The Four Seasons Album: “Genuine Imitation Life Gazette [UK Bonus Tracks]”

After years of making outstanding hit singles and surviving the Top 40 onslaught of teen idols, surfin' & hot rod songs, girl groups, Motown, Stax, garage bands and the British Invasion, the 4 Seasons were hit with another challenge in 1967-8. Pet Sounds and Sgt Pepper's had instantly changed the rules for Pop LP making, and like other hitmakers they set out to create an concept album that would impress the growing number of "progressive free-form FM" stations at the time and then-new magazines like Rolling Stone.

Like so many mainstream Pop artists who originally appealed to the AM Radio-16 Magazine croud and then tried to court the progressive LP buyer "Genuine Imitation Life Gazette" sold poorly. The teenyboppers were confused at hearing this drastically different, advanced music while the hippies and counterculture laughed at the Seasons' attempt to "be hip".

That's a shame because this is the Seasons most impressive album, lyrically and musically. After years of making good to excellent albums consisting of big hit singles with disjointed (though many times outstanding) originals and cover versions, they instead created a "real" album that flows nicely together with wonderful songs and adventurous arrangements.

That this album didn't sell well and that singles like the catchy "Somethings On Her Mind" didn't score on AM radio is a mystery. Compared to other concept albums of the time it sounds more modern and less dated. An interesting attempt to blend the legendary Seasons falsetto vocal harmonies with psychedelic arrangements, thoughtful lyrics and modern production techniques.

Sadly, the Seasons were never the same after this album flopped. The group further moved toward an adult MOR direction and the original four-member hitmaking line-up (stable since 1966) broke up in 1970 and ended a long association with the brilliant producer Bob Crewe.

The remastered CD sounds great despite some loud tape hiss. But ACE (and Rhino's earlier reissue) removed and changed much of the cover artwork to fit on the small CD booklet. I suggest digging around used record stores (or on E-bay) and finding an original American copy of the LP. The cover and insert are a lot of fun to read for all the in-jokes, and I think it's one of the best album covers of the late 60's. The 4 Seasons could be more than just 3 minute hitmakers - and this album shows it.

I was a 4 Seasons fan from the days of "Sherry" and "Big Girls Don't Cry" all the way through their comeback hits of "Who Loves You" and "December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)", and I can say with some authority...."Genuine Imitation Life Gazette" was their greatest collection of non-hit material. The album was not well-received by either their fans or the music industry when it was released. I loved it THEN and I love it NOW. Turn down the lights, close your eyes and listen...REALLY LISTEN....to "Soul of a Woman". It still sends chills down my spine. "Genuine Imitation Life Gazette" is a genuine treasure. By the way, the cover is fun to read, too...but the music is magnificent.

The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette was, more or less, The Four Seasons answer to

. The Four Seasons adopted a more mature sound here, with the songs being about "issues". It's a very good album, but it was a flop at the time. Some people will tell you that is because people rejected the "new" sound of The Four Seasons. But I would contend that the album flopped because all the songs released as singles from the album bombed. "Saturday's Father" charted at #103, "Something's On Her Mind" bottomed out at #98 and "Idaho" did the "best" at #95. So, that would indicate that most people never got to hear any of the songs from this album. And if they didn't hear anything from the album, they weren't likely to buy the album, unless they were already big Four Seasons fans. Which is unfortunate, because it is a very good album. The CD includes four bonus tracks, which were all singles that were recorded around the same time as the album. Here is the complete track listing:

1. American Crucifixion 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

11. Watch the Flowers Grow

12. Raven

13. Will You Love Me Tomorrow

14. Electric Stories

I think this is one of the greatest albums of all time! The Four Seasons never really got into social commentary, but this album only proves the masterworks they might have produced on the subject had it not bombed (peaking at a very low 85 for one of the most succesful groups of the sixties). The first few listenings of this album let you know why it never quite took off, it was far ahead of its time and very out of character for the group that sang "Big Girls Don't Cry"! After about my fifth listening (I am only 15 years old and dug this thing up for fifty cents on a vinyl record; it was well worth what I paid!) I realised this album is a very underappreciated and forgotten (if it was ever remembered) work of art! The songs range from the ultra-social consciousness of "American Crucifixion and Resurrection" and "Genuine Imitation Life" to the biting social commentary on "Mrs. Stately's Garden" and "Wall Street Village Day" to the feministic "Look Up Look Over" and "Soul of a Woman" and catchy hit single "Something's on her Mind". I believe "Saturday's Father" is probably the first song of the sixties to address the weekend father. "Wonder What You'll Be" is a really great and understated melody, and while "Idaho" was probably only included (like "Sloop John B" on Pet Sounds) as the hit single regardless of where it actually fit into the concept of the album; it could be thought of as the daily intrusion of advertisements in the everyday life of Americans. The CD version also includes some excellent bonus cuts like "Electric Stories". This album featured a revolutionary newspaper gatefold cover to house the revolutionary-if-only-it-had-hit music inside. Well, after all my rambling, basically I'd like to say this: This album is worth it!

This is the Four Seasons/Frankie Valli album which stripped away the Crewe/Gaudio/Calello hit formula on songs such as "Dawn (Go Away)", "Ronnie", "Let's Hang On"--for at least a short period of time. The orchestral arrangements are, by turns, bombastic, edgy, sparse, ahead of its time. The patented Frankie Valli falsetto is used sparingly, but that's fine. The lead vocals are shared by composer/keyboardist Bob Gaudio, Tom Devito and Joe Long, which finally brought some of pop rock's best background vocals upfront. The songs,"Saturday's Father" and "Idaho" were cut as singles, getting moderate airplay in the sixties. The jazz-tinged "Wall Street Village Day" is Bob Gaudio at his most sublime on piano and organ. (Gaudio and lyricist/hi-hatter Jake Holmes later produced what I consider a pop music masterpiece-- "Watertown" for Frank Sinatra.) If you can find this album--and I think Amazon.com can get it for you--you will be delighted. It is a 5 star gem.