• Condition: Used - Good

Aside from their own hits, covers of their songs were also successful for others. Four of their songs were UK number one hits for others. Their versions of Silence is golden (Tremeloes) and The sun ain't gonna shine anymore (Walker brothers) are not included, but you do get their original versions of Bye bye baby (Bay city rollers) and Working my way back to you (Detroit Spinners).

This is an excellent single CD collection of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, one of the best American groups of the sixties and seventies.

65 of 69 found the following review helpful:


A Sherry starter, topped with Grease  Feb 19, 2006 By Peter Reeve
Among 60s supergroups, The Four Seasons were something of an anomaly, their sound being very much of the 50s, clearly influenced by The Four Freshmen. In fact, Valli had been singing for a decade by the time of their first hit, in 1962, and he and his backing lineup had already gone though a number of name changes. There had also been changes of personnel and it was the arrival of Bob Gaudio in that year that changed everything. He penned Sherry, their breakthrough hit, and was writer or co-writer of most of the subsequent hits. In that youth-obsessed age, promoters were nervous of the fact that Valli was 28 (married with two kids, to boot) and the other Seasons were in their mid-thirties. So they lopped a few years off. The insert notes in this CD repeat the official line that Valli was born in 1937. It was actually 1934. In those days, it mattered. Watch a Stones concert today and marvel at how things have changed.

In the late 60s and into the 70s, their style changed, taking on R&B and disco elements, and Valli dropping his trademark falsetto. This is the best period, with 1975's Oh, What a Night as their classic.

The Anthology double CD has more tracks and is great value, but this album of remastered tracks of their biggest hits sounds better and will suit most listeners. Its span is just right, starting with Sherry and ending with Grease, and it includes 4 of Valli's solo efforts.

In giving this album 5 stars I'm not saying I think it's musically excellent - there are too many notes not quite hit and too many lyrics that are a bit too cutesy for that - but I am saying it's a solid, good value, 'Best of' collection of a definitive 60s and 70s group.

37 of 38 found the following review helpful:


Early 60's East Coast Rock At it's Best.  Jan 22, 2003 By Anthony Accordino
The youth of America had a musical divide in the early sixties. While the west coast soft beach harmonies of the Beach Boys were in full swing, the youth of the east coast was stomping to the harder edged harmonies of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Frankie along with Bob Guadio, Tommy Devito and the late Nick Massi, hailed from Newark New Jersey and went on to become one of the most important vocal groups in history. Between 1962 to 1966, the Seasons charted 23 times, making them the most popular group in that states history[sorry Springsteen fans]. Their influence can be heard every time you hear a 1970's Bee Gees tune or Billy Joel singing "Uptown girl". Frankie Valli's trademark falsetto voice is as unmistakable as Dylan's whine or Joe Cocker's growl. This collection is a must for anyone who does not own a Four Seasons cd. It contains 16 of the their highest charting hits from 62-68, like "Lets Hang On", "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", "C'mon Marianne", "Opus 17" and 'Rag Doll" to name a few. Also 1970's Seasons hits like "December 1963 Oh What A Night" and "Who Loves You" are here as well. Making this set essential is the inclusion of all of Frankie Valli's top solo hits, like "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", "My Eyes Adored You", "Swearin To God" and "Grease", making this the only single disc available to include all of his solo hits. This is as perfect as a single hits disc can get and I highly recommend this to anyone young or old, who would like to relive their past or experience a ledendary vocal group for the first time, that was second to none during their hey-day. For a more detailed overview of their career "In Season" the two disc Anthology is recommended. This review is dedicated to the late Nick Massi, whose bass playing and vocal arrangements will always be in season.

40 of 43 found the following review helpful:


If Only They Had Better Recordings  Mar 22, 2006 By Mr Squiggle
A lot of the songs on this album are great. Of course, that's why I bought it. However, there are a number of lower-quality songs which I sometimes think would be better off of the album so as to not dilute its class.

However, the album's real problem is it's recording quality. Many, many of the songs, including some that are not so old, possess serious clipping and distortion, and become unpleasant to hear.

I started wondering - have these songs always had this distortion, and have I just been ignoring it - or has some form of remastering made this album particularly bad? Possibly this is the case, but the recordings sound very harsh, even for 'Can't Take Me Eyes Off You', which is a surprise given its later recording date. It is a veritable pleasure to listen to 'December, 1963', which is clearly much higher quality recording - much smoother and without any of the harshness of most of the rest of the album.

Still, I don't know if this is a problem that can ever be resolved, so this album may still be the best that you can get for a collection on Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

66 of 76 found the following review helpful:


Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons  Aug 03, 2003 By Ricky N. "Ricky C. Nelson"
This CD is aptly named the Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. It contains their very best hits from the 60's and 70's. The titles include "Sherry", "Dawn", "Rag Doll", "My Eyes Adored You", "December 1963", and "Grease" just to name a few. In all there are 20 songs on this CD and it is highly recommended!

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