OH, WHAT A NIGHT, FRANKIE
Frankie Valli And The Four Seasons Resorts World Arena, Birmingham George Michael Older (three albums and five CDs), out Friday
Frankie Valli is the pop star who makes Paul McCartney look young. Born in 1934, the year before Elvis Presley, he is 88. Tiny, trim, topped with some silver hair that may even be his own, Valli gazes out at a packed arena. ‘Are you ready,’ he asks, ‘to rock ’n’ roll?’
There’s a glint in his eye that may be a flicker of dry wit. Valli was never a rock ’n’ roller. In their 1960s heyday, he and The Four Seasons stuck to three genres: lush pop, white soul and a little light disco. Their magic lay in the melodies and Valli’s voice, high as a kite and soft as a chick.
It’s still high now, 44 years after his last hit. Floating above the full sound of a biggish band, Valli is so audible that you briefly wonder if he’s miming.
All he has lost is some of the softness. Old falsettos never die, they just become a bit attenuated.
No singer is more likely to make you murmur, ‘I didn’t know this one was his!’
He opens with Working My Way Back To You, a smash hit for The Spinners in 1980, a small one for him in 1966. It’s a lovely song, simple and real and singable, and it sets the tone for the next two hours.
Valli’s first hit, Sherry, came in 1962 after ten years of struggle. He had worked as a barber, and The Four Seasons were a barbershop quartet with a backing band. Today’s version, all young enough to be in the cast of Jersey Boys, supply slick dance routines and sublime four-part harmonies.
Valli only half-joins in the moves, but then the same has often been said of Dua Lipa, who is 26. He is gentlemanly with his eight-piece band, turning to face the person playing a solo.
The last star who I saw doing that was also born in 1934 – the late great Leonard Cohen.
The first half is good enough, with one gem: Valli’s signature ballad, My Eyes Adored You. Co-written like most of his hits by Bob Crewe, it combines artistry with carpentry. The lines fit the tune and the tune makes a beeline for the heart.
After half-time the highlights come thick and fast. There’s Grease, the disco chugger written by the Bee Gees at the time when everything they touched turned to platinum.
There’s My Girl, not Valli’s song but done with irresistible elegance.
There’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, made world famous by Andy Williams, radically remade by the Pet Shop Boys, crooned by the crowd at Glastonbury last Sunday, but originally Valli’s.
When he sings it, you long to be with someone you love.
There’s Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby Goodbye), without which the Bay City Rollers might never have made it so big. Above all there’s December 1963 (Oh, What A Night), Valli’s greatest hit, with its swinging rhythm, pounding piano, soaring chorus and 300million plays on Spotify.
The album of the week is a vastly expanded version of George Michael’s Older.
Boxed sets are routinely billed as ‘deluxe’, but this one really is. It’s so stylish that if you put it on the coffee table, you may have to redecorate the room.
George considered it his best album and you can see why as the heartfelt bossa nova of Jesus To A Child tees up the burnished dancepop of Fastlove.
After 26 years, Older has yet to grow old.