The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette
| The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | January 1969 |
| Genre | Psychedelia[1] |
| Length | 44:50 |
| Producer | Bob Crewe |
The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette is a 1969 album by American rock band the Four Seasons. Member Bob Gaudio teamed up with Jake Holmes to create a psychedelic concept album which adjusted the band's stylings to the changing times of the late 1960s.[2] Instead of love songs, the band tackled subjects such as war and racial tension.[3]
The album's packaging was also distinctive, with the cover being stylized as a newspaper and the sleeve containing an eight-page newspaper-like insert that also had specially-done color underground comics strips by Skip Williamson and Jay Lynch.
The first single issued seven months before the album's release (June 1968) was "Saturday's Father" (Philips 40542). It only bubbled under at number 103 on the Billboard Hot 100. A second single with both sides culled from the album, "Idaho" and "Something's on Her Mind," was released in March 1969 as Philips 40597. Both sides barely crept into the Billboard Hot 100, at number 95 and number 98, respectively.[4]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
In a review for AllMusic, Donald A. Guarisco says the album "lives up to its reputation as the most bizarre album in the Four Seasons' catalog", describing it as "a concept album that casts a satirical eye on American life." He calls it "relentlessly inventive, skillfully constructed, and never dull" and "a stunning example of the artistry of the Four Seasons at their most ambitious."[1]
Track listing
All tracks written by Bob Gaudio and Jake Holmes, except as noted.
- "American Crucifixion Resurrection" — 6:50
- "Mrs. Stately's Garden" — 3:15
- "Look Up Look Over" — 4:42
- "Something's on Her Mind" — 2:49
- "Saturday's Father" — 3:14
- "Wall Street Village Day" — 4:27
- "Genuine Imitation Life" (Jake Holmes) — 6:16
- "Idaho" — 3:02
- "Wonder What You'll Be" — 3:31
- "Soul of a Woman" — 7:14
Personnel
Partial credits from AllMusic.[5]
The Four Seasons
- Frankie Valli - vocals
- Tommy DeVito - lead guitar; vocals
- Bob Gaudio - vocals, keyboards, piano, arrangements
- Joe Long - vocals, bass, assistant music editor
Additional musicians
- Charles Calello – arrangements, conductor
- John Holmes – percussion, hi-hat
- Joseph Cassiere (aka Joey Cass) – drums
- Vincent Corrao – guitar
- Anthony De Angelis – woodwind
- Richard Natoli – woodwind
- Salvatore Piccolo – trumpet
- Emmanuel Green – concertmaster
- Production staff
- Bob Crewe – producer
- Roy Cicala – engineer
- Shelly Yakus – assistant engineer
- Frank Scrsggi – coordinating producer
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Don Snyder – design, photography
- Desmond Strobel – graphics [6][7]
References
- ^ a b c Guarisco, Donald A.. The Four Seasons – The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
- ^ Chapman, Rob (2015). Psychedelia and Other Colours. Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571282753.
- ^ Kaplan, James (2016). Sinatra: The Chairman. Knopf Doubleday. p. 798. ISBN 9780307946935.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1993, (Billboard Books, 1994) ISBN 0-89820-105-5
- ^ Guarisco, Donald A. "The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette The Four Seasons / Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ "The 4 Seasons* – The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette". Discogs.com. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ "The Four Seasons – The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
