Grab the popcorn, candy, drinks, and your special
someone. We’re heading to the theater
this weekend. That’s not so unusual,
I’ve seen two movies in the past two weekends, so why does this merit an entry
on a blog about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? Well, this weekend is the debut of a movie about an act that has
been enshrined in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. A band that has for far too long been denied the recognition of
their contribution to rock and roll and music in general. I am of course talking about the Four
Seasons. Also known as the 4 Seasons,
or also as Frankie Valli And The 4 Seasons.
This movie isn’t completely unique, and perhaps that’s why
it’s being released in summer, rather than the fall. It’s nowhere near the first rock ‘n’ roll biopic: Great Balls
Of Fire, The Buddy Holly Story, Why Do Fools Fall In Love?, etc. And it’s not the first “jukebox musical”
either… certainly you’ve heard of one Mamma Mia! Still, as one of the first widely celebrated
“jukebox musicals” turning into a movie, there’s a lot of promise here.
I have several reasons to be excited for this movie,
starting with the director. Clint
Eastwood doesn’t have a completely spotless track record, but it’s incredibly
solid, and in the interviews he's done regarding this project, he's talked about how this movie has taken time to get off the ground, waiting for someone who can deliver a credible biopic with both the entertainment the 4 Seasons provided, and the gravitas to appreciate their incredible story. That gives me hope. Second, the story is a proven
success. As a Broadway musical first, Jersey
Boys won the Tony for Best Musical, as well as in three or four other
categories. Third, the casting is
largely of actors who played the members of the 4 Seasons on Broadway,
including John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli himself. These are actors who knew how to play the characters before the
first day of shooting, who’ve actually spent time meeting Frankie Valli, Bob
Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and the surviving family members of the late Nick
Massi. Naturally, one would expect an
actor to research and prepare for any role, but these are the ones who mostly
got dibs on doing it, spent the hours doing the homework and fine-tuning it,
and have been playing the roles in performances. They were prepared for this.
Lastly, I’m a diehard fan of the 4 Seasons, and don’t live anywhere near
New York City. I want to see this
movie.
That’s not to say I think this will shatter records. It’d be nice, but it’s up against some tough
competitors at the box office, plus, as I said, the 4 Seasons have almost never
gotten the respect and accolades they deserve.
There’s wishful thinking, and then there’s hoping this will turn the 4
Seasons into acclaimed national treasures.
And, as noted earlier, this is a summer movie, not an October-or-later
movie, when the arthouse films that get the major Oscar nominations generally
come out. Lastly, the television
appearances on talk shows from Clint Eastwood and Christopher Walken have been
less than focused on actually plugging the film itself.
All the same, the buzz surrounding the musical has been
positive, and I’m hoping that this does very well, and more importantly, will
introduce the music of the 4 Seasons to a whole new audience. So far, a major common theme of many of the “man on the street”
reviews of the stage show has been that people are just now realizing that the 4
Seasons were responsible for a lot of the songs of the ‘60s that they loved, but didn’t
know who performed them. That's simultaneously awesome and sad, but hopefully the cinematic exposure will bring new
interest in the music of both the group and the solo career of Frankie Valli,
and even in the works of Bob Gaudio as a songwriter and Bob Crewe as a
producer.
Coming back to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, can this
movie cause any new ripples or waves? Mamma
Mia! came out before ABBA got inducted, and some believe that the combined
success of the movie and the play helped the cause. But the 4 Seasons have already been inducted. Some of the diehard Seasonologists would
love to see Frankie Valli get inducted a second time as a soloist, but I don’t
think that’s a reasonable goal. While
his solo stuff would certainly qualify as “unquestionable musical excellence,”
there are just a number of factors working against the case. He’s reasonably influential in terms of people
covering the songs he did as a soloist, but his overall style as a soloist is
not widely cited by musicians that followed.
His disco performances are definitely among the more artistic variety of
disco, but he didn’t have the clout of the Bee Gees, KC And The Sunshine Band,
or any of the major disco queens, and didn't match the commercial success of many of them. His
ballads are terrific, but the Hall has been dragging its feet to recognize any
“lite rock” giants. Most harmful to the
cause however, is that his solo career has never been regarded as being
distinctive and separated from his work with the 4 Seasons. Chronologically, definitely not. In that regard, Phil Collins is about the
only serious contender for maintaining group chops while embarking on a Hall Of
Fame-worthy solo career. But more importantly,
when most anthologies include one or two of your solo hits with your group’s
“greatest hits,” your solo career is not all that distanced from the group
work.
So, I really don’t see a solo induction for Frankie Valli
coming. But all’s not lost. Recently, in the Rock Hall Projected project
on the FRL site, I’ve been championing Bob Crewe as a
Non-Performer. The project (and site)
are of course not affiliated with the Hall in any capacity, but it never hurts
to raise awareness on smaller level, and see if it can snowball. Ultimately, I think Bob Crewe is quite
deserving of induction. He’s done a lot
of stuff besides the 4 Seasons’ music, and he’s not the only inducted producer
(or non-performer) to have done a lot of various work, but still have a bread
and butter act. I’d also hope for the
songwriting team of Linzer-Randell to get some consideration, but there’s still
a bullpen of songwriters more deserving than them still waiting as well.
So yes, I’d love to see this film help get Bob Crewe
inducted. I’d also like to see it
garner an Oscar in some capacity. Maybe
for soundtrack. Best Picture would be
awesome, but hopes are not elevated.
Maybe it could spur HBO into making a mini-series or documentary about
the 4 Seasons as well. And if that were
to win an Emmy, the legacy of the 4 Seasons, via the Jersey Boys
phenomenon, would have an EGOT (Grammy for best cast recording). No one person, of course, but still wouldn’t
that be cool?
Not bad for a group who never got a Grammy for their
records—not even a Lifetime Achievement Grammy to date, a group heretofore
anonymously responsible for so many of your favorite records from the ‘60’s, a
group who pioneered both blue-eyed soul and working-class-appealing rock ‘n’
roll while also solidifying the East Coast sound, a group whose first
industrial accolade not directly linked to sales was their 1990 induction into
the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Not bad
at all.
See you at the movies this weekend.
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