Genre: pop
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Title:  The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette
Company: Philips
Catalog: PHS 600-290
Year: 1969
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: gatefold sleeve; includes newspaper insert
Available: 2
Catalog ID: 6079
Price: $20.00

The first time I heard 1969's "The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette" I just scratched my heads in wonder ... Musically and thematically it reflected an obvious, if bizarre and somewhat belated "Sgt. Pepper" influence (the inner sleeve even include a Beatles cartoon image). As such the collection found The Four Seasons desperately trying to stake out an updated, hip and happenin' sound in an effort to hold on to a rapidly declining audience. Reportedly one of the year's most expensive production efforts, exemplified by material such as 'American Crucifixion Resurrection', 'Saturday's Father' and 'Soul of a Woman' the band's stab at conceptual pieces of social commentary were well meaning, if inept (point the finger at Jake Holmes and Bob Gaudio in their roles as principal songwriters). To be fair, Valli and company couldn't be criticized for their dedication to the project. Songs like 'Father's Day' (complete with sound effects), the droning title track, and the single 'Idaho' (sounding like The Beach Boys overdosed on laxatives), made it clear they'd spent a lot of time, effort, and money on the album. Unfortunately the results literally dripped with ill-directed sincerity and over-the-top excess. That said, the album was entertaining in a strange, demented fashion. There was something fascinating in hearing Valli's falsetto trying to belt out deep and significant lyrics like 'American Crucifixion Resurrection' and the title track.

- As you probably guessed from the title, 'American Crucifixion Resurrection' found the band holding absolutely nothing back in their goal to make a big and important statement. Complete with elaborate arrangement, multi-segmented song structure (how many Four Seasons songs clock in at over six minutes ?), and 'serious' lyrics the result was a weird as hell mix that sounded like they'd been listening to way too much sandbox-era Brian Wilson. rating: *** stars
- In spite of the dated over-the-top lyrics, 'Mrs. Stately's Garden' had a great upbeat, very 1967-era melody that served to nicely showcase the group's true strength - namely those fantastic harmony vocals. rating: **** stars
- Opening up with what sounded like a heartbeat and some discordant keyboards, 'Look Up Look Over' morphed into a strange, MOR-ish ballad that almost sounded like a piece of cabaret. Once again the backing harmonies were nice, but you could easily picture Jacque Bret singing this one. The unexpected treated vocal segment was simply bizarre. rating: ** stars
- In spite of the strange phased drums and barrelhouse piano, 'Somebody's On Her Mind' was one of the album's more mainstream numbers. A commercial, mid-tempo song, Valli sounded quite good on this one. Always loved the loud and upfront bass line. rating: *** stars
- 'Saturday's Father' was an odd track to include on the set. The song was originally recorded in 1968 and had previously been released as a single, but since it sounded like it had been inspired by 'Eleanor Rigby' (though it was nowhere near as good), I guess the powers that be decided why not .... rating: ** stars
- Starting out with an interesting keyboard figure and then blossoming into a catchy pop song, 'Wall Street Village Day' found the band pulling a page out of The Kinks "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society". Yeah, it wasn't particularly original, but this one was so good it didn't matter. rating: **** stars
- Okay, the ending blatantly ripped off The Beatles 'Hey Jude', but hearing Valli and company slosh their way through this lysergic-tinged number made it easy to overlook the shortcoming. Beside, if you were going to borrow something, it might as well be a good tune. rating: **** stars
- To my ears 'Idaho' was a strange choice as a single. The song was commercial, but in a 1965 Beach Boys-meets-a-barbershop quartet fashion. The weird '20s styled horn solo didn't exactly underscore the track's rock credentials. rating: ** stars
- 'Wonder What You'll Be' was another ballad with some pretty Beach Boys-styled harmony vocals, but the song simply never kicked into gear. rating: ** stars
- A seven plus minute suite, 'Soul of a Woman' managed to provide some of the album's worst performances and some of the highlights. The song started out as an overblown, plodding ballad (with some truly embarrassing lyrics ... 'look at her she's groovy' was actually one of the better lines), but switched gears into a nice blue-eyed soul number, before going back to blasé MOR-ballad. rating: ** stars

As mentioned above, the album included two singles in the form of:


- 1968's ('Saturday's Father' b/w 'Goodbye Girl' (Philips catalog number 40452).
- 1969's 'Idaho' b/w 'Something's on Her Mind' (Philips catalog number 40597)
Needless to say, the album proved a major commercial disappointment. Peaking at # 85 the band's collective disappointment led to a brief falling out between Valli and longtime producer/co-writer Bob Crewe. (The album was originally released in an elaborate gatefold sleeve, complete with newspaper-styled insert.)

So strange that it's worth checking out even if you never thought you'd be a Four Seasons fan and you can still find copies on the cheap. Too bad they didn't make it a double album set ...

"The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) American Crucifixion Resurrection (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 6:41
2.) Mrs. Stately's Garden (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 3:13
3.) Look Up Look Over (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 4:42
4.) Somebody's On Her Mind (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 2:44
5.) Saturday's Father (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 3:10

(side 2)
1.) Wall Street Village Day (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 4:26
2.) Genuine Imitation Life (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 6:15
3.) Idaho (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 3:03
4.) Wonder What You'll Be (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 3:25
5.) Soul of a Woman (Jake Holmes - Bob Gaudio) - 7:05