Chameleon (The Four Seasons album)

Chameleon
Studio album by The Four Seasons
Released	May 1972
Recorded	1972
Genre	Pop rock
Length	33:33
Label	MoWest
Producer	Bob Gaudio
The Four Seasons chronology
Half & Half (1970) Chameleon (1972) Who Loves You (1975)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

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]

Track listing

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

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" - 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)" - 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] Unavailable on Compact Disc until 2008, the compilation Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: The Motown Years finally made this album, Frankie Valli's Inside You, and non-album singles accessible to a new audience on a 2-disc set.

Personnel

• Frankie Valli - Vocals
• Joe Long - Bass guitar, vocals
• Bob Gaudio - Producer, keyboards, piano, vocals
• Demetri Callas - Lead guitar, vocals

Additional personnel

• Paul Wilson - Drums
• Al Ruzicka - Keyboards

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.