Still crooning at 84, singer Frankie Valli is one of the last living do woppers. If you only know him from the play “The Jersey Boys” or his Four Season hits, this two disc, 58 song set will set you straight. It contains material from the way back early days of New Jersey’s finest, as a nice solo artist in the bel canto pop realm of “My Mother’s Eyes” as well as with his first group incarnate, The Four Lovers, which had its own day in the sun with the 1956 hit “You’re the Apple of My Eye”. The harmonies are all there, and are for the more pop crowd, as on “Memories of You” and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”. This group is definitely looking for a hook, going from R&B pieces like “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Night Train” to even some C&W in “San Antonio Rose”.
Eventually after a few failed mixes and matches, in 1960 Valli brings together gumbas Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nic Massi, and do some nice things like “Spanish Lace” before hitting on the infectious feel of “Sherry”, which turned every Italian in South Philly or Jersey into a street corner symphonist. The patented sound captured the imagination of the public, and the clean cut looks didn’t hurt either. The followup “Big Girls Don’t Cry” is included as well, and a fun take of “Never On Sunday”. You’ll be singing along on this one.