Post by Pete70s on Oct 18, 2003 11:38:32 GMT -5
The album I have chosen for today is out of print, but easy to find used. Last week I did the Stones’ “Their Satanic Majesties Request”, this week it’s another piece of late 60’s psychedelia:
Genuine Imitation Life Gazette – The Four Seasons, 1969
1- American Crucifixion and Resurrection
2- Mrs. Stately’s Garden
3- Look Up, Look Over
4- Something’s On Her Mind
5- Saturday’s Father
6- Wall Street Village Day
7- Genuine Imitation Life
8- Idaho
9- Wonder What You’ll Be
10- Soul Of A Woman
This album is perhaps one of the biggest flops in history. One of the most elaborately produced albums, the cover alone must have cost a fortune to make. Yet many copies ended up in cut-out bins shortly after its release. It was briefly available on CD in the early 90’s by Rhino, but unfortunately it has been discontinued some time ago. CD copies on half.com go for between $25-$50. Fear not, though, you should be able to find an old vinyl copy at your local used record store for about $5. Chances are that if they have a copy, they probably have 6 copies, the store I bought mine at did..
You WANT an original copy regardless, because of the cover. A multi-panel newspaper-like cover, similar to what Jethro Tull and John Lennon would do in the 70’s. Full of fake news articles, song lyrics, even a crossword puzzle and funnies section! You even get a supermarket circular, featuring sales on “Elvis Parsley”, “Vanilla Fudge”, “Peaches and Herbs”, “1910 Fruit Gum”, “Moby Grapes”, you get the idea.
What is the point of all this, you are wondering? Well, this is the Four Seasons doing a psychedelic concept album! (I guess nobody told them that psychedelia was dead by 1969).. What is the concept? Exactly what the title says, a genuine, imitation life... An oxymoron of sorts. What is real? What is fake? It’s a bit more complex than that, but that’s the genuine imitation idea, LOL...
Bob Gaudio’s production was top-notch as always, and lyrics were written by his new collaborator Jake Holmes (the two would also work together on Frank Sinatra’s “Watertown”). And of course Frankie Valli’s voice is there, although his trademark falsetto is used to a minimum. You won’t find any songs like “Sherry” or “Big Girls Don’t Cry” here!
If you are a fan of later-era Four Seasons singles such as “C’mon Marianne”, “Beggin’”, and the like, you will NOT be disappointed in this album! After their final top-40 hit, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (which I always thought sounded like a “farewell” hit, even though it wasn’t intended to be), the group re-invented themselves for the album-oriented market. Unfortunately, the Four Seasons were not an album group. They were known for catchy 2 ½ minute pop singles about failed teenage romances.
I have recently taken an interest in the lesser-known Four Seasons music. This week I have picked up two CDs on half.com. One of them is a long out of print “Motown Superstars” series (Yes, they recorded for Motown’s subsidiary Mowest label in the early 70’s. No hits, but from what’s on this CD, I can tell I really like it! Picture the Seasons with the Spinners back-up band..). The other is a recent Rhino release, “Off-Seasons: Criminally Ignored Sides” (sounds right up my alley, doesn’t it?) Three of the songs from “Gazette” appear on this collection, I've noted them.
Why DID “Gazette” fail? My belief is that it came out two years too late. It certainly wasn’t the quality of the music! Psychedelic concept albums were just not selling in the age of Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf. Had the album came out in 1967, the album probably would have been a hit.
So here is the track-by-track..
American Crucifixion Resurrection-“The King is Dead, Long Live The King”, an ambitious 7 minute opener with a piano groove similar to “Beggin’”. It changes musical direction several times throughout. The lyrics to this song are the "headline" on the front cover, they read like a news story.
Mrs. Stately’s Garden-A song about gossip, and the catchiest song here. A piece of social commentary, perhaps? Comes off sounding like a nice little pop tune.
Look Up, Look Over-Kind of a quiet piece
Something’s On Her Mind-The B-side of a double-sided “hit”. This side shot up the chart all the way to #98. Nice pop tune. One of three that appears on the “Off Seasons” compilation.
Saturday’s Father- One of the “Message” songs on the album. A look at the children of separated parents, an issue that was growing in the late 60’s. The end coda sounds like it jumped on off a Beach Boys album.
Also appears on “Off Seasons”.
Wall Street Village Day-My favorite cut on the album. Possibly the most progressive sounding song here (The 4 Seasons? Progressive??) . I can’t help but think that the piano intro sounds similar to “A Venture” from “The Yes Album”)
Genuine Imitation Life-The song that most ties in with the concept of the album. “People buying happiness and manufactured fun. Everybody’s doing what everyone has done”. Complete with “Hey Jude” inspired coda and fade-out/back in. “It’s a lovely place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to stay.” Third cut on “Off Seasons”.
Idaho-The A-side of above-mentioned single. This one did slightly better, reaching #95. Gotta love the rhyming couplet “Santa Claus, Applesauce”. Appears on the double CD anthology, “In Seasons”.
Wonder What You’ll Be- A parent wonders about his child’s future.
Soul Of A Woman-Along with the first cut, this is another huge production. 7 minutes long, goes in many different directions. A very good closer.
So there you have it. Had this album been recorded by a “hipper” group, maybe it would have been given a chance. But in ’69, the Four Seasons were looked at in the same league as The Beach Boys, as the epitome of “square”. It would be another 6 years before “December 1963” would return the Four Seasons to the upper reaches of the pop chart.
Genuine Imitation Life Gazette – The Four Seasons, 1969
1- American Crucifixion and Resurrection
2- Mrs. Stately’s Garden
3- Look Up, Look Over
4- Something’s On Her Mind
5- Saturday’s Father
6- Wall Street Village Day
7- Genuine Imitation Life
8- Idaho
9- Wonder What You’ll Be
10- Soul Of A Woman
This album is perhaps one of the biggest flops in history. One of the most elaborately produced albums, the cover alone must have cost a fortune to make. Yet many copies ended up in cut-out bins shortly after its release. It was briefly available on CD in the early 90’s by Rhino, but unfortunately it has been discontinued some time ago. CD copies on half.com go for between $25-$50. Fear not, though, you should be able to find an old vinyl copy at your local used record store for about $5. Chances are that if they have a copy, they probably have 6 copies, the store I bought mine at did..
You WANT an original copy regardless, because of the cover. A multi-panel newspaper-like cover, similar to what Jethro Tull and John Lennon would do in the 70’s. Full of fake news articles, song lyrics, even a crossword puzzle and funnies section! You even get a supermarket circular, featuring sales on “Elvis Parsley”, “Vanilla Fudge”, “Peaches and Herbs”, “1910 Fruit Gum”, “Moby Grapes”, you get the idea.
What is the point of all this, you are wondering? Well, this is the Four Seasons doing a psychedelic concept album! (I guess nobody told them that psychedelia was dead by 1969).. What is the concept? Exactly what the title says, a genuine, imitation life... An oxymoron of sorts. What is real? What is fake? It’s a bit more complex than that, but that’s the genuine imitation idea, LOL...
Bob Gaudio’s production was top-notch as always, and lyrics were written by his new collaborator Jake Holmes (the two would also work together on Frank Sinatra’s “Watertown”). And of course Frankie Valli’s voice is there, although his trademark falsetto is used to a minimum. You won’t find any songs like “Sherry” or “Big Girls Don’t Cry” here!
If you are a fan of later-era Four Seasons singles such as “C’mon Marianne”, “Beggin’”, and the like, you will NOT be disappointed in this album! After their final top-40 hit, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (which I always thought sounded like a “farewell” hit, even though it wasn’t intended to be), the group re-invented themselves for the album-oriented market. Unfortunately, the Four Seasons were not an album group. They were known for catchy 2 ½ minute pop singles about failed teenage romances.
I have recently taken an interest in the lesser-known Four Seasons music. This week I have picked up two CDs on half.com. One of them is a long out of print “Motown Superstars” series (Yes, they recorded for Motown’s subsidiary Mowest label in the early 70’s. No hits, but from what’s on this CD, I can tell I really like it! Picture the Seasons with the Spinners back-up band..). The other is a recent Rhino release, “Off-Seasons: Criminally Ignored Sides” (sounds right up my alley, doesn’t it?) Three of the songs from “Gazette” appear on this collection, I've noted them.
Why DID “Gazette” fail? My belief is that it came out two years too late. It certainly wasn’t the quality of the music! Psychedelic concept albums were just not selling in the age of Led Zeppelin and Steppenwolf. Had the album came out in 1967, the album probably would have been a hit.
So here is the track-by-track..
American Crucifixion Resurrection-“The King is Dead, Long Live The King”, an ambitious 7 minute opener with a piano groove similar to “Beggin’”. It changes musical direction several times throughout. The lyrics to this song are the "headline" on the front cover, they read like a news story.
Mrs. Stately’s Garden-A song about gossip, and the catchiest song here. A piece of social commentary, perhaps? Comes off sounding like a nice little pop tune.
Look Up, Look Over-Kind of a quiet piece
Something’s On Her Mind-The B-side of a double-sided “hit”. This side shot up the chart all the way to #98. Nice pop tune. One of three that appears on the “Off Seasons” compilation.
Saturday’s Father- One of the “Message” songs on the album. A look at the children of separated parents, an issue that was growing in the late 60’s. The end coda sounds like it jumped on off a Beach Boys album.
Also appears on “Off Seasons”.
Wall Street Village Day-My favorite cut on the album. Possibly the most progressive sounding song here (The 4 Seasons? Progressive??) . I can’t help but think that the piano intro sounds similar to “A Venture” from “The Yes Album”)
Genuine Imitation Life-The song that most ties in with the concept of the album. “People buying happiness and manufactured fun. Everybody’s doing what everyone has done”. Complete with “Hey Jude” inspired coda and fade-out/back in. “It’s a lovely place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to stay.” Third cut on “Off Seasons”.
Idaho-The A-side of above-mentioned single. This one did slightly better, reaching #95. Gotta love the rhyming couplet “Santa Claus, Applesauce”. Appears on the double CD anthology, “In Seasons”.
Wonder What You’ll Be- A parent wonders about his child’s future.
Soul Of A Woman-Along with the first cut, this is another huge production. 7 minutes long, goes in many different directions. A very good closer.
So there you have it. Had this album been recorded by a “hipper” group, maybe it would have been given a chance. But in ’69, the Four Seasons were looked at in the same league as The Beach Boys, as the epitome of “square”. It would be another 6 years before “December 1963” would return the Four Seasons to the upper reaches of the pop chart.
Excellent review! I've read a bit about this album over the years but haven't had the chance to hear any of the songs. I see that the All Music Guide rates it 4 stars, I'm going to have to check it out.