had been hits for other artists, none of the earlier hits for the Four Seasons are given on this album. This is actually a Japanese release on Tower Records, although the labels are so worn off that it is hard to tell.