Chameleon (The Four Seasons album)

Chameleon
Studio album by The Four Seasons
Released	May 1972
Recorded	1972
Genre	Rock Pop R&B soul
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[]

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[]