Chameleon (The Four Seasons album)

Chameleon is a 1972 album by The Four Seasons notable for being their only album recorded for Motown. The album met with limited success in the US; no single was even issued from the album in America. "The Night", however, met with success in the UK and peaked at No. 7 in 1975, becoming a Northern Soul mainstay.[2]

Chameleon
Studio album by
The Four Seasons
ReleasedMay 1972
Recorded1972
Genre
Length33:33
LabelMoWest
ProducerBob Gaudio
The Four Seasons chronology
Half & Half
(1970)		 Chameleon
(1972)		 Who Loves You
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Track listing
Track Song Writer(s) Time
1"A New Beginning (Prelude)"Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio1:21
2"Sun Country"Bob Gaudio4:07
3"You're a Song (That I Can't Sing)"Bob Gaudio, Brit Gaudio3:11
4"The Night"Al Ruzicka, Bob Gaudio3:22
5"A New Beginning"Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio4:45
6"When the Morning Comes"Bob Gaudio4:37
7"Poor Fool"Al Ruzicka4:20
8"Touch the Rainchild"Al Ruzicka, Bob Gaudio4:22
9"Love Isn't Here (Like it Used to Be)"Bob Gaudio, Brit Gaudio3:44

Non-album singles

The following singles were recorded during the band's tenure at Motown; none of these appeared on Chameleon. Some, however, later turned up on Frankie Valli's 1975 "solo" album Inside You, which was a collection of unreleased songs and outtakes from Chameleon.[3]

  • "Walk On, Don't Look Back/Sun Country" - MoWest 5026
  • "How Come?/Life and Breath" - Motown 1255
  • "Hickory/Charisma" - Motown 1288
  • "You've Got Your Troubles/Listen to Yesterday" - Motown 1251
  • "The Scalawag Song (And I Will Love You)/Hickory" - Motown 1279

Legacy

Although reception at the time of release was lukewarm, opinions today from both fans and critics are very positive.[4] Noted for the distinctive Motown sound combined with the sounds of the Four Seasons, the album's "slick pop production values" made for a unique album in their catalog.[5] Chameleon was unavailable on compact disc until 2008, when Universal Music Group, the parent owner of Motown Records, released a 2-disc compilation titled Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: The Motown Years. It included this album, Frankie Valli's Inside You (1975), and all the non-album singles. With this release, all of the Four Seasons' material recorded for Motown is now accessible to a new audience, as well as for longtime fans.

The Motown Years Track listing

Disc one

  1. "A New Beginning (Prelude)" – 1:21
  2. "Sun Country" – 4:07
  3. "You're a Song (That I Can't Sing)" – 3:13
  4. "The Night" – 3:25
  5. "A New Beginning" – 4:47
  6. "When the Morning Comes" – 4:39
  7. "Poor Fool" – 4:10
  8. "Touch the Rainchild" – 4:23
  9. "Love Isn't Here (Like It Used to Be)" – 3:45
  10. "Walk On, Don't Look Back" – 2:58
  11. "How Come?" – 3:45
  12. "Life and Breath" – 3:08
  13. "Hickory" – 2:52
  14. "Charisma" (Unedited Version) – 4:30
  15. "Charisma" (Single Version) - 3:20

Disc two

  1. "Just Look What You've Done" – 4:49
  2. "Love Isn't Here (Like It Used to Be)" (1975 remix) – 3:50
  3. "Baby I Need Your Loving" – 3:06
  4. "Inside You" – 4:05
  5. "Thank You" – 3:33
  6. "Hickory" – 3:02
  7. "Life and Breath" (1975 remix) – 2:59
  8. "The Night" (1975 remix) – 3:21
  9. "With My Eyes Wide Open" – 4:31
  10. "You've Got Your Troubles" – 4:06
  11. "Listen to Yesterday" – 4:03
  12. "The Scalawag Song (And I Will Love You)" – 2:42

Personnel

Partial credits.[6]

The Four Seasons
  • Frankie Valli - vocals
  • Bob Gaudio - vocals, keyboards, piano, producer
  • Joe Long - vocals, bass guitar
  • Demetri Callas - vocals, guitar
  • Billy DeLoach – vocals, keyboards
  • Lee Shapiro – vocals, keyboards
Additional personnel
  • Paul Wilson - drums
  • Al Ruzicka - keyboards
  • Clay Gordon – guitar

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. Chin, Brain. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: The Motown Years, Liner Notes (2008)
  3. Chin, Brain. Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons: The Motown Years, Liner Notes (2008)
  4. "Motown Anthology Reviews" (PDF). The Four Seasons UK Appreciation Society. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  5. Lindsay Planer. "Allmusic". Chameleon. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  6. https://www.allmusic.com/album/chameleon-mw0000845089
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