Genuine Imitation Life Gazette

[rogerlancelot]

I am starting a new thread so as to not hijack Heartical Don's thread. I made a reference to this album and then it snow balled so here we have a place to discuss it. If you haven't heard it, you ought to give it a listen at least once. But maybe it would help if you heard it the same way I did: without a clue of what it really was.

The first time I had heard of it was in a book called You Can't Do That which was published in the 1980's and covered the subject of Beatles bootlegs. It was brought up in an appendix on the topic of Beatles tributes due to references in the original album cover's newspaper. My first thought back then was "the Four Seasons made an album in 1969?" which shows how little I knew then. I kept the thought in the back of my mind to find a copy but never did over all those years. Sometime last summer I decided to look it up on Wikipedia only to find out that there wasn't even a Wiki page about it. I did some simple googling and could barely find any information at all about it, as if it never existed in the first place. I found a torrent of Four Seasons and managed to score a low quality MP3 download of it (with the ending of all the songs mysteriously missing) and played it once. Keep in mind that I had never heard it referenced to Pet Sounds or Sgt. Pepper or being psychedelic (which I still really don't think it is). The first time around it sounded ambitious enough to listen to a second time and to a third, etc. much like my initial reactions to Smiley Smile and Friends. And I fell in love. I joined a Four Seasons mailing list just to see if I could find out any more information about it. Only a few were up for discussing it (I suppose many of their fans don't care much for it) and found out that Jake Holmes ("Dazed And Confused", "Be All That You Can Be" army ad, etc.) wrote the lyrics and Bob Gaudio (all of the original 4 Seasons hits) wrote the music. I then ordered a copy from Amazon and it is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Why? The music. I'm a sucker for interesting chord changes and melodies. There are enough memorable "tunes" in those 10 songs to trump many songwriters' whole outputs. The lyrics aren't too shabby either although that isn't one of my highest priorities (probably why I am a fan of Beach Boys and Paul McCartney). Also being a pianist (my main instrument of many) I really enjoy the keyboard work throughout. And the bass. And Frankie's voice blows me away on some of these songs. Simply put, I think it is a masterpiece that is overlooked because everybody wants to associate it with psychedlia and such. Nonsense. Good music is good music. I was surprised that Andrew (Doe) dismissed it upon first listen but he his tastes at times are hard to keep up with (loves Looking Back With Love but hates Summer In Paradise as an example) but then again I think it is very polarizing. I have showed it to some of my friends with open minds and they either love it immediately or dismiss it just as quickly.

That's my opening statement on the whole thing. I'm interested to see what others have to say about it. I listened to it again a few nights ago to make sure I wasn't simply being crazy about it because I did discover it while I was at the peak of my alcoholism (I have stopped drinking since last Fall). It still sounded great and I still makes me feel emotional in a way that only Beach Boys can do outside of selected classical music.

And sorry, Don. I didn't intend to hijack your MIC thread.

Favorite song still: "Wonder What You'll Be"

[EgoHanger1966]

Excellent post - like I (might?) have said in the other thread...it's not their best, but it's certainly their most ambitious. And self-indulgent. There's kind of an excuse for everything that's wrong with this album, just because you get to hear The Four Seasons do this thing for one album and one album only. It's special.

The one thing that confounds me is the amount of unison-sung vocals, rather than multi part harmony - an unusual thing to hear on a Seasons record. I much prefer when they do harmony. When they sing in unison, they tend to sound like NJ street thugs.

Wonder how they got away with the complete "Hey Jude" rip-off as found in the title track.

If you like this album and have a record player, you MUST get the gatefold vinyl, with inserts. Having the vinyl and reading the newspaper while listening is a completely different trip than hearing it via download or cd issue. It really glues everything together - the listener gets a crystal clear picture of where the group's minds (or at least Gaudio and Long's) were at during the time. Lots of humor that doesn't make any sense unless you put yourself in a 1968/1969 mindset, and even then, you might not get all of it.

[Sunflowerpet]

I think that "Hey Jude rip off" was a parody; in fact there are lines in the lyrics wich said "People worship crosses with their fingers crossed back" which is an alussion to the Beatles and their experience with the Maharishi at India and all that trascendental meditation stuff (In the inner cover art of the album there is a cartoon of the beatles with Maharishi and a woman naked and those lyrics I've mentioned before).
Jersey Boys have done great albums: "Rag doll", "Entertain You", "Workin' My Way Back To You", "New Gold Hits" and their fabolous album in Motown label in 1972 "Chameleon", another gem.

Talking about great albums, I'd recommend "The Mighty Garvey" by Manfred Mann, it's an album which is as the same level as another well knows albums like "Odessey and Oracle" or "Forever Changes"; there is a song called "Every Day And Another Hair To Turn Grey" that is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard in my life, Brian Wilson would have been proud of it.

[The Real Barnyard]

I got a Rhino LP re-release of Genuine Imitation Life Gazette in November 1993 (around the time I bought the GV Box Set), after reading in a music book that this was the most expensive production to date and had been a commercial failure. "Something's On Her Mind" reminds me of those days when I listened to the LP for the first time.

As a curiosity, The Beach Boys are referenced on the front cover:

"Two-hundred thirteen-year-old girls attacked Bob Gaudio's Monteclair castle today, armed with old Beach Boy singles. Although Mrs. Gaudio was able to raise the moat, some of the crazed girls cracked the young writer's music room and made off with his lucky piano. His old Stan Kenton records and the greater part of his wardrobe were also seized."

Edit: here is an interesting review:
http://badcatrecords.ecrater.com/p/9450433/four-seasons-the-genuine-imitation

[Mike's Beard]

Jersey Boys have done great albums: "Rag doll", "Entertain You", "Workin' My Way Back To You", "New Gold Hits" and their fabolous album in Motown label in 1972 "Chameleon", another gem.

I've just bought The Motown Years which contains this entire album. I've read it's great!!

Does anybody know of any collection which features material from the "Half & Half" album? The album itself doesn't have a cd release outside of the "Helicon" twofer and amazon are asking crazy money for it.

[EgoHanger1966]

Does anybody know of any collection which features material from the "Half & Half" album? The album itself doesn't have a cd release outside of the "Helicon" twofer and amazon are asking crazy money for it.

There is also a straight reissue of the album on ACE, with bonus tracks sprinkled in (meaning, thrown in in various places between the actual album running order, which makes no sense). I don't think it's one of their stronger efforts. Bob Gaudio wasn't pleased with it, either.

[Mike's Beard]

Does anybody know of any collection which features material from the "Half & Half" album? The album itself doesn't have a cd release outside of the "Helicon" twofer and amazon are asking crazy money for it.

There is also a straight reissue of the album on ACE, with bonus tracks sprinkled in (meaning, thrown in in various places between the actual album running order, which makes no sense). I don't think it's one of their stronger efforts. Bob Gaudio wasn't pleased with it, either.

Thanks for the reply, I searched for the ACE pressing. It's cheaper but still costly!! Luckily amazon had it going for peanuts as an mp3 download.

[Sound of Free]

Yes, Mike's Beard, as much as I love their "standards" especially Bye Bye Baby, Walk Like a Man, Beggin, Rag Doll, etc., the Motown album has my favorite Four Seasons song, one that few people (in this country, at least) know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ajrCVb3Ja8

[Jay]

Roger The Shrubber: First off, sorry I had to do it this way. For some reason it wont let me quote you. Anyway, I've seen you post about this album for quite a while now. I think you first mentioned it to me on Facebook. I finally decided to look this album up. I too had a very difficult time finding out any information on it. In fact, the only thing I really know about it is that It's by The Four Seasons.  I just listened to the song "The Genuine Imitation Life", or at least that's the name it's listed as on YouTube, about a week ago. What a great song! I must have listened to it non stop for about half an hour.  This is definitely one of those songs I listen to and think "I wish I had written that!". People buying happiness, and manufactured fun seems to say it all.

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

Was it the usual motown musicians that played on Chameleon or did they use someone else? (seems maybe half and half) Found a copy of Chameleon in my local record shop today    Genuine Imitation Life Gazette never really grabbed me for repeated listens but certainly a good album and love the vinyl edition.

[EgoHanger1966]

A couple random musings I had yesterday while listening to the first side of the album.

The last minute or so of Saturday's Father is one of the best bits on the LP and those harmonies are a clear BW/BB homage.

I think it's clever how the opening piano figure of Wall Street Village Day is a continuation of the melody of the previous track (which happens to be Saturday's Father). If you weren't looking at a track display you might be fooled into thinking it's still Saturday's Father after an extended pause.